Toyohashi University of Technology,
Institute for Global Network Innovation inTechnology Education

News from QC（Vol. 14 2015/10/27）

Reports

Lectures and Academic Support LabHideaki Yanagisawa, National Institute of Technology, Tokuyama College
Three months have already passed since wearrived at New York. And one and a halfmonths have passed since fall semester started.
In this report, I’d like to talk about lectures that
I take and Queens College Academic Support
Lab.
LecturesPhoto1: Computer Architecture

I currently take Computer Architecture class(CS343/CS744)

forcredits.

IalsotakeDistributed Computing class (CS344/CS715)
and Introduction to Web Programing class(CS081) as an observation class. Totally I takethree classes, however the ways of teaching arevery different.
In Computer Architecture class, lectureslides are uploaded on the website. Students

Photo2: Distributed Computing

can see the lecture slide before the class.
However, the professor doesn’t use the lectureslide in the class. This probably means, theprofessor assumes students read the lectureslide before the class. In the class, the professor
speaks very fast, and often asks questions tostudents. (Photo1)
In Distributed Computing class, lecturenotes and skeleton programs are uploaded on

Photo 3: Introduction to Web Programing

the website before the class. The professor
writesdownskeleton

programs

ontheAcademic Support Lab

blackboard, then the professor asks questions toQueens College Academic Support Labstudents for completing the programs. I think(Kiely Hall 131) gives foreign students

this class also assumes students have readlanguage support class. I have attended

lecture slides before the class. (Photo2)

Conversation class three times so far. In theIn Introduction to Web Programing class,

Conversation class, we debated “remake moviethe professor uses PowerPoint to explain(Death Note)”, “should have gun or not”, etc. It

HTML and CSS. This class is an exercise class.

was very good English practice for me.

Students make websites which the professor

Academic Support Lab also gives foreign

explains. (Photo3)

students Reading, Pronunciation and Writing
6

gto atttend
classees respectivvely. I’m going

If it is posssible, I’m gooing to talk about

Readiing class nexxt week, but I won’t be ablle toa Pronunciiation class in myReaading class andattendd

nex
xt report. I recommend yoou go to Kiely Hall

Pronuncciationcllass.

Becaause

Pronuunciation claass is populaar, I am on the131
1 as soon as possible.
pwaitinng list.

TTrainingpro
ogram in QC
C and chang
ge of my En
nglish abilitty
Mio Kobayashi,
KN
National In
nstitute of Technologyy, Anan Co
ollegediffficulty to exp
press logicallyy my own op
pinion1. Inntroduction
It has been threee and a half months sincee wein English,
Eand realized thatt I was not usedutoty ofarriveed at Queenss College, Ciity University

debbating at all. How
H many tiimes did I haave theNew York. We tuurned at the halfway
hpoinnt ofopp
portunities off debating inn my studentt-hood

whole trainingg in the Uniteed State. Fall just
our wandd short teachhing experieences in myy life?

starteed in New York
YCity, an
nd it is cool andDurring the debaates, it becam
me clear to mem thatvery ccomfortable. In this reporrt, the contentts ofway
ys of educaation about making stuudents

the trraining I havee taken until now and chaangeexp
press their own opinioon are raddicallyof myy English abillity are descriibed.

diffferent betweeen the Unitedd States and Japan.
Alsso I thoughtt it was unnderstandablee that

ELI (English LearningLInsttitute) class
2. E

natiional personaalities and mmental structu
ures ofThhe ELI classs at Queenss College is thepeo
ople in the United Statees were deffinitely

progrram for peopple who learn English aas adiffferent from ou
urs because oof the difference ofseconnd language. As ELI stu
udents, we hhaveeduucation.

learneed four skillss of English, which consisst ofreadinng, writing, liistening and speaking,sforr one

3. Classes in Fall
F semester

and a half monthss. We studied
d these skillss six

Fall semesterr has started since August 27. I

hourss a day and four days a week fromm thehavve been takiing three suubjects, whicch are

beginnning of July to the middlle of August.. We

Infoormation andd Intelligencee, College Writing,W

were distributed too some classees by the resuult ofandd Introductionn to Algorithmm Problem Solving.

