Foreign Faculty Members Research Articles

Campus Globalization Initiatives Aimed at Developing Engineers Capable of Working on the World Stage

NIT, Ube College has been selected for the Global Engineer Project and has been implementing global education, especially for the lower grades of the first through third year, since the 2019 academic year. However, NIT, Ube College has already been conducting mutual exchanges of faculty members and students through academic exchange agreements with overseas educational institutions for more than a decade. In 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic broke out, there were 105 students who received language training and specialized experiments and practical training at overseas partner schools during summer and spring long vacations, and 59 short-term international students from those schools. However, there are a significant number of students who are not active in activities conducted both on and off campus, and the challenge is how to involve such students. What we have tried to do is to globalize the campus, and I would like to introduce three initiatives that we have implemented during the past two years of pandemic. The first was to provide online language training and overseas training, and position it as an official course for which credit can be granted. In addition, online English conversation classes were made available to students who wished to take them. The second is the “Global Engineer Lecture Series,” in which alumni with overseas work experience give lectures online. In FY2021, five lectures were held. The third is the implementation of after-school English conversation classes utilizing foreign faculty members and long-term international student tutors, in which many students in lower grades participate, leading to an increase in the level of globalization on campus.

Bölgesel ve Küresel Ortaklık ve İşbirlikleri Çerçevesinde Yabancı Uyruklu Öğrenci ve Öğretim Görevlilerinin Değişim Programlarına Katılımının İncelenmesi

International partnerships and global collaborations in the framework of foreign students and foreign faculty members in this study which examined the status of their participation in student and faculty exchange programs, foreign students and professors in question, as well as exchange programmes of students and lecturers who went from our country and abroad in the conditions of participation have been analysed. In this sense, participation in exchange programs is not only an academic-oriented initiative, but also a cultural activity. Due to the lack of laboratories and equipment, scientists who cannot conduct research and work with their own means in their institutions and countries are given the opportunity to conduct research and work in the laboratories of other institutions and countries. Key Words: Partnerships and Collaborations, Foreign Students and Lecturers

‘Nabewa nabedayo!’: Foreign faculty members’ perceived need to learn the students’ L1

ABSTRACT This paper is part of an ongoing research project that examines translanguaging practice in predominantly monolingual social domains, and it reports on the views and practices of non-Japanese English teachers’ translanguaging in Japanese higher education. Fifteen faculty members from four universities were interviewed about their perspectives on translanguaging and their reasons for supporting or rejecting the practice. Additionally, the participants were asked about their views on the necessity of acquiring proficiency in the learners’ mother tongue (L1). A thematic analysis of the interview data indicated that translanguaging is prevalently and purposefully implemented for pedagogical and sociocultural purposes in and out of the classroom. Affective benefits were also identified that underline foreign teachers’ desire to establish close rapport with their students. All participants agreed on the necessity of foreign teachers being proficient in the students’ L1, including because proficiency increases cultural literacy. The lack of cultural literacy likely necessitates repeated requests for elaboration of culture-laden lexis such as ‘nabe’, to which frustrated students with limited proficiency could only counter, ‘Nabewa nabedayodo!’ [Nabe is nabe!]. The findings suggest the need to develop theorised translanguaging pedagogies that can help teachers make strategic language choices for optimal learning outcomes.

International Faculty Contribution to Local Research Capacity Building: A View from Publication Data

This descriptive single case study uses a combination of bibliometric, social network analysis, and content analysis methods to explore how international faculty members employed at a flagship university in Kazakhstan contribute to local research capacity building. The database for the study includes 361 scholarly articles retrieved from the Thompson Reuters Web of Science database, in which at least one author is affiliated with the analyzed flagship university. The analysis of the data shows that foreign faculty members contribute to research capacity building by expanding the contextualized knowledge base, by conducting research relevant to policy priorities, by broadening the area of research dissemination, and by integrating the university into the global research networks. The role of foreign faculty in the development of local researchers’ skills and knowledge remains unclear. While our study shows a low level of collaboration between locals and foreigners, this can be attributed to the age of the university under examination and needs to be considered further.

