In respond to continuously improved internationalization level of our university, more and more high-level overseas universities are planned to work with us to carry out student exchanges and cooperative training programs. Through those well-designed study abroad programs, not only can the understanding of the students in our university to school-running characteristics, and teaching and scientific research strength of the world-famous university as well as the culture of each country be enhanced, but also the academic learning abilities, hands-on skills, activities and enthusiasms of the innovation researches of the students are practically promoted, thereby establishing a wider platform to culture international innovative talents with international perspective and intercultural communication competence in our university.
Since July 17, 2015, 15 students, with curiosity, dream and a trace of tension from each department and grade, went to University of British Columbia (UBC) successively and received a four-week summer course learning. As early as the last ten-day of Jeanery 2015, the International Cooperation Department had launched the program and gave counseling and guidance by stages in respect of propaganda, project application, visa application and pre-departure preparation in our university..
The summer course program of UBC was opened only for the students from their international cooperative academies. 12 specialized directions such as science, engineering, humanity, social science, medicine and pharmacy were available in this year. The students could take two courses of any specialized direction as the elective courses and then obtained course-completion certificate and transcript after passing through graduation test, with the scores and results being included in the transcript of SUSTC.
During this program, our students studied the courses in medicine, engineering, science, literature and commercial science respectively. All students were requested to complete different forms of course requirements like team reports, short essays, field researches, professor visits and presentation shows, and those who studied medical courses even went to the hospital to attend classes. Students participated in each class positively to expand their vision and mind; during this exchange learning, their professional knowledge was enriched and their professional interest was cultivated.
In addition to classroom learning, it was the first time for most students to step on a foreign land, where diet difference, learning style, living environment, cultural convention, natural landscape, or even every minute and second all were new to them.
Group photo of all students participating in the program, photographed in front of UBC-Walter Gage dormitory
[Colorful courses and different themes]
The students who chose such five specialized directions as medicine, engineering, natural science, literature and commercial science would accomplish high-intensity learning of two courses within four weeks.
Medical clinical research introductory course was a combination of medical clinical research methods, processes, moral considerations, and practical suggestions for carrying out the researches. The students listened to explanations and case analysis of the teachers, participated in small symposiums and accomplished their research project under the guidance of the tutors; they learnt the basic concept of the clinical medicine research with the students from other countries and played an active role in joining in and experiencing the research process. All students were deeply expressed by the strong responsibility sense, efficient time management and the manners for encouraging the students of the tutors while learning the professional knowledge.
The courses of pharmacological direction in medical specialty were undertaken by several teachers, including professors and elite students graduated from medical department. After accomplishing the course learning, the students had a basic understanding of pharmacology. The courses attached importance to various actions and effects of the drugs and gave an introduction to mechanisms of different drugs from past to present. During the course learning, the students were requested to record the drug names and mechanisms and then handed in an open type reflective article or a small essay. All courses were compact, fulfilling and challenging. After accomplishing the course learning, the students had a good understanding of hypertension, cancer, angina, asthma, bacterial infection, fungal infection and other diseases as well as the pharmacotherapies and side effects thereof.
Environmental biology and chemistry courses focused on such problems as ecological biochemistry and environmental change. Through case analysis and interactive discussions between teachers and students, the students better understood the potential risks due to environmental change on a molecular level. Moreover, the abilities of the students to express scientific viewpoints both in oral and written form, to analyze and demonstrate, and to criticize were cultivated in the course learning, thereby guiding the students to become an independent lifelong learner.
The courses of environmental economics started with typical environmental issues (such as impact of atmosphere and water pollution to human health, and impact of fish resource exhaustion and animal habitat destruction to ecological diversity) and concentrated on economic and sustainable development problems of these environmental issues. Through interactive discussions, team presentations and other classroom tasks, the students were acquainted with different policy knowledge to deal with the environmental issues and cultivated their ability to analyze feasibilities and effectiveness of environmental protection policies dialectically.
Symmetry courses of science emphatically introduced the symmetry between an object and a pattern, point group, plane group, space group and crystallography. The teachers Emily and Megan preferred to teaching while discussing. During the class, both the teacher and the students are accustomed to forget their identity and all became the learners to address the problems with knowledge just learnt. The teachers encouraged the students to raise questions, participate in interactions and reflect seriously; and through a series of classroom tasks and team presentations, the students grasped the professional knowledge, and more importantly obtained inspirations of different thoughts and made their thoughts open by numerous interactive communications.
Group photo of some students with medical professional courses
Discussion and learning in the class between the teacher and the students
Group photo in classroom: give SUSTC postcard to course teacher of professor Catherine C.Y Pang as a present
[Wonderful summer with visits and exchanges]
Apart from the busy learning, the students also participated in a lot of UBC organized cultural exchange activities and made the best use of their time to feel local natural and cultural customs in Vancouver and other cities nearby. Some travelled with the students at UBC to climb the highest mountain of Vancouver, some exchanged learning and life feelings and experiences with the students from other domestic universities, and some climbed the snow mountains, appreciated the lake views and played the grabbing hooks to feel the charms of natural landscape in Canada together with the students at the UBC.
