Studying in the UK is completely different to studying in China. There are cultural differences everywhere, not just the food and the language, but most importantly in education and employment.
Having just arrived at UK universities, many Chinese students mistakenly believe that meeting the language requirement is sufficient preparation. However, after the term starts, the excitement is soon replaced by a heavy academic burden and the difficulties encountered during studying and living in a foreign environment. At first, some Chinese students think their problems are because their English is not good enough; for example, they do not dare speak out in the class, cannot completely understand what lecturers tell them, cannot read fast enough, write very slowly etc. Students often believe that putting more effort and more time into study will gradually solve all these problems. This makes them feel under great pressure.
Many of the difficulties experienced while studying in the UK universities are not due to lack of English proficiency,but are due to the differences between UK and Chinese education system, including different educational philosophy, teaching methods, learning outcomes, etc.
There is a common misconception that ‘good English proficiency guarantees quality of learning’. However, research shows that many Chinese students cannot adapt fully to their new learning environment within a single year. Many Chinese students, no matter how hard they work, feel powerless and uncertain. This has a serious negative impact on their learning outcomes, and they often fail to achieve their desired final programme results. Consequently, many Chinese students graduating from a one-year master's degree feel that the time has flown by, and that study is not only a miserable process, but after graduation employability and competitiveness is not strong as expected.
While studying in the UK, if you want to improve academic performance, and at the same time improve your employability and competitiveness, our Keys to Success course can significantly assist your self-development. This course is developed by a team of intercultural experts who are specialists in higher education, and is based on years of research and experience. The course is tailored specifically for Chinese students studying in the UK. The main purpose of this course is to help Chinese students to overcome learning difficulties by helping them understand the cultural differences in the education systems, and at the same time improve their productivity and performance in their studies, and enhance their employability and competitiveness in job market.
Develop Global's Keys to Success training course is designed to improve Chinese students’ overall learning skills, learning efficiency and learning outcomes, and to provide practical help to enable Chinese students to solve common learning problems experienced in the UK, while at the same time improving employability and competitiveness. It is a training course with a wide range of teaching outcomes. On the other hand language courses are offered mainly to improve the students' standard of English.They are training courses with a single-outcome.
Develop Global's Keys to Success training course is tailored specifically for Chinese students. The course is developed by team of intercultural experts based on characteristics and needs of Chinese students studying in the UK. Language and pre-sessional courses delivered in the UK are designed for all international students, not specifically for Chinese students.
Develop Global's Keys to Success training course uses bi-lingual and bi-cultural teaching methods. Trainers are specialists in both Chinese and British higher education and are highly experienced. They are experts in the characteristics of Chinese students and needs they have when studying in the UK. Dr Linda Hui Yang, the lead trainer of the course, has a Durham University PhD in intercultural studies. She has worked for UNESC, and has 12 years of teaching and consulting experience in both China and the UK. During the training, an experienced British professor from Durham University will be a guest lecturer. In contrast, English language training courses and pre-sessional courses use mono-lingual and mono-cultural teaching methods. The teachers themselves are generally British, and do not have first-hand experience of the challenges of studying in the UK as a Chinese student. Consequently, it is difficult for them to effectively understand the meet the practical needs of Chinese students.