English Winter Programme with Shin Ansan University, South Korea

On the 16th of December 2018, 20 students of different majors from Shin Ansan University, South Korea reached Malaysian shores to partake in an English Winter Programme that was organised by the Centre for English Language and Foundation Education (CELFE), at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC). This was the second time that Shin Ansan University sent their second cohort of students to UNMC as the first cohort of undergraduate students shared good memories about the 1-month programme during Summer 2018.



The English Winter Programme was conducted for 4 weeks, and the lectures, which were tailor-made for the participants, were aimed at assisting them in enhancing few aspects of the English language, mostly on communicative English. The lectures that were conducted were enriched with team-building classroom activities allowed the participants to augment their teamwork and leadership skills, and they also served as a platform for the participants to continuously practice speaking in English to increase their level of proficiency.



The activities were also an inter-cultural experience for all who were involved due to the immersion of both Malaysian and Korean culture.



Over the period that the participants spent in Malaysia, they were given the opportunity to experience the local lifestyle on a daily basis. For example, they were exposed to multiple local delicacies within campus grounds and during the trips that they made to the capital of Malaysia, which is none other than Kuala Lumpur. The participants also relished the opportunity of visiting the historical state of Malacca, which is rich in Malaysian heritage and culture.



To make it a more wholesome experience, the participants were allowed to utilise all the facilities provided on campus such as the swimming pool, badminton court and gym. The objectives were to allow them to get a taste of campus life at the first leading British university in Malaysia, as well as to create a stronger bond between those involved in the programme. Towards the end of the programme, students from both UNMC and Shin Ansan University participated in a sports competition which was fun-filled.



During their final week of the programme, the participants were assessed in three main areas; namely, a group presentation and seminar discussion, as well as a listening and note-taking test. The participants showed a marked improvement from the first week that they embarked on this programme. On the final day of the programme, the participants expressed their gratitude by writing heartwarming thank-you notes to all the lectures and UNMC students who were handpicked to become their academic mentors for tutoring them throughout the programme.



All in all, the participants from Shin Ansan University thoroughly enjoyed their stint at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus as it was not only a good learning experience for each one of them, but it was also an opportunity for them to widen their horizons.

Written by Emma Eugene Kurisinkal
Head of Academic Mentor (English Winter Programme 2018-2019)
Undergraduate (School of Education). 

Edited by Ms Chin Li Yeun 
Director of English Language Education 
Centre for English Language & Foundation Education (CELFE)