The Chinese Online Writing Lab
柯泰德英文論文編修訓練服務
Proposal
Ted Knoy (柯泰德)
Instructor
Foreign Languages Division Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology
Hsinchu, Taiwan
July 18, 2002
1.Description
Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology's commitment to strengthening the English conversational and writing skills of its students by incorporating the latest techniques in computer aided instruction makes it an ideal location for the establishment of a Language Skills Center (語技中心). The Language Skills Center will focus on the following objectives:
a. assisting students who desire help in strengthening conversational and writing skills through classroom instruction in conversation and asynchronously delivered courses in writing;
b.offering task-oriented classroom instruction in conversation that focuses on a) conversation for social purposes, b) conversation for academic purposes, c) conversation for advanced or graduate study, d) conversation for employment purposes, and e) conversation for negotiating purposes;
c.providing task-oriented, asynchronously delivered courses in writing that focus on a) copyediting, b) study plans for advanced or graduate study, c) employment application statements, d) work proposals, e) organization of technical reports/research papers, and f) technical correspondence;
d.equipping students with a systematic curricular approach to strengthening conversational and writing skills that consists of a) vocabulary building, b) listening comprehension, c) role playing and oral presentations to model the assigned task, and d) writing assignments;
e.helping students to develop their own language portfolios that demonstrate personal strengths and abilities in conversation and writing; and
f.offering a vehicle for faculty members to monitor their student's English conversational and writing problems as well as reinforce the conversational and writing principles they are emphasizing in their classrooms.
2.Rationale
Despite the increasing number of students and faculty at Yuan Pei Institute of Medical Technology whom are writing technical articles in English and presenting those findings orally, limited resources are available for helping them to develop conversational and writing skills necessary for academic and professional purposes. Moreover, despite the increasing number of language courses that cater to the needs of non-native English speakers and writers, such curricula rarely pinpoint the language-related stumbling blocks that prevent Taiwanese technology-oriented students face from speaking or writing fluently. To effectively respond to such needs, the Language Skills Center (語技中心) at Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology would seek to strengthen the English conversational and writing skills of its students through classroom instruction in conversation and asynchronously delivered courses in writing that incorporate the latest techniques in computer aided instruction.
3. Process
The Language Skills Center (語技中心) at Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology will have two facets: one for strengthening conversational skills through classroom instruction by native English speaking teachers and the other for developing writing skills through asynchronously delivered courses. The success of the Language Skills Center will largely depend on implementing this two-faceted approach through a curriculum that emphasizes specific task-oriented goals. The two components are described below:
A. English conversation (through classroom instruction)
i.Conversation for social purposes
Description:
This course focuses on developing listening, pronunciation and intonation skills through pattern drills, question and answer techniques, dialogues, paired conversations and interviews, free conversations, small group discussions, as well as listening comprehension and writing tasks.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to introduce themselves, engage in small talk, deal with awkward situations, give and react to invitations, and learn how to keep a conversation flowing.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with basic level speaking proficiency.
ii. Conversation for advanced or graduate study
Description:
This course focuses on developing the listening and conversational skills of students whom are preparing for advanced or graduate study.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to their express their interest in a field of study, display knowledge of that field, describe academic background and achievements, introduce research and professional experiences, describe extracurricular activities relevant to study, describe personal qualities relevant to study, outline career objectives, and state why a particular institution was selected for advanced or graduate study.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate level speaking proficiency.
iii. Conversation for employment purposes
Description:
This course focuses on developing the listening and conversational skills of students whom are preparing to seek employment for the workplace.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to express interest in a profession, describe the field or industry that one's profession belongs, describe participation in a project that reflects interest in a profession, describe academic background and achievements, introduce professional and /or research experiences, and describe extracurricular activities that are relevant to employment.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate - advanced level speaking proficiency.
iv. Conversation for academic purposes
Description:
This course focuses on developing the listening and conversational skills of students whom want to describe their current project proposal or work proposal.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to describe the background of their academic or work project, describe their plan to solve the problem of their academic or work project, describe in detail the problem to be solved in their project, describe the objective and methodology of their project, describe the anticipated results of the project and its overall contribution to a particular field, and formally propose their academic or work project.
