LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2014) — Assistant Professor Brandi Frisbi and Associate Professor Kevin Real, from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, and Katherine Rogers-Carpenter, lecturer in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digitial Studies at the UK College of Arts and Sciences, led a series of college teacher training workshops at Qingdao Technological University in China from July 14 through Aug. 1, 2014.

The three-week workshops were collaboratively designed to improve English and teaching skills for campus-wide faculty members at Qingdao Tech and attracted the participation of more than 25 faculty members representing several disciplines (e.g., architecture, landscape design, pollution control, energy, literature, civil engineering). Real taught a course on the college curriculum; Carpenter-Rogers focused on writing and reading in her class; and Frisby offered her course on speaking and listening.

During the three week courses, Qingdao Tech faculty members and the three UK professors participated in cultural exchange discussions and lessons, which culminated in teaching simulations, research presentations, and disciplinary writing opportunities. All workshop participants took part in weekly roundtable discussions on how to apply these integrated approaches in Chinese college classrooms.

Additionally, the hosting university took Real, Rogers-Carpenter, and Frisby on tours of the city including the world’s longest bridge over water, Lao Shan, Tai Shan, numerous historical temples and churches, and the birthplace of Confucius.

The workshops were organized and coordinated by Sunny Yujie Sun, the Dean of the International College of Qingdao Tech, and Zixue Tai, a professor at UK’s College of Communication and Information.