Thank you, ECNU, for helping us fulfill our dream of exploring Chinese language and culture. This is what a group of international students from our Online Special Chinese Language Program of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship for 2021 Fall Semester wanted to say to the university.
This program is an online learning scholarship program launched by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, the Ministry of Education. ECNU carefully designed the program framework and curriculum based on the needs of global Chinese-language learners. Nearly 1,000 international students from over 40 countries were enrolled in the program.
Let's hear from them about their experiences of studying in this Online Special Chinese Language Program!
"The program goes far beyond my expectations. I’ve learnt a lot of Chinese in the classroom and appreciated the richness of Chinese culture. Although the online program is over, it is only the beginning. I will work hard to improve my Chinese and communicate my love for the Chinese language and culture to the world! saidSolomakha Saimooxana from France."
"I chose the Chinese name 'Tian Mengyu' ('Mengyu' literally means the dream of learning language) because it's my dream to learn Chinese. My country is far away from China, so I used to think it was hard to learn the Chinese language and understand Chinese culture. But now I don't think so. Due to the online courses, distance is no longer an issue. I am very grateful to the teachers of ECNU for making us feel like being part of the school and showing us the campus, Shanghai, and China,” said Campos Jimenez Gloria Constanza from Chile."
"Malyshava Atsiaryna from Belarus was the champion of the anchor challenge contest held by the program. She feels that the Chinese language functions as a golden key that opens the door to Chinese culture. She hopes that she can do something to promote Chinese culture and China’s achievements, and at the same time, through her efforts, she can trigger the interest of more Chinese friends in Belarusianculture. She believes that only by learning and understanding each other can we work together to make the world a better place."
"Prescott Kare Lynn Hewell from the UK is currently a science teacher in a secondary school in the UK. She has a strong interest in learning Chinese and founded a Chinese Corner Club on her own during her work period, and has always dreamed of becoming a Chinese-language teacher. After joining the program, she hopes to get a Master's degree in International Chinese Language Education from ECNU. After that, she plans to become a real Chinese-language teacher who can inspire more children to learn Chinese."
"Lam Binh Phung from Vietnam was awarded the Student Star of the fall semester of 2021. She said, Although it seems like we are in a virtual world behind a screen, we are actually taking the class and I will continue to learn Chinese."
To meet the different needs of students with varied language levels and time differences, ECNU has provided a wide range of programs and has carefully designed special and personalized teaching materials. Courses are available all day, including weekdays, mornings, afternoons, and weekends, with over 50 classes at different levels.
The courses feature a combination of live and recorded classes that fully integrate language learning and Chinese cultural and social experience. These courses cover speaking, listening, newspaper reading, audio-visual speaking, business Chinese, Chinese character culture, folk culture, social culture, HSK tutoring,etc.
To boost cultural exchange and build an online teaching community, ECNU has also launched various outreach activities such as social and cultural lectures, anchor challenges, a Chinese and foreign youth culture salon, a China hand knowledge contest, a Chinese poetry recitation contest, and “Encountering the Liwa River during a Tour of Shanghai”.
Chinese students also served as teaching assistants in the classrooms, promoting understanding and integration between Chinese and foreign students.
Although overseas students cannot come to ECNU to engage with teachers and students face to face, the wonderful online classroom activities have greatly enriched their learning experience and enabled them to appreciate the charm of Chinese language and culture.
Copy editor: Philip Nash
Editor: Wicky Xu
