Below are entra-credit articles written by former students of mine (anonymous). I think it provides good insight for what students consider an effective university course, especially when there is a language barrier:
1. My School Life at Ryukoku UniversityToday, I belong to the Department of Global Studies at Ryukoku University. The department aims to nurture leaders who are active on the world stage. Through education in specialized subjects that study world affairs from multiple perspectives, we nurture human resources who can be active on the international stage by acquiring knowledge and the ability to think from a global perspective, communication skills to work with people of different cultures and customs, and a sense of ethics that can be used in the world. There are 11 classes in total. After about a year of university life, I will describe three classes that I found attractive and three classes that I would like to see improved.
First, the class that appealed to me was a class called "Introduction to Global Carrier."The purpose of this class is to clarify one's vision for the future by inviting and listening to various Department of Global Studies alumni. I was attracted to this class because hearing about the various career paths of the graduates made my future a little clearer. To elaborate, I have been interested in the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers since I was a child. Then I heard stories of people who had joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and I felt strongly that I wanted to pursue that goal as well. In addition, being able to hear about their study abroad experiences during their college years helped to eliminate any worries or hesitations about their own study abroad destinations. I decided to pursue an exchange program during the first semester of my junior year. Second is the class called "Academia English." This class is designed to prepare students for the IELTS. This is related to the plan I mentioned earlier about my own study abroad program, I want to go to Australia. To go there, I have to obtain IELTS level 6. To accomplish this score, "Academia English" is a very important class for me. In this class, students will solve the quiz similar to those in the actual IELTS each time. We will be able to get used to IELTS-specific British English questions and understand the trends of the questions. Third is the class called "Reading." There are two per week. Also, there each different teachers. The Reading on Monday, Chu is in charge. In this class, we study not only reading but also how to spell the word of English through the team game. The reason why I love this class is that it was an opportunity for me to get to know my classmates. Because the group changed each time, I had many chances to get to know each of my classmates. I also feel that we bonded even more through helping each other in games and cooperating. Reading class on Thursday, Armstrong is in charge. In this class, we usually studied with textbooks and gave group presentations twice. In this class, I learned new vocabulary and got into the habit of reading long sentences. In addition, the two presentations allowed me to train myself to inflect sentences and present them in a way that would be easily understood by the audience since they are not tested on their memorization skills.
The classes that I thought need to be improved are "Groval Studies C" "Business English" and "Information Technology Literacy." First, I think "Groval Studies C" has to be the class in Japanese. The content of this class is very difficult and everyone struggles to understand it because the lecture is given in English. In addition, most of their daily study time is spent on "Global Studies C" due to the large number of tests. The average score of each quiz is quite low. Based on this result, I think that this class should be lectured in Japanese next year. Otherwise, students will not be able to earn scores, or even understand the lecture content. Next, "Business English B" is not very useful. This is because the content of the lectures is very similar to "Business English A" last semester. These two classes are assigned to different levels of students. "Business English B" has been taken by more capable students than "Business English A." This is clear because we must submit your TOEIC score when you attend the lecture. Because the lecture content is too easy, many students are sleeping during class or doing assignments for other classes. Therefore, lectures have to be more difficult and students' TOEIC scores should improve. The third is "Information Technology literacy." Fundamentally, this class is in the fifth period on Tuesday. I have no other classes on Tuesdays, so it is very difficult for me to go to school for this class in the evening. If it is a computer class, can't they make it available online and at home? More should be done with remote studies gained from the increase in online classes due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
In conclusion, "Introduction to Global Carrier", "Academia English" and "Reading" are attractive classes for me and my favorite classes for me. On the other hand, "Groval Studies C" "Business English" and "Information Technology Literacy" are the classes that I don't like and thought I would like to see improve. However, the three classes that I have identified as classes that need to be improved also have their charms and are very important classes. I thought about the tuition my parents were paying for college and realized how important it was to attend all classes diligently. So there was a lot of reflection on my conduct during the fall semester. I am sure that there will be more difficult classes and more assignments next year, but I would like to make an effort to plan well and take the initiative. In the second year, I declare that I will establish a balance between my studies and a part-time job to make my university life more fulfilling. And I will use it for my future.
