ABSTRACT
I am working with a group of English language teachers from a university in Thailand who are required by university management to revise all their courses to be outcome-based. The university itself has overarching outcomes for all graduates. All courses that students take need to align with these outcomes. The general descriptors of these overarching outcomes are “being knowledgeable, being ethical, profi cient thinking, capability, a thirst for knowledge and a capacity to learn, leadership, public mindedness, and retention of Thai identity amidst globalization.” The English language teachers are exploring how they can align and revise their content-based courses. These are courses they teach for other departments such as business, law, architecture, and medicine. After I provide brief presentations about the nature of outcome-based curricula, I meet with groups of teachers who teach courses in the different subject areas. They bring with them their current syllabi as starting points. Each group focuses on one aspect of the capability outcomes, that is, communication skills, because this seems to fi t their programs best. In fact, many complain that they are at a disadvantage because they are teaching language skills, so only this overarching outcome applies to their courses. I challenge them to think also about the other outcomes and how their courses address those attributes. One group, teaching business English, recognizes that in teaching business oral presentations, they need to address aspects of profi cient thinking, such as critical thinking and problem solving, as their students choose a topic for their presentation, select specifi c content to argue their point, and organize their presentation with main ideas and supporting details. They decide that their course also teaches skills in information technology, one of the attributes of capability identifi ed by the university. Students achieve this by researching content online and using PowerPoint for their presentations. [Murray, research notes]
Task: Refl ect
1. How might this group of teachers also include leadership in their courses? 2. How might this group of teachers include being ethical in their courses? 3. Do you agree with the list of outcomes developed by this university?
