On the morning of Jan 9th, Graduate School invited 19 foreign students in Master and PhD program from WISE, the College of Humanities, and the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to have breakfast with leaders from Graduates School in Jianwen Cafe, through which the leadership expects to get an overall view of the quality of the courses of Master and PhD program delivered in English, to learn about foreign graduate students’ studies and lives in XMU directly, to improve the cultivation of foreign graduate students and promote the internationalization of graduate education of XMU. These 19 foreign graduate students come from 15 countries, the USA, Italy, Malysia, Thailand included. Professor Tao Tao, executive dean of Graduate School hosted the meeting in English with vividity and humour, with Professor Chen Gong, deputy dean of Graduate School and Wu Guoying, director of Admission Office also at presence. The Graduate School prepared questionnaires for the breakfast meeting.
Foreign graduate students spoke actively at the meeting, telling their studies and lives in XMU. They spoke highly of the natural and academic environment of XMU. In terms of the two compulsory Chinese courses, Selected Issues on China, and A General Introduction of Modern Chinese Language, they found them very necessary for them to know about Chinese culture and communicate with Chinese students effectively. Meanwhile, they offered some suggestions. A PhD student from WISE said he expected smaller classes and Chinese courses available at every semester. As to the specialized courses at college level, Muhammad Rauf, a PhD student from The College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering said he hoped there could be more specialized courses delivered in English because so far they are too few. They also hoped that publicity material of various activities could be bilingual for their convenience to participate, and they expressed their wish that their colleges could hold such meetings. Apart from this, foreign students shared some problems they have during their studies and lives in XMU, and expected they could better fit in XMU in future.
Leaders from Graduate School and Admission Office listened to advice and suggestions from the students and had heated exchanges with them. Professor Tao Tao shared his overseas learing experiences with the students and encourged them to strengthen their communication with teachers and other students, adapt to the cultural differences and fit in studies and lives at XMU as soon as possible.
In the lively and heated atmosphere of the meeting, foreign graduate students offered advice and suggestions for the cultivation of international graduate students, and leaders from Graduate School and Admission Office gave active responses and said they would attentively study and try to solve the problems.
In the past few years, Graduate School has paid more and more attention to the cultivation of foreign graduate students, introduced and constructed courses in English, realizing the internationalization of curriculum setting, teaching contents, and teaching methods and means, so that foreign graduate students could build cross-cultural, international and interracial knowledge system. Meanwhile, Graduate School developed the English official website and self-service printing of English transcripts, made English graduate education handbook and English class selection guide, which are all practices to enhance the internationalization of education of XMU and facilitate foreign graduate students’ studies and lives at XMU.