Practices and challenges of internationalization of higher education in China; international students’ perspective

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to conceptualize international students’ perception on the internationalization of higher education in China and identify some challenges faced by some of the higher educational institutions (HEIs) in their internationalization practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized the qualitative research method, specifically, the researchers employed structured interview for investigation. The population of this research includes 15 international students and five Chinese professors teaching in BNU. Participants’ responses were categorized to provide a better understanding of the subject of study.FindingsThis study identified some push-pull factors that influenced international students’ decision making to pursue their studies in China. Some of the push factors identified include the high cost of graduate education, unavailability of some academic courses in some students’ home countries, international exposure, and unemployment, whereas the pull factors identified constitute scholarship opportunities, an alliance between BNU and others foreign universities, global job opportunity, universities’ prestige, and ranking, Chinese history and culture, and technological advancement. Finally, the challenges discovered are professors and students’ relationship, language barrier, separation of international and Chinese students, and lack of internship opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides an in-depth understanding of the case presented and has outlined some key areas to be improved in the internationalization process of Chinese HEIs. Further studies in this area are encouraged to critically analyze foreign faculty members’ experiences and contributions to Chinese internationalization of HE process in different institutions and provide a substantial framework to help mitigate some of the challenges that will emerge.Originality/valueThis research collated and addressed the lived experiences and perception on matters relevant for international practices by Chinese HEIs. Researchers have explained the assumptions and theory used in this study to better understanding the issues that emerged.

Analyses on the Appointment Status and Teaching Activities of Foreign Faculty in Korean Higher Education Institutions

본 연구는 외국인 교원의 급격한 증가에 따른 다양한 쟁점이 제기되고 이에 따라 외국인교원을 위한 적절한 정책의 필요성이 제기되고 있는 시점에서 국내 대학에 재직하고 있는 외국인 교원의 임용 현황 및 강의활동을 분석하고 이를 바탕으로 외국인 교원에 대한 정책적 시사점을 모색하고자 하였다. 이를 위하여 전국의 4년제 대학에 임용되어 있는 외국인 교원을 대상으로 이들의 임용 현황과 강의활동을 대학특성별, 임용형태별, 지위별로 살펴보았다. 연구결과 연구대상 외국인 교원의 박사학위 취득 비율은 34%로 비교적 낮았으며, 약 22% 정도는 학사 학위취득자였다. 임용형태별로는 전임교원이 85%, 비전임교원이 15% 정도로 나타났으며, 대부분의 외국인 교수는 조교수로 근무하고 있었다. 이러한 현황은 지역별과 규모별에 따라 큰 차이가 없었다. 다만 수도권과 대규모 대학에서 정교수의 비율이 비수도권이나 소규모 대학보다 더 높았다. 강의활동과 관련하여, 외국인 교수는 전공과목은 약 7학점, 교양과목은 약 9학점을 가르치고 있었고, 이러한 경향은 지역별, 규모별로 의미 있는 차이가 없었다. 다만, 교양과목의 경우는 전반적으로 전임교원의 강의비율이 비전임교원의 강의 비율보다 더 높았고, 수도권과 대규모 대학의 경우 비전임교원이 전임교원보다 더 많은 강의를 하고 있었다. 정책적 시사점으로는 외국인 교원의 교육 및 강의 활동과 관련한 체계적인 분석, 외국인 교원의 임용에 대한 정책적 가이드라인 마련 등이 제시되었다.The purposes of this study were to investigate the current status of the foreign faculty appointment and the actual conditions of teaching activities, and to provide policy implications for the foreign faculty in Korean HEIs. To accomplish the purposes of this study, the survey questionnaire including questions about the current status of the foreign faculty appointment and the actual conditions of teaching activities were distributed to all the four-year HEIs in Korea. The t-test and ANOVA analysis were employed to compare statistical differences between groups based on institutional characteristics, appointment status, and position. The results indicated that the distribution of faculty analyzed by position did not differ much from the analysis results by institutional location and size. Related to teaching activities, foreign faculty members are teaching about 7 credit hours of major courses and 9 credit hours of elective courses. This trend did not show significant differences from the results analyzed by location and by size, yet for elective courses, overall the proportion of lectures offered by full-time faculty members was higher than that provided by part-time faculty members. Two policy recommendations including further systematic analyses to understand foreign faculty members' engagement in Korean universities and establishing and providing policy guidelines for the appointment of foreign faculty to HEIs were offered.

