岐阜大学教育推進・学生支援機構年報 第 6 号

2020 年【Practical report】

Implementing and Managing a Unified English
Curriculum at Gifu University

Onno van ‘t Hof
Organization for Promotion of Higher Education and Student Support, Gifu University
Abstract
This paper describes the implementation and management of a unified English curriculum (UEC)at Gifu University. It outlines the situation before the UEC was implemented, the conditions inwhich the UEC was established, and the role that the English Center and its members currently
play. It describes how the quality of the UEC is maintained through teacher training, materials
development, and standardized assessments.

Key words: Implementation, Management, Unified, English curriculum

What is the Unified English Curriculum (UEC)?
The Unified English Curriculum at Gifu University consists of four English courses thatare required for all students of the five faculties at Gifu University (Applied Biological Sciences,
Education, Engineering, Medicine, Regional Studies). There are also two intensive courses forstudents who fail the regular classes.
The “Unified” element means that all students in one course follow the same 15-weekschedule, study the same material, take the same final exam at the end of each course, and are
graded using exactly the same grading criteria regardless of which faculty they belong to, whotheir teacher is, or during which semester or year they take the course.
Every student has to take four one-semester courses—English 1 (Speaking), English 2(Listening), English 3 (Reading), and English 4 (Writing), The term UEC is used in this paper torefer to these classes as a whole.
During the summer and spring breaks, there is a four-day intensive course period forstudents who have taken but failed one of the regular classes. Each intensive course is followed116Implementing and Managing a Unified English Curriculum at Gifu University

by the same standard exam as in the regular course. Because all students have studied the samematerial during the regular course, teachers of the intensive courses are able to focus on thestudents’ weak points, and, because of the reduced number of students in each class, give extra
assistance to those students who need it. Students who retake the course will study the samematerial regardless of when they take it or who their teacher is.
A major advantage of the UEC from an administrative point of view is that if an instructor
cannot teach a class, whether as a result of a planned absence or an unexpected event such as
illness, the class does not need to be cancelled. When a teacher is not able to teach, the supervisors
assign all the students to another class that takes place at the same time. Since all classes in one
course are following the same curriculum, students can smoothly join a different class with adifferent teacher.
The Situation Before the UEC
Before April 2018 the English instructors at Gifu University were free to choose theirown textbook and create their own 15-week curriculum. This resulted in a great deal of variationin content, level, workload for the students, and grading standards and methods. Students were
not given the option to choose either their instructor, the course, or the curriculum, but wereassigned to a group by the administrators. This resulted in inequality between the different groups
and generated many complaints from students, particularly regarding workload and grading
criteria. At this time, there were about 25 part-time teachers, most of whom were not aware ofwhat other teachers were teaching. Accordingly, most did not know what their students had or
had not studied in previous semesters, or what they might be going to study in the future.
The UEC in Numbers
The UEC was first implemented in April 2018 and has been running for three consecutive
years. In 2020 there were 83 90-minute classes per week during the first semester and 77 classes
during the second semester that followed the new curriculum. (Some full-time faculty members
elected not to adopt the new system.)
The students are divided into 42 groups based on their faculty & department: Applied
Biological Science (6), Education (9), Engineering (16), Medicine (4), Nursing (3), Regional
Studies (4)). Most groups have between 25 and 30 students, with a total of about 2000 students
participating each semester in the four courses combined. The groups and teachers are organizedin such a way that each group will have a different teacher for each of the four courses.
In 2020, the teaching staff consisted of five full-time and eight part-time English teachers
from 9 different nationalities, teaching between eight and sixteen 15-week courses per year each.

