The EECʼs English Professional Course :History, Structure, and Results
Ronald Paul MURPHY
Institute for Education and Student Support Ehime University

tests and assessment guidelines. The new curriculum

INTRODUCTION

focused not only on communicative competence, but also

The establishment of the English Education Centerinmarked an important step in Ehime Universityʼs

on developing first-year studentsʼ writing, listening, andreading abilities.

general education English curriculum. The university

While the establishment of the new four-skills

recognized that providing first-year students with an

curriculum was seen to address an important need for allorganized curriculum would best help them further

first-year Ehime University students, a realization had

develop the English they had acquired in junior andalready surfaced among university management that ansenior high school. Like many reforms, the establish-

English course serving the needs of higher-level students

ment of a new program has been an on-going process,was necessary. In

and subsequent changes have made todayʼs EEC

created consisting of the EEC director and EEC faculty

curriculum more attuned to studentsʼ needs than it wasmembers to study options and develop a proposal forin the early years of its existence. One of these changes

such a course. Special intensive courses（S ）had been

involved the establishment of a higher-level set ofpart of the EEC curriculum since its inception, and most

, a planning committee wasEnglish classes called The Professional Course. This

had proven to be popular（and remain so）with students.

report initially outlines the general development of the

When consideration arose of adding a higher-level multi-

EEC, and proceeds to report on the development andclass English course, the S classes proved to be usefulperformance

Coursestarting point. A careful study was conducted of what

（hereafter referred to as the Professional Course）, withworked in these courses, and these findings served as aparticular focus on the academic years （AYs）

basis for the recommendations the committee eventually

of

the

EnglishProfessional−.

produced

in

AY

. The

planning

committee

produced a list of classes then asked EEC full-time
faculty members to select one class and create a course.

EEC BACKGROUND AND ORIGINSOF PROFESSIONAL COURSEIn the first few years after its establishment in

The committee also created the position of Course
Coordinator ­ an EEC permanent faculty member,

whose responsibility it became to administer aspects ofthe EEC focused on courses designed to activate

the program, communicate with other EEC faculty about

studentsʼ

program matters, and to coordinate with EEC office staff

latentEnglishcommunicative

potential.

English A and English B were communicative courses instudentsʼ

firstyear, withEnglishCaintegrated course completed in the first semester ofstudentsʼ second year. After a few years it wasdetermined that, in order to better prepare students fortheir academic and professional lives（as it related totheir English skills）, further reform was necessary. In, a new EEC curriculum was established, one with
common textbooks, common learning aims, and common
大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

on other administrative matters regarding the course.

four-skills

THE ENGLISH PROFESSIONALCOURSE（AYs
）
In AY

-

, with a view towards developing anorganized set of courses for higher-level students, theEEC coordinated and revised appropriate S
courses

towards

thisend. Afterintensive

evaluatingtheRonald Paul MURPHY

performance of this unofficial trial, the EEC organizing
committee finalized its selection of required and elective

Elective Courses（AYs-）

classes ­ a selection that focused on communicative

TOEIC Experience familiarizes students with thecompetence and also on practical skills that will likely be

TOEIC format and vocabulary particular to the test.

necessary for students in their future academic andStudents also extensively practice the questions in

professional work. It was then proposed to the Kyoiku

the reading and listening sections.

the

TOEIC Intensive gives students extensive listening

Professional Course officially be made part of Ehime

and reading practice directly related to TOEIC, as

Universityʼs curriculum. In AY-

the proposedwell as grammar and vocabulary practice. Under-courseofficial

trial. Uponstanding test strategies is also stressed.

Gakkusei

Shien

was

Kaigi （教育学生支援会議） that

conducted

asancompletion of the trial, the course was judged to be

Business English focuses on the four skills andsuccessful, and was then authorized by the Kyoiku

language common to many business situations.

Gakkusei Shien Kaigi to be officially included in Ehime

Students learn various methods of written communi-

Universityʼs curriculum from AY

cation, various-.

cultural

aspectsofinternational

The remainder of this report details the Professional

business, and dealing with non-Japanese employees.

