日本英語教育学会第 40 回年次研究集会論文集
Proceedings of the 40th Annual Meeting of the English Language Education Society of Japan

The Waseda University CELESE Program:
A Large-Scale, Centralized ESP Program for Scientists and Engineers
アントニ
早稲田大学理工学術院英語教育センター
E-mail:ローレンス〒169-8555 東京都新宿区大久保 3-4-1

anthony@waseda.jp

概要
本論文では、2004 年度より開始された早稲田大学理工学術院英語教育センター(CELESE)の理工系学生向け英語プログラムにおける教育学的概念、背景、実施方法について概説する。初めに、日本で理工学に携わる人々が直面している課題について、次に ESP（特定目的のための英語教育）の最新理論に基づいた CELESE における理工系学生向け英語プログラムのデザイン、さらに学生評価とプログラム評価の仕組みについて説明する。最後にプログラムの今後の発展計画を述べ、他のアジアの教育機関で実施する場合に不可欠な条件について得られた示唆について述べる。

The Waseda University CELESE Program:
A Large-Scale, Centralized ESP Program for Scientists and Engineers
Laurence ANTHONY
Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Center for English Language Education
3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
E-mail: anthony@waseda.jp
Abstract
This paper describes the rationale, background, and current implementation of the Waseda University
Faculty of Science and Engineering English program that has been continually developed at the Center for
English Language Education (CELESE) since 2004. First, I will explain the language challenges facing
Japanese scientists and engineers that led to the creation of the program. I will then detail the program design
with reference to current views on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) theory. Next, I will detail current
student- and program-level evaluation procedures. Finally, I will report on future developments of the programand suggest key requirements for a successful implementation of the program at other institutions in Asia.

headquarters

1. Introduction

who

could

speak

English...

A

problem like this affects the company as a whole,

Since the late 1990s, Japan has experienced aespecially its ability to react swiftly, and it limits

rapid acceleration of globalization and the need forcross-functional work." [1:163]. Following thisEnglish, especially in the area of science andtrend, similar appointments have occurred at otherengineering. One of the early indicators of thiscompanies, including Henry Wallace as CEO ofchange was the appointment of Carlos Ghosn as the

Mazda

Chief

NissanStringer as CEO of Sony Corporation in 2005, andCorporation in June 2001. Faced with a $20 billion

Craig G. Naylor as President and CEO of Nippon

debt at the company, Ghosn was able to turn this

Sheet Glass Co. Ltd. in 2010 [2,3,4]. Japanese

into a profit in just one year. Writing about his

CEOs have also begun to see the need for a moreexperiences at the company, Ghosn said, “Thereglobalized,

were so few people in the company's Tokyo

illustrated in a 2010 interview given by Hiroshi

Executive

Officer

(CEO)

of

Motor

Corporation

Englishin

speaking

1996,

Howardworkforce,as

Laurence ANTHONY, “The Waseda UniversityCELESEProgram:ALarge-Scale, CentralizedESPProgramfor Scientists andEngineers”
日本英語教育学会編集委員会編集, pp.39-46, 早稲田大学情報教育研究所発行, 2010 年 1 月 31 日.
This proceedings compilation published by the Institute for Digital Enhancement of Cognitive Development, Waseda University.
Copyright © 2010-12 by Laurence Anthony.
All rights reserved.

Mikitani of Rakuten, in which he states that “Anyvocabulary learning principles suggested by Nation

executives who cannot speak English in two years'[9]. In addition, it incorporates novel ideas (attime will be fired” [5].

least in a Japanese context) including curriculum
designJapanese universities have traditionally been

principles,

evaluation

procedures,andquite slow to respond to changes in industry.

teaching practices that allow a program-wide

However,

adoption of ESP to become a possibility.

at

the

Facultyof

ScienceandEngineering of Waseda University, the need to

ESP programs have traditionally been associatededucate students to be truly globalized citizens waswith product-oriented approaches to language

recognized in 2000. This led to the creation of ateaching, as exemplified in the early ESP courses

new Center for English Language Education inof the 1960s and 1970s, such as those described by

