28 March 2014

Hello everyone,

My 4th post - slowly getting used to blogging.

Note: all dollars are US$.  The exchange rate I am using at the moment is US$1 = Yuan 6.2

I shouldn't have said anything about Spring arriving in the last post - the following morning 24 March dawned grey and cold and then rain arrived on 25 March.  Jinxed it! We have put away the long-johns, but it looks as if it will be a while yet before we are wearing shorts.....

At the end of each month I will include lists of key events, international and Chinese, which took place.  We live in an age of 'information overload' and I find that unless I compile such lists important events quickly become a blur.

Today's post focuses on students and teaching.  We have just completed the 5th week of this semester (30% of the way through already!) and I have compiled information on my students which is provided below.

I will do another post over the weekend which will focus on news items.

China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong Province (www.upc.edu.cn )

A brief introduction of the China University of Petroleum (UPC).

UPC has two campuses, one in Dongying and the other in Qingdao, both in Shandong Province (roughly half way between Beijing and Shanghai).  Our campus is located about 30 km south of Qingdao City, in the suburb of Huangdao.  The campus is on Tang Dao Wan Bay - see map below.  We are very fortunate to be right on the coast, which makes for a fairly temperate climate and relatively fresh air.

The campus of China University of Petroleum is across the road from Tang Dao Wan Bay.

The main gate (North Gate) of UPC with the tall Administration Building in the background.

The symbol of UPC is the 'Goddess of the Sun', the provider of nature's bounty such as oil and gas resources.

The emblem of UPC incorporates the Goddess of the Sun symbol. The university was founded in 1953.

UPC has about 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post graduates and a teaching staff of about 1,500.  As the name implies, it focuses on subjects related to oil and gas, such as Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Geology, etc.  But it also has other faculties such as Languages, Finance, and Administration.

UPC is one of three key universities in Shandong Province which are directly administered by the Ministry of Education in Beijing.  They are Shandong University in Jinan, and Ocean University and China University of Petroleum which are both located in Qingdao.

Vera and I had one year in Dongying (2009-10), and this is our third year teaching on the Qingdao campus.

My teaching schedule, February to June 2014

At the moment I have 6 classes a week (expect to get 2 more in April).  My teaching schedule is:

Monday, 7 – 9pm (NM65, Western Culture)

Tuesday, 7 – 9pm (DM1202, Oral English)

Wednesday, 4 – 6pm (DM1202, Oral English)

Thursday, 4 – 6pm DM1202, Oral); 7 – 9pm (NM224, Culture)

Saturday, 7 – 9pm (DM1201, Oral).

Unusually, this semester I have 4 night classes, and no morning classes.  Thursdays are a bit tight with only an hour for dinner between classes.

I am still getting used to teaching on Saturday nights.  Actually, I asked the students if they wanted to change the time to Saturday morning or afternoon, but they preferred to stay with Saturday night.  Ugh!  These kids are keen - can you imagine Australian or American college students going to class 7 - 9pm on Saturday night?  No way.

Teaching the night class can be challenging.  It is the end of a long day for the students, and many are tired.  I recall when I had night classes (almost 50 years ago!), despite my best efforts I would always drift off for a few minutes about half an hour into the lecture.  I try my best to make the classes interesting but often see students nodding off.  

Still, I’m happy with my teaching schedule this semester.  Twelve hours a week has been pretty cruisy, and I've had a lot of time for personal activities (such as starting this blog!).

Yesterday I heard that a group of 28 staff from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) will arrive in 2 weeks to start a three month intensive English course and I have been asked to take them for 3 classes (6 hours) a week.  So, my relaxed lifestyle is about to come to an abrupt end.

Still, even 18 hours a week should be fine. Chinese students are dedicated and respectful, and I enjoy teaching them.  An adult group will be different, but should provide opportunities for interesting discussions.

Foreign teachers at this university are paid a basic Y2,000 per month plus Y50 for each teaching hour.  So at the moment with 12 hours a week I am earning Y500 + Y600 = Y1,100 ($180) per week. Our accommodation is two rooms in one of the residential buildings on campus and is free. We don't pay for utilities such as electricity, but we pay for our own drinking water and meals.  We don't have a kitchen, so eat in student dining halls or sometimes at restaurants outside the campus.

