SU Language Learning Center produces 38 IntEP completers
(Front row) Asst. Prof. Ronelaine B. Picardal, Silliman University faculty and Intensive English Program (IntEP) teacher; Dr. Lady Flor Partosa-Koenig, English and Literature Department chair; Dr. Joan C. Generoso, Language Learning Center and IntEP coordinator; Dr. Alana Leilani C. Narciso, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) associate dean; Prof. Tetsuya Fujikura, Kobe International University; Dr. Kazuyuki Fukunishi, Kyushu International University; Asst. Prof. Rina F. Hill, SU faculty member and IntEP teacher; (second row) IntEP teachers Aaron James D. Jalalon, John Edgar C. Rubio, Asst. Prof. Hermiesela B. Duran, Gemmella M. Tebio, Kaycee L. Melon, and Asst. Prof. Ma. Hellene Grace D. Pinero pose with the Japanese students/finishers of IntEP 2024.
Thirty-eight (38) Japanese university students finished the three (3)-week-long Intensive English Program (IntEP) of the Silliman University (SU) Language Learning Center (LLC), through the leadership of Dr. Joan C. Generoso, LLC coordinator.
Twenty (20) students came from Kobe International University and eighteen (18), from Kyushu International University.
The program commenced on February 12, 2024 and culminated on March 1, 2024 with a Graduation Ceremony, at SU Hall.
“The program this year marked our face-to-face interactions after a two-year gap. Despite these obstacles, our team’s collective effort, meticulous preparation, and unwavering commitment prevailed,” Dr. Generoso said in an interview.
“Working in harmony, we successfully achieved our set goals and objectives, showcasing the resilience and dedication that define our collaborative spirit,” she added.
Daigo Miyashita from Kobe International University reads his thank-you speech to the crowd at SU Hall.
Daigo Miyashita, a student from Kobe International University who gave a speech on behalf of his batch, said, “The reason I joined this program was mainly to improve my English skills, but once I got here, the locals were very warm and I was able to make friends with a lot of people, and I had a lot of fun memories.”
“I would like to express my gratitude to the many friends I met across borders through this program and the teachers who enthusiastically guided me, and I will do my best to apply what I have learned here in my future life,” he added.
Haruna Sano from Kyushu International University also spoke about her experience with the program, saying, “The classes were difficult at times, but the teachers were eager to help us, and our buddies helped us with our homework. They were very encouraging.”
Haruna Sano from Kyushu International University reads her thank-you speech on behalf of her batch.
“After school, we went out a lot with buddies and Silliman students… Three weeks was too short a time to say goodbye. I feel very sad to think that we will no longer have the time to ride the pedicab, try balut, or spend time together,” she added.
The Language Learning Center
Dr. Generoso has been serving as LLC’s coordinator since 2021 along with five more staff members, including Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr., Deo Mar E. Suasin, John Edgar C. Rubio, Gemmella M. Tebio, and Kaycee L. Melon.
Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr. facilitates the Intercultural Communication (ICC) workshop with SU language buddies and Japanese IntEP students at Guy Hall.
At its core, the LLC is Silliman University’s channel through which “the ever-changing demands of language instruction and learning may be addressed, whose goals are to develop communicatively competent citizens across cultures, advance the teaching and learning of the English language as a mechanism for change, innovate strategies for effective learning and teaching, instill in the Silliman local and international communities the value of language in daily living, and assist in achieving the goals of the Department of English and Literature.”
It can be recalled that the LLC was officially institutionalized in 2013 under the leadership of then English and Literature Department Chair Dr. Evelyn Mascunana and LLC Coordinator Dr. Caturay.
Intensive English Program (IntEP)
The IntEP, however, began as early as 2001, and was initially participated by universities in South Korea, including Hannam University and Cheonbuk University in the same year and, in 2004, Soongsil University. The IntEP has then become a flagship program of the LLC.
“The IntEP is a short-term program, yet by its conclusion, participants will have experienced immersion in numerous English language communicative scenarios both within and outside the classroom,” Dr. Generoso explained.
“Through this, they will have cultivated skills that empower them to navigate various phases of communicative situations. Regarding their proficiency levels, participants exhibit a range from low intermediate to upper intermediate,” she added.
