On 29th April 2022, Ms Thitiporn Chirasawadi, Director of the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA) presided over the closing ceremony of the Intensive Language Course (ILC). The 180-hour, 7-week course ran from 15th March - 29th April 2022. In total, there were 15 participants from various government agencies.

          During her closing remarks, Director Thitiporn congratulated the 15 participants and strongly urged all of them to continue practicing and making good use of their English language skills. Ms. Chirasawadi also remarked that practice would help boost their confidence and enable them to perform their duties better. She reminded the participants that in addition to language training, this course helped to create new bonds of friendship, and to expand their network of contacts in order to promote future cooperation amongst their organisations.

          The Intensive Language Course was designed with the main focus on developing practical English language and communication skills for government officials which could be applied in their workplaces. The training course provided both online and onsite learning. Online classroom training supported the continuity of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and was specially geared towards language inputs as well as group learning through activities using videos, quizzes and social media components. Whereas face-to-face classroom training offered opportunities for role-playing, communicative skills and collaborative activities. In addition, hybrid learning was used in classrooms so that the teachers could instruct both in-person and remote students at the same time through live-streaming. This learning approach enabled all participants to achieve the same learning outcomes and helped manage changes and unpredictable situations in the “new normal”.