2020 Spring Festival is definitely unforgettable for Chinese people. The fighting against coronavirus not only affects each Chinese heart, but also concerns the world. Since it happened, foreign teachers in SBC positively engage in the white war and contribute their power to support the prevention.
They seldom go out and back to college in accordance with the requirement of governments and SBC; They keep an orderly life and active mood based on regulations; Also they are confident enough to success for Chinese government. They want everyone to know that they will be here, and they are concerned with every student.
Dr. Lee Henderson could have returned to Canada, but he decided to stay in China when disease spread. So that he has the chance to witness how strong Chinese are and know more about China. Also he stimultaneously shared the special experiences to his friends and family abroad.
The e-mail he sent shows his feeling about the disease, “I am extremely impressed with the pro-activity and management from China as a whole to deal with the uncertainty and complexity in an unprecedented situation such as the corona virus pneumonia. I have full confidence that the situation will be resolved as quick as possible, in particular with the resilience and co-operation of China's citizens. It truly is a remarkable example of teamwork!”
Also he gives several tips for SBC students about online study:
1. This is a unique opportunity to fully grasp the potential of online learning this semester. You will not only familiarize yourselves with technological tools that will be used in your future studies/employment but this process will also help develop your independent learning skills which is a key focus of SBC-USST's educational delivery. The instructors will support you to achieve your best possible academic performance. Follow instructions carefully and ask for help in the virtual office hours that are being creating.
2. Instructors will be using a VLE, WeChat, and email to communicate with you on a daily basis. Considering this, please remember to empty your email account inboxes as large files will be sent to you; wait for updates and instructions about using a VLE and; please connect with your instructors in the class WeChat groups they will be creating. You will most likely find yourself interacting with the instructors more than you did in semester one!
3. I suggest a daily study routine that includes a) reading the PPT lecture slides and associated lecture videos; b) attempting the exercises that are in the lectures or tutorials; c) write down a list of questions for any knowledge that you are uncertain or do not understand in relation to a) and b) and discuss with your instructors during the virtual office hours; d)discuss the assessments with your friends and your instructors in each Module's WeChat group; e) I would suggest allocating a certain amount of time for each module per day. Students are studying approximately 4 modules so I would start by allocating 2 hours per module per day which would include all the routines as above from a) to d).
A student named ZHANG Shuyang also provides her online study experiences；
Paul Brown from School of Languages, Education and Cultures is a very lovely teacher. His classes are always full of joy that makes our English improving constantly. The disease delayed term begins but never stopped his enthusiasm on teaching, so he came back to Shanghai from UK to prepare the study resources for new terms. On February 12th, there was an academic communication on WeChat between Paul and students. He provided practical study website and academic English study suggestions for us. For instance, when watching video on TED, you can try to hide the subtitle with making notes and summarize after listening, then make corrections following the subtitles for second time. His study approaches are welcomed by students; we all prepare well for the next step on study.
Bob Horrocks from School of Engineering and Computing prepared online teaching in advance as well. He sent relevant study schedule through e-mail, also we have a WeChat group to discuss math study and creative ideas. There are 8-hour-difference between us but Bob always keep in touch with us. Students all express that they like such special teaching mode and the active teacher.
Another teacher in School of Engineering and Computing, Eugene Lim from Malaysia keeps learning Chinese for a long time. This time he contributes his power on WeChat friend circle by reposting how to use mask, prevention tips, and assistance from Malaysian, also the posters about disease prevention made by his children. For concerns from our teacher, we really want to say, thanks, Eugene!
The hearts of us are always linked to each other. There is no winter cannot be get through, spring will finally come back. In this special period, let’s make progress together! We believe that we can success at the end under everyone’s joint effort. No winter lasts forever, every spring is sure to follow!
