ABSTRACT
Responding to the recent paradigm shift in higher education in the world, comprehensive and technical universities in Taiwan are facing the challenges of adapting English courses to the calls of English for specific academic purposes (ESAP). This reformation has brought new aspects to English education in policy making, curriculum design, development of course materials, teaching methods, teacher training, and assessment. This chapter first discusses the changing needs of college-level learners and the roles of language teachers in higher education. Then a few types of ESAP programs in Taiwan are presented, with examples of some new assessment approaches. The chapter proposes that the perspectives of ESAP development relies on more freedom in curriculum design, and tighter collaboration between content and language teachers.
