Benefiting from extra language support and guidance

A Personal Tutor is assigned to each and every student, providing extra-curricular support and guidance in language development as well as pastoral care. English major students meet their tutors on a regular basis and are encouraged to gain wider exposure to English by reading newspapers, journals and novels as well as the more popular pastimes of watching TV programmes and films. Students of the Chinese major on the other hand, are encouraged to read a great variety of masterpieces of Chinese Literature. During their meetings with their Personal Tutor, students discuss with the tutor and group members their views about the books they read. The Personal Tutor system has proved to be very useful in enabling tutors to offer pastoral care and at the same time monitor individual students' academic development, in particular their progress in language. The tutors are well-positioned to give immediate support and guidance should students encounter any difficulties.

As a further boost to their English proficiency, English major students take 90 hours of supplementary language enhancement courses provided by the Institute's Centre for Language in Education (CLE). Chinese major students who have no prior knowledge of Putonghua can choose to take 60 hours of the CLE's supplementary language enhancement course in Putonghua. This can greatly facilitate their later studies. English major students must sit for an end-of-course assessment test, the results of which are included on their transcripts. Students must pass these tests to graduate from the Institute as qualified language teachers.