My pay of $180 per week doesn't sound like much, but the cost of living is low and Vera and I can manage easily on my salary, except for our regular trips back home which we have to fund from our own sources.

My impression is that my pay is about average in urban China.  One of the American teachers is married to a local girl, who has a clerical job in the university's foreign students section - she has a college degree and good English - her salary is about $80 per week.  So I am not doing too badly compared to her.

It's nice to be in a place where you can still get a meal for under $2 and it costs 15 cents to ride the bus across town.

The following table contains an overview of my classes this semester.

Summaries of Alex’s classes, February – June 2014

	Double Major 1201	Double Major 1202	Non Major 65	Non Major 224
Course	Oral English	Oral English	Western Culture	Western Culture
Hours per week	4	4	2	2
Number in class	42	41	60	60
% girls	60%	76%	33%	27%
% boys	40%	24%	67%	73%
Main major
Petroleum Engineering	9%	6%	18%	43%
Storage Engineering	14%	-	3%	2%
Control Engineering	5%	9%	6%	2%
Safety Engineering	2%	9%	6%	-
Resource Engineering	9%	11%	3%	10%
Law	14%	2%	-	-
Other majors	47%	63%	64%	43%
Left handed	5%	0%	7%	5%
Drivers licence	12%	8%	13%	17%
Given name
One character	33%	33%	27%	32%
Two characters	67%	67%	73%	68%
Home Province
Shandong	67%	54%	42%	26%
Other provinces	33% (6 other)	46% (11 other)	58% (19 other)	74% (18 other)
Parents jobs
Farmers	14%	17%	28%	30%
Workers	35%	33%	37%	24%
Business	11%	14%	4%	8%
Teachers	11%	9%	10%	14%
Doctor / nurse	5%	10%	2%	3%
Other	24%	17%	19%	21%
Hobbies (most popular)
1st	Movies	Reading	Movies	Reading
2nd	Reading	Movies	Basketball	Basketball
3rd	Music	Shopping	Reading	Music
4th	Jogging	Music	Music	Movies
5th	Swimming	Sleeping	Football	Football

Comments on class summaries

Double Majors

These students are doing 2 majors:  their ‘main’ major (such as Petroleum Engineering) and English as their ‘minor’ major. They have to be in the top 30% of their main majors before they are admitted into Double Major.  They are the busiest students on campus, with over 40 'contact hours' of lectures a week (see example of weekly schedule below for details).

Double Majors will graduate with two degrees: one for their main major (eg Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering) and the other for English (ie a Bachelor of Arts in English).  I think we call this a Double Degree in Australia.

I’m intrigued that there are more girls than boys in the Double Major classes because most of the students come from Engineering and there are 4 or 5 times as many boys doing those courses.  I guess girls are more interested in English (and better at it) and maybe they also have to get that extra edge to compete with boys in the job market.  But I am still surprised that, relatively, so many more girls are willing (and able) to take on the additional burden of a second major.

The students in my Double Major classes are Sophomores – that is, in the 2^nd year of a four year degree.

Non Majors

These students come from a variety of majors.  All students can apply to do one or two “optional” or “elective” classes each semester.  They can select from a wide range including Chinese History; Western Music; Calligraphy; Multimedia; Marketing; Finance; Psychology; Western Culture; etc. 

About 150 students applied to do each of my Culture classes, and 60 were successful.  The course will go for 16 weeks, with the final exam in Week 17.

Most of the students are Juniors (in 3^rd Year), with some Sophomores (2^nd Year).  Previously I have also had some Seniors (4^th Year) but not this semester.

We use the descriptor "Non Majors", but it would probably be clearer to call them Non English Majors. All  English major students do Western Culture as a compulsory unit, but students doing other majors can take it as an 'optional' unit.

Hours per week

Each class comprises 2 x 50 minute lessons.  The Double Major students have 2 Oral English classes a week, and the Non Major students have one Western Culture class a week.

Handedness

From my research on the web, about 9 - 10% of the population in Western countries is left-handed.  My observation of Chinese college students is that the proportion of left-handedness is about 4 - 5%.   I ask this question to see how many left-handed students there are in my current classes.