Science and Engineering (CELESE) in 2004 that

Swales [10]. Indeed, many current ESP course

was later renamed the Center for English Language

materials available in Japan still follow this view,

Education in 2007. CELESE was given a mandate

stressing the importance of specialist vocabulary,to create a new undergraduate English program forunique discourse patterns, and specific genres of aits 6500 undergraduate students that would foster

field.
However, in the CELESE program, greater

students who could not only use English to study,
research, discuss, and present the content of theiremphasisisplacedonlearning

processes,

specialist area of study, but also use English tofollowing the long-held view of Hutchinson anddiscuss and resolve global issues in academia andWaters [11], but regrettably forgotten by many

the workplace [7]. The success of this program ledlater ESP practitioners. As Anthony [12] explains,

to a new mandate for CELESE to create a graduate

graduates in science and engineering will beschool English program, which is the first of its

entering a workplace that is constantly changing.

kind in Japan [8]. The complete CELESE program

Knowledge acquired at university can become

now serves all 10,000 students in the Faculty.

obsolete in just a few years, and there is an

In this paper, I will first describe the current

increasing chance that workers will be required to

CELESE program with reference to the latest

move to new sections, branches, and countries. In

theories on English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

this environment, companies are placing increasing

Next, I will explain student- and program-levelvalue

evaluation procedures, and finally, I will offer

processes, as well as the ability to work in a teamsome suggestions for future development of theon collaborative projects in which ideas areprogram and ways to implement it at othercommunicated through discussion, debate, andinstitutions in Asia. Due to space limitations, thisnegotiation [13,12].
To

paper will deal only with the undergraduateonknowledge

maintainaacquisition

goodbalance(learning)

betweencomponent of the program, however, it should be

product-based learning, which is clearly necessary

noted that many of the design issues explained

for students to master the language of their

below also apply to the graduate school program.

academic discipline, and process-based learning,which is necessary for success in both academia

2. Design of the CELESE Program

and the workplace, the CELESE program is

The CELESE program is a state-of-the-art

designed along several continuum, as illustrated in

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program. It

Figure 1. The resulting program is shown in Figure

adopts many of the foundational ESP design2.

principles proposed by Dudley-Evans & St. John[8]. However, it is also strongly influenced by40

students will watch videos of TV news reports
from the US and then discuss the issues covered in
the reports relating them to their own lives. In theacademic lecture comprehension course, students
will first watch more traditional academic lecturesdelivered by native speakers on topics such as
languageacquisition

processes,

data

communications, and engineering disasters. Next,
they will analyze and then discuss and debate thecontent of the lectures in a similar way to students
attending college lectures in western countries.

Figure 1. The ESP Continuum at CELESE

In their second year of undergraduate study,
students again take two required courses: academic
reading and concept building and discussion.
These are important in that they bridge the gap
between the ‘general ESP’ courses of the first year
and the ‘specialized ESP’ courses in the third andfourth year. As such, teachers are still required to
guide students carefully through in-class tasks, but
students are given more freedom in their choice ofmaterials and their way to complete tasks. Also,
because the content of the classes is still at thelevel of ‘general science and engineering,’ teachers

Figure 2. The CELESE ESP Program

can feel comfortable even if they do not have ascience or engineering background, which is the

In their first year of undergraduate study,
students

take

two

courses:usual case.

communication

In academic reading, students acquire valuablestrategies and academic lecture comprehension.

academic

These are two-semester, required courses thatfirst-year

considered ‘general ESPl,’ as students will require

studying

These

process,

structures

includecause-effect,andproblem-solution, and all are expected to appear

although topics covered in the courses are relatedwith

to issues of general interest to scientists andhighfrequency

inthestudents’

graduation-research readings. For homework eachengineers. Importantly, teachers also require little

week, students are required to locate their own

specialist-subject knowledge and can thus teachhigh-interest reading materials from the Internet or

the courses using a traditional teacher-centeredlibrary, and summarize and critically review theseapproach. It is important to note that around 85%

in the following class to a group of their peers.

of teachers are part-time faculty and most do notengineeringclasses.