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Implementing the Unified English Curriculum
Instrumental to the successful implementation of the UEC was the establishment of the
English Center (EC). The EC is both an organization within Gifu University as well as a physicalplace.
The English Center – Organization
The EC as an organization consists of one director, two supervisors, three full-time instructors,
and, in 2020, eight part-time instructors. The responsibilities and tasks of these members are as
follows:
The Director of the EC
The director of the EC has overall responsibility for its management and operation. Although
the daily management is in the hands of the two supervisors (see below), the director
is responsible for long-term policy making concerning the curriculum, personnel, finances andother EC activities. Any communication with the university management goes through thedirector. He stays up to date with the EC’s activities through almost daily visits and weekly
management meetings with the two supervisors. He also has a position as a full-time member ofthe faculty of education.
Supervisors
The two supervisors are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the English Center,managing all the full-time and part-time instructors. It is their job to ensure that educational
quality and standards are maintained. They also teach six to eight 15-week UEC courses persemester, one of the selective advanced courses, and the twice-yearly intensive courses. Besides
that, they take turns being the coordinator for one of the courses and manage other activities of
the EC, such as English Xtra and the Summer Camp (see other EC activities below). The
supervisors hold weekly management meetings with the director, and monthly team meetings
with the three full-time instructors. They also organize the class observations of all teachers.
The supervisors are a crucial layer between the full-time and part-time instructors and theGeneral Education office staff. One reason for this is that Japanese proficiency is not arequirement for either full- or part-time instructors, and nor is English communication ability arequirement for the office staff. A high level of Japanese language ability is therefore required forany non-Japanese supervisors, since a lot of the communication between the office staff andEnglish teachers goes through these supervisors. Through this cooperation, it is possible to avoid
miscommunication and reduce the workload of the office staff.

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The supervisors have their own offices, but spend most of their time at the EC, allowing
short and direct lines of communication between management, full- and part-time instructors, andGeneral Education office staff.
Full-Time Instructors
Besides teaching their eight 15-week UEC courses per semester, each of the three full-time
instructors is the coordinator for one of the four UEC courses. (One of the supervisors coordinates
the remaining fourth course). As coordinators, they are the first access point for the part-timeteachers for information about the course, the textbook, and the tests, and they also prepare andmanage any special activities that are part of the course. Full-time instructors have this
responsibility for one year, and then switch, so that over time, all three full-time instructions learn
the details of each of the four courses. Together with the supervisors they teach the intensive
courses and take turns in teaching one of the selective advanced courses. They also participate inother activities, including English Xtra and the Summer Camp (see other EC activities below).
Part-Time Instructors
The eight part-time instructors teach between four and eight 15-week courses persemester. Every teacher teaches each of the four UEC courses at least once a year, and therefore
becomes familiar with the entire curriculum. As a result, the teachers know what students havelearned in previous semester(s) and what they will learn in subsequent courses.
Other EC Activities
Besides the UEC, the English Center offers four selective advanced courses, English Xtra
(30-minute English consultation sessions with one to four students, faculty and office staff), anda Summer Camp, which is offered as a three-day English-only “homestay”-experience for about
50 students. These activities are not part of the UEC, and therefore are not covered in this paper.
The English Center – Physical PlaceThe English Center is not just an organizational structure, but also a physical place. It isa room located in an easily accessible and central location near the main entrance on the first floorof the General Education building. The room is equipped with three workstations for the full-time
instructors, a big table suitable for meetings, a counter that seats four people (used for English
Xtra), a casual seating area, and lockers for all the teachers.
Having a staff of two supervisors and three full-time instructors means that the English
Center is always occupied (except when all teachers are teaching at the same time), and therefore
can function as a convenient access point for students for information about English education.

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It is also the place where all teachers gather before and after class, and in this way, it
plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between supervisors and teachers, and also
communication among the teachers themselves. Having all the teachers in one place before andafter class makes it very easy to communicate last-minute changes and make announcements
about special activities. Since most of the teachers teach the same material on the same day, italso creates an environment in which it is easy and natural for teachers to share feedback on how
the classes they just taught went, talk about difficulties they might have had, and share ideas about
how to enhance certain activities.
The EC is also a good environment for teachers to provide direct, informal feedback about
the teaching materials. Since all the teachers, including the supervisors, teach the same classes
and courses, everybody is familiar with the material. This makes the moments immediately afterclass a great opportunity for the supervisors to get feedback on what went well during class, what
was problematic, and where there might be room for improvement. Sometimes, activities andexercises that did not go well can be improved easily by the supervisor or course coordinatorgiving the teacher advice or additional instructions. Sometimes, however, this feedback can resultin changes being made to either the curriculum, the textbooks, or both. (See Material
Development - Textbooks below).

