About Us

College English Department is in charge of teaching English to 15,000 non-English majors from various colleges of Chongqing University. Six teaching divisions are affiliated to the Department: New Horizon College English, New Edition College English, Experiencing English, College English Innovation Experiment, and College English for Art Majors and Advanced English.

In the light of “College English Curriculum Requirements”, the Department takes advantage of modern educational theory and modern educational technology to improve college students’ integrated English skills and deepen the college English teaching reform. Especially, the Department focuses on such constructions as English curriculum system, listening & speaking teaching model, classroom teaching model and teaching resources. On the basis of scientific studies, the Department constructs a 3-dimensional curriculum system which is intended to develop students’ comprehensive application ability and to promote their coordinated growth among the knowledge, ability, quality and comprehensive application ability. The Department also constructed the new self-access model for listening & speaking based on the information technology to improve students’ linguistic competence. Moreover, the Department created a “student-centered, teacher-led” classroom teaching model, advocating interactive learning and enriching students’ learning experience, practice, participation, cooperation and communication. The curriculum system of the Department effectively integrates the classroom teaching, self access, net interaction, extracurricular practice, and also the formative assessment and the summative assessment. Therefore, College English Course at Chongqing University has shaped its own striking features and contributed greatly to the college English reform in China.

The objective of New Horizon College English Division is to develop students’ ability to use English in a well-rounded way, especially in listening and speaking, so that in their future work and social interactions they will be able to communicate effectively. Another objective is to develop their ability to study independently and improve their cultural awareness so as to meet the needs of China’s social development and international exchanges. The teaching model has shifted from the teacher-centered pattern, in which knowledge of the language and skills are imparted by the teacher in class, to the student-centered pattern, in which the ability to use the language and the ability to learn independently are cultivated in addition to language knowledge and skills.

New Edition College English Division is currently responsible for offering college English courses to approximately 5,000 undergraduate students from various colleges of Chongqing University. The textbooks are the New Edition College English textbook series published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press and the online learning system is the “New Era Interactive Listening, Viewing and Speaking System” developed by Tsinghua University Press.

With the help of Experiencing English textbook series published by Higher Education Press and the corresponding online learning system, Experiencing English Division is combining classroom instruction with students’ autonomous learning, online interaction and extracurricular practice. Teachers from various universities in China have come to the Division for class observation to learn from the experiences of the Division. And the outstanding teachers of the Division were invited to give speeches about the successful teaching reform of the Division as well.

College English Innovation Experiment Division undertakes the mission to explore new English teaching and learning models so as to better prepare students to meet the challenge of the fast developing society and to answer the request of the goal of Chongqing University. The first group of experiment targets is students from College of Law and Hongshen Honors School. The second group of target students is the top 900 students selected through a placement test held at the beginning of school year and all the freshmen in Hongshen Honors School.

The Division insists on the objectives to improve students’ English Language proficiency, to broaden students’ international horizon, and to develop students’ humanistic quality. To be specific, the Division is to help students develop necessary English communicative strategies, nurture academic research skills and critical thinking ability, and enhance the ability to make presentation and argumentation. College English Innovation course consists of Academic Lecture, Reading & Writing Course. Academic Lecture is mainly delivered by foreign experts for the purpose of broadening students’ horizon, and enhancing cross-cultural communication. Reading & Writing Course and Speaking & Writing Course are provided by Chinese teachers which focus more on detailed skills and strategies like information searching, information processing and information presentation.

The Division of the College English Department have actively supported and participated in the College English reform aiming at developing students’ ability to use English in an all-round way. The Department has adopted the new “student-centered, teacher-led” teaching model based on modern education theories and modern technology in accordance with the requirements of the national curriculum, combining classroom instruction with students’ autonomous learning, online interaction and extracurricular practice.

Teachers discussing online-teaching experiences

with the experts from the Ministry of Education.

Photo taken after the successful hosting of the seminar “Extending English Learning to Students’ Extracurricular Life”

Mr. Niu in the teaching contest.