The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) hosted an orientation for UG programmes to welcome over 240 new undergraduate students on 16thAugust, 2021 to help them adjust to life at UM.
At the Orientation, Professor Jie XU, Dean of FAH, led the session ‘First Lecture’ and welcomed the new students joining the University of Macau. Due to the current COVID-19 situation and social distancing measures, the ‘First Lecture’ was delivered online through Zoom instead. The event attracted over 80% participation among the freshmen.
Dean Xu introduced the faculty and explained the meaning of “Arts and Humanities”, focusing on the different learning experience that the students will be able to obtain from their four years of study. He also highlighted some key academic skills to help students better prepared for learning at university. He particularly pointed out some differences between high school and university, stressing that students need to adopt a series of learning strategies to make a smooth and successful transition to university.
After the first lecture, various departments conducted briefing sessions led by the undergraduate programme coordinators to prepare students for the new academic year at UM. Students were given in-depth information about study plan, rules and regulations, graduation requirements, etc. Students also had the opportunity to interact with staff members and ask questions.
The FAH Student Union and the UM Student Union introduced their respective associations at the end of the Orientation. Although students were not able to participate in the events in person, we could feel that they were very excited to become part of the UM big family.