Managing the Unified English Curriculum
In 2020, the thirteen full-time and part-time teachers were from 9 different nationalities
with a wide variety of professional backgrounds and experience. To assure that each teacherdelivers the same high quality of education to every student, it is not sufficient simply to assign
textbooks to courses and ask the teachers to get on with it. To continuously maintain standards
and make sure that all teachers, regardless of their background or experience, are able to provide
a high level of education to their students, the EC focuses in particular on three things:
1. Teacher Development
2. Materials Development
3. Standardized Assessment
Teacher Development
To make sure all teachers deliver the same unified curriculum, the teachers need to beprepared (pre-sessional planning), assisted during class (through teaching guides and classobservations), and given the opportunity to evaluate and be evaluated (feedback sessions and classobservations).

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Pre-sessional planning
The aim of the UEC is not only that teachers teach the same content, but also that theytake a similar approach to implementing the materials. Having uniformly structured classes not
only makes it easier to maintain the quality of the education and spot irregularities, but it alsooffers a number of practical advantages. For example, students can easily join another class incase of an absent teacher, because each class not only covers the same material but is taught in asimilar way. To help teachers to reach the goals of the UEC, the English Center has developed
teacher manuals, supplementary materials, and guidelines for each of the courses.

Teacher manuals
Each of the four courses has, besides a textbook, an extensive teacher manual. The
manuals explain in detail what the focus of each (part of the) unit is meant to be , the purpose andmethod of the activities, and suggestions for additional activities. This ensures that even when ateacher is not completely familiar with a topic, all the students in all the classes will learn about
it in the same way and receive the same level of education.
Guidelines
Whereas the teacher manuals aim for uniformity in approachers to teaching the textbook,the guidelines aim for uniformity in the teachers’ dealings with students. The EC has developed
two sets of guidelines: guidelines for students, and guidelines for teachers on how to organize
each class.
The guidelines for students aim to ensure that all teachers treat their students the sameway. For example, the guidelines explain that just attending does not guarantee a passing grade,that participation in pair and group work is expected, how many absences are allowed, and how
tardiness and absences should be handled.
The second set of guidelines, the guidelines for teachers, are meant to create uniformity
in how teachers prepare their students for the midterm and final tests, as well as uniformity inclass structure. The guidelines include suggestions to teachers on how to organize each class, andrange from minute-to-minute timelines for new or inexperienced teachers to supplementary
activities and extension exercises for teachers who feel that their students need to be challenged
a little more.

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Teaching Support
To assist each teacher, the English Center has developed Keynote/PowerPoint slidepresentations that remove the need for extensive preparation on the part of invidividual teachers.
This is important as many of the teachers are part-time and therefore have very busy schedules.
There is also an organized a system of observations to help teachers develop their teaching andmaintain the standards of the UEC.
Keynotes/PowerPoint presentations
For each of the 15 classes in all four courses, a Keynote/PowerPoint presentation isavailable to all the teachers. The presentations cover all the elements of a unit, highlight the mostimportant parts, show the answers for all the activities, and add extra information andsupplementary activities. The presentations complement the explanations provided by the teacher
with an important visual element, thereby enhancing the overall experience of the students. For
the teachers, the presentations reduce preparation time and increase teaching efficiency, leaving
them with more time to assist individuals who need help. Since all the teachers use theKeynote/PowerPoint presentations, they are an important tool in ensuring quality control.
The slide presentations use the same style, layout, and easily recognizable procedures for
all four UEC courses, which shows the students not only the cohesion between the courses, butalso the unified way of teaching of the different instructors of each course.
Class Observations
Each semester, one or both of the supervisors observe at least one class of each of theteachers. These observations are followed by a feedback session. The following week, theobserved teacher takes the role of the observer and watches a class taught by one of the supervisors,
again followed by a feedback session.
One of the goals of these class observations is to develop the skills of the teachers.
Observing a class is a valuable tool to help teachers to learn from each other, and observations
are valuable not only for the teacher being observed, but also for the teacher or teachers doing theobservation. Through taking the role of an observer and stepping back instead of teaching theclass, it is easier to become aware of any elements of material that may require further
development. Observations are also one of the best ways to make sure that all classes meet thesame standard and that all students are prepared for the tests in the same way.
Regular Feedback Sessions
The goals of the feedback sessions are the development of the teachers and thedevelopment of the materials. (See Materials development below). During the feedback sessions

