The Academy of Continuing Education (ACE) hosted the International Education Programme for students and their parents. On 6 September, there was a ceremony for the CFAU IPP-UIC programme, while the ceremony on 7 September was for International Foundation Programme (IFP). In the end, 20 students signed up for the CFAU IPP-UIC programme while 43 signed up for the IFP.
International Foundation Programme (IFP) group photo
International Partnership Programme (IPP) group photo
The general objective of the CFAU IPP-UIC Programme is to prepare students with the academic skills and high proficiency in the English language needed to engage effectively in their learning journey at an overseas University.
The International Partnership Programme (IPP) of the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) was established in 2006 between CFAU and selected renowned universities in Canada in order for mainland students to gain direct access to bachelor’s degrees at these universities. In May 2016, the CFAU IPP and UIC signed a three-party Memorandum of Understanding which details the provision of service by UIC via the ACE to offer courses for one semester of the first year of the CFAU IPP-UIC programme. Students from this programme will proceed to CFAU in Beijing to complete the second semester of their Year One study. They will then advance to the University of Alberta in Canada to complete their bachelor’s degree study for Years Two, Three and Four. The CFAU IPP-UIC programme thus provides an alternative route for high schools students from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to acquire a bachelor’s degree from an overseas university, with one year of engagement in preparatory courses in the Mainland before embarking on the overseas study journey.
Ching-Fai Ng welcoming remarks
The ceremony began at 2:00 p.m. with an opening announcement and guest introduction, which were followed by welcoming remarks by the UIC President, Ng Ching-Fai. Liang Hao (Leo) who then performed with his flute to entertain the audience. Parent representative, Dr Li Xiang for IPP and Mr Deng Zhiliang of the IFP both gave talks and shared experiences. CFAU IPP-UIC Programme badges were distributed among the participating students. UIC’s Associate Vice President, Prof Lilian Kwan, distributed badges to the students on the ceremony held on the 6 September while UIC President, Prof Ng Ching-Fai, distributed the badges on the event held on the 7 September.
Prof Lilian Kwan distribute badges
The Director of ACE, Dr Anthony Tsui, gave the audience welcoming remarks. As Dr Tsui has put a lot of focus into this programme and has spent time putting the programme together as well as recruiting suitable personnel to ensure the students get the best attention and results.
Dr Anthony Tsui welcoming remarks
Welcoming remarks were also given by the Director of the Whole Person Education Office (WPEO), Dr Haipeng Guo, who explained that they will teach the students about emotional intelligence, Chinese Crafts and Culture as well as Physical Education. Therefore, the students will have a more well-rounded form of education that will help them develop in many ways.
Overseas Study Exam Manager, Mr William Shang, introduced the English Skills Learning course to the students and their parents. Mr Shang obtained a perfect score in his IELTS reading exam. Academic English forms the cornerstone of preparing Chinese students for overseas university studies. Mr Edward Martin, a veteran English Language Centre (ELC) lecturer, is the Academic English Subject Convener for IPP/IFP. His courses will enable students to feel comfortable completing common types of university assignments such as oral presentations, essays, reports, and research projects. Fundamental skills including academic integrity, research methodology, group collaboration, and critical thinking will be emphasized throughout the course. Cutting-edge online resources from prominent publishing houses including Oxford and Cengage will help students to track their studies, identify areas of weakness to focus on, and inform instructors of their progress.
Mr Edward Martin talks
As part of this programme students will also be able to use multimedia to pose specific questions about their studies and receive personalized responses directly from their instructors. Throughout the course, students will assemble a portfolio of their work to support their university applications and demonstrate the development of their academic skills.
Academic English is formal and distinct from casual or corporate use of the English language. “My goal is to create scholars, who have a fluent or near-native command of the English language,” says Mr Martin. These students will have an opportunity to become citizens of the world.
To finish off the ceremony, CFAU IPP-UIC Programme Manager, Ms Irene Chung, gave an introduction to the rules and regulations for living on UIC Campus.
Reporter: Samuel Burgess (MPRO)
Photographer: Echo Deng (ACE)
Editor: Deen He, Samantha Burns (MPRO)
(with thanks to the ELC)
