On March 20 and 27, students in UBC’s Korean Language Program participated in a two-day online language exchange with students from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). Held over Zoom, the event brought together learners from UBC’s KORN 200 and KORN 302 classes and KAIST students currently studying English.
The sessions were structured to provide equal time for both languages. In each round, students spent 20 minutes speaking in Korean and 20 minutes in English, allowing everyone to practice their target language in a relaxed and supportive setting. Participants were grouped into breakout rooms, and after the first round, KAIST students rotated to new rooms to enable more interaction across groups.
The event was designed with three key goals in mind: to practice Korean and English in a natural and authentic setting, to deepen students’ understanding of the target language culture, and to make new friends in a supportive and enjoyable learning environment.
After the event, students in KORN 200 were invited to share their thoughts. Many responded positively, describing the exchange as both enjoyable and rewarding.
One student shared, “It was interesting speaking with people from across the world and learning about their daily lives, and how different their lives were from my own. I was initially quite nervous to speak with native Korean speakers, but they were very kind and patient, and I came out of the event feeling more comfortable with my language abilities.”
Another commented, “It was fun getting to know about a regular Korean student’s daily life and interests. It was also a mutually beneficial experience for both KAIST students and UBC students since we both got to practice our languages.”
We are grateful to all the students and instructors (Jeonghye Son and Eurie Shin from UBC and Cyril Reyes from KAIST) who helped make this event a meaningful experience. We look forward to holding more events where students can learn, connect, and grow together.
