UNNC welcomed 51 students from all over China following either a STEM stream or Business and Social Science stream. For most of the students, this was their first opportunity to experience university academics and life. The three-week course also included IELTS English skills, relevant professional knowledge, and an opportunity to experience rich extra-curricular activities and sports.
The English for academic purposes classes aimed to improve students' understanding of the skills needed to be successful in an English university environment by introducing students to reading, writing, listening and speaking in a British university. The classes facilitated students’ ability to adapt to univeristy life, and provided a solid foundation for English essay writing and speaking in the future. In addition, the programme also included IELTS exams preparation courses, which provided students with one-to-one professional guidance on their writing, to improve their writing scores on international English exams that are required to attend university in English.
The STEM course included instruction on cutting-edge technology such as VR/AR technology delivered by VROOM, UNNC’s own VR research team. In addition, semiconductor technology, electronic workbench, Bluetooth technology, drone technology, were also investigated with students getting the opportunity to build and fly their own drones. This course combines immersive experiments and practical computer operations, allowing students to learn practical science and technology more effectively. This method is conducive to a thorough understanding of the principles of this type of technology and gave students the opportunity to experience what it would be like to attend university as a STEM student..
The Business and Social Sciences stream included linguistic, business and marketing and economics. These topics were delivered by UNNC experts which cultivated a strong interest provided a good foundation. The instructors have also formulated systematic training materials and case studies based on the characteristics of the industry to help students better understand, adapt, and learn to studying linguistics, business, marketing and economics at the university level.
Outside classes, students participated in a variety of sports activities, such as archery, boxing, yoga, climbing, and Frisbee. Over the weekend, staff from Centre for English Language Centre (CELE) UNNC took students on an impressive cultural tour of Ningbo by taking them on a museum tour.
At the end of the course, the students were well prepared for the final exam and showed their teachers what they had learned over the three weeks. In the talent show, students showed their talents, each with their own strengths. During UNNC Summer School, the students got along with each other day and night and established a deep friendship. They also felt the importance of team spirit in their study and life and expressed that they would continue to apply this kind of team cohesion to their work in the future.
UNNC Summer School 2021 aims at enabling students to understand and integrate into the academic environment of British universities, improving students’ English expression ability and understanding of the content module course, enhancing their international perspective, and laying a better foundation for future study. This project is a successful practice of youth talent education. It takes advantage of UNNC and continuously adds new content to help young people develop themselves.