Drivers licence

This is a sort of economic indicator, and I usually ask my classes how many students have drivers licences.  I’ve noticed a significant increase in the last 4 years - at that time only 1% or 2% had drivers licences - which is a reflection of the rapid economic development of China and the spreading wealth.

Given names

Overall, about 40% of Chinese have given names of one character and 60% have two characters.  I like to see how my students compare to the aggregate.

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Home Province

I am interested to know which area of China my students come from.  The University of Petroleum is located in Shandong Province and the greatest number (often more than 50%) come from this Province. 

Shandong Province is about the same size in area as the State of Florida in the USA, or about 70% the size of the State of Victoria and 20% the size of the State of NSW in Australia.  The 2010 census showed Shandong with a population of 96 million (the second largest Province in China by population).

Shandong Province. Our campus is near Qingdao City, on the coast of the Yellow Sea.

Parents jobs

This statistic can be a guide to the socio-economic background of the students, particularly how many students come from “the countryside”.  But it must be taken as an indication only, because these days so many farmers have jobs as “workers”.

The other point to note is that in China the descriptor “workers” is often used in a very general way, covering blue collar and white collar jobs.  So this statistic needs to be viewed with care.

Hobbies

This provides an idea of what the students like to do in their spare time.  But, again, it is an indication only as hobbies can vary greatly with time and place.  Many students say 'reading' is their main hobby, but when I delve further very few have actually read books (either paper or electronic) in recent months.  Perhaps it is more of a wish than reality in their busy study schedule?

Incidentally, 'football' refers to soccer, which is becoming popular here. It is the only kind of football they know.

A Double Major student's weekly class schedule

Weekly class schedule for a student in Double Major 1202 whose main major is Safety Engineering, February – June 2014

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wed	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
8 – 9.50am	Electrical engineer	Materials engineer	English (college)	Thermo-dynamics	Psychology (optional)	Electrical engineer	-
10.10am – 12 noon	English (college)	Thermo-dynamics	Physical education	Electrical engineer	-	-	-
2 – 3.50pm	Marxism	Chemistry	Environ (optional)	Chemistry	Physics	Western culture	-
4.10 – 6pm	Western Culture	English (listening)	English (oral)	Marxism	Physics	News (optional)	English (reading)
7 – 8.50pm	English (listening)	English (oral)	English (listening)	Materials engineer	English (reading)	-	-

Per week: 25 normal classes plus 3 optional classes (environment, psychology, news).

Each class comprises 2 x 50 minute lessons. There is a 10 minute break between the two lessons.

So, this Double Major student has 25 classes a week which is 50 lessons (or 50 ‘contact hours’ with lecturers).  On top of that she has registered for 3 optional or elective classes which are subjects of personal interest to her.  

Some other students said they have slightly fewer classes than this girl doing Safety Engineering, but all have more than 20 classes (40 contact hours) per week.

The students said their teachers don’t allocate much homework.  Most said they do about 1.5 hours of ‘self-study’ a day, usually from 9pm when their lectures finish.  They are normally asleep by 11pm.

You can see that a Double Major has a very tough schedule.  Actually, it's more than most full time jobs; certainly doesn’t leave much time for other activities.

I asked some of the Double Major students why they had taken on such a huge burden?  Most said that a good knowledge of English is important in China today and they hoped that their English skills will give them an edge when they look for a job after graduation.

From my observation, Chinese college students have at least twice as many ‘contact hours’ with lecturers compared to Australian college students.  This is a reflection of the different approach to learning.  Here students are given much more information by lecturers, while in Australia a lecturer will normally introduce a concept and then students have to research it to develop their own understanding.

Teaching approach

A report released 6 March concluded that "...an informal environment, sited in reality, is best for learning a second language .... with a focus on active communication rather than vocabulary and grammar."

My sentiments exactly.  It reflects the teaching approach I have developed over the last 3 years.

The China Daily did a story on an unusual activity I did in my Oral English classes last year.  I asked them to compose love poems with an International Trade theme.  The journalist called it 'wacky', but I prefer to think of it as innovative or perhaps unorthodox.  What do you think?

Follow this link:  http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-07/05/content_16737867.htm 

...

That's all for now.

Best wishes,  alex & vera olah
Teaching English at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao Shandong
Friday 28 March 2014