【Article by EMI Resource Center】 The EMI Resource Center at NCCU held an "EMI TA (Teaching Assistant) Training" seminar on November 14 in the Alumni Service Center conference room, NCCU. This seminar belongs to the second stage of the EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) TA training program. Students who complete all four stages of the program will be awarded an EMI TA training certificate from our center. The purpose of the event today is to assist participants in understanding and mastering the basic responsibilities and skills required as an EMI teaching assistant. Through scenario simulations, discussions, and experience sharing, participants will explore the challenges and solutions in EMI teaching, learning how to provide effective support in bilingual courses, thereby enhancing their professional abilities as teaching assistants.

The lecture was led by Assistant Professor Dr. Cheng-Han Wu, the leading EMI TA trainer from our center, and assisted by Ph.D. candidate Edward Fung, a writing consultation assistant at the center. Dr. Wu introduced himself in a humorous and engaging manner, guiding students from various departments through a creative card game that simulated potential situations they might face as teaching assistants. Together, they discussed and tackled the potential challenges of becoming an EMI teaching assistant.

The card game activity included three types of scenarios: course-related, professor-related, and recurring TA problems. Each group randomly selected cards representing various scenarios and used another set of phrase cards to help address the situations. Through this exercise, TAs practiced responding to different issues they might face in real-life contexts. Throughout the activity, each group engaged enthusiastically in discussion, sharing their perspectives and demonstrating their problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. For example, Chang, a TA from the Department of Statistics, shared her personal experience to illustrate how she addressed situations related to "common problems faced by teaching assistants." Chang explained that as an EMI teaching assistant, she needed to assist students who had difficulty understanding content taught in English by providing academic support or tutoring. In this process, she not only had to strengthen her own professional knowledge and serve as a bridge between language and subject expertise but also had to train her interpersonal communication skills to facilitate smooth communication with students.

Center Director Professor Siaw-Fong Chung led a Q&A session, encouraging participants to share challenges or memorable experiences they had encountered as TAs. Among them, Hong, another TA from the Department of Statistics, pointed out that while serving as a course teaching assistant, she faced difficulties balancing classroom duties with her own academic work. She shared how she communicated with the professor to adjust the scope of her responsibilities. Chen, a TA from the Department of Economics, also explained that during his time as a teaching assistant, he encountered situations where his professional understanding differed from that of other teaching assistants. He provided strategies for resolving such conflicts, offering valuable tips to the students present. Among the attendees, there were students who are yet to become a TA. They responded that the in-depth exchange during the lecture helped them think about the range of challenges they might face as EMI teaching assistants. The insights gained from this brainstorming session will serve as valuable references for their future roles as EMI teaching assistants.

As the event approached its conclusion, the TAs engaged in lively discussions. Initially, Some of them were a bit reserved, but gradually warmed up to the relaxed sharing atmosphere. Each TA shared their new understanding and insights about becoming an EMI TA. Students unanimously expressed that this seminar helped them realize that serving as an EMI teaching assistant entails significant responsibilities and missions: they work with both professors and students, playing a crucial role in facilitating communication between them. Even more important is their task of ensuring the smooth operation of the class in a bilingual teaching environment. Although being an EMI teaching assistant is a challenging role, the participating students expressed their willingness to take it on, gaining diverse experiences and learning valuable interpersonal skills.

The third stage of the EMI training program, the “EMI TA Feedback” seminar,will take place on Thursday, December 12th. This seminar is designed to provide a platform for participants to exchange and share their experiences. They will have the opportunity to hear about their peers' experiences in applying EMI methods in actual teaching situations and discuss the challenges they faced as well as their successful cases. Through interactive discussions, participants will explore strategies to overcome language barriers, enhance student engagement, and improve teaching effectiveness. This seminar will not only help enhance each participant’s EMI teaching skills but also foster collaboration and learning among them. The insights and strategies shared will provide valuable guidance for more effectively applying EMI in future teaching roles.

EMI TA Training: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18KnZmUZQA/
12/12 Activity Registration: https://reurl.cc/Mj5Qx3