About OBEI

Office introduction

I.The origin
In alignment with the "2030 Bilingual Nation Policy Development Blueprint," the Ministry of Education (MOE) has initiated the Bilingual Education for Students in College program (BEST program) since September 2021. In light of this program, three colleges from NTUST were selected as the Key Cultivation Colleges in the first phase (2021-2022 academic year), and NTUST was designated as the Key Cultivation University in the second phase (2023-2025 academic year). In accordance with the requirements of the BEST program and the need for university-wide promotion, the university-level office "Office of Bilingual Education Initiatives" (OBEI) was established to coordinate related tasks.

II.The tasks

1. The OBEI aims to develop the goals for talent cultivation in bilingual program that match the development and features of NTUST with clear and feasible promotion strategies, implementation mechanisms, and supportive measures.
2. To fulfill the tasks mentioned above, the OBEI executes the second phase of the BEST program, collaborates with the EMI teaching support team (Fulbright), and assists the projects of EMI Teaching Resource Center.
3. The OBEI conducts EMI researches to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and offers suggestions for improvements and development strategies.

III.Organization
The president of NTUST serves as the program leader and appoints one vice president as the supervisor. The OBEI includes an executive director and a deputy executive director. Under the OBEI is an EMI working group which is formed by the representatives from each college and relevant departments. The OBEI is organized into several groups that include the Student Learning Group, EMI Research Group, Professional Development Group, and Inter-school Collaboration Group. Each group has one group leader and several assistants or a postdoctoral researcher. The organizational structure is as follows: (Attach diagram here)

IV.Expected Outcomes

1. **For the University**: The goals for talent cultivation in bilingual program that match the development and features of NTUST are developed. The enhancement plans by the university and colleges should include clear and feasible promotion strategies, implementation mechanisms, supportive measures, and stage goals.


2. **For Instructors**: Comprehensive training and support for EMI instructors are provided to improve the quality of teaching through English.


3. **For Students**: The students are provided with tailored language training and support based on their English proficiency upon entry to ensure that they are fully capable of undertaking EMI courses. Additionally, the modular courses and assessments are designed to enhance students’ academic and professional English skills.


4. **EMI Research**: A bilingual research team is formed to conduct empirical research in different topics, such as student learning outcomes, teacher EMI teaching, and bilingual policies. Through the data from students’ learning and teachers’ feedback, the effectiveness of the program is evaluated and improvement plan is developed.


5. **Resource Sharing**: The OBEI integrates the projects of EMI Teaching Resource Center and shares EMI resources of NTUST with nearby schools and instructors that lack English teaching resources. The office also promotes project experience sharing for paradigm shift and assists in training instructors and teaching assistants with partner schools to maximize the benefits of the program.