International Speaking Skills Development Program 2023 spring | Institute of English and American Studies

The International Speaking Skills Development Program between the University of Debrecen and Indiana University Bloomington comes to an end after three highly successful years. Here's what our students think about the program after completing it successfully in spring 2023:

• Ivett Hornyák:
  I highly benefited from this program in many ways: while practising the specific situations occurring in the workplace, I was able to learn an abundance of new words effortlessly and refine my English speaking skills. Engaging in conversations with native English speakers has improved my confidence, and made my pronunciation and intonation significantly better. The group tasks that we were given helped me become a better team worker, and they were a great preparation for the EYE exam as well. The mentors were kind, generous and always willing to help and guide us and provide constructive criticism. I would recommend this program to anyone who aims to improve their fluency in English and learn from native speakers in an enjoyable but useful way, and get some extra practice for the EYE exam.
   
• Liu Xinyi:
  I think the ISSD program is useful because I feel I have made great progress. Before that, I was afraid of talking to foreigners because I was very shy. I think I performed better at the last interview than the first interview, especially my vocabulary has grown a lot. I'm happy that I have taken this class.
   
• Gong Yihan:
  First, this ISSD course is very useful and it is great that we can learn from American teachers. They are very patient and friendly, and I can also feel that they have great methods to effectively teach English. I have learned many things from this course. I really appreciate this opportunity and these hardworking teachers!
   
• Aidana Cholponkulova:
  I participated in the ISSD program, which was organized between our university and Indiana University Bloomington. I am glad that I decided to participate because initially, I thought it would be just a regular talking club. However, this program proved to be much more than that, and we were able to benefit from it immensely. We acquired many useful soft skills that we will certainly need in various situations in our future careers, such as introducing ourselves in interviews, delivering an elevator pitch, presenting effectively, responding to workplace performance evaluations, participating in event organization, negotiating a salary raise, and even quitting a job and others.
  The instructors were very kind and organized, and in each class, they explained the topic, after which we practiced it with partners. After, for home assignments, we were recording videos to practice them more. The only inconvenience may be the timing, as classes were held on Saturdays at 3 p.m. However, the course is worth 2 credits, making it well worth it. So, I highly recommend that others participate in this program, as it provides an opportunity to practice English with native speakers and improve your skills. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to the coordinators and instructors for this valuable opportunity.