UCC School of Law celebrates Dr Shaoming Zhu's success at the University Staff Recognition Awards

12 Oct 2023

Dr Shaoming Zhu received the 'Enhancing the Student Experience' Award at the event which was held on Tuesday 10th October. 

UCC School of Law is delighted to announce that Dr Shaoming Zhu has achieved success at the university’s Staff Recognition Awards.

Dr Zhu receieved the Award for Enhancing the Student Experience. Shaoming was nominated for this award through her Dissolving the False Learning and Cultural Boundaries for International Students at UCC Law Project. This Inclusive Project is designed to support international students to dissolve the knowledge gaps, language barriers and cultural differences that they may face while studying in Ireland.  

Commenting on the project, Dr Zhu said: 

''UCC has a student body of over 3,000 international students.Each year UCC welcomes students from more than 104 countries with high cultural, educational, and social expectations.

The Law School has a significant portion of international students as well. Our international students are eager to contribute to the UCC inclusive culture and they have a lot to offer regardless of while they are on campus or after they graduate.

However, some of them are subject to becoming a disadvantaged group due to knowledge gaps, language barriers, and cultural differences. This is epically true for the intentional law students who are not from a country with the common law system, as the teaching methods, terminology, judicial system, legal cultural, and even the fundamental law and governance values can all be very foreign to them.

Although our international students at law school have full and equal access to all the learning and platforms, the large gaps of legal education and mindset in different countries can limit their actual perception of these information and study materials, therefore putting them in a disadvantaged place.

I wanted to do something to enhance the experiences of these law students at UCC. This is how the project 'Dissolving the False Learning and Cultural Boundaries for International Students at UCC Law' came to life.

I am very grateful for the support provided by the 'Inclusive UCC Project' fundinand the many colleagues at the Law School and other departments across the University.

I hope to continue this project in the coming years and help more international students fully experience UCC School of Law.''