Innovative Ideas for a College English Program : Voices from 71 International Faculty Members

The purpose of this study is to examine international faculty’s perceptions on an English education program of a university in order to discover innovative ideas for curricular innovation. Seventy-one international faculty of different educational and cultural backgrounds were asked to share their views on the following open-ended questions: obstacles to teaching English, perception of their students’ level of motivation and communicative abilities, the best way of improving students' English communicative skills, suggestions for regular courses and extracurricular programs, and suggestions for infrastructure and academic support structure. As a result of the survey, it was found that the three most difficult obstacles to enhancing communicative abilities of students were the mixed-level of students in the class, lack of technological support, and raising students’ motivation toward English. The three most critical areas for educational innovation were general English education, extracurricular programs, and major English programs. Finally, as a result of the international faculty’s investment, a thorough list of effective courses and class activities are suggested along with the list of items to be considered for innovation in infrastructure and academic support structure.