MSU’s Confucius Institute is helping Wayne State University start its own Chinese learning center to promote knowledge of the Chinese language and culture in Michigan.
MSU’s Confucius Institute was one of four in the U.S. to win the Confucius Institute of the Year award, which was presented in Beijing in 2007.
Ken Dirkin, chief technology officer of MSU’s institute, said the institute is admired because of the technological advances offered on its Web site, Confucius.msu.edu.
“Each institute has their own niche that they’re trying to fill,” Dirkin said. “They have to have an idea of what is going to make them unique … to differentiate themselves from the other 210 institutes worldwide.”
MSU’s institute differs from others because of its focus on educating K-12 students and its use of technology as a learning tool.
Dirkin said MSU’s institute worked with Wayne State to find a niche for their own institute.
“At MSU, they work a lot on distance education. They are the leaders in the web technology area. We are trying to be more hands-on and reap the immediate community,” said John Brender, assistant director for programs at Wayne State’s Confucius Institute and an MSU alumnus.
The institute is scheduled to open Jan. 31 and will be the second in the state of Michigan.
Dongping Zheng, assistant professor in the MSU Confucius Institute and the College of Education, said the resources available on the institute Web site are helpful tools for learning Chinese.
“There is a dynamic interaction between teaching and student learning,” she said. “We design lots of resources for a broad use of Chinese language and culture, and most of the resources on the web are free.”
Chinese characters and daily podcasts, which were first launched in 2007, are available to everyone who visits the institute’s Web site.
“The podcasts are cool because they are a casual learning resource for any student at any level,” Zheng said. “Ours are very different from other podcasts because they are interactive and discuss cultural points.”
While the institute’s focus is centered around K-12 students, online resources can be helpful for higher learning, Dirkin said.
“Certain MSU students have been using our podcasts and word of the day program as supplementary to their own Chinese learning in other classes,” he said.
Chun Lai, assistant professor in the MSU Confucius Institute and the College of Education, said the institute’s main goal is to help people learn about the Chinese language and culture, and to educate people about China.
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