2. My favorite classes and my least favorite classes
I am currently taking 11 classes. Only two of them are optional, while the other nine are all classes that I am required to take. The three classes that are for basic English skills are reading, writing, and oral communication. Other classes include IT Literacy, which teaches Excel and digital-related issues, and Global Studies C, which teaches ethics. In this article, I will introduce three of my favorite classes and three of my least favorite classes out of those 11 classes.
I will start with my favorite class. The third place is Writing Expression B. I chose it as an optional class last semester, but it is a very popular class, so I was not selected in the lottery. Therefore, in the later semester, I chose it again and was able to be selected. The outline of this class is that students write freely about a given theme and criticize each other's work with classmates. Of course, it is difficult to create my work, but I enjoy it because I get to read a lot of other people's work. The first topic was about a summer event, the second was about family, and the last was about happiness. The class was roughly 50 students, and we were divided by week and department. Reading and commenting on each other's work, which was unique and varied, was a fun class for me because I love reading and exchanging ideas with other students.
Second place is Global Studies C. It is a very challenging class. It is actually a very tough class, and because we learn all the ethics in English, it is very difficult to understand. There are a lot of difficult words, such as which idea was which word, so I may dislike it when it comes to getting points for my class degree. However, the content is what makes it enjoyable for me. It may be basic ethics, but I enjoy it because it is often new to me, having never studied ethics or philosophy in high school. I also like to think about how I think about this issue, which is why I ranked it second. For example, in my first class, we thought about the trolley problem as a class. It was interesting to listen to ethical and philosophical questions because different people have different ideas and answers.
The first place is oral communication. In Oral Communication, the class is basically conducted to develop the ability to speak in English. We prepare a presentation and present it in front of everyone. Most of the time, we have a theme and prepare a presentation based on that theme, but last time, we got an idea from a TED Talk and decided on a free theme. This is a great class for me as an international student because I can learn how to speak effectively when I give a presentation. Moreover, I can make most things up as I want, and that freedom is good for me. It is fun to prepare and speak in front of everyone. My teacher is Rafael, and we get along well in class because we have the same interests, such as manga and anime. At the beginning of the class, we talk about what's new. and daily conversation about what we have done recently, which is also fun.
Here are my top three least favorite classes. Number three is writing. Writing comes in third place because I prefer speaking to writing. Anyway, it is a class where we learn how to write basic essays and also write essays on a theme. In the reading class on Thursdays, we learn how to write academic essays and write a lot of sentences, and in the class called Research Methodology, we also write essays. Even though we have learned the same material, I have been asked several times to review it again. I am a college student in an international department, therefore writing many English essays may be a given, but it is still a bit of a pain to research and write up something that I am not interested in. However, writing is an essential skill for university students. It will be necessary to have a thesis for graduation, and it will also be necessary when I enter the workplace. I have to be very careful, especially around citations, to avoid plagiarism. Dislike is a feeling that comes from my laziness. My apologies.
Second place goes to the recommendation of Cultural Anthropology. This is one of the optional subjects. The teacher started the class by saying "I don't have any scripts for my lectures, because I have everything in my head", but I was not satisfied with the content, because sometimes he repeated the same things and sometimes I couldn't understand where the main points were. However, my biggest complaint is with the form of the class. It is required to take notes in writing on all the slides with a large amount of text on them. Of course, it was written in the lecture outline that you should make your own notes, but the amount of writing I really had to do was so large that my hands hurt. In my opinion, if the class has a lot of slides and things to tell, if students could have the contents of each slide put on Manaba or something, we could concentrate on what the teacher is saying, and the class should not end with just copying the slides. Certainly, I have done a lot of note-taking in my own way in high school, so summarizing in my own way may be an effective way to learn. However, it is also difficult to take notes because it is hard to understand the main points. For this reason, the Cultural Anthropology recommendation is in second place.
