JOHN FOWLER (LANCASTER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE - BEIJING JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY JOINT INSTITUTE (WEIHAI-SHANDONG))
SINO-UK COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT IN EDI: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (WEIHAI, CHINA) AS A CASE STUDY : LANGUAGE PLANNING AND LANGUAGE POLICY
Since a widespread return in China to campus based face-to-face teaching in 2023 following the Covid-19 pandemic, a new landscape has emerged both in terms of changing learner behaviours (Duan et al., 2022; Hu et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2021; Zhao & Xue, 2023) that can be viewed through an EDI lens, as well as increasing political capital attributed to EDI (China Ministry of Education, 2023). Lancaster University College (LUC) and Beijing Jiaotong University (a joint education institute based in Shandong Province, China) began a collaborative journey in response to the rising importance of EDI both in the UK and in China. This involved the mutual understanding of current EDI related practices and policy, the engagement of key members of staff, many of whom were from English language and study skills provision and who were found to be operating at the frontline dealing with arising cases. Most importantly, the project involved the establishment of some key interventions in the form of staff EDI training, regular discussion forums for key stakeholders, student-oriented EDI communication events, as well as targeted diversity training for students. This presentation will track the development of an EDI provision from the perspective of the LUC English and Study Skills team indicating where, when and how language staff were involved, as well as the importance that English tutors have in successfully achieving EDI outcomes.
John Fowler is Head of Department (English & Study Skills) at Lancaster University College - Beijing Jiaotong University (Weihai, Shandong). Established in 2016, LUC-BJTU is a Sino-UK joint institute with over 2000 students studying 6 UG degree programmes in the sciences, social sciences and arts.