Course curriculum, assessment mechanisms, student sur-

Writing Strategies provides students the basics ofvey results, admission policy, and added features of theacademiccourse.

academic papers, and the skills and strategies forwriting, theunderlying

structuresofwriting them.
Academic Reading teaches students the style ofRequired and Elective Courses

academic publications in English, and the impor-

The summaries below represent the most-recent list

tance ofwhy-questions

in English grammar.

of Professional Course courses, some of which wereStudents learn how form, meaning, and use areadded or revised after the period that this report covers

interconnected.

（AYs

Introductory Interpretation teaches students how to-）.

express themselves, in both Japanese and English,

Required Courses（AYs-

about familiar topics （i.e. college life, business,）families, life and culture in foreign countries, andOral Communication aims to improve overall fluency,

current issues）. Students practice note taking

with a focus on travelling abroad, and office/about what is spoken in simple terms, and express

workplace situations. Students also learn common

themselves based on the notes both in Japanese andaspects of western societies and cultures and how to

English.

deal with social issues in communication.

English for Tourism helps students learn what needs

Writing Workshop focuses on writing for professional

to be explained about Japanese culture and society

and academic purposes. Students learn different

while guiding. Students also learn how to planstyles of writing, common forms and expressions,tours, manage time, and gather information forcommonguiding purposes.

research

conventions, andindependent

study techniques.

Discussion Skills develops studentsʼ discussion skills

Speaking and Reading Strategies focuses on readingin English, focusing on agreement and disagreement

strategies and skills to help students be morestrategies, supporting oneʼs arguments, and overall

resourcefuloral fluency. （Note : This course was added in AY

andtime-efficient

when

using

the

Internet in English to accomplish work-related tasks.

2013-2014）.

Effective Presentations teaches students the process ofInternational

creating good presentations ­ from generating ideas

students

and organizing ideas to then researching andcommunication in a foreign country, and to help

presenting them in a professional manner.

them understand American and Hawaiian culture.

Englishmore

Experience

proficient

in

aims

to

make

authentic, daily

During the three-weeks that the course moves tothe University of Hawaii, students use English to
大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

The EECʼs English Professional Course : History, Structure, and Results

accomplish everyday tasks （i.e., public transporta-

research were undertaken ­ interviews, and formaltion, banking, shopping）, experienceastudent surveys.

andclasses

attenddaily

communicative

homestay,withstudents from various countries. （Note : In AY 2013-

Interviews

2014 this course was expanded to include study abroad
programs at schools in various countries. Students are

In order to better understand how the Professional
Course could benefit both the students individually andable to choose among them.）

the university overall, the Professional Course coordina-

Study Abroad Course（AY-

tor conducted internal interviews with EEC faculty and）students, interviews with various faculty members in

In the continuing effort to improve the Professional

the Law & Letters faculty and Education faculty（since

Course, a study abroad elective course was developed

students from these faculties provided over half of theand proposed in AY

applicants and a large majority of admissions to the-. Named International

English Experience（IEE）, the course is centered aroundcourse）, and interviews with teachers within Japan.

the three-week New Intensive Course of English (NICE)
program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa inAugust. The

NICE

courseoffersvariousoral

Internal EEC Research
By the end of AY-, the coordinator began

communication classes half-days Monday to Friday,

one-to-one discussions with other EEC faculty members

voluntary cultural activities both on-campus and off-

to determine their views on one basic issue : Should thecampus, and a homestay that allows for language

Professional Course include career-focused professional

development in an intensive and authentic environment.

training with its central language-learning component, or

The IEE course includes preparatory lessons in theshould the course be

weeks prior to departure to Hawaii, then concludes withcourse designed to help students prepare for their future

follow-up interviews and essays after students return toacademic and professional working lives ? Teachers

Ehime University.

unanimously thought the latter -- that the Professional

Three Professional Course students participated in
the trial of the IEE course in AY--. In AYonly

a skills-focused language

Course should teach practical language and skills
students will need in future academic and professional, the IEE was officially approved as part of thesituations.

