Teaching & Learning

Bachelor of Arts in International Chinese Language Education offers one concentration of study for both native and non-native speakers of Chinese. It aims to cultivate competent multilingual professionals who are proficient in Chinese, Portuguese and English, and are able to speak both Mandarin and Cantonese. Students will acquire strong competence as language professionals with a global vision and cross-cultural communication skills. Their "Tri-literate and Quadra-lingual" mastery will allow them to work in the fields such as commerce and trade, public administration, management, education, mass communication and other creative industries. Graduates will be qualified as educators of international Chinese language to serve Macao or any other international community.

This programme aims to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and professional competence required to teach Chinese effectively to speakers of other languages. It cultivates multilingual professionals who master Chinese, Portuguese and English, and be able to speak both Mandarin and Cantonese. Upon completion of the programme, students should be able to compete successfully in the job market in such fields as cultural and language education, commerce, trading, public administration management, mass communication and other creative industries. Students will be equipped to pursue graduate study in relevant fields.

Upon completion of the programme, students are expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes in terms of academic contents, disciplinary skills ann atrributes. The goal of the programme is to train language professionals who are competent in language education. Graduates will be equiped with knowledge and skills for jobs in relevant fields.

Academic contents 學術內容

Disciplinary skills‐ able to 學科技能

Attributes 特質

Mapping of Graduate Attributes to Programme Intended Learning Outcomes & Learning Modules 
畢業生理想特質與課程預期學習成效及學科單元之關聯表

Students are trained to be independent learners. Through lectures, group discussions, research projects, internships and other learning opportunities, students will acquire the learning outcomes expected from individual learning modules. Students will observe demo teaching, discuss and reflect, and develop teaching materials on their own. Students will gain hands-on experience to apply their understanding of theories to effective lesson planning and delivery. Students will participate in one-year exchange study at Beijing Language and Culture University.

Common types of assessment include written and oral assignments, group projects, mid-term and final examinations. Other practice elements include in-class presentation, classroom observation and teaching practice reports. Explicit guidance on coursework requirement for each module is given, emphasising approaches to coursework of various types and how to avoid plagiarism, together with rules and procedures. Examinations are typically of a three-hour paper undertaken at the end of each semester. Examination papers will be reviewed by internal moderators and then by external examiners. All examination papers go through a moderation marking procedure. Samples of three examination answer sheets (high, medium and low grades) are sent to the external examiners for quality control. Re-sit exam will be given for qualifies students who fail their first attempt at the end of each semester. Re-sit marks are capped at 50%. Normally, students who fail again in the re-sit examination or those who fail to meet attendance requirement will be required to repeat the failed modules.

The programme is delivered over eight semesters spanning four years. Students are required to acquire 150 credits for graduation. Students must complete 4 modules of progressive learning: Fundamental & General Education Modules, Advanced Modules, Electives and Teaching Fieldwork of Language Fieldwork. A Graduation Thesis must be completed by the end of the designated period of study.

The programme offers two study plans for native speakers and non-native speakers of Chinese respectively. For native speakers of Chinese, learning modules include languages, literature, Chinese teaching and learning, history and cultures, etc. For non-native speakers of Chinese, learning modules focus on the integrated skills of Chinese language, culture and society.

According to Article 3 of Academic Regulations Governing Bachelor's Degree Programmes of MPI,

1. An applicant shall be considered for admission to a bachelor’s degree programme of the Institute if s/he
   a) holds a qualification not lower than Grade 12 or the equivalent, and
   b) fulfils other admission criteria prescribed by the programme of study concerned.
    
2. An applicant of age 23 or above, proven to possess relevant capabilities (especially in the entrance examination(s) of MPI), shall be considered for admission to a bachelor’s degree programme with a waiver on the requirement in item a) of above point.

Each student is allocated a year tutor who provides general academic and pastoral support throughout the four years of study. Year tutors are the first point of contact in matters stated above. Various communication channels are available for students to express their opinions and suggestions, such as via their respective year tutors, student representatives, programme coordinators and assistant programme coordinators, and dialogue meetings on different levels. The dialogue meetings serve as platforms for consultation and discussion between students and respective personnel ranging from the programme, the faculty, the academic support and administrative units, to the university management. Feedback is made by respective personnel to every issue raised by the students during the meeting with follow-up actions tracked. Student surveys are conducted in every learning module on a semesterly basis to collect students' opinions regarding the delivery of the modules. User satisfaction surveys are conducted annually on central student services. Feedback collected via these surveys will be followed up by the faculty or respective departments. 

Students will receive an orientation about their four years of study at the beginning of the first year. Year tutors are appointed to individual students upon admission to provide academic and pastoral support throughout the period of study in the programme. Students may seek academic advices from their year tutors or programme coordinators regarding their learning path/plan and registration of learning modules. In individual learning modules, the instructors' office hours and contact information are made accessible to students for any questions regarding their study. Students' learning engagement and performance will be reviewed on a regular basis by year tutors and programme coordinators to identify learning needs and provide relevant support. Students' learning performance and progression will also be reviewed by the programme examination board to ensure their learning is adequately supported and their progress is on track. In addition, counselling services, careers services and student support services are accessible to all students through the Student Affairs Office. A wide variety of extracurricular activities (e.g. seminars, workshops, exchange opportunities, field trips etc.) are available via the Student Affairs Office. Students may make full use of the variety of learning oppportunities, both curricular and extracurricular, to develop their academic and holistic capabilities for their future careers or further studies.

Some modules require students to participate in public exams (e.g. Mandarin language testing) and attain certain levels. Students who wish to obtain Macao's teacher qualification are required to take the modules on teaching fieldwork. The credits and scores obtained during exchange will be recognised according to the agreement between MPU and the receiving institutions.

Macao Polytechnic University has in place a university-wide policy to ensure that all student needs are taken care of and a supportive and accessible learning environment is maintained. When cases of special needs are notified or identified, special arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis with the joint effort of the programme and various student support services of the University, such as the Registry, the Student Affairs Office, the Information Technology Department and the Campus Management and Development Department, etc. to provide the necessary support.

The programme establishes collaboration and partnership with local organisations, schools or companies to provide students with fieldwork opportunities in Chinese language teaching and language services. The hands-on experience will enhance students' transferable skills in language teaching, translation and administrative management.