Professor Hsin Wen Chang leads the College of Tourism at Chung Hua University (CHU) in Taiwan. With a strong passion for enhancing her students' English proficiency, Professor Chang has been pivotal in integrating the Trinity Certificate for Practising Teachers (CertPT) into the university's curriculum.

“My students must have good English so they can go into the international market and can get better jobs and salaries, so I’m always looking for ways to improve their English.”. 

Professor Chang first learned about Trinity College London when attending a workshop held by the British Council in 2016. She was impressed to hear of Trinity’s long heritage.

“When I found that Trinity is over 150 years old, I thought it was very important because if you have a long history, you accumulate a lot of knowledge.”

After the workshop, Professor Chang did some research into Trinity College London, and discovered some shared core values. 

“Looking at the website, I realised that one of Trinity’s most important core values is communication. I personally can really understand this importance, not only for teaching or languages, but also for opening your mind and broadening your horizons” 

“If you can communicate with others, you can also get to know each other's culture.”

Not long after, Professor Chang decided to integrate the Cert PT into the university continued professional development offering.

“We encouraged teachers to join the CertPT program. At first, we organized workshops every semester, which led to teachers taking on the tasks required for CertPT certification.” 

Over time, eight teachers successfully completed the program and received their certificates. Feedback from these teachers was overwhelmingly positive. 

“Initially, some found the tasks challenging and time-consuming, but they soon realized the immense value in applying their new skills to the classroom.”

“It shifted the focus from teachers doing all the work to students being more involved and active in their learning.” 

This positive feedback encouraged more teachers to join the CertPT programme, with the university entering teachers into the programme every year since. The impact on teaching and learning is evident. 

“Students became more focused, involved, and enjoyed the classes more. The CertPT course helped teachers create a more engaging and interactive learning environment.” 

One significant advantage of the CertPT program is its practical application within the teachers' existing work context. Professor Chang notes: 

“Teachers can apply what they learn directly to their classes. It’s not like a separate degree where you might struggle to see the relevance to your current job.” 

The CertPT program has also opened new opportunities for CHU. 

“Being a validated CertPT centre has made us proud. We showcase this achievement to international visitors and colleagues from other universities.” 

This recognition is not just symbolic; it has practical benefits too. 

“With government funding, we’ve been able to fully implement the CertPT program, making a substantial impact on our teaching quality.”

Professor Chang’s advice to other institutions considering CertPT is straightforward. 

“Follow the guidance, work hard, and stay motivated. The process may be challenging, but the rewards are worth it.”