chronology,

little knowledge of specialized-subject content,

or

while

logical structures students were exposed to in their

ESP continuum shown in Figure 1, these can besciencestrategies

university-style textbook materials that follow thestudents take once per week for 90 minutes. On thehavereading

In concept building and discussion, on the otherbackgrounds.

hand,

Nevertheless, in both courses, students are always

theemphasisisplacedonoralcommunication. Students first work through a

encouraged to discuss ideas with their peers. For

series of tasks that help them to develop the skills

example, in the communication strategies course,41needed to explain methods, describe graphical data,

can develop specialized English skills in a variety

and discuss the value and/or importanceof classes ranging from sound processing andofpronunciation analysis to business English skills.

findings. Then, the students carry out a series ofprojects in which these skills are utilized in a

On the ESP continuum shown in Figure 1, themeaningful environment. The first is a group

third year courses are clearly in the area of

project in which the students select a high-interest‘specialized ESP.’ As a result, there is a further(and often controversial) topic and use Internet

shift towards a learner-centered approach in the

resources to investigate more about it. Topics

classroom. For example, in technical writing,include the following: What were the causes of thestudents are encouraged to build their own corpora

Fukushima nuclear disaster? What is the best cityof technical papers and then use corpus-analysis

to host the Olympics? Could the oil spill in thetechniques

Gulf of Mexico be prevented? The second projectcharacteristic features. Many of the teachers areis a group project in which students first learn how

not experts in science and engineering, but they

to design and use questionnaires, and then apply

have extensive experience in editing technicalthis knowledge in an investigation of their peers’

papers and can advise students on what features are

opinions, such as their views on smoking, their use

likely to be the same or different across disciplines.

of

about

With this knowledge, students can then consult

conservation. The third project is an individual

their own corpora and craft a research paper withproject in which students design and carry out a

the appropriate format and style of their fields.

smartphones,

or

their

feelings

more traditional science or engineering experimenttoanalyze

these

texts

to

find

3. Evaluation of the CELESE Programthat utilizes only household items. Topics here

A critical component of any education program

include measuring the time for different salt
solutions to boil, measuring the impact of sleep onismemorization

theprogress as well as an evaluation of the program

relationship between height and speed of walking.

itself. At CELESE, student progress is monitored

For all projects, students are required to write-up ain two ways: 1) using internal criterion-referenced

formal report and present their findings as an oral

testing (CRT), and 2) using external normalized

presentation.

testing via the Test of English for International

techniques,andmeasuringthecomprehensive

evaluationofstudent

Communication (TOEIC).

In their third and fourth year of undergraduate

The first and most important measurement tool

study, students are able to choose from threetechnical

is CRT. This is a critical component of the program

presentation, and special topics in functional

because the majority of instructors are part-time

English. Technical writing is a two-semester

faculty and thus have the potential to apply varying

course in which students learn how to write aself-guided

conference-level research paper using an in-classaddition,

textbook and corpus-based materials and software.

(ability-grouped) based on their scores in theTechnical

presentationandspecial

topicsin

TOEIC proficiency test. As a result, without CRT,

functional

English,

the

other

hand,

are

students are in danger of being graded overly

electivecourses;

technical

onwriting,measurements
students

one-semester courses. In technical presentation,harshly

students

comparative

learn

conference-level

how

to

technical

give

a

10-15

presentation

min

or

at

overlyofperformance.

CELESE

gentlyperformance

are

based
with

In

streamed

on

their

surrounding

students.

using

CRT is implemented for each course as aslideware software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint.

detailed

In special topics in functional English, students

42

set

of

Can-Dostatements

and

an



accompanying syllabus and grading schema. Table
1 shows the list of Can-Do statements forTechnical Writing 1 taken by third and fourth year
students, and Table 2 shows the grading schemaneeded to achieve an A+ grade (top grade) in thesame course. Clearly, both the can-do statements
and grading criteria are open to interpretation, but
the guides are further supported by teacher-teacher



discussions at the end of each academic year,
where the grading of sample student papers iscompared.