The first place goes to Introduction to Global Careers. This is a required course, but in fact, if you fail the credit, it is unnecessary to retake the course in the second year. Basically, graduation seniors are interviewed about how they decided on their career paths and what kind of work they are doing now. I listened to the first few interviews, but to be honest, I couldn't listen for 90 minutes because they were just conversations between the teachers and the seniors and job descriptions that could be found if I did some research on the Internet. I felt that personal impressions and the fact that they chose this career path because they felt this way were not helpful to me, because everyone's way of thinking and feeling is different. I was not interested in listening to them because my choice of career path is very different from others and I have already decided what I want to do. Of course, I think there are advantages to this class. For example, if there are seniors with similar career paths, it will be helpful, and I think it will give me a chance to reconsider my own career path. But I am the kind of person who wants to decide how and what to do on my own, so listening to my seniors' experiences was just boring for me. And it may be wrong for me to evaluate the class since I didn't attend the class until the end. But based on the above, my least favorite class was Introduction to Global Careers.
So far, I have introduced my top three disliked classes and my top three favorite classes. Since I am still in my first year of university, there are many basic classes, and they vary from those that I feel are helpful to those that I feel are a bit troublesome. Ryukoku University conducts a survey at the end of each semester, so students can share their opinions with their professors. I think it is good to use this kind of system because if there is any frustration, there is a possibility that it can be solved. I am about to finish my first year and become a sophomore, but now I have many problems that I need to fix myself, such as not being able to get up in the morning, being late for the first period, not submitting assignments, and being late. The main thing for a student is studying, so in my second year, I want to take my classes seriously, do some self-study, and work hard to improve my English test scores and my qualifications.
3.
I most like the Reading class by Chu. This is because the class is so enjoyable, and exciting. Also, Chu is so kind and makes us fun through a variety of games. Especially, I especially like taboo games. When I write the correct answer, I feel so excited. Thanks to this class, I became closer to everyone in the class, and the group activities increased our sense of accomplishment and unity, making the class valuable not only for myself but also for the class. Especially for me, Mina, Akki, and Enomon, this class was taught by the same teacher from the first semester, so we were able to feel comfortable and at ease from the first day.
I most like the Reading class by Chu. This is because the class is so enjoyable, and exciting. Also, Chu is so kind and makes us fun through a variety of games. Especially, I especially like taboo games. When I write the correct answer, I feel so excited. Thanks to this class, I became closer to everyone in the class, and the group activities increased our sense of accomplishment and unity, making the class valuable not only for myself but also for the class. Especially for me, Mina, Akki, and Enomon, this class was taught by the same teacher from the first semester, so we were able to feel comfortable and at ease from the first day.
My second favorite class is Oral Communication. This is because my favorite English ability, speaking, is the most important and the class I ended up using the most. We had presentations every few weeks, and although the amount of nervousness and scripts to memorize made me wrack my brain every time, the other weeks of the class were so much more fun and made me laugh more often than the hardships. This class also had a lot of group activities, and I feel that I improved my English skills in daily conversation as I no longer feel shy or hesitant to speak in English with my classmates. Also, the teachers were kind and always asked me what had happened recently, so I was able to enjoy casual conversation. I enjoyed the casual conversation.
My third favorite class of the past year was last semester's Writing. A lot of the reason for this was my classmates and teachers at the time. My classmates from last semester were so close that we all still hang out together, and their presence was enough to make me enjoy every class. And the teacher became more familiar to me than anything else. In my first classes, I was warned against calling him "Sensei" instead of his name, which made me feel closer to him just by how I called him by his name. He was very kind and attentive to each student and corrected me correctly on my writing, which improved my skills.
Next, I will write about my weakest classes. The first one is reading in the second semester. I was not very good at reading because even though it is a reading class, most of what we do is writing. We read for writing, but I don't feel that my reading skills have improved much because the teacher teaches only academic writing. I am glad that the writing was taught in detailed sections, which was really important, but I was a little disappointed because I am not very good at reading for tests and I am a bit of a slow reader, so I wanted to focus on that.
The second class that I did not like was Global Studies C. I was not able to enjoy the class because the content was mostly about philosophers, and I was not very interested in philosophy. I was not able to enjoy the class because the content was mostly about philosophers, and I was not very interested in philosophy, and the class format was a large classroom with everyone in the same department, so no matter how much I indulged myself, there was no one to get angry with me, and I could not grow at all. The philosophy was difficult and there were many tests, so I had to spend a lot of time studying for the tests. So I think I gained the ability to keep trying to do things I didn't like. The last class I hated was Buddhist thought. It's not that I don't like Buddhism, but I have no interest in it, and yet I hated the fact that it was a required course. I also found all the vocabulary difficult, especially learning about the lives of Shakyamuni and Shinran, and every time I wondered if there was really any point to this. It was one of the classes I would have hated to take if I could have. However, now that I think about it, I feel sad to think that I will no longer be able to take any of the classes, and both the good and bad memories are among my most precious ones.
