Fall 2005 Canadian Education Expo & American Education Expo Summary Report

Introduction

This was the 10th Canadian Education Expo (CEE) and the 6th American Education Expo (AEE) hosted by the Oh Canada / Oh America Education Consulting Centers. In conjunction with the Fall 2005 CEE / AEE, Oh Canada / Oh America also hosted the third TESL Training Conference.

Event Review

Date & Venues:

October 22nd , Saturday
Taipei World Trade Center, Hall #1 11:00 ~ 18:00

October 23rd , Sunday
Taipei World Trade Center , Hall #1 11:00 ~ 17:30

October 24th , Monday
Kaohsiung National Science & Tech. Museum 14:00 ~ 20:00

October 25th , Tuesday
Taichung Feng Chia University 14:00 ~ 20:00

Host:

Oh America Education Consulting Center
Oh Canada Education Consulting Center

Sponsors:

Title Sponsors:

International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)
ETS (English Test Service)
Representative offices from the states of Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Maryland,
Idaho, Delaware, Louisiana, Florida, Montana, Vermont, and Hawaii.

Supporting Commercial Sponsors:

Air Canada , Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, Domino's Pizza

Participants: the 83 participants are listed below:

*American Schools

*Canadian Schools

Attendees: (numbers of registered visitors)

Taipei :           11,350
Kaohsiung:       2,200
Taichung :        1,150
Total:              14,700

Promotions:

Related Activities

* TESL Training Conference
* Seminars

TESL Training Conference

The Fall 2005 TESL Teacher Training Conference was the fourth conference hosted by the Oh Canada and Oh America Education Consulting Centers. This event is an opportunity for English teachers in Taiwan to share teaching experiences with and learn new skills from American and Canadian professionals in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL).

The Fall 2005 TESL Conference was held in conjunction with the Canadian and American Education Expos (CEE/AEE) in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. The first event took place in Taipei at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall#1 on October 22, 2005; the second event took place in Kaohsiung at the National Science and Technology Museum on October 24; and the third event was hosted at the Feng Chia University in Taichung on October 25.

Seminars

In order to provide a range of useful information to the public, the Oh Canada / Oh America Centers invited speakers to host 87 seminars during the four-day CEE/AEE. Presentation topics ranged from how to apply for American and Canadian visas, to tips on living, studying, and working in North America. Speakers included a Representative of ETS, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, a Consular Section of the American Institute in Taiwan, a Representative of the American Chamber of Commerce, Specialists in the field of Human Resources and the Senior Counselors from Oh Canada and Oh America.

Feedback from Participating Schools:

• Satisfaction level averaged: (5 = Excellent, 1= Poor)

Plan to attend the next fair: Yes ˇ56.76% ˇ No 2.70% ˇDepends (budget, result of this fair) 40.54%

Conclusions and Recommendations

The fall AEE/CEE was one of the most successful events hosted by Oh Canada and Oh America to date. However, to address the needs and concerns of participating schools, the following areas will be worked on to provide better results:

1. Better food service: always challenges when the venue does not provide decent catering services. Different options will be explored to provide better service.
2. Outreach to local schools was initiated by our center’s counselors this year with the “Adopt a School” program. This program should be expanded and greater outreach should be conducted. Also, participating schools should arrive prior to the event and participate in the outreach with our counselors to produce greater results.
3. Greater work must be conducted to assist students identify the types of programs available at the different schools. With the large number of students attending the event time must be spent more effectively on suitable students for the programs wanting to be promoted.
4. Further work must be conducted to develop the undergraduate and community college market in Taiwan.
5. The briefing materials for the fair and market intelligence will be posted on the web prior to the event so that delegates can have more time to familiarize themselves with the event and the needs of the Taiwanese students.
6. The TESL teacher training conference will be held once a year in the spring.
7. The timing of the event will be slightly modified. The event will start at 12:00 noon on Saturday and Sunday (rather than 11:00 am). The event will run from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Taichung and Kaohsiung.
8. To better assist delegates during the event, all booths will be provided with an assistant/translator. Meals will be provided to the assistants.
9. To coordinate domestic travel better, the event will go to Taichung after Taipei and then to Kaohsiung. Delegates will be able to fly internationally from Kaohsiung after the event, or return to Taipei with a group arranged by the organizers.
10. Greater effort will be made to simplify invoicing. All major costs will be included in the initial invoice and any additional incidental fees (copying, electrical outlet, extra meals) can be paid in cash at the event.
11. The main CEE/AEE web site is being redesigned for easier use and better aesthetic presentation.