News

The English Language Centre capped off another successful English Enhancement Programme (EEP) this year on 15 September.

Beginning two weeks before regular classes start, EEP is designed to welcome new students to UIC and give them a taste of what college life is like before the pressures of academia kick in.

Rod Israel, a veteran teacher of the two-week programme said, “The students get better every year. Rather than trying to get them to make great academic achievements, in EEP our goal is to get them to speak and think in English.”

Rod Israel at a discussion with students

EEP consists of daily activities in classrooms for students to help them bond together with their peers and create a welcoming atmosphere, eliminating the tension and nervousness that comes with their new college lives.

Another part of the programme consists of large lectures, in which they are instructed in helpful tips in order to be successful at college, or simply to expose them to a western culture.

This year’s lectures included among others, “How to Survive Your First Year of College” “Folk Music and the Acoustic Guitar” “International Foods and Culinary Art”, and “Love in Literature and Movies”.

JK Ulrich invites students for a sing-along during Folk Music and Acoustic Guitar lecture

Success for the programme requires a lot of hard work from teachers and interns. EEP has been active for nine years now, but this year witnessed the largest group ever as 1300 students participated in the programme.

The activities culminate into a grand presentation, created and performed by the students from the same majors, dancing, singing and acting out dramatic skits.

Students give full measure at the EEP Final Performances

Students’ performances win them the award of Excellent Performance in Group A

“You could see that the students had worked very hard on their presentations,” said Jon Taplin, a judge for the performances. “Their timing and creativity revealed a lot of hard work and precision. It was a very enjoyable show.”

EEP is immensely popular with the new students. One student writes, “Basically the two things I like were the learning atmosphere in class and the opportunity to know more about the campus…we started to get familiar with the foreign teaching style and most of all, we gain more confidence in speaking English under the active learning atmosphere.”

The new students’ stunning performances cause a photographing sensation among the audience

Handling the huge numbers of students was a daunting task this year, but it’s all a labour of love from the teachers and organisers. ELC is already taking steps to handle the huge influx of students more efficiently next year and make the English Enhancement Programme even better for our incoming freshmen.

EEP Final Performances Top Three Classes:

Group A

Group B

Reporter: John L Halstead
Photographers: Simon Liu, Du Shasha and Chen Gong
Editor: Deen He
(from the ELC)