Audience: This course is designed for students with advanced level speaking proficiency.
Other conversation courses to be offered in the future include Effective Telephoning, Effective Presentations, Effective Meetings, and Effective Negotiating.
B) English writing courses (delivered asynchronously)
The asynchronously delivered courses in writing will allow students and even faculty to participate flexibly without constraints of time or location. Course objectives, details of class assignments, interactive quizzes and video feedback are placed on-line. A mailing list will be distributed by email to all students so that they can query each other and share findings and ideas with each other. The instructor will correct the completed assignments and provide personal feedback to each student.
i.Copyediting (英文編修訓練 )
Description:
This course focuses on developing translation skills in a manuscript in terms of (a) translation errors made from Chinese to English and (b) general writing style errors.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to edit their manuscripts for a) conciseness (using active voice frequently, using verbs instead of nouns, creating strong verbs, avoiding overuse of sentences that begin with It and There, and deleting redundant and needless phrases), b) clarity (ensuring subject and verb agreement, ensuring that pronoun references are clear in meaning, eliminating modifier problems, double checking for faulty comparisons and omissions, and avoiding unnecessary shifts in sentences), and c) Chinese-English colloquial habits.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with basic English writing skills.
Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at
http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/1_copyediting.htm
ii.Writing effective study plans for advanced or graduate study (進階學習讀書計劃撰寫 )
Description:
This course focuses on instructing students that are preparing for advanced study on how to write a simple, concise and straightforward study plan.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to write an effective study plan that consists of the following elements: expressing interest in a field of study, displaying knowledge of that field, describing academic background and achievements, introducing research and professional experiences, describing extracurricular activities relevant to study, describing personal qualities relevant to study, outlining career objectives, and stating why an institution was selected for advanced study. Students are also taught how to write an effective recommendation letter for advanced study.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate English writing skills.
Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/5_study_plan.htm
iii. Employment application statements ( 有效撰寫英文工作自傳 )
Description:
This course focuses on instructing students that are preparing to enter the work force on how to write an effective employment application statement.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to write an effective employment application statement that consists of the following elements: expressing interest in a profession, describing the field or industry that one's profession belongs, describing participation in a project that reflects interest in a profession, describing academic background and achievements, introducing professional and /or research experiences, and describing extracurricular activities that are relevant to employment.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate English writing skills.
Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/7_employment_applications.htm
iv.Writing effective work proposals ( 有效撰寫英文工作提案 )
Description:
This course focuses on instructing students how to write an effective proposal for their work or research project.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to a) outline a work proposal by describing the project background and the plan to solve the problem, b) write a problem statement, c) write a hypothesis statement, write an abstract by briefly introducing the background, objective and methodology, summarizing the anticipated results of the project and its overall contribution to a particular field, and d) write a 350 – 450 word proposal for a work or research project.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate – advanced writing skills.
Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/6_work_proposals.htm
v.Organizing technical reports/research papers (科技研究論文組織寫作 )
Description:
This course focuses on instructing students how to a) organize and write technical reports or research papers efficiently and b) make a technical report/research paper more user friendly by identifying reader's interests.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to combine writing and project time (instead of waiting until after the project is finished to begin writing) by organizing and writing the technical report/research paper from a well structured approach.
Audience:
This course is designed for students with intermediate-advanced writing skills. Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/3_organize.htm
vi. Writing effective technical correspondence (科技英文信函撰寫 )
Description: This course focuses on instructing students how to a) identify common types of technical correspondence in the workplace and b) create a tailor-made correspondence template file based on the student's writing needs.
Benefits:
After taking this course, students will be able to write letters of a) technical cooperation (exchanging information, seeking technology licensors, paving the way for technology transfers, proposing how to proceed with technical cooperation, requesting participation in/or accreditation by an international body, and reporting the current status of related activities), b) technical visits abroad (proposals for technical visits, topics of discussion, confirmation reminders, changing dates or itineraries, hotel accommodations and transportation, expressing appreciation for hospitality during stay, accepting invitations, and declining invitations), c) technical visits from abroad (inviting speakers, inviting a consultant or guest worker, setting agendas for technical visits, letters of approval-technical visits, financial arrangements, hotel accommodations or travel arrangements, and changing the dates of technical visits), d) technical training (invitations to speakers, guest worker applications, application cover letters, suggestion letters for training content, training course confirmations, arranging accommodations, application rejection acknowledgements, and appreciation letters upon return from training program), and e) requesting information (requesting program information, requesting company information, requesting product information, requesting technology information, requesting reference materials and price quotations - information services).
