Sep 01 2023

Niigata University held "Niigata University Online Summer Program 2023" from Monday, August 21 to Thursday, August 24 with 13 students from 13 partner universities in 7 countries/regions and 15 Niigata University students. The program was organized for NU students who wish to study abroad, and for students from partner universities who aspire to study in Japan in the future. It aimed to cultivate students' language proficiency and improve their discussion skills.

In the program, NU students and students from partner universities were divided into groups of 5 to 6 people and worked together to create a radio drama using Japanese and English. In the process of creating a radio drama, the students came into direct contact with the culture and values of other countries, deepening their understanding and interest in other cultures. The questionnaire after the program reveals the participants' high satisfaction, including comments such as "My understanding of different cultures has deepened", "The image of collaborating with people who grew up in a different language environment has become a much lower hurdle.", "This led to my motivation to study abroad in Japan.".

At the end of the program, Associate Professor Hideki Ikeda, the program's representative teacher, said, "Please try to listen more on a regular basis. If you listen to the same words hundreds or thousands of times, you will naturally improve your language skills." and gave advice regarding future studies. Throughout the program, students with different backgrounds such as nationality and academic field gathered together via Zoom, utilizing the advantage of online learning. The International Education Center will continue to conduct a variety of international education programs in the future.

Group photo at the end of the program