DSU professors teaching in China

Three Dakota State University professors are currently teaching in Shanghai, China, at East China Normal University (ECNU). John Nelson, DSU instructor of Liberal Arts and Nancy Moose, DSU associate professor of Liberal Arts are teaching English, specifically, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Associate professor of Business and Information Systems, John Webster is teaching e-commerce.

The trip is a result of the Chinese delegation that visited Dakota State last semester. In May, Lynn Ryan, DSU director of International programs received a call from the Chinese University asking for two English teachers and one computer teacher to teach at its campus.

“We look forward to a long and reciprocal arrangement,” Ryan stated. “Two researchers from ECNU will be here in the Fall to take classes on distance education. We hope to send other DSU faculty in the future for semester length assignments as well as next summer for short term workshops.”

This marks the first time that DSU teachers, based on an agreement reached between the two schools, are teaching abroad and in particular in China. Other professors have taught overseas but on private arrangements.

“We’re teaching Chinese teachers of English about methods of teaching English,” Moose said of Nelson and herself. “It’s primarily a workshop and I understand that we’ll each have about 25 students.”

Moose, Nelson and Webster all attended the sessions regarding faculty exchange when the delegation was here during the school year, and showed interest in teaching in China.

“When Lynn told me that she received the message that said they were looking for English teachers, I immediately told her that I was interested,” Moose recalled. “We’re excited and anxious at the same time. For John N and me, it’s all new and we’re looking forward to everything. We’ll be able to see the Great Wall near Beijing and the terracotta warriors at Xi’an. Getting to know the people in our workshop is also going to be exciting because we expect we’ll learn a lot from them as well.”

East China Normal University is the alma mater and former teaching place of Haomin Wang, who is an assistant professor and Web master for DSU.

“We have hosted many international students here; it is great to be sending our people there,” Ryan stated.