STRATEGIES TO INCORPORATE ENGLISH INTO CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

In this paper the different issues and facets involved in introducing English into the Civil and Environmental Engineering undergraduate education environment at Tokyo Tech are discussed. Over the last several years certain initiatives have been developed to help students improve their English abilities during the four year undergraduate program. Here we will discuss and review the effects of these initiatives, including the results of a survey of the first batch of undergraduates who presented their thesis in English. The results illustrate that departmental effort is needed to prepare students for their English thesis presentation as well as the increased English requirements in the graduate school. Some concerns remain whether a B4 Sotsuron presentation in English is too early.