Climb to the highest mountain Grouse Grind in Vancouver with the students at UBC
Cooking competition with USTC students in dormitory at UBC
[Graduation ceremony – an end and more a new start]
Through the four-week course learning and final examination, all students obtained their course-completion certificate on the special subject smoothly. The tutors were full of praise for the students from SUSTC and many of the students received the recommendation letter of the course tutors. UBC summer program came to an end though students were sentimentally attached to UBC, Vancouver and the summer of Canada.
Through this program, many students are deeply attracted by learning and living environment of UBC and Canada and are looking forward to participating in the program in coming year. Some have established deep friendship with the classmates from UBC and other universities and decide to meet in SUSTC or UBC in future, some are profoundly inspired in professional courses, and some are deeply expressed by cultural shock and return shock. Many of them indicate the level of spoken English is greatly improved. Although the program is closed, the diversified and internationalized learning and living experiences and feelings will have a continuous influence to each of the students in this trip.
[Overview]
University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of the universities with the longest history in Canada. Established in 1908, UBC is formed into the Ivy League together with McGill University, Toronto University and Queens University in Canada. It is one of the members to create Universitas 21 (international association of universities) and has established an international reputation in teaching and scientific researches. With two campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, UBC has developed into the renowned institution of higher education in Canada and one of the world-famous comprehensive universities after 100 years of great efforts. In world universities of US News & World Report and Times Higher Education in 2015, UBC ranks the 30th place and 32nd place respectively.
SUSTC signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation with UBC in October 2014. Since then, cooperation in various fields at all levels has been spread gradually.
After four-week learning life at UBC, they said:
1. In just a month, I learnt from going everywhere with a map to finally showing directions to the foreigners and from ordering meals blindly to finally being good at describing what I wanted. One month time is only 1/12 of the time for earth revolution, but is life long memory for me.
2. “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. That is the way we learn”. This sentence expressed me most, and all teachers encouraged us to speak out our own ideas. Sometimes there was a mistake, but through the discussion, we could find out the mistake and the solutions to fix the problem. Mistake is not a detour, but a royal road to knowledge.
3. Live in Canada and find pleasure in it. Work hard and play hard.
4. The teachers as always encouraged students to play an active role in class. Even some problems were seemed to be very easy for us, they also hoped to listen to our sounds and suggestions. If there was no one speaking for a long time, they would take out various candies and small presents to encourage us to participate in the class, or employ the team games.
5. If you ask me what is the biggest gain in this abroad learning. I think I open up my eyes. I witness how the people at the other side of the ocean learn and live and the life is filled with so many possibilities. If I encounter any problem or confront to life choice in future, I believe my viewpoints and decisions will be different for this experience. And I will make greater efforts to have more rights to choose.
6. I love UBC. Firstly, the teachers are serious in teaching, respect students and correct our homework carefully. Secondly, the campus environment are charming because UBC is situated at the foot of the mountain and beside the sea, all buildings are designed elegantly and wild animals and plants such as little raccoons, squirrels and hares are commonly seen in the campus. Thirdly, campus facilities are reasonable, services are considerate, dormitories are very warm, receptionists are full of patience, study room of the teaching building is opened for a long time and the learning time is free. Fourthly, the campus activities are colorful, the links with the communities are tight and the international atmosphere is strong. And fifthly, situated in Vancouver, the city is very great and the climate is very comfortable, being a good place to stay.
7. Body and soul, there must be one on the road. UBC program is the journey of both the body and the soul.
8. First of all, the environment we located is excellent. UBC is located in Vancouver, with the air being slightly filled with the taste of seawater. In summer, the temperature is about 20℃ generally, so people always feel very comfortable and most of them feel their skin even become better than before. Next, people in Canada are very friendly and as always smiling, which makes us feel easy. At last, the learning style is different from us and more lively and diversified; there are many extra-curricular activities and all students have broad hobbies.
9. I love UBC due to a fact that it integrates with diverse cultures and is a tolerant place besides the common impressions of the Canada as ecology, friendship and positive energy gave us. Museum, gardens, large entertainment venues, sports fields and seaside are provided in UBC, creating a completely free learning and entertainment environment for the students. More importantly, there are many cordial students and teachers who provide arrangements and patient helps for our UBC trip. I love them.
11. UBC is a world-famous university with a long history and boasts itself of a great many of valuable teaching resources and outstanding talents. It is the most beautiful university with enchanting landscape in North America, making people relax well apart from learning. At the meantime, it also provides helps for the students in learning, living and safety in an all-around manner.
[Source: International Cooperation Department]