Table 1 Can-Do statements for Technical
Writing 1















understand the importance of English in thefields of science and engineering
understand common problems associated withusing technical vocabulary
use effective strategies to learn technicalvocabulary
identify the audience, purpose, structure, style,and presentation of a technical text
understand the structure of a typical technicalresearch paper
use micro and macro level reading strategies tounderstand research proposals and papers
understand research journal “instructions for
authors” sections
write the title, introduction, methods, results,
and discussion/conclusion sections of a
research paper
write simple and extended definitions
explain methods and processes
explain information in figures and tables
know how to strengthen or weaken theinterpretation of research finding throughhedgingunderstand the importance of references,
citations, and avoidance of plagiarism
follow common conventions for citing andreferencing information in a research article

Paragraphso Writes in paragraphs of over 3 sentenceso Paragraphs include topic sentenceso Paragraphs
arelinkedwith
logicalconnectors
Styleo Shows good understanding of formal
academic writing style (correct verb usage,
no
run
on
expressions,noslang,
preciseness, no contractions, limited use of“I” “You”, no direct questions)
Grammaro Shows good understanding of tense/voice
usage in different sections of a papero Complex sentence structure is usedo Discussions are hedgedo Shows good understanding of article usage
Organizationo Titles: detailed and structured correctlyo Introduction: discusses background/past
research and the problems (with citations)o Methods: written in correct tense/voice;procedure is clear, search engines andsources or materials and procedures
describedo Results:
describes
mainpointsinfigures/tableso Discussion: discusses results with correct
hedging

The second student performance measurement
tool is TOEIC. This is less important than CRT but
provides a valuable external measure of student
progress that allows comparisons with students ofother institutions inside and outside of Japan.
Students are required to take the TOEIC fivetimes; once on entering the university and thenonce at the end of each academic year prior tograduation. Scores are relayed back to bothstudents

and

their

individual

departments.

Although TOEIC scores do not directly affectcourse grades, they are used by department
professors when determining whether to accept a
student

Table 1 Grading schema for A+ grade in





their

third/fourthyear

researchlaboratory.

Technical Writing 1


intoOverallo Shows fluency in both language use andideas.
Mechanics
o Followsthejournaltemplate(headings/presentation/layout)o Spell and grammar checked
Citation/Referenceso Cites all sources and references these
correctly
o Uses all appropriate and high level sources(at least one journal article)

Program evaluation is currently carried out inthree ways. First, students are asked to complete
course survey forms, the results of which are given
directly back to the course instructor. Second,
students are asked to complete a program-level
survey as part of the TOEIC. Third, program
developments are discussed and evaluated at the
English Management Committee, a faculty-wide

43

administrative

committeethatinternational conference. There are also plans todetermines

revise the Academic Reading course to incorporate

long-term planning and personnel issues.
Feedback from both students and faculty ismore relevant reading materials that can be easily

considered carefully and often has a direct impact

adapted for students of widely varying ability

on future plans at CELESE. It should be said,

levels. In addition, there are plans to develop a new,however, that since the start of the CELESE

intuitive corpus software for use in Technicalprogram, the response of both students and faculty

Writing that can be used by both teachers andhas been extremely positive, especially in light oflearners

the fact that average CRT and TOEIC scores havecharacteristic features of writing at both the microboth showed significant gains in each year of theand macro level.

program (see Fig. 3).

tosemi-automatically

identify

5. Conclusions
Many Japanese institutions have attempted todevelop ESP courses that target the specific needsof scientists and engineers. However, it is often the
case

that

funding

restrictions,administrative

limitations, and differing pedagogic views offaculty have resulted in these courses being
isolated at the fringes of general English programs.

Figure 3. TOEIC Scores for the CELESE

Also, this problem is not restricted to Japan.

