The English teaching methodology in Chinese universities is now under effective reform, as the students taking new courses are having better examination results of English learning than otherwise, said Zhang Yaoxue, a senior official with the Ministry of Education (MOE).

In recent years, more and more employers have begun to use examinations as a major way to evaluate potential employees. The examinations showed that university students' oral English training was lacking, so officials began to call for "a new English study mechanism targeting students' integrated skills."

According to statistics the ministry, Chinese university students spend more than 3,000 hours on average studying English during their four-year schooling. However, when in English class, most students just listen silently to their teachers instead of actively speaking.

Chinese universities launched the English study reform in 2002 by taking three measures, Zhang said.

First, the original English teaching curricula for university teachers were revised. Second, computer-based teaching materials and software systems were introduced in English teaching and learning. Third, the evaluation and testing system for English proficiency was adjusted to focus more on listening and speaking, rather than just writing.

The more engaging teaching style has also helped get students more interested in learning English.

Li Yuan, a student of the Beijing Institute of Technology said that when he used the English learning software for the first time, he got interested in a story about scandals in the football circle. The story was divided into three parts for different test targets, which immediately aroused his interest for reading.

In February, 2004, MOE invested 30 million yuan (around US$3.6 million) for the pilot use of English learning software among 200,000 students in 180 Chinese universities, and the oral English pilot test was also carried out since 1999.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2005)