Brush-Up English

Brush-Up English 2024 Spring Term Courses

Objectives

This program is designed to enhance the fundamental English communication abilities of engineering students. It not only focuses on language proficiency but also motivates them to engage actively in a diverse range of courses. This encourages them to actively participate in Intercultural Education Programs and Internships, where they can apply to have further development of their newly acquired skills.

Program Details

The program presents an array of English courses, facilitated by experienced instructors from external training institutions, who conduct intimate, small-group sessions. While CEED generously covers the tuition fees, students should note that extra costs for textbooks may be incurred, depending on the specific course chosen.

Course Schedule

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Course	Number of Classes	Capacity	Day	Time	Term
English Communication	6	15	Thu.	16:30–18:00	4/18～5/30
English Discussion	6	15	Wed.	16:30–18:00	4/17～5/29
Academic Writing	6	15	Mon.	16:30–18:00	4/15～6/3

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 4/18, 4/25, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23, and 5/30.
Classes are held in L200.
Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
Tuition fees are 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 4/17, 4/24, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, and /29.
Classes are held in L200.
Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
Tuition fees are 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 4/15, 4/22, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, and 6/3.
Classes are held in L200.
Classes are conducted using CEED e-Learning system.
Tuition fees are covered by CEED.

Course Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment is open to graduate students in the Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, and Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (supervised by Faculty of Engineering staff), as well as sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the School of Engineering.
Students must notify us in advance if they anticipate being late or absent from a lesson, or if they need to cancel their enrollment in a course.
Students are expected to make every effort to prepare for and review homework assignments diligently.
Students are required to respond promptly to any surveys designed to help improve our programs. They are also encouraged to actively participate in other CEED activities, such as the “Intercultural Lounge.”
Students must understand that the personal information collected will be used solely for purposes of communication, course management (including registration in the external learning management system), and enhancing the services of our programs.

Program Registration Procedures

Students must sign up for the courses using the Google Form linked below.
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.
Students 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 Deadline

Noon, Thursday, April 11
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.

Contact Information

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