English is for dummies: linguistic contradictions at an international college in South Korea

Under the slogan of internationalisation, Korean universities have opened international colleges as a way to better attract and accommodate foreign students. However, due to a lack of foreign student recruiting capability, the majority of the students who enrol at one such international college are not foreign, but Korean. Contradictions arise when the English-language medium enforced by the foreign faculty members of the college conflicts with the linguistic practices of the mostly Korean student body. This article uses an international college in South Korea as a case study for the examination of the role of English on student life at Asian universities pursuing internationalisation strategies via the recruitment of foreign faculty members. Paradoxically, by establishing an international college that aggressively enforces the English language medium, the Korean university has created an environment where students avoid using English at all.

International Faculty Perceptions of Requestive Emails by Korean University Students

The present study examines foreign faculty members` perceptions of requestive email messages sent by Korean university students and further identifies factors contributing to each member`s positive or negative perception of the email. An analysis of 150 requestive email messages and three faculty members` evaluations on the email politeness and appropriateness reveals that the majority of student emails fail to follow politeness norms and conventions expected in academic emails, leading to negative reactions on the part of faculty. The results of the study suggest that the appropriateness of a given academic email is determined by an interplay of various factors concerning the email format (e.g., form of address, sign-off, and other genre-specific elements), language forms (e.g., request strategies, linguistic and orthographic forms, degree of formality), and the content (e.g., clarity of request, request content, and time frame). The findings are discussed further relating to possible reasons for the email inappropriateness observed in the data: students` insufficient pragmalinguistic knowledge, improper assumptions about institutional rights and obligations of the student and the faculty, transfer of text-messaging practices, and simple carelessness. Pedagogical implications are discussed regarding the findings.

Teaching Well: A Guide For Undergraduate Teaching???Particularly for New Engineering and Technology Faculty

Quality in engineering and technology education has always been a major concern for higher education. This has become even more important now as we become increasingly technology-oriented as a culture and as an economy. Both government and industry have taken steps to increase the number of Ph.D. graduates in engineering and technology in anticipation of faculty shortages in the years to come. But very little has been done to improve the teaching performance of our sparse Ph.D. population entering academe. Of the few Ph.D. graduates in engineering who enter the teaching field, most lack classroom teaching experience because the graduate training they received usually emphasized research rather than teaching skills. Furthermore, of the Ph.D.'s who join academic faculties, many are foreign nationals; in addition to differences in culture, the language problems of these foreign faculty members often present obstacles. The problem is compounded at publish-or-perish institutions where research work impinges on time devoted to teaching. This paper is designed to alleviate the problems of new teaching faculty, particularly those in undergraduate engineering and technology programs. It may also prove useful to those teaching in other fields. In discussing the lecture course, the paper first outlines the general and obvious concerns, followed by a discussion of preparation through paperwork. A discussion of psychological preparation and classroom techniques is presented. The paper then proceeds with teaching laboratory courses. Scheduling, pedagogical techniques, equipment, and security are addressed, followed by a discussion of student evaluations and tests.

A Tentative Report on "American" and "Canadian" Courses in Canadian University Curricula

Two years ago, the secretary of the C.A.A.S. circulated a questionnaire among Canadian university departments in the humanities and social sciences in an effort to find out the extent of "American Studies" course offerings in Canadian curricula. Responses to the questionnaires were slow in coming back, the length and complexity of the questionnaire made analysis of the responses onerous and tricky, and the secretary's time was taken up by other chores; consequently, replies to the ques­tionnaire were but partially tabulated when, during the spring of 1969, Professors Robin Mathews and James Steele raised the question of whether Canadian universities were being "de-Canadianized" by the recent influx of foreign faculty members, many of them American. The unwinnowed data was becoming outdated, and to our minds it was now contextually irrelevant. It now seemed important to know not merely the number of "American Studies" courses offered in Canadian uni­versities, but also the relative importance of such courses in various departments; we were particularly interested to know something of the ratio of such courses to "Canadian Studies" courses.