As more higher education institutions in the United States look not only to be designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) but to serve their student population in languages other than English, learning designers who are native speakers or have fluency in languages other than English are utilizing their language and cultural competencies to…

This action research centered on features of oral fluency among Chilean higher education students, focusing on the 'describing picture strategy' innovation. Set in the context of the Advanced English II course, the study determines the effects of the strategy in boosting oral fluency. The intervention of this investigation was enhanced by…

For the first time, the annual conference of the European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL) took place in Sweden. The conference took place at the Faculty of Education on historic ground on the old fortification walls of Carolus Dux from the 17th century right in the centre of the city. This year's host comprised the…

Future teachers are not getting enough education in area studies nor in practical use of the foreign language. They should be able to converse fulently about the foreign country. This necessitates thorough revision of university curricula, including required language courses throughout the course of study. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Discusses the academic emphasis on students acquiring fluency in a second language to foster their advancement in the business world of international commerce. Notes that human resource experts in U.S.-based international corporations often give a low priority to linguistic fluency and emphasize the need for cultural expertise. (Seven references)…

Discusses what makes good communicative English language teaching by focusing on an ethnographic study of six undergraduate university lessons. The lessons were observed while carrying out consultancy work in India and China. Suggests that cultural continuity between traditional and innovative forms of instruction emerges as an essential feature…

The admirable ideal of "total" immersion in a foreign culture privileges students who plan early on for foreign study, establish early language fluency and elect majors and activities that make it easier to leave campus. Other students often find that they lack the language skills to qualify for many foreign programs or are unable to reconcile…

This case study examines the cross-cultural learning experiences of two Chinese students at a major university in the Eastern United States. The study participants were a graduate student and his wife, both of whom had graduated from prestigious Chinese universities. At the time of the study, they had been in the United States for less than two…

The Colorado State University Foreign Language Weekend Camps (also called the "Poor Man's Study Abroad") are described in this report. Developed to provide an international component and a mini foreign experience for the university's students, the camps are designed to accomplish several purposes including: to offer both foreign and…

The official endorsement given to second languages by both the provincial and federal governments in Canada is reviewed, and reasons why second languages may be an important component of a basic education program are proposed. The question of which second language might be taught in schools is also addressed. The agreement to cooperate with the…

A graduate level course offered to foreign medical graduates (FMGs) at Wayne State University in Michigan was developed after a needs assessment indicated the desirability of improving the speaking fluency, pronunciation, and cultural understanding of FMGs. It was found that weaknesses in those areas, which are not assessed in the Test of English…

A university professor and director of a writing program found many examples of what he terms "colonialism" during his thirty years of teaching experiences in countries around the world. One such example was a former pupil in Hong Kong struggling to make her students memorize a poem called "London Snow" ("snow" is an…

This collection of papers includes the following: "The Great Debate. Proposed: TESOL is a Science, Not an Art" (David Nunan); "Argument and Entertainment: TESOL as a Science" (Elana Shohamy); "TESOL: Art and Craft" (Henry Widdowson); "An Attitude of Inquiry: TESOL as a Science" (Diane Larsen-Freeman);…

The MEXUS program, a transnational, undergraduate, dual-degree program in the United States and Mexico, addresses the problem of how universities can better prepare students to manage business in an interdependent global marketplace. The program was initiated as a consortium of four institutions (San Diego State University and Southwestern College…

This final report describes a project at the University of Connecticut-Storrs, begun in 1993, to create a 5-year interdisciplinary, undergraduate, double-degree program, combining a bachelor of science in engineering with a bachelor of arts in German. The program, called Eurotech, is intended to provide students with practical, integrated foreign…