Professional Course. Two students participated andInterviews and surveys with students confirmed

passed the course that year. No students applied thethis, revealing that studentsʼ most-common preference

following year.

was the opportunity to speak more English. A distant

As noted above, the IEE was expanded in AY-

second was an interest to work on specific skills or areas

to include various study abroad programs in the U.

of interest, such as writing a thesis, ESP, or studying

S.A. Programs in other countries will likely be added inabout foreign cultures.

the future.
Internal Ehime University ResearchInterviews with faculty outside of the EEC began in

RESEARCHING THE
PROFESSIONAL COURSEWhen the Professional Course began in AY, with follow-ups in. These interviews were

mostly with Law and Letters faculty members, and also-

, there was recognition that the first years of thesomeEducation

faculty. Interviews

were

also

conducted with staff and teachers of Ehime Leaders

course would establish certain aspects and precedents

School. The purpose of these interviews wasthat would give the course its

anddetermine the fit that the Professional Course achieved

direction. At the same time, it was also clear that itwithin the overall Ehime University language-learning

would likely grow and change over time. There also

curriculum. There were three core questions-

was the recognition that formal research of studentsʼ

the Professional Course content, level, and time de-opinions regarding the course should be gathered. In

mands appropriate in regards to their students ?

consideration of these recognitions, two strands of

Are there suggestions for changes ?

大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

personality

to

）Is
）

）Is the course

Ronald Paul MURPHY

complementaryorredundant

to

their

facultyʼs

curriculum ?
The second purpose of interviews with facultyoutside of the EEC was for the coordinator to familiarize
himself with the types of courses that the majority of theProfessional Course students themselves were either
enrolled in presently or would be enrolled in eventuallyin their faculty coursework. This would help inform the
EEC about the levels, abilities and coursework of manyof the Professional Course students.
The response from all the interviewees was very
positive towards the Professional Course. All respondents considered the course content, level, and time

Table : Overall Student Survey Findings（combined AY
and AY．
n＝ ）．
Academic yearnd yearrd yearth year％．
Faculty
Law & Letters
Education
ScienceEngineering
Agriculture％．Reasons for joining course
Wanted more English practiceInterested in class offerings
Wanted Pro Course certificate％

demands to be appropriate, and considered the course
overall to be beneficial to their students English
language development.

．Satisfaction with course classes
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Somewhat unsatisfied
Not at all satisfied％

External Ehime University Research
The course coordinator also sought out otheruniversities in Japan with programs comparable to the．
Suggestions to improve course ?
No. Good as it is
Yes％

Professional Course. The most helpful sources included
on-line list-serv communities, and various groups andcontacts within a nationwide Japan teacherʼs organization. As was the response of the Ehime University
faculty members, the feedback the coordinator received．The course taught me skills for my future academic andprofessional life.
Agree strongly％
Agree somewhat
Disagree somewhat
Disagree strongly

from interviewees outside this university （after athorough explanation of the program）was unanimously
positive.

Individual Class Survey
This survey is conducted by each EEC faculty
member who teaches a Professional Course class. It is

Formal Student Surveys

designed to determine the extent to which the learning

In order to quantify the effectiveness of the various

aims of a particular class were achieved. In the first

aspects of the Professional Course, the course supervisor

week of the class, a pre-survey is conducted, asking

developed ­ on instructions from the center director ­ astudents their perceived abilities in certain skill areas, i.e.

series of student surveys.

organizing an academic paper, searching the Internet inEnglish, the elements of a presentation, etc. Responses
are taken on a Likert scale. At the end of the semester,

Overall Survey
This survey, begun in AY-, is conductedannually among third and fourth-year

students are again asked to assess their perceived

Professional

abilities in these specific skill areas. The results help

Course students near the end of the second semester.

the teacher determine if he/she successfully taught theIt asks for studentsʼ satisfaction level and opinions onlearning aims of the course to the students.

how the course overall can be improved.
How to interpret Table 2 below
This survey produces group data, not individual
data. The intent of this survey was to help the teacher
determine if the class, collectively, made progress.
Table : below are the results for seven teachers
大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

The EECʼs English Professional Course : History, Structure, and Results

who taught the Professional Course in the secondIsemester of AY

somewhat capable, very capable, at doing the fol-

-

.

am

not

at

all

capable, notverycapable,lowing in English （Teachers then insert each learning− Each teacher has learning aims specific to his/hercourse. The number of learning aims differ among

aim of the class）.
The Likert Scale :teachers.
− Post avg. is the class average score for eachlearning aim by the end of the semester.

