Teaching English-medium Lectures in Korea: Recommendations for Foreign Faculty

Abstract

For the past decade, South Korean universities have been increasing the number of English-medium lectures (EML) following government policy aimed at theglobalization of higher education. Highly praised by media, it met a strong pushback fromKorean students and professors who questioned the effectiveness of EML due to the limitedEnglish proficiency of both educating and educated parties (Cho, 2012; Kim 2014). Universitiesbegan urgent foreign faculty recruits to bolster the popularity of EML among students. However, unfamiliarity with Korean education culture and differences related to classroom interaction often led to profound misunderstandings between foreign professors and Korean students (Parry, 2011). As internalization of universities will continue to grow, more foreign instructors will be hired. Therefore, it is essential to understand the issues occurring in the EML classroom to ensure long-term benefits for students as well as foreign faculty.