English Through Cinema,” a recent online course presented by the American University of Sharjah (AUS) Achievement Academy, offered an exciting and innovative learning experience and proved a big hit with high school students from the UAE and beyond.

Over 50 students from more than 12 different countries applied for the free coeducational course. Using movie clips and authentic cinema-related materials, the course provided an attractive and interactive introduction to university-level academic English. As well as working on improving their academic reading and writing skills, the participants learned how to make effective, fluent presentations in English. They also learned how these skills could help them prepare for exams such as the IELTS and TOEFL and for their future university studies.

The teaching team included Dr. Paul Hudson and Diala Awwad, along with Krystie Wills, all senior instructors at the Achievement Academy. At the end of the week-long course, students gave presentations implementing what they had learned from the course and received practical feedback.

Mahmoud Alasadi, a student of Al Nahda National Private School, Abu Dhabi, said:

“I have taken debate classes for around two years. In this summer course, I learned everything in three days that I was taught in two years in my debate classes. This course was really beneficial, especially for the transition from high school to university.”

The course aimed not only to enable high school students to improve their English language skills in a fun and meaningful way, but also to help prepare them for the transition from high school to university.

Rashid Al Suwaidi, a student at the American School of Creative Science in Sharjah, said:

“This course has been perfect, from the choice of educators, to the learning process, and the improvement of our English skills. I would like to thank the amazing educators that have passed us the knowledge in a fun and interesting way.”

Speaking about the course, Jessica March, Director of the Achievement Academy at AUS, said:

“I have been so impressed by the enthusiasm of these students in using their holidays in such a productive way to build their skills. It shows that they are thinking very proactively about the next steps in their academic journeys. Our goal through this course was to engage students in developing their language skills through their love of film. Having received such positive feedback from the students, the Achievement Academy plans to hold similar courses in the future.”