| Established in 1986, upon the foundation of the former General English Teaching and Research Section, the General English Department has a total staff of 98 members, including 8 professors and 35 associate professors. Among them, eight have received their Doctoral Degrees, while another 24 are currently attending doctoral programs. There are eight teaching and research sections in the Department mainly responsible for general English education for all the undergraduates, post-graduates and doctoral candidates. At the same time, the Department is also engaged in the development and operation of the English radio station as well as English Listening Weekly (Voice of CCNU). This offers students an opportunity to take part in the broadcasting, editing and news reporting process which makes it a unique and popular platform for students to learn English outside class. The General English Department also lays emphasis on improving professional skills of teachers and offers them regular overseas study and research programs. Up until now, 80% of the teaching staff have studied, taught, or conducted research in foreign countries where English is spoken as the mother tongue. The Department also creates opportunities for teachers to learn from each other and improve their teaching skills by organizing various teaching competitions within the Department. In the Evaluation of Classroom Teaching Quality of CCNU, teachers of General English Department performed excellently and were rated highly. In 2008, the course of College English Viewing, Listening and Speaking offered by the Department was chosen as one of the Excellent Courses offered by any university in Hubei. In 2012, the course of College English Reading, Writing and Translation was also rated as an Excellent Course in Hubei. The year 2011 witnessed the establishment of the Hubei Model Center of College English Language Learning. The General English Department has always emphasized the importance of autonomous learning for college students. By constructing a diverse and friendly-personal model of college language teaching while also improving the overall language competence and practical language skills of students, the Department has achieved fruitful results. In recent years, the teachers at the General English Department have been actively engaged in coaching students who take part in various national and regional contests such as CCTV Cup National English Speaking Contest, 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Contest, The FLTRP Cup National English Debating Contest, The English Speaking Contest for College Students in Hubei, The Translation Contest of Hubei Province, National English Proficiency Competition for College Students, etc. Our students performed excellently in the aforementioned contests and have brought great pride and honor to our university. |