Audience:
This course is designed for students with basic-intermediate writing skills. Course syllabus and schedule can be found online at http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/2_Tec_letter.htm
Other asynchronously delivered writing courses to be offered in the future include Writing in the workplace and Technical promotional writing.
4.Curriculum design
The conversation classes via classroom instruction and asynchronously delivered writing courses will be structured according to specific tasks that comprise the following elements: vocabulary building, listening comprehension, language practice, and a writing assignment. Each task will take the form of a lesson plan, with one or two tasks completed each class. Here is an example ( from http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/listening_lab/exercise1.htm ) :
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Execise 1 *I. Pre-Listening Exercise II. Listening Exercise III. Post-Listening Exercise Purpose: Expressing interest in a field of study / 表達學習領域興趣 I. Pre-Listening Exercise [Top] Check the meanings of the following words and expressions:
Consult page 15 of Writing Effective Study Plans by Ted Knoy for some of these definitions. II. Listening Exercise [Top] 1. Listen to the conversation by pressing the "Play" button and then answering the following questions. Press the "Final score" button to check your quiz results. 1. What will Wen do after completing a master's degree in Computer Science from National Tsing Hua University? A. look for work as an engineer in the hi-tech industry B. immediately pursue a Ph.D. in the same field C. vacation in Europe for a year before looking for work 2. Where would Wen like to study for a Ph.D. in Computer Science? A. National Tsing Hua University B. National Taiwan University C. UCLA 3. What did Wen concentrate on while completing his master's degree? A. network applications B. food science C. distance learning 4. How does Wen feel about the Internet's impact on modern commerce? A. He is frightened. B. He is fascinated. C. He is excited. 5. Where is National Tsing Hua University located? A. Taiwan B. California C. France Score = Correct answers: 2. Listen to the story again as you read the audiotranscript on page 170 of Writing Effective Study Plans by Ted Knoy. III. Post-Listening Exercise [Top] 1. Read the audiotranscript with a partner and briefly review it in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation. Following this, adapt the audiotranscript to your situation by rehearsing the scene with your partner and acting it out in a role play. By working with other groups in class, try to produce a longer and, hopefully, more entertaining situation (based on the audiotranscript) and then perform for the class. If not directly related to the audiotranscript, produce a role play of a situation which has proved difficult or embarrassing in the past. Then, perform it in class. 2. Write a paragraph describing your interest in a field of study. View the accompanying Power Point presentation on details of how to write this paragraph. 3. Write four questions beginning with "Which" to ask someone about their interest in a field of study and then answer them. The question does not have to come directly from the listening exercise. Example: Which university does Wen hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science? Answer: UCLA Example: Which field of study would you like to research in graduate school? Answer: Biotechnology
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In the form of lesson plans, these tasks will also be put online where students can practice course contents online and interact with the instructor or other students through different media ( e.g., CGI script quizzes, Flash quizzes, video streamed presentations through Windows Media, and online listening exercises).
Before taking a conversation or writing course, each student will take a series of pre-tests and post-tests to ensure that they are placed in the right class and that their progress is monitored throughout the course (in addition to the instructor correcting their written assignments).
5. Staffing
Director
Director of the Language Skills Center (語技中心) is responsible for encouraging faculty and students to use the Language Skills Center, providing pedagogical assistance to faculty members who are trying integrate English writing and conversation in their own courses, developing and implementing curriculum for both the conversation classes via classroom instruction and the asynchronously delivered writing courses, recruiting and training Language Skills Center staff and native English speaking instructors. In particular, the Director is responsible for implementing the following services:
* Student services: On-line and face-to-face tutoring. Native speaking English tutor(s) answer questions via e-mail regarding writing and speaking, ranging from simple grammar to advice with a research paper. More specifically, the Language Skills Center helps students and professors (a) understand an assignment, (b) generate ideas, (c) pre-write, (d) develop a thesis, (e) analyze an audience, (f) organize and develop ideas, (g) revise earlier drafts, (h) improve proofreading and editing skills, and (i) discover their own writing process. However, tutors do not proofread, edit, ghostwrite or research any writer's work.
