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Last June, Lagom, a resting place for students, opened in Gachon Hall and has been used by many students in addition to the existing girls' lounges and department lounges. Last semester, G.Space, another resting place, was opened on the second floor of the Global Center. G.Space is a space created for students' free communication, relaxation, study, and teamwork. Many students have been using this place despite it being open for only one semester. G.Space is not just a place to rest but also serves as a place for students to learn. In this article, I would like report on last summer's intensive English conversation course held in the G.Space.
The G.Space Intensive English Conversation Course was held for 20 hours in total, running for five weeks from July 2nd to August 1st at 3:15 to 5:15 every Tuesday and Thursday. Many college students are typically only use to studying for certificates such as TOEIC or TOEFL, or writing English reports. They often don’t get a chance to speak English or practice English conversation skills. Therefore, in many cases, students’ English-speaking skills are low, or they are not confident of their speaking skills. To ease these students' worries, this course aimed to improve students' daily English-speaking abilities based open conversations on a variety of different topics. The first week started with an introduction of course plan followed by speaking about ‘food’ from week two to three, ‘travel’ in the fourth to fifth weeks, ‘shopping’ from week six to seven, ‘college’ from week eight to nine, and an open debate for the final week. Students chose their appropriate course level based on their English skills. Course levels were divided according to Gachon’s Practical English levels and TOEIC scores. For example, if you are in a General English class A and B or have a TOEIC score between 600 and 650, you can choose the Basic level. The G.Space Intensive English Conversation Course program with native speakers is very unique in some aspects. Above all, the tuition fee is reasonable. The tuition fee for the course is 150,000 won, that is, 7,500 won per hour, which is less than the minimum hourly wage. Tuition fees are much cheaper than those of private academies and private tutoring, but the quality of class is comparable to that of famous academies. The second, a small class size increases the class efficiency. Since a class consists of approximately 8-10 people and teacher has plenty of time to invest in each student, students have a very good chance to quickly improve their conversation skills during the short vacation period. Third, additional points will be given when applying for Hawaii short-term training program if the students complete the Intensive English Conversation Course with native speakers (with an attendance rate of more than 70 percent). The Hawaiian language training program boasts a high competition rate. The great advantage is that you can gain a competitive advantage with the extra points you get after completing the course. The last is a scholarship for an outstanding student. In each course, one outstanding student with 100 percent attendance rate will be selected to receive 100,000 won. That is, if you take classes sincerely for five weeks, you can improve your English-speaking skills and simultaneously enjoy scholarships.
During last semester, the G.Space English mentoring program and English study program were conducted, followed by Intensive English Conversation Course. Thus, Gachon University offers students several programs for free or at reasonable prices. I hope many people to pay attention to the school programs and take advantage of them so that they can gain additional points and scholarships. Also, if you are not aware of the space called G.Space, why don’t you visit it? < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |