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the full-time staff of the EC and available part-time teachers discuss the classes of the past week,
going through each of the four courses looking at what parts of the textbook and class went welland what did not, exchanging ideas how to make activities better, or suggesting activities that
could be added to improve the class. Not all part-time teachers are able to join the weekly
feedback sessions, but the ones who can’t regularly use the opportunity to exchange ideas andgive informal feedback to the course coordinators or supervisors when they are in the English
Center immediately after they teach their classes.
Materials Development - Textbooks
When deciding the content for each of the four courses the following conditions were taken
into consideration (among others):
1. The material had to be new for the majority of the students (i.e., different from what theylearned in high school).
2. The material had to fit in a curriculum of fifteen 90-minute classes for each of the fourcourses.
3. The materials had to be presented in a way that every instructor would be able to teachall of the four courses.
During the first year of the UEC, the lesson materials for the four courses consisted of copied
handouts. In the weeks before each class, the director and the five full-time members of the EC
would gather several times a week to discuss the content of each of the units. The resulting pilot
unit would then be copied for all students and taught by all teachers. After the classes were taught,
all the full-time teachers and available part-time teachers would gather once a week for a feedback
session to talk about how the classes went and discuss changes that needed to be made to eachunit.
During the second year of the UEC, every week of classes was followed by a feedback session
with the teachers to make final changes to each unit.
Since April 2020, the start of the third year of the UEC, there has been a textbook for each of
the four UEC courses. The textbooks were made using the previously piloted materials. The plan
is to revise the textbooks every two/three years under the supervision of the English Center.
Standardized Assessment
Another crucial part of managing the UEC is the standardized assessment. Three key
aspects of the standardized assessment are uniform tests, collaboration, and communication.

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Uniform Tests
Each of the four UEC courses has a final exam, with the speaking and writing course also
having midterm exams. Each course exam is the same and is graded using the same criteria forall students, regardless of their teacher, their faculty, their year, or whether it is a regular or an
intensive course. This has led to a huge change in the grades awarded for English classes. In 2017,
before the establishment of the UEC, only 2% of students failed, and 49% were awarded an A or
S grade. In 2018, 11% of students failed, and only 20% were given A or S grades. Concerns thata uniform test for all students might not be challenging enough for the ones regarded as being ofa higher level turned out to be unfounded, with 8% of medical students failing, and only 24%
getting A or S grades.
Collaboration
To make all the assessments as fair and transparent as possible, all teachers collaborate,
although the level of collaboration varies depending on the course. Occasionally, teachers work
together and mix the students in their classes so that students have an opportunity to practice withdifferent partners during pair- and groupwork. For the final test for the English 1 Speaking course,
teachers do not test or grade their own students. Instead, the students are tested and graded byanother teacher who teaches the same course at the same time. The speaking test is video-recorded,
and the recordings are randomly checked by the full-time staff of the EC to check that the grading
criteria have been applied correctly. Failing grades for any of the four UEC courses are checkedby two additional teachers.
Communication
The third aspect of standardized assessment is clearly explaining to all students andteachers what the procedures and content of the tests are, and how the tests are graded. Both thereading and the listening course textbooks have practice tests in the back of the book, so students
can see what is expected of them. The test procedures and grading rubrics for the speaking andwriting courses are explained in detail in the textbooks.

Evaluation of the UEC
The introduction of the Unified English Curriculum has completely changed the English
education for the students and the teachers at Gifu University. For students, major positivechanges are the clear cohesion between the four courses, the sense of fairness considering all
students experience the same workload, difficulty of classes and assessments, and the perceptionthat the English education at Gifu University is a well-rounded program. For the teachers

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substantial improvements are the feeling of being part of a team that works together towards thesame goals, having a prepared and tested curriculum, and having clarity of the targets of the total
English program at Gifu University. This more than makes up for the fact that some teachers
might feel a loss of freedom of being able to create their own curriculum and choose their own
textbooks. In the years to come the goal of the English Center is to continue developing all aspectsof the curriculum and for even better outcomes.

UEC and Online Education During Covid-19
The transformation from in-class education to online education during the Covid-19
pandemic does not fall under the scope of this paper. The fairly smooth and successful
implementation of the Online Unified English Curriculum at Gifu University will be described ina future publication.

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