*Faculty services: Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC). The Language Skills Center encourages, implements, and facilitates the use of writing in courses throughout Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology. The Director will be available online daily and for face-to-face consultation to help faculty members research writing in their disciplines, devise appropriate writing assignments for their courses, suggest a variety of evaluation approaches, and assist in locating further electronic sources for enhancing their courses. The Director will work with faculty members to adapt the OWL to fit their diverse needs.
*ESL Certificate in Technical Communication: The Language Skills Center is developing a 11 unit technical writing specialization delivered asynchronously that introduces students to the technical writing profession and also provides them with tools relevant to a range of writing situations. While focusing on technical communication as a set of problem-solving strategies, the ESL Certificate in Technical Communication provides students the opportunity to create a writing portfolio that demonstrates their strengths and abilities.
*Curriculum development. In line with the ESL Certificate in Technical Communication delivered asynchronously, the Language Skills Center will develop technical communication curriculum materials for speaking and writing via asynchronous-based learning.
Assistant
Either a part-time or full-time assistant at the Language Skills Center is responsible for designing and maintaining the Skill Center's website, which would require experience in computer graphics as well as knowledge of Macromedia, CGI, Flash, HTML, and other programs to facilitate curriculum development. The Assistant will also work with the Director in promoting the Center's activities among faculty and staff, as well as organizing courses.
Teachers
Initially, either 1 or 2 full time native English speaking instructors will be required for teaching conversation courses, correcting homework from the asynchronously delivered writing courses, and serving as an on-line and face to face tutor as part of the Center's outreach to Yuan Pei student and faculty. If not using the curriculum already developed at the Language Skills Center, teachers are responsible for the curriculum development of their own course. They will be expected to submit a course syllabus and schedule as well as lesson plans that are in the form of individual tasks (as mentioned in the Curricular Design section of this proposal). The course syllabus, schedule and lesson plans will then be placed online.
6.Approach
The Language Skills Center (語技中心) will begin operating during the Spring 2003 semester. During the first semester, the entire campus community will be introduced to the Language Skills Center. The Language Skills Center will be intensively promoted among faculty in the other academic areas during the Fall 2003 semester through orientation sessions, in which the focus will be on active participation by all academic areas. Faculty members who are interested in devising appropriate writing assignments for their courses will be offered assistance.
7.Evaluation
The effectiveness of the Language Skills Center (語技中心) will be measured by several means. Attitudinal surveys will be issued to determine student/faculty acceptance of the Language Skills Center (語技中心). Detailed user statistics will be collected. The number of inquiries to the Center will be logged. Specific information on the types of inquiries will also be collected. Student users will be surveyed upon their first inquiry to the Center and again at the end of the semester.
8.Location/Layout
The Language Skills Center will be located inside of Yuan Pei Medical Institute of Technology, preferably on the sixth floor of the new Administration building. As for the layout, two options seem preferred. For a larger layout, the Language Center at National Chiao Tung University in the basement of the university library is a good example.
For a smaller layout, the Writing Center at National Tsing Hua University is a good example.
Regardless of whether it is large or small, layout of the Center should include the following:
A.Audio/Video area contains stations with individual cassette recorders and video monitors in the carrels so that students can practice pronounciation, vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening comprehension.
B.Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) area provides individual programs of study geared to the needs and interests of students. Resources include a variety of software for computer-assisted instruction, self-paced reading programs, grammar files of teacher-made exercises, , books, reference materials, TOEFL preparation materials, and language games. The computer software focuses on vocabulary and grammar skills.
C.Classroom area
D.Administrative area includes desks and computer terminals for the Director and the Assistant, as well as a small lounge area for teachers that contains teaching resource materials.
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