Academic English Intensive Course Summer 2019 was held (11-20 Sep)

Academic English Intensive Course Summer 2019 was held from 11th to 20th of September at the Frontier Hall for Social Sciences. Twenty two students participated in the programme, targeted for the KUPES students and other Kobe university students who were planning to study abroad as exchange students. All six teachers were experts of teaching English to Japanese students.

The academic classes focused on improving students’ abilities in the four core competences in reading, listening, speaking, and writing, while strengthening their soft skills including critical thinking and presentation skills. The participants learned IELTS test taking skills and basic knowledge of writing essays, which were not instructed in a regular curriculum of Kobe University. The students improved their English proficiency as well as reviewed their knowledge on the EU.

Positive comments were given by the participants, such as, “Since I understood what the teachers were speaking better than last seminar, this learning experience became such an important period of time for my future.”, “The class in which I was put was higher than my skills, so it was hard to keep up with the peers, but gradually I was used to it. As I deepened my understanding, I started to gain my confidence.”, and “I was not confident about my English but the instructors found my strength and that lead to my confidence.” The intensive course provided the students with an excellent opportunity to foster their motivation for their future studies abroad.