“I was quite surprised and happy when Yiben called my name, as I was just a super ordinary one of his numerous students,” said a student after meeting Dr Yiben Ma on campus. Dr Yiben Ma is the Preliminary Year Content Tutor for International Communications (IC) at the Centre for English Language Education (CELE), University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and is quite popular among his students. He is one of the first cohort of graduates from UNNC and returned to be a tutor after finishing his doctoral studies in the UK. 

CELE is the first stop for new students, providing them with comprehensive academic English guidance and helping them to transit smoothly to an English teaching environment. Dr Ma is the convenor of the two preliminary IC content modules.

"It is very challenging for many students to adapt to a new learning environment in which they have to use a different language and develop different ways of thinking,” says Dr Ma. Being one of former students at UNNC, he feels privileged to be able to share his own experience with students and helps them overcome these challenges.

He believes that Year 1 is a crucial period for students to foster basic understanding and interest in the subject they choose to learn. As a tutor, he tries to guide and inspire students’ interest. “When preparing for teaching, I need to think from the perspectives of the students. This enables me to make the class more attractive,” Dr Ma says.

Many students say that his classes are very interactive and involve a lot of readings which help them develop critical thinking abilities. “Dr Ma made me understand the subject and reshaped my perspective. I have never had this experience before,” said Feifei Liu, a year 3 IC student.

Dr Ma takes every class and student seriously. Feifei recalled that one time, many classmates did not prepare for the weekly presentation due to another approaching deadline. “We could feel his disappointment at that moment. I know it was because he wants us to really learn something,” said Feifei.

Dr Ma also considers every seminar an academic site for exchanging ideas. He encourages his students to engage in discussions and share their own thoughts.

“When I was a student myself, I was very lucky to know and to be taught by many good teachers who gave me generous support. So, I know well what a good teacher means to a student.” Therefore, when he gained the opportunity to teach at his alma mater, he accepted it without hesitation. “I’m happy to share my experiences, both successful ones and unsuccessful ones, to encourage students to think from different perspectives, be inquisitive and have confidence in themselves. They are all unique,” Dr Ma says.

As a teacher, Dr Ma set a goal for himself – to remember the name of every student that he taught. “It is getting more and more difficult as the number nears 800, but I think this shows respect to the students.”