cbeeforethe pllacement testt which was conducted
the cllass started. Our class, “5A,”“the seccondhigh-level class, had internaational diverrsity
becauuse nationalitties of studeents in the cclasswere China, Koreea, Taiwan, Japan,
J
Colommbia,
Iran, and Belarus.
t class which most lefft an
Thhe topic in theimpreession in myy mind is deebates aboutt theFigure 1 Practice using A
Arduinoabortiion and the minimummlegaal drinking agge inthe U
United Statees. I rememmber that I felt
7

mation and Inntelligence, whichw
is a subbject
Informof thhe computeer science department

forfreshm
man, is my coompulsory suubject for a crredit.
In thee class, we studys
basic algorithmsabyy thelecturre and how to use Arduino (Fig.1) , anopen--source

eleectronics

pllatform,

inna

laboraatory. The nuumber of studdents in the cclassare aabout 20. WhenW
we stuudy circuits andFig
gure 2 Langu
uage Exchangge Study

progrramming wiith using Arduino
Ain theBoard, presen
ntationSysstem) includiing Black B

laboraatory, it is a good opporrtunity for m
me toskillls with PeechaKucha sstyle (5 miinutes’

speakk English praactically. Colllege Writing is apressentation withh 20 secondss a slide), andd so on.

subject for the saame class as Information andIn

Intelligence, so the class has saame memberrs. In

pronunciation anda
intonatioon in Englissh foretime. Introductionn toreadinng essays every

proving Engliish ability.
imp

Algorrithm Probleem Solving is about C
C++
beginners

pronunciation,lecttures. I realizzed it is neccessary to prracticeh homeworkk ofand teacher givees us muchfor

abooutimp
portant to sp
peak Englishh more fluen
ntly inwrite essays aboutt computer sccience in Engglish,

language

we learn

onation, linkiing etc. in E
English, whicch areinto

Colleege Writing, we have to obtain skillls toprogrramming

ALS,ofprove Englishh
5. Effort to imp

progrramming by thet lecture. Th
he number off theAfter fall semester starrted, what I havestudennts attendingg the class iss about 130, andmaiinly worked on studyingg to improvve mywe haave the class in a big tiered
d classroom.

Eng
glish conversation ability are three kin
nds ofAllthough the two subjeects except foractiivities as follows. First onne is studying
g withColleege Writing area for freshm
man, and conttents

langguage exchannge partners shown in Fig.
F 2.

d learn a lot ffrom
are eaasy to undersstand, I could

We got to know each other inn Japanese Culture
Cthe tteaching styyles of teacchers and ttheir

ub in QC. Theey are studennts in QC, and theyClu

speakking Englishh for teachin
ng. In addittion,wou
uld like to stu
udy Japanesee.

Colleege Writing is my chhallenge subbject

Two of th
he fivememmbers are Am
mericans, onee is from Gerrmany,

becauuse I study thhe subject with students whoandd other two inncluding me are Japanesee. It isare native Englishh speakers. AlmostA
all off thevery
y nice opportunity to practice Ennglish.

w have to re ad aessayys of homewoork, which we

Seccond activity is talking witth staffs in thhe peer

lot evvery time, aree very interessting, and I ennjoy

offiice, which is located in thhe LL37 roomm, thereadinng them.

basement of Stu
udent Union building. We
W cank with the QC
C students w
working volun
ntarilytalk

TiE and ALS
4. T

therre for help
ping foreignn students. ThirdInn the fall seemester, we also have bbeen

actiivity is that I have been taking an English
Etakingg TiE (Teacching in English) and A
ALS

connversation opttional class aand a part timme ELI(Acaddemic Languuage Supporrt Course) evveryclasss (evening cllass) in QC.

Fridayy. In TiE, we have beeen learning theFurthermore,, online Engliish practice such as

variouus methods for manag
ging lecturess inRarrejob, watching dramas oonline, and writingw

Engliish, for exampple, how to exxpand the leccturejourrnals might immprove my E
English abilityy!

effecttively with LMSL(Learniing Managemment8

7. Summary

6. Change of English ability
Let me show my scores of the examinations

In this report, I described the contents of thewe have taken so far. The score of TOEIC I

training in Queens College and the change of

took in last April was about 600, and the result

my English ability. The results of examinationsof TSST test in ALC Press Inc. was Level 4.

show that I have improved my English step by

The result of second TSST test I got right afterstep. However, I still have difficulty to listen tocoming to the United States was Level 5. Table

details in conversations among native speakers,

1 shows my placement and final exam scores inand also my speaking skill is not enough yet. IELI.

will keep up studying, and I hope my English

Table１ ELI Placement & Final Exam scorewill improve more.

Placement

Final

Aural

62

82

Structure

60

84

Reading CLOZE

50

68

Composition

4359

Composite

81.75

110.75

Toyohashi University of Technology
Institute for Global Network Innovation in Technology Education
Center for International Education
1-1, Hibarigaoka, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
Tel: +81-532-81-5161
Mail: unireform@office.tut.ac.jp9