4. I’d like to write about my 3 favorite classes & 3 least favorite classes in Ryukoku University.
One of my favorite classes is ‘Oral Communication’. In this class, we mainly do group work, speeches, and presentations, which has helped me improve my English-speaking skills, which I am particularly weak at. In addition, by giving speeches and presentations on a regular basis, students can become accustomed to speaking in English in front of others and absorb many tips and skills for effective presentations. It is also good to learn from the good points of classmates' presentations and to get feedback from the teacher and them so that I can objectively look at what I can improve.
Next, ‘Research Methods A & B’ is also one of my favorite classes. In this class, each student sets their own research questions, and based on the results of the surveys they have conducted and the data they have collected, they make a discussion and conclusion, which is then presented and reported. The strength of this class is that I can learn how to write and present academic texts and how to do proper research, which I will use in their future college life. Another good point is that we are free to set their own research questions, allowing our to discover and pursue our own interests and concerns.
Another of my favorite classes is ‘IT Literacy A & B’. In this class, students will learn how to use Excel, PowerPoint, etc., and how to gather appropriate information. These software programs are used particularly frequently in this department, and the skills learned in class can be used to do assignments and other activities more efficiently. I didn't have many opportunities to learn about IT in depth before high school, so I am happy to absorb many new skills.
On the other hand, one of my least favorite classes is ‘Business English through TOEIC’. This class is designed to prepare students for the TOEIC, which is a graduation requirement for this department, though, in class, the only thing they did was to work through the textbook, where frequent vocabulary and exercises were given, and questions were solved. Since this type of learning can be done by individuals, I wished that the class content could be a little more creative. In fact, I was able to significantly improve my TOEIC score in the previous semester, but I do not feel that it was the effect of doing it in that class.
Next, ‘Buddhist Philosophy A & B’ is also one of my least favorite classes, but it doesn't mean that I’m not interested in Buddhism and religions. The format of this class is such that the teacher only gives a one-way lecture and there is no time for us to think or discuss, so I feel that the students seem not to really concentrate on the class. Furthermore, I feel that the content of the examinations is all about memorizing terms related to the history and teachings of Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu, and there are few questions that test the comprehension of the essential content of the teachings. I would like to see more effort made to make the philosophies of Buddha and Shinran more understandable to us by using easier to understand language and applying them to our modern lives.
Finally, another of my least favorite classes is ‘Introduction to Cultural Anthropology’. It also does not mean that I am not interested in cultural anthropology. I am rather interested in cultural anthropology and feel what it deal with in class interesting. However, I don’t like the way the teacher teaches the class. The teacher forces us to copy the entire text on the slides into our notebooks. The amount of text on the slides is so huge that we are too busy transcribing it in our notebooks to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. Therefore, I was disappointed at having not been able to get the gist of the class content so well.
These are my 3 favorite classes & 3 least favorite classes in Ryukoku University. Although I mentioned some classes as my least favorite classes, I just don’t like only the way those classes are taught, and I think the contents are very interesting. Therefore, I look forward to learning many more interesting fields at Ryukoku University in the future.
5. My favorite classes and least favorite classes
I have three favorite classes and least favorite classes in Ryukoku. In detail, my favorite classes are “Reading”, “Oral Communication” and “IT Literacy” and my least favorite classes are “Global Studies C”, “Research Methodology “and “Writing”. This essay will introduce the reason why I like these classes and don’t like these classes.
First my favorite class is Reading. Reading has two teachers There are two reading teachers, both with very different teaching methods, and I like both of their classes. In Chan Chu class, I was able to have fun learning English through quizzes, and even though I am not good at studying, I was able to enjoy working on it until the end. In Teramura class, I basically read the textbook and do quizzes in the textbook, but the content was not difficult but rather interesting and I could enjoy the class even though it was a serious class because I did group work with my friends. So, both classes have completely different good points, and both are my favorite classes.