Program for 2007-2010

Indeed, institutions throughout Asia face similar

4. Future Development Plans
All

curriculashouldbechallenges
designedwhendeveloping

scienceandengineering English courses.

withmechanisms for implementing change based on

To ensure that all Asian scientists and engineers

evaluation and feedback from stakeholders. The

receive adequate English training that will enable

CELESE program is no different, and student

them to perform on the world stage, institutions

evaluations and faculty feedback has already led toneed to introduce a program of ESP courses thatnumerous changes including a simplification of theare well defined, carefully integrated, centrally

CRT system to avoid excessive in-class, test, andadministered, and intrinsically linked to the goals

homework grading, the introduction of simplifiedof the learners. Of course, such a program cannot

teaching materials to assist low-level students in

be implemented without the full support of the

Academic Reading, workshops to assist instructors

full-time and part-time faculty who teach thein using corpus tools in Technical Writing, and acourses, as well as the department and faculty

revision of the student streaming (ability grouping)heads that approve program funding. Therefore, aprocedure to allow very high-level students to

key element of a successful program is for it to beparticipate in a specialized, fast-track version of

directed by a strong leader with the ability tothe program.

clearly communicate the needs of the program to
theImmediate future plans for the program include

variousstakeholders,

including

students,

a complete rewrite of the first year Communication

part-time faculty, and perhaps most importantly

Strategies course to enable students to develop

faculty administration. Also, it is necessary tomore practical communication skills that they

communicate in a language that is familiar to thesewould require when studying in an English

stakeholders.

university

stakeholders' first language, but in the context of aenvironmentor

attending

an

44

In

general

this

means

the

[9] Nation, I.S.P., Learning Vocabulary in Another
Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2001.
[10] Swales, J., Episodes in ESP : A source and reference
book on the development of English for science andtechnology (1st ed.). New York: Pergamon Instituteof English, 1985.
[11] Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A., English for specificpurposes: A learning-centred approach. Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
[12] Anthony, L., Products, Processes and Practitioners: A
Critical Look at the Importance of Specificity in
ESP1, Taiwan International ESP Journal, Vol. 3:2,
1-18, 2012.
[13] Dovey, T., What purposes, specifically? Re-thinking
purposes and specificity in the context of the ‘newvocationalism’, English for Specific Purposes, 25:4,
pp. 387-402, 2006.

science and engineering faculty it also means thelanguage of science. For example, when the
programrequiresadditional

budgeting,itisnecessary to communicate this need using financial
projections displayed using statistics software.
Similarly, when additional personnel are required,
the administration and teaching roles of current
faculty need to be carefully listed and thecosts/benefits of a new hire need to be specified
quantitatively. Fortunately, if the requirements arein some way scientifically justified, administrative
faculty are less likely to be negatively influencedby

self-interests.

Rather,they

arelikelytoscientifically evaluate all competing petitions andapprove those that are the best justified.
In this paper, I hope to have shown how ESP canbe implemented at the program level. Considering
the increasing needs for scientists and engineers to
use English in their research and future careers, I
hope it is also clear that similar programs are
greatly needed at other institutions in Japan andthe rest of Asia.

References[1] Ghosn, C., Shift: Inside Nissan's Historic Revival.
Crown Business, 2004.
[2] Mazda
Motor
Corporation,
Availableat:
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/
Mazda-Motor-Corporation-Company-History.html.
[3] Sony Corporation of America: Senior Management.
Availableat:
http://www.sony.com/SCA/bios/stringer.shtml[4] NSG Group Names Former DuPont Exec Craig
Naylor as President and CEO. Available at:
http://www.usgnn.com/newsNSG20100415.htm.
[5] Toyokeizai Online,「 三 木 谷 浩 史 ・ 楽 天 会 長 兼 社 長――英 語 が で き な い 役 員 は 2 年 後 に ク ビ に し ま す(Any executives who cannot speak English in two
years' time will be fired) 」 . Available at:
http://www.toyokeizai.net/business/interview/detail/AC/810ee47297d49033c2a4b43a0a5216e0.
[6] Anthony, L., ESP at the center of program design. In
K. Fukui, J. Noguchi, and N. Watanabe (Eds.)
Towards ESP bilingualism (in Japanese). Osaka,
Japan: Osaka University Press, pp. 18-35, 2009.
[7] 寺 内 一 , 野 口 ジ ュ デ ィ ー , 笹 島 茂 , 山 内 ひ さ 子（ 編 ） ,21 世 紀 の ESP―新 し い ESP 理 論 の 構 築 と実践, 大修館書店.
[8] Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M. J., Developments in
ESP: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1998.

45