. Not at all capable. Not very capable. Somewhat capable. Very capable− Pre avg. is the class average score for each learning
aim at start of the semester.
− Students rate their ability according to this survey− The yellow row in the tables below is thepercentage gain or loss, post-survey compared topre-survey.

prompt :Table

大学教育実践ジャーナル 第: Pre & Post Individual Class Survey Results, AY号-

SemesterRonald Paul MURPHY

Example : For teacher , the students（collectively）rated
their capability for learning aim number

as a score ofSpace limitations do not allow for the reporting of
eachsemesterʼsOverall

Surveyresults. Likewise,． -- not very capable . By the end of the course, thebecause each teacherʼs learning aims are unique andstudents（collectively）rated their capability for learning

sometimes vary, overall composite data is not possible.

aim number

However, results of each semesterʼs Individual Class

as a score of． − approachingvery

capable .

Survey consistently resemble the table below, in thatnearly every learning aim in every teacherʼs class shows

Finding : Students（collectively） of Teacher
learning aim number

learnedvery well.

significant gains. This clearly shows that students areachieving the learning aims of their Professional Course
classes.

The data in the table below shows that nearly all of
the learning aims in each Professional Course class weresuccessfully taught to the students, as a whole.

Mentor Program Survey
This survey is administered annually via e-mail fromthe EEC office because, unlike the other Professional
Course surveys, the respondents of this survey are notphysically

Table: Mentor Program Survey Data AYs
and-．
Academic Year（n＝ ）
nd
rd
th
．
Faculty
Education
Law & Letters
ScienceEngineering
Agriculture％-

presentinaclassroom

when

it

is

administered. As is common with voluntary-response
surveys of all types, the response rate for this survey
has been nearpercent, but it nonetheless provides

useful feedback for evaluating the effectiveness of the
Mentor

Program．（The

Mentor

Programitselfis

explained near the end of this report．
）％

ADMISSION POLICY
Among the important initial decisions to be made．
Reasons for joining Mentor Program
Specific goal I want advice on％
I like the teacher
Occasionally want advice
Other

regarding the Professional Course was the admission
policy ­ who to admit, how many students to admit, andon what criteria should applicants be admitted. The
planning committee considered what resources the EEC
had to support the addition of this type of course, anda．Chances to get advice from mentor ?
More than enough chances％
Enough chances
Not enough chances
Far from enough chances．
Enough contacts with mentor ?
Too often
About right
Too little

decided thatstudents would be admitted annuallybased on their GTEC scores in their first year. It wasalso decided that each faculty（the Faculty of Medicine
does not participate in the Professional Course） beallowed three automatic admissions. The remaining％．
Reasons for contacting mentor（multiple answers）
Current classes advice％
Study tips advice
Study/travel abroad advice
Questions about mentor
General problem
Mentor requested meeting．Type of contact preferred with mentor
Once or twice per semester％
Occasional e-mails
Visit mentor office if needed
In class, around campus

would be evaluated according to their GTEC scores.
Admission policy（AYs

and）

Qualified applicants : nd-year students.
Total admitted annually :.

Application period : February.
Selection period : March.
Application requirement : Application document only.
Admittance criteria :st-year GTEC.

admitted : Each faculty, three spots.
Remaining

admitted : st-year GTEC.

大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

The EECʼs English Professional Course : History, Structure, and Results
Table: Program Applicants and Admitted Students AYs

Table: Graduates from Professional Course by Faculty（AYs

Revised policy features（AY-

onward）

Applicants considered : Top
Bridge scores from AY

by Faculty-）

turn to for advice, information, and; per GTEC（TOEIC）

support. Most

student requests were met, but where their firstpreference could not be met, students were assigned
their second or third choice. There were about

Application requirement :­-Application document.

applicants each year.
-

After

words）.

discussions

amongteachers

and

after

­

Typed essay in English（­

History of extra curricular activities, volunteer

receiving feedback from students, the Mentor Program

work, experience

was revised beginning in AY

abroad, awards

won, special

merits, and other relevant considerations.

