Annual Review 2010

Message from the Director

Queen's School of English had a great 2010!   We were pleased to welcome students into the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program, our strongest program at QSoE. In 2010 students came year-round from 20 different countries including students from Saudi Arabia and Libya who received study sponsorships granted by their governments.  Many of our EAP students have been successful in gaining entrance to undergraduate or graduate programs of study at Queen's.  We also developed a new 15-week program for our partners at Kwansei Gakuen University in Japan.  In early 2011, we will welcome the first students who will begin their studies with a customized 3-week immersion program followed directly with our Summer or Fall 12-week EAP term.   Our second cohort of participants from the Canadian Government House of Commons staff arrived for a tailored summer program in July, and in July and August we had the very first session of our new QBridge program for students who had received a conditional offer of acceptance into undergraduate programs at Queen's.   In the early summer, we received funding from our Principal's Innovation Fund to begin development of online English language courses to be delivered by distance. Our first three Active Online English courses are scheduled to run in summer 2011.   A final heads up: we have begun planning for Queen's School of English's 70th anniversary in 2012.  Be sure to attend some of our special events next year. We'll keep you posted on upcoming activities!   Ms. Elaine Armstrong Director of Queen's School of English

---

Honourable Peter Milliken Visits QSoE

In July 2010, seven House of Commons (HOC) Staff members attended QSoE for the second annual, two-week, tailored immersion program which was created to improve their language skills with a specific focus on English for use in their workplace. This program combines in-class instruction with a variety of cultural events and excursions. In 2010, the participants had the privilege of meeting The Honourable Peter Milliken, MP for Kingston and the Islands and Speaker of the House. His Honour spoke to the participants about his unique position as both speaker and representative, the history of Kingston and Queen’s and the importance of Kingston in Canadian politics.

---

Canadian Medical English for Doctors Program

In the Fall of 2010, QSoE welcomed seven international medical graduates from a variety of medical sub-specialties, who participated in our Canadian Medical English for Doctors from International Contexts (CanMEDIC) program. This part-time course is offered to international medical graduates who wish to improve their clinical communication skills with patients and peers, while continuing with their medical studies or practices. The participants enjoyed the program and found that the instructor’s specific, personalized feedback helped improve their professional communication in English.

---

QBRIDGE PROGRAM (Queen's University Bridging Program) 

The QBridge program was offered for the first time in the summer of 2010. This new program is an intensive ten-week preparation for university studies at Queen’s. The student body is drawn from second language students who have applied to an undergraduate program at Queen’s, meeting the academic requirements for their chosen field but falling short of those required for language proficiency.  A second eligible group is made up of students who have completed a winter session at QSoE at the 140 level with a final mark of 75-78% or at the 150 level with a mark of 70-73%.

Our initial offering of this course yielded a small group of students, but these students were successful and went on to their chosen fields in September 2010. We look forward to hearing of their success in their first year at Queen’s and to welcoming the next group of QBridge students at the end of June 2011.

---

Students Gain Work Experience in Canada

Fourteen international students combined their classroom learning of business and workplace English with an on-the-job placement experience during the fall Business Internship Program.  Students were hosted by employers on Queen’s campus and in the Kingston community. These partners included several hotels and a conference centre, coffee shops, restaurants, community service centres, a computer store, an athletic centre and a bakery.  Many previous hosts participated, including several who were first time hosts in 2009, as well as three new hosts, whom we were excited to welcome to the 2010 program. Through this experiential learning opportunity, the students and hosts enjoyed meeting and working with new people, learning new skills and developing varied cultural perspectives. Each student gained unique work experience which will likely have an important impact on their future career choices.

---

QSoE Students Share Their Experiences

Hao Zhang, EAP Student, China	Min Soo Kim, EAP Student, South Korea
Eduardo Cichocki, EAP Student, Brazil	Xiaoyin Lui [Smiley], EAP Student, China

PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE   

Malek Karaim, EAP Student, Libya

---

Active Online English Principal Innovation Fund

2010 was a year focused on innovation! QSoE received Principal’s Innovation Funding which helped seed the research and development of our new Active Online English courses. The purpose of the Principal’s Innovation Fund is to “provide support to future innovative ideas and ventures from the University community, and to foster a culture of innovation which helped fund the research and development of these courses” (http://www.queensu.ca/principal/funding/innovationfund.html).

Students can now study English online and from the comfort of their own homes. The latest technology allows students to learn English from a distance without sacrificing quality.  Active Online English Courses can be a great add-on to one of QSoE’s existing on-site programs or can be taken as a stand alone course. It provides students with a convenient and affordable way to improve their English before or after they study abroad. 

A professionally developed curriculum, personal instruction and the ability to practice all four language skills are just some of the key highlights of our online programs. To learn more, view our video!

Upcoming online courses are now being offered. Click here for upcoming dates.

 

---

Where Our Students Come From (2010)