Second my favorite class is Oral Communication. In this class, I was able to learn English in English because I communicated in English from the beginning to the end. Even though the class was all in English, it was fun because I communicated in, any different ways, such as through presentations, group work like games, and debates. In addition, the teacher was very kind and taught me realistic English through everyday conversation, teaching me when I did not know how to communicate, and helping me repair my presentation draft. Furthermore, this class was not only fun, but also gave me important knowledge about what to be aware of and what wards to use during the presentation. Thus, even if this class was first class, this is my favorite class.
Third my favorite class is IT Literacy. This class was not an English class, but it gave us the knowledge about the internet and computers that we need in current society. Especially, I enjoyed learning about was the threat of virus attacks and how to prevent them because the threat of virus attack and its prevention are the most important self-protection measures in current society where privacy and other important information such as personal information in each smartphone and computer can be managed over the internet. In addition, this class was fulfilling because all the content, such as the use of Ward and Excel and typing exercises, gave me the knowledge I need in current society.
First my least favorite class is Global studies C. Since this class was conducted entirely in English and the content was about moral and social principles, there were many wards that I did not know and many times I could not understand what was being said at all. This class’s grading is strict and is based on tests and reports, and the tests are very difficult, so it is not an easy class. To make matters worse, even though I had studied for the first test, I was losing scores to my friends who had not studied. I was very frustrated and the same time heartbroken.
Second my least favorite class is Research Methodology. This class a presentation and report class in which students are evaluated on the research they have performed. And because the report for this class requires 1500 wards long to be written, this class is my least favorite class because it was very difficult to write this report while working on other class assignments.
Third my least favorite class is Writing because I’m not good at writing an essay and teacher of this class is very strict. The first semester of writing I was taking did not include much revision of essay writing or detailed study of the elements of essay writing, so at first, I was upset by the amount of knowledge I came across that I was completely unfamiliar with. I then worked diligently on my classes and tests, which helped me gain knowledge in writing, but the professor was very strict in his evaluation of my writing essays, and there were many appoints that needed to be corrected, so I was not sure if I would be able to finish. These are why these classes are my least favorite classes.
6.
Hello !
Do you have a favorite subject? Actually, I am not good at studying, but I have some favorite subjects, so I will introduce them. My favorite subjects are PE, cooking class, politics and economics. First, PE. The main reason why I like PE is because I don’t need to study. Actually I really don't like to study and am not good at studying. But Physical education is mainly about moving the body, not using the mind for calculations and the like. I have always loved to move my body and play on the playground. And we do a lot of sports in PE. Every sport we played in P.E. required teamwork. I love to talk with my friends, so I was really happy to be able to communicate with them while playing sports. And when we play sports, we argue our opinions and sometimes friends get into fights with each other, but I think that is also a learning experience. I have never played PE in college. This year, I definitely want to play volleyball or badminton in PE! Second is cooking class. It is also the same reason. Actually I went to Canada when I was in high school and I took food class. In the food class, we cooked a different dish each time, and all the leftover food was used for lunch. Sometimes we made pasta and sometimes we made pies. All of the food was delicious and as we made it, we were able to communicate with others and eat delicious food, so much so that I want to take the food class again. It was a really fun class. Final is politics and economics. This was the first class I took in this subject in the third year of junior high school, and it was very difficult because there were so many things I had to learn. However, my friends and I worked hard to learn it together, and the content of the class was interesting because it was about society. I learned about incidents that might actually happen to me, so it was not just a study, but a study for living in society. So next, I will introduce my favorite subject in Ryukoku university. Also I have 3 favorite subjects. That is oral communication, reading and Buddhist philosophy. First, I will talk about oral communication.
