Linguistics graduate students strategize with Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and ELIP faculty for joint online courses
By Mary Vandeman
Professor Keeseok Cho from Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea loved having the opportunity to visit Ohio University during International Education Week.
“What a beautiful and friendly campus! Ohio University reminds me of the picturesque images that Korean people have of Western Universities,” he said.
Cho visited Athens as part of the English Language Improvement Program’s newly developed joint online certificate program with CUFS, with this visit building on the visit ELIP Director Dr. Dawn Bikowski and ELIP online certificate coordinator Dr. H. Keira Park made to CUFS in July. This innovative project includes a certificate in TESOL and Teaching Young Learners and one in Business English. This semester alone, 350 students are enrolled in two courses.
Cho and Bern pose with ELIP faculty during the Fifth Annual Global Engagement Awards Gala during International Education Week 2017
Innovation in Education
Cho and CUFS Assistant Professor Robert Bern visited during International Education Week to give two colloquia: one on the benefits of international online education and the importance of keeping a global perspective, and the other on linguistics and linguistic theory. They had an opportunity to meet the faculty and students behind the certificate program, as well as tour the campus and see for themselves how passionate the ELIP faculty is about providing an exceptional quality online education.
Bern showcases online instruction at CUFS—it’s all about engagement and student-centered learning, as seen in this instructional video based on a game show format
The ELIP-CUFS team also discussed ongoing projects and planned for the future. Cho commented on how pleased he is about the direction the CUFS-ELIP partnership has taken.
“It is a rewarding experience for our students to take classes from such talented and dedicated professors at a University in the United States,” he said.
OHIO graduate students appreciated the visit and value the project as well. Paula Schaefer, a second-year Linguistics graduate student, commented: “I have been involved with the CUFS-OHIO project since the beginning, so I have experienced it come to life. It was an honor to host Professor Cho and Assistant Professor Bern during International Education Week and to be involved in the project.”
Online education can be challenging in any country, let alone with international projects. That means partners mean everything.
“Working with CUFS,” Bikowski notes, “has allowed us to maintain the quality we need in order for online classes to really succeed. Since they’re one of the top universities in language education in South Korea, of course we knew the quality of instruction and student work would be there.”
It’s All About the Students
Helping students succeed in online classes means keeping their motivation high. Relevance helps.
“Many of our students have reported being able to directly apply the information they’ve learned in the courses to their own teaching and studies,” says Bern. “Our students have found the upbeat and entertaining approach to the classes quite motivating.”
Schaefer can see how her experience on this project has contributed to her future and career prospects, given that few M.A. students have the opportunity to work on online course development and implementation.
“The popularity of distance and online learning is expanding, so being involved in a program like this will certainly benefit me in the future,” she notes, in addition to building her intercultural and professional communication skills.
Bern says that CUFS students agree about the benefits of the collaboration. “Our students have been very vocal about how beneficial they believe receiving certification through Ohio University will be for their career prospects.”
Planning for the Future
Innovative projects keep moving forward, and this partnership is no exception. Every semester, new courses are being offered, and a visit to the Athens campus by CUFS students in the summer of 2018 is being planned.
“I know our students would be thrilled to have the privilege to do some programs in such a beautiful setting. It was wonderful to see how the faculty at Ohio University lives up to the grand first impression of their campus,” Cho notes.
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