MENU

Brush-Up English

Brush-Up English 2023 Winter Term Courses

Objectives

This program aims to help engineering students improve their basic English communication skills. It also encourages them to actively participate in various courses, including other Intercultural Education Programs and internships, using the skills they have acquired.

Program Details

The program offers the following English courses where instructors from external training institutions provide small-group classes. Students can take advantage of the free tuition covered by CEED but need to purchase textbooks depending on the course.

Course Schedule

Please swipe to see.

Course Number of Classes Capacity Day Time Term
English Communication 6 about 20 Thu. 8:45–10:15 12/14～2/1
English Discussion 6 about 20 Wed. 16:30–18:00 12/13～1/31
Academic Writing 6 about 20 Mon. 16:30–18:00 12/11～1/29
Take-It-Easy English 6 about 20 Fri. 8:45–10:15 12/15～2/2

Course Details

English Communication（Instructor：Ms. Ivy LIN）

This course is designed to provide a practice ground for spoken English. Students will prepare for conversation topics, English presentations and/or role-plays before the class. They will work in pairs or groups to practice speaking skills, demonstrate their speech in front of the class and receive feedback. Students will also practice pronunciation and intonation which helps to improve their fluency. Each week, 2 to 3 of them will give presentations which will be followed by Q & A sessions.

Keywords: Speaking practice, communicative skills, English presentation, daily conversation, vocabulary building.

  • Classes are conducted in English.
  • Classes will be held on 12/14, 12/21, 1/11, 1/18, 1/25, and 2/1.
  • Classes are held in L200.
  • Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
  • Tuition is covered by CEED but students need to purchase a textbook.

English Discussion（Instructor：Mr. Stephen BURROW）

This course focuses on practicing discussion skills, and it will help students improve their speaking ability, fluency, vocabulary as well as their English in general. The topics are based on the themes in the textbook – National Geographic Reading Explorer 3. They include themes such as sport, animals in nature, engineering achievements, space, art and travel. Each week, students will need to read about the topic in the textbook before the class. During the class they will discuss and give their opinions about information in the reading and related issues. Students will work in pairs or groups and receive help and feedback.

Keywords: Discussion skills, spoken fluency, vocabulary building, speaking practice, giving opinions, understanding the world.

  • Classes are conducted in English.
  • Classes will be held on 12/13, 12/20, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, and 1/31.
  • Classes are held in L200.
  • Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
  • Tuition is covered by CEED but students need to purchase a textbook.

Academic Writing（Instructor：Mr. Stephen BURROW）

This course aims to help students learn how to improve their writing of academic-style essays. It focuses on how to organize, edit and generally improve students’ writing skills. The course also helps students develop good writing habits, avoid bad habits in writing and improve their writing style. Students will write different types of essays, which will be corrected, and advice given to help improve them. The instructor will show how to organize an essay, correct errors and write in an academic style. The class is taught entirely in English and also includes some opportunities for discussion in English. Materials are given out in class, so no textbook is required.

Keywords: Writing skills, essays, editing, organizing, writing style, academic, discussion.

  • Classes are conducted in English.
  • Classes will be held on 12/11, 12/18, 12/25, 1/15, 1/22, and 1/29.
  • Classes are held in L200.
  • Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
  • Tuition is covered by CEED.

Take-It-Easy English（Instructor：Mr. Suguru NAKAI）

Similar to our English Discussion course, this course focuses on talking and is perfect for beginners and those starting out. At the end of each class, students will receive topics for the following week’s discussion — topics such as ‘The Necessity of Language Learning,’ ‘Food and Health,’ or ‘Stereotypes.’ Students are encouraged to prepare their thoughts on these topics (optional essay submissions for feedback are available). This course also covers things that are not commonly covered in exam-oriented English learning, including pronunciation, effective learning strategies, and cross-cultural activities. This course suits those with some English knowledge but struggle to express themselves, preparing for or returning from study abroad or internships, and encountering roadblocks in language proficiency. No textbooks are used; instead, handouts are provided in every session.

Keywords: Discussion skills, spoken fluency, pronunciation, intercultural competence, vocabulary building.

  • Classes are conducted in English and Japanese.
  • Classes will be held on 12/15, 12/22, 1/5, 1/19, 1/26, and 2/2.
  • Classes are held in L200.
  • Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
  • Tuition is covered by CEED.

Prerequisites

  1. Being a graduate student in the Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology and Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (students taught by instructors of the Faculty of Engineering) or sophomores, juniors and seniors in the School of Engineering.
  2. Being sure to notify us if you will be late or absent for a lesson, or if you will cancel your enrollment in a lesson.
  3. Making every effort to prepare for and review homework assignments.
  4. Answering promptly any surveys to help the CEED program enhance, and making an effort to actively participate in other projects of the Intercultural Education Program such as “Intercultural Lounge”.
  5. Understanding that the personal information collected will be used only to contact the students, to conduct the courses including registration in the external learning management system, and to improve the services of the Intercultural Education Program in CEED.

Program registration procedures (Important)

Applicants must sign up for the courses using Google Forms.
Link to the Registration Form
*This website will only be displayed if you have logged in with the Google account associated with ELMS. Be sure to log in to ELMS first and refer to the link above. If you are logged in with another Google account, “Not Found” will be displayed.
Applicants may not be able to enroll in part or all the courses they signed up for, in case the number of applications reaches the capacity.

Application Due

At noon, Thursday, December 7
Early registration is recommended as the application will close once the capacity is reached. If any courses have vacancies after the deadline, applications for those specific courses will be accepted.
For more information, contact us at:
Center for Engineering Education Department (CEED), Room L-200,
E-mail: ceed-int◆eng.hokudai.ac.jp *Replace ◆ with an at sign.
Phone: 011-706-7163