This class was honestly very difficult. There were a lot of assignments, and the hardest part was the presentations, which were given about four times. The process of writing, memorizing, and completing a PowerPoint presentation for each presentation was really tough. However, the content of each class was completely different, and I enjoyed discussing with my friends and learning about their opinions as we worked on the assignments. The presentations were also hard work, but I enjoyed them because I often had to try new things, such as pretending to be the teacher. It was my first time presenting as a teacher in front of everyone. It was kind of embarrassing but it was fun. Second is reading. In fact, I was really bad at reading English. Even in junior high school, I read English slower than most people, and it took me a long time to understand it. However, the reading class in my teacher's class was with activities. I was able to cooperate with my friends and learn English while having fun, so I was less afraid of reading English than before. It was the only class where I laughed more than any other class and I never once went to class thinking that I didn't want to go to class. Finally, the last one is Buddhist Philosophy. To be honest, before I took my first class on Buddhist thought, I thought it would be the most uninteresting class. I am not a member of any religion and have never been interested in Buddhism. But when I took the class, I found that there were a lot of words and stories that I had never heard before. The stories were from the old world, things that I would never have thought of today. Every time I take a class, I discover something new, and I gain a lot of knowledge, and I am able to think in a new way. So nowadays, before I go to class, I am excited to see what I will learn today. Buddhist thought is my favorite subject because learning about Buddhist teachings has changed my way of life a bit for the better. These were my favorite classes. I am looking forward to taking more classes that interest me in my second year! I am really sad that I won't be able to take your class anymore, so let's talk when we meet somewhere next year. Please look forward to seeing me as I learn more and become wiser!
Do you have a favorite subject? Actually, I am not good at studying, but I have some favorite subjects, so I will introduce them. My favorite subjects are PE, cooking class, politics and economics. First, PE. The main reason why I like PE is because I don’t need to study. Actually I really don't like to study and am not good at studying. But Physical education is mainly about moving the body, not using the mind for calculations and the like. I have always loved to move my body and play on the playground. And we do a lot of sports in PE. Every sport we played in P.E. required teamwork. I love to talk with my friends, so I was really happy to be able to communicate with them while playing sports. And when we play sports, we argue our opinions and sometimes friends get into fights with each other, but I think that is also a learning experience. I have never played PE in college. This year, I definitely want to play volleyball or badminton in PE! Second is cooking class. It is also the same reason. Actually I went to Canada when I was in high school and I took food class. In the food class, we cooked a different dish each time, and all the leftover food was used for lunch. Sometimes we made pasta and sometimes we made pies. All of the food was delicious and as we made it, we were able to communicate with others and eat delicious food, so much so that I want to take the food class again. It was a really fun class. Final is politics and economics. This was the first class I took in this subject in the third year of junior high school, and it was very difficult because there were so many things I had to learn. However, my friends and I worked hard to learn it together, and the content of the class was interesting because it was about society. I learned about incidents that might actually happen to me, so it was not just a study, but a study for living in society. So next, I will introduce my favorite subject in Ryukoku university. Also I have 3 favorite subjects. That is oral communication, reading and Buddhist philosophy. First, I will talk about oral communication.
This class was honestly very difficult. There were a lot of assignments, and the hardest part was the presentations, which were given about four times. The process of writing, memorizing, and completing a PowerPoint presentation for each presentation was really tough. However, the content of each class was completely different, and I enjoyed discussing with my friends and learning about their opinions as we worked on the assignments. The presentations were also hard work, but I enjoyed them because I often had to try new things, such as pretending to be the teacher. It was my first time presenting as a teacher in front of everyone. It was kind of embarrassing but it was fun. Second is reading. In fact, I was really bad at reading English. Even in junior high school, I read English slower than most people, and it took me a long time to understand it. However, the reading class in my teacher's class was with activities. I was able to cooperate with my friends and learn English while having fun, so I was less afraid of reading English than before. It was the only class where I laughed more than any other class and I never once went to class thinking that I didn't want to go to class. Finally, the last one is Buddhist Philosophy. To be honest, before I took my first class on Buddhist thought, I thought it would be the most uninteresting class. I am not a member of any religion and have never been interested in Buddhism. But when I took the class, I found that there were a lot of words and stories that I had never heard before. The stories were from the old world, things that I would never have thought of today. Every time I take a class, I discover something new, and I gain a lot of knowledge, and I am able to think in a new way. So nowadays, before I go to class, I am excited to see what I will learn today. Buddhist thought is my favorite subject because learning about Buddhist teachings has changed my way of life a bit for the better. These were my favorite classes. I am looking forward to taking more classes that interest me in my second year! I am really sad that I won't be able to take your class anymore, so let's talk when we meet somewhere next year. Please look forward to seeing me as I learn more and become wiser!
