International Enrichment Program
Course Structure: The STEM System
Students will choose one “major” STEM course, which they will follow for the duration of the program for four hours per day.
This approach emphasises depth over breadth, ensuring that students receive a rigorous and detailed grounding in their chosen course, rather than offering students more superficial exposure to a larger range of subject matter. STEM classes combine a mixture of lecture and discussion-style teaching with practical lab work. STEM tutors are graduate research students drawn from the UK’s leading universities, predominantly Oxford and Cambridge.
Academic English: Critical Thinking & Practical Application
Students follow a standard course of two hours of Academic English per day. This course aims to improve students’ proficiency in spoken and written English to the standards expected by world-leading English-speaking universities, whilst educating students on how to communicate effectively, construct impactful personal statements/resumes for university applications and enhance overall adeptness. To succeed in the higher education world, preparation for tests like the IELTS and the TOEFL will be considered, alongside interview technique and presentation skills.
Students will tackle sophisticated problems that will push them to use academic and professional English with a fluency approaching that of the most skilful native speakers. Classes will combine both intermediate and advanced material to ensure that the student learning experience is maximised for all abilities. This will encompass key areas including Improving Academic Vocabulary, Improving Verbal Skills, and Argumentative Writing, Professional Writing, Academic Expository Writing, and Preparing for IELTS/TOEFL.
Built-in flexibility ensures that students are able to direct their own course of study towards their own interests in a highly targeted way. The goal is to provide students with a degree of choice and responsibility over their personal educational path, which we are confident will result in increased student engagement, student satisfaction, and student learning outcomes.
Masterclasses
Masterclasses are taught by Oxmedica tutors, and deal with a range of subject matters: Some Masterclasses will focus on “soft skills” applicable across a breadth of disciplines, including Interview Simulation Workshops, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Sessions, Careers in Biosciences Workshops, and Scientific and Technological Ethics Tutorials.
Other Masterclasses will be oriented more towards academic subjects, which could for instance include “Knowing Your Brain,” “CPR Crash Course,” “A Deep Dive into Black Holes,” “Ethical Hacking 101,” and “Applications of Statistical Modelling.”
Traditionally, these Masterclasses in combination with the Academic English component increase levels of student interest and engagement, and encourage visionary thinking.
TED Talk Series and Value Added Components
The TED Talk Series and Value Added Components (VAC) form part of Oxmedica’s bespoke series of personal and professional activities, in which all students enrolled in the program will participate. The TED Talk Series includes a portfolio of specially prepared talks by Oxmedica tutors targeted at the student cohort and spans a vast array of topics that are instrumental to self-development and future success.
Examples of previous talks have included:
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Next Steps in Technological Evolution and Revolution
- Success & Hard Work: Bridging the Gap between Talent and Effort
- Numerical Methods in Engineering: A Virtual Laboratory for the 21st Century
- Category Theory: Doing Advanced Mathematics with Diagrams
- How To Become a Successful Entrepreneur: Some Key Rules
Research Project
All students participating in the program are expected to undertake a formal research project. The purpose of this is twofold. Firstly, and from an educational perspective, it allows students to develop independent study skills, critically analyse data and communicate scientific concepts in high-level English. Secondly, from a personal development perspective, it prepares students for future university applications and offers a discussion point for interview assessments.