-

to better meetthe needs of participating students. The program willcontinue to be monitored and adjusted according to the

In AYexpandingthe course coordinator proposed
thecriteria

foradmittancetoneeds of Professional Course students.

includeachievements and experiences other than standardized

CONCLUSION

test score. The expanded criteria included an essay anda history of extra curricular activities, volunteer work,

Findings from the various student surveys that haveexperience abroad, awards won, special merits, and otherbeen administered for each course component, and therelevant considerations. This was considered the fairest

extensive interviews with language teachers inside andway to judge applicants.

outside of Ehime University, have shown the Professional Course to be meeting the needs and desires of the

Mentor Program
In AY

-

students, and fulfilling the vision that university leaders
have

of

providingmotivated, higher-level

English-, a Mentor Program was established.

speaking students with both the practical skills andParticipating students could request a particular EEC

language skills that will help students succeed in futurepermanent faculty member to whom the student could

academic, professional, and English-speaking social envi-

大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号

Ronald Paul MURPHY

ronments. While the present course has received

（c）
class

positive reviews from both observers and participants,

understand your teacherʼs

the EEC will continue to monitor all aspects of theitems ?

course and make adjustments it feels will improve it.

員の授業での説明は，あなたがこの授業で十分に成果を

objectives

overall ?

Ingeneral, did

explanations

Mark the following

of

you
these

以下の 点に関する教あげるために理解できるものでしたか：
（a）
課題の提示
授業中の活動の指示 （c）
授業の到達目標（b）

APPENDIX
English Professional Course Overall Survey

Qs , ,．
Academic year : rd

The

th

etc.

followingquestions

ask

you

to

check

your

．
Please mark your faculty.

proficiency level for the following skills in English. Be．
Why did you join the Professional Course ? （mark one

fair and honest in your opinion about your ability.

or two answers）．
I wanted more chances to study English

I am not at all capable, not very capable, somewhat．
Interested in classes the course offers

capable, very capable, at doing the following in English．
I want to get the certificate for the course．
My friend persuaded me（．Teacher writes class learning aim 1 here）

．
Other
．
Describe your level of satisfaction, overall, with the（．Teacher writes class learning aim 2 here）

classes that you have taken so far in the Professional

（
．

）

etc.

Course．
．
Do you have suggestions on ways to improve theMentor Program Student Questionnaire

Professional Course ?

．
Academic year ?

．
Mark your level of agreement/disagreement with the．
Faculty ?

following statement : The Professional Course has．
Why did you join the Mentor Program ?

taught me skills and content that will help me in mya．Do you feel that you have enough chances to get the

future academic and/or professional life.

help or advice you need from your mentor ?

．
During any job interview that you might have had so．
Which statement below best represents your opinion

far, has your participation in the Professional Course

about the number of contacts your mentor has with

been commented on in any way by the person or

you each semester ?

persons．
Describe the reasons for you contacting your mentor.

interviewing

you ? 就職活動中の面接などで，面接担当者から「英語プロフェッショナル養成コー（Check any that apply）:

ス」に関して，何らかのコメントや質問を求められたこ．
Describe the type of contact you prefer with yourとがありますか？

mentor. （Choose one）:．
If yes, mark your level of agreement/ disagreementwith the following statement : In at least one job

About the author

interview, my participation in the Professional Course
was a positive point of discussion.

少なくとも つ以上の就職活動中の面接において，「英語プロフェッショTheauthorwascoordinator from AY

theEnglish-Professional

through AY

Course-.

ナル養成コース」を受講していることが，あなたにとって有利な（プラスの）アピールの要素となった。

Individual Class Pre and Post Surveys．
How satisfied were you with this class ?
．
How was the difficulty of this class ?
．
Consider the teacherʼs explanations in this classregarding the following three points : The explanationof what was expected of you to successfully complete :（a）homework assignments,（b）in-class activities, and大学教育実践ジャーナル 第号