Student Strand

As ScOLa, we aim at improving our students’ language development both in and outside the class. Apart from the ScOLa Language Support Center where our students can get help regarding their questions and concerns about language learning, there are fun English Club activities and projects throughout the academic year. Through these varied language activities, we provide our students with opportunities that would allow them to demonstrate and practice their language skills outside their regular classes. In addition to these regular activities, there are seminars and workshops organized based on the students’ needs to guide them through their language-learning journey.

1. ÖzU English Language Support Center:

1.1. Writing Center for UG students: Writing Center primarily provides support to undergraduate students in all aspects of their academic writing through one-to-one and/or online tutoring sessions within the body of ScOLa Language Support Center. The Writing Center consultants give feedback on departmental written assignments – except on the assignments given in undergraduate English courses (ENG 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 303)- to all undergraduate students at Özyeğin University. Upon availability, the center also supports postgraduate students to improve the quality of their academic papers.  Self-editing and revising skills are of paramount importance for any good writer; therefore, tutorials at the writing center focus on the development of strategies that students can use to strengthen these skills. The center offers other services such as workshops on how to write effective motivation letters and resumes and cultural-exchange sessions where foreign and Turkish students develop their communication skills through the exchange of their experience with a new culture. The center also works collaboratively with the administrative units of the university to fulfill their writing needs. For further info about the Writing Center, please visit OzU website.

1.2. Study Center: Study Center is designed to provide extracurricular support and guidance to all ÖzU students about their English language needs. Students can meet instructors in this center to work on and develop their language skills in the areas where they need improvement (reading, listening, writing, speaking, grammar, or vocabulary). The instructors supporting students in the Study Center help students not only to improve their language skills but also to become more autonomous by making them more aware of their level and needs. In the Center, the instructors meet students individually to diagnose their areas to work on and guide them accordingly.

1.3. Speaking Center: This center aims to help all students at the university improve their speaking skills through one-on-one guidance. Speaking center instructors meet students individually to identify their areas to work on such as fluency, accuracy, and pronunciation, and provide opportunities to practice and improve these skills.

2. ScOLa Student Development Sessions:

Based on the data collated throughout a semester from various sources such as the Study Center, CR meetings, instructors’ feedback and individual observations of their students, etc. the areas where most ScOLa students need further support are identified and if applicable, student development sessions are planned and delivered in the upcoming semesters. Some examples of these sessions are ‘To be or Not to be Motivated!’, ‘How to Study Vocabulary’, ‘How to Study Receptive Skills’, ‘Effective Problem-Solving Skills’, and ‘How to be an Effective Online Learner?’ during the distance education period. For further information, you can refer to: ScOLa Extra-Curricular Activities LMS Page. These sessions can be given by ScOLa instructors including the director, team leaders, TLDU members, and instructors on a voluntary basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. ScOLa Clubs:

ScOLa instructors offer clubs to improve students’ level of English. In ScOLa Clubs, our ultimate goal is to help our students have the opportunity to participate in engaging and fun language learning activities that suit their needs and interests. Through these varied language activities, we provide students with opportunities that would allow them to demonstrate and practice their language skills outside their regular EFL classes. These activities also help us create an on-campus English-speaking environment where our students are encouraged to use the English language in authentic social settings. Although participation in the ScOLa clubs is optional, we encourage and look forward to the participation of students from every level in our ScOLa clubs for their language development. Those who attend 60% of the sessions earn a certificate at the end of the semester. In the 2022-23 Fall semester, the clubs offered to the students were A2 Speaking Club, B1 Speaking Club, and Discover Far East For B1 Students. In the Spring semester, we offered Speaking Club for B1 level students.

3.1. B2 Faculty Clubs: In addition to general student clubs run at A2 and B1 levels, we also offer

“Faculty Clubs” for B2 level students who will study in the following faculties:

 

– Engineers’ Club (Faculty of Engineering)
– A Club for Creative and Innovative Mindsets (Faculty of Architecture and Design)
– Applied Sciences Club (School of Applied Sciences)
– Ready for Takeoff (Faculty of Aviation and Aeronautical Science)
– Scola Club for B2 Students of the Business Faculty (Faculty of Business)
– Social Sciences Club (Faculty of Social Sciences)

B2 Faculty clubs aim to create a bridge between ScOLa and faculties. With these clubs, students can practice English while learning about the topics related to their department and have a short introduction to what is waiting for them when they go to their faculties. As part of Faculty Clubs, students can perform various activities with their club instructors such as analyzing the faculty course syllabus and learning about course credits; learning basic terminology about their faculty; attending a class in their faculty; meeting some people from the sector such as architects, pilots, chefs, businesspeople, psychologists, faculty instructors, etc.

4. Social Activities for Students:

ScOLa offers various social activities that allow our students to interact and have fun while practicing their language skills. One of our popular activities is quiz shows, where students can form teams and compete against each other on topics related to their language course. We also hold decoration contests, giving students the chance to showcase their creativity by designing and decorating the school’s common areas. These activities not only promote teamwork and creativity but also enhance the students’ learning experience in a fun and engaging way.