The Language Center of Taiwan Tech, in collaboration with the Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, will jointly host a three-day winter camp English program from January 8th to January 10^th to enhance students' speaking and writing skills. The program includes themed workshops covering 9 hours of speaking training and 9 hours of writing training. The speaking training encompasses various aspects, including English presentation skills, English interview sessions for research institutes, and workplace interview preparation, all aimed at strengthening oral communication skills. On the other hand, writing training covers diverse formats such as English presentation preparation, argumentative writing techniques, and crafting English resumes to enhance English writing abilities.

Winter camp activity group photo.

Ting-Chen Chang, a senior student from the Department of Design at Taiwan Tech, mentioned that she joined the English winter camp without hesitation because she felt his speaking and writing skills were not sufficient. She found the course arrangements to be systematic and practical. Throughout the process, she not only learned about resume writing and interview techniques but also engaged in practical exercises in diverse writing during the workshops. The program provided many opportunities for sharing and communicating in English with classmates and foreign instructors. What moved her the most was the encouragement from both the foreign instructors and classmates to speak up. Once she took that step, she discovered that she could express her thoughts in English and even engage in conversations with others.

Winter camp program - Research Institute English Interview Practice (The person on the right is the interviewer, and the people on the left are the participating students).

Ting-Chen Chang also shared that after the camp, she considers it a new starting point. She has already made arrangements with the English co-teaching staff (ETFs) from the Fulbright NTUST EMI Office to regularly schedule speaking practice sessions and enhance her abilities next semester. She believes that consistent language practice in daily life is essential for habituation and improvement, which is also her future goal. She expressed sincere gratitude to Taiwan Tech for organizing this enriching and exciting event. After participating in the entire program, she felt that she gained a lot and believes that these nurturing experiences will gradually flourish in the future of every student.

You-Ze Zhou, a sophomore from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Taiwan Tech, mentioned that the most practical part of the camp for him was the writing section, specifically the personal statement and English resume. He believes that these are areas that university students or fresh graduates should focus on improving. Throughout the process, not only did he learn a lot of valuable experiences, but he also made new friends. He emphasized that English is not just something on paper; effective communication through English is the key.

During the closing ceremony on January 10th, the Director of the Language Center and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Taiwan Tech, Shao-Ting Hung, expressed gratitude. He highlighted that in the immersive English environment of the winter camp, Taiwan Tech’s students actively participated in the three-day intensive course, which greatly benefits future EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) professional classroom learning, report writing, and presentations. He also thanked the Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange for co-hosting the winter camp, reinforcing students' English abilities, and promoting exchange activities among students from various schools.

Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Director of the Language Center at Taiwan Tech, Shao-Ting Hung (fourth from the right), presenting awards to outstanding students.

Chun-Yi Chang, the Program Officer of the Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, pointed out that the 11 English Co-Teaching Fellows (ETFs) and 4 English Teaching Consultants of the Fulbright EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) team, through fully English-taught methods, led students in gradually learning with diverse training programs. The curriculum particularly incorporated practical workplace training, with the expectation that these skills would provide substantial assistance for future academic and career development.

A total of 60 students participated in this winter camp, with 50 students from Taiwan Tech and an additional 10 students from cooperating universities, including National Taipei University of Technology, National Central University, National Cheng Kung University, and National Sun Yat-Sen University, under the Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange.

Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange Program Officer, Chun-Yi Chang (back row, first from right), presenting awards to outstanding students.