Spring and Summer Terms 2024

This intensive lecture program is equivalent to a course at the Graduate School of Engineering, with students eligible to receive two credits. The program consists of four days of intensive classes.

Course Objectives

Having good skills of writing research papers, making presentations, and communicating with each other in English is becoming increasingly important for engineering students. This course starts with intensive writing lectures on how to write scientific and technical papers and make oral presentations in English, followed by exercise-style intensive presentation sessions by native English speakers. Through these in-depth and practical lessons, the students will gain a basic knowledge and understanding of key concepts that they can use to improve their English paper writing and give attractive English presentations at international conferences.

Course Schedule

<Intensive Writing Lectures>

Students have the option to take one of two lecture sets conducted either in English (2 days, 3 classes each) or Japanese (2 days, 3 classes each). Students in the e3 program are generally expected to choose the English lectures. Others must specify their preference upon enrollment registration. The Intensive Writing Lectures are scheduled for Saturdays.

■Intensive Writing Lecture I – “How to write a scientific and technical paper in English” *equivalent to 3 classes
This lecture focuses on logical flow in academic writing, the structure of a research paper, and grammatical tips for writing a better academic paper. It covers how to write a good introduction, methods, results, and analysis section. The students will also learn appropriate expressions and work on a number of different exercises, including some on grammar, to create a well-structured and clearly-written paper.

■Intensive Writing Lecture II – “How to write and improve a scientific and technical paper in English: tips to give an effective research presentation in English” *equivalent to 3 classes
This lecture focuses on how to write a strong abstract and conclusion section as well as how to improve a manuscript, including the title of a paper. Students will learn techniques to express exactly what they mean and to maintain the quality and tone of writing through grammar and practice exercises. The lecture also covers important tips for giving an effective and clear research presentation in English, including tips for answering questions from the audience.

【Lecture in Japanese】 All writing lectures will be given online on Zoom.
Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Saturday, April 27, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
* Lectures may end after 4:30 pm.
*For the details of the lectures in Japanese, click here to visit the Japanese page.

【Lecture in English】 All the lectures will be given in person.
Saturday, May 11, from 10 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday, May 18, from 10 am to 4:00 pm

<Intensive Presentation Sessions>

Presentation Sessions, led by native English speakers, will be conducted in small groups (with a maximum of 8 students each) and are set to take place face-to-face on Saturdays (and Sunday). Students will be divided into four groups for a two-day session.

■Intensive Presentation Session I *equivalent to 4.5 classes
Each student will give a presentation in English. Students will learn the way to structure a presentation with a logical flow, techniques for attracting the audience’s attention, and useful English expressions.

■Intensive Presentation Session II *equivalent to 4.5 classes
Building on the Intensive Presentation Session I, each student will present for the second time. Focusing on delivery aspects such as pronunciation, intonation, facial expressions, gestures, and posture, students will learn how to make their presentations more persuasive and effective.

【Group A】 All the lectures will be given in person.
Saturday, June 1, from 9 am to 5 pm
Saturday, June 15, from 9 am to 5 pm

【Group B】 All the lectures will be given in person.
Saturday, July 6, from 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday, July 21, from 9 am to 5 pm

Course Enrollment Requirements

1. The course will enroll no more than 32 students, excluding those attending as auditors.
2. All assignments, including reports and presentations, must be submitted within the deadlines during the course.
3. Credits will not be awarded to those who miss any lectures or sessions.
4. Applications must be completed by the deadline, following the “Course Registration Procedures” outlined in the section below.

Audit

Auditing is exclusively available for the Intensive Writing Lectures; however, credits will not be awarded. Applications for auditing must be completed by the deadline, following the “Course Registration Procedures” outlined in the section below.

Application Deadline

Friday, April 12, 2024

Course Registration Procedures

Students must follow the steps below to apply for this course.

■For credit (Attending all the classes is required.)
(1) Register for the course on the “Web Registration System” in the same way as for other specialized courses.
(2) Answer the Google Form linked below.
Link to Google 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.

■Only auditing writing lectures (Presentation Sessions are not available.)
Register for the enrollment for auditing using the Google Form linked below.
Link to Google 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.

Contact Information

CEED Office
Phone: 011-706-7163, e-mail: ceed-int◆eng.hokudai.ac.jp *Replace ◆ with an at sign.