THE CURRICULUM DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A STUDYABROAD PROGRAM FOR ESP STUDENTS

Abstract

The current paper reports on a case of the