International students from different countries all over the world have studied at Chonnam National University (CNU), and the number of the students enrolled at the university has increased over the past few years; from 1,011 in 2017 to 1,595 in 2021. The university has offered educational programs and support services to help foreign students adapt to their new environment, but they seem to have been going through a tough time and have tried to overcome their difficulties in various fields such as learning Korean language and their majors, and living their daily school life. The Chonnam Tribune looked into three programs for international students and makes suggestions to improve the quality of their learning and the quality of their life as a student.

Intensive Course for Korean Proficiency

For many international students, learning Korean is part of their education in Korean universities. Particularly, newcomers should learn the language for their daily lives and learning in a short period of time at the beginning of their university life. Foreign freshmen of CNU had a hard time studying Korean in 2018 and also before then, according to a staff member of the Office of International Affairs. To solve this problem, the university newly established in February 2019 the Global Education Center on Yeosu campus to provide intensive Korean language education and support with foreign students.

The center has been conducting intensive Korean language courses to enhance Korean communication skills of foreign freshmen, who are below the TOPIK level 4. It also operates a variety of cultural programs to help them get accustomed to Korean culture and adapt to their undergraduate classes. Gaffarova Gulirano (Sophomore, School of Biological Sciences and Technology) said, “Through this program, I advanced my Korean language skill. So I ended up understanding ideas and thoughts that were different from my own culture.”

In the intensive Korean language course, however, some of the foreign students use their mother tongue more frequently than Korean, and other students have been affected by this atmosphere. Sometimes instructors are having a difficult time controlling the atmosphere of the class. Students have to participate in the class more actively and endeavor to have many opportunities to practice what they have learned in class. In order for the program to become more effective, instructors need to develop teaching methods consistently to help their students enjoy classes and increase their self-motivation to improve their Korean language skills.

Choi Eun-young, a staff member at the center said, "International students who have clear motivation and participate in the class actively can improve their Korean skills to the point where students have no problems in their daily lives.” However, there are still many difficulties in taking major classes. To fully understand major classes, skills of TOPIK level 5 or higher are usually required. Consequently, it is necessary for foreign students to continuously learn and make an effort to learn Korean.

Programs for Learning and Campus Life

The Office of Education Innovation provides various educational programs to develop student’s learning abilities, realize their full potential, and prevent them from giving up their studies and leaving school by strengthening their basic education. The office operates programs for students to build a sense of community and take challenges of self-directed learning, and it also offers programs for freshmen to adapt to their new university life.

Although international and Korean students can take part in those programs, only a small minority of foreign students have participated in the programs. Actually, only four international students participated in the freshman program in 2021. According to the staff members in charge of those programs in the facility, a major reason for the low participation of foreign students seems to be a lack of publicity about educational innovation programs and opportunities for them. In addition, each department and college should have provided guidance and information relevant to the programs and proper care for international students. Thus, in order to increase their participation rate, university authorities need to seek ways to allow the students to access diverse educational programs, such as opening an English version of its website, or preparing an active promotional program.

The Office of International Affairs operates a buddy program that aims to develop international students' language skills, exchange cultures, and fundamentally help them adapt well to an unfamiliar university life with the help of Korean friends. Participants in the buddy program can improve their language skills and global capabilities by sharing different cultures. Wei Mengji (Freshman, Dept. of Japanese Language and Literature) said, “Through the buddy program, I got to know my close sister (friend) in Korea, and I was able to experience delicious Korean food. We also studied together in the library."

In 2021, 242 foreign students and 124 Korean students participated in the buddy program, and in the first semester of 2022, 142 foreign students and 70 Koreans have participated in it. International students from various countries, mainly French, American, and Chinese students, take part in this program. In addition, not only Koreans but also foreign students can apply for the program as a student buddy.

Towards International Student-Friendly Campus

CNU offers various programs for international students to continue their studies at the campus in Korea without giving up their studies in the middle. Those educational and support programs have been a great help to them. During this semester, around 1,700 international students, including incoming exchange students, are studying and living their campus lives on Gwangju and Yeosu campuses at the university. With the university’s support, they are expected to adapt to a new environment easily. As a result, these efforts of the university will be able to make our campus a truly international student-friendly and a global campus, where foreign and Korean students study together to enhance their knowledge and maximize their potential for their future.

By Lee Eun-ji, Student Editor