In 2016, IntEP began to open its doors to Japanese universities with the introduction of Shikoku Gakuin University and Kyushu International University. In the following year, Kobe International University followed, sealing its partnership with the LLC for years to come.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, LCC, through the leadership of Dr. Caturay, offered the first online IntEP upon the request of Kobe International University.
Buddy Program
John Edgar C. Rubio, LLC’s Buddy Coordinator, admitted he was worried at first about the reopening of the face-to-face IntEP this year.
This year’s language buddies from the different colleges and departments of SU pose with students from Kobe International University and Kyushu International University.
“I was honestly apprehensive about monitoring 40 language buddies, all being their first IntEP experience. But the buddies have been helpful throughout the three-week program,” Rubio said, who worked closely with the buddies this year.
“Aside from the roles these buddies were expected to perform, they ‘ran the extra mile’ by accompanying the IntEP students to the University clinic for checkups, joining IntEP and immersion classes to encourage and motivate the latter, and introducing them to the campus lifestyle and local culture,” he added, looking back at those three weeks.
This year, the pool of language buddies came from different colleges and departments of the university with a mix of freshmen to junior year students, including those from the College of Agriculture (1); Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (1); History and Political Science Department (1); Chemistry Department (1); Marketing Management Department (2); College of Mass Communication – Broadcasting (3); Psychology Department (3); English and Literature Department – Creative Writing, English Language Studies, and English Across the Professions (7); and College of Education – English Language Education (21).
The buddy system of the Intensive English Program has been in place ever since, inviting language majors and other interested students to be conversational partners to international students.
“It was only in 2019 that the Buddy Program was institutionalized and acknowledged as a subunit of the Language Learning Center,” added Rubio.
How to be a language buddy
Rubio recalled his experience of being a first-time language buddy for the LLC.
“When I was still in college, our language professors would invite us to be language buddies of the program as exposure activities in our specialized courses (i.e., English for Specific Purposes, Language Curriculum, Communicative Language Teaching, etc.),” said Rubio.
“When we institutionalized the buddy program, we opened it to all college students equipped to be English language tutors, conversational partners, and cultural ambassadors to international students,” he added.
Kobe International University students pose with their IntEP completion certificates at SU Hall.
The process to becoming a language buddy for the LLC only requires four (4) phases and is open to all students currently enrolled in SU.
The first phase is the Application Submission, where currently enrolled students are required to accomplish the application form with a signed certification and a self-introduction video to the Language Learning Center. Next, applicants are to take the Qualifying Examination on the scheduled date and obtain at least 85% of the total score.
Once applicants reach the cutoff, they are required to go through the Face-to-Face Interview on the scheduled date. Finally, successful applicants must attend the Program Orientation, where new buddies get to know the LLC, the programs it offers, and the roles and responsibilities required in the buddy system. Buddies are also required to attend workshops hosted by the LLC.
Future plans for the LLC
On February 26, 2024, Dr. Kazuyuki Fukunishi, vice president of Kyushu International University, met with Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope, SU vice president for Academic Affairs (VPAA), to discuss a potential Student Exchange Program for both universities, at his office in Ruiz Administration Hall.
Left to right: John Edgar C. Rubio, Buddy Program coordinator; Dr. Lady Flor Partosa-Koenig, English and Literature Department chair; Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope, SU VPAA; Dr. Kazuyuki Fukunishi, Kyushu International University vice president; Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean; and Dr. Joan C. Generoso, LLC and IntEP coordinator, pose for a photo after the meeting in February 2024.
Present during this meeting were Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean; Dr. Lady Flor Partosa-Koenig, English and Literature Department chair; Dr. Joan C. Generoso, LLC and IntEP coordinator; and John Edgar C. Rubio, Buddy Program coordinator.
While partnerships have been established with Kobe International University and Kyushu International University, Generoso is also eager to foster additional collaborations with other universities in South East Asia in the future.
In the meantime, Generoso shared, “We are in discussions about the potential for a student exchange program between SU and Kyushu International University slated for the coming year.”
Kyushu International University students pose with their IntEP completion certificates at SU Hall.
The next batch of IntEP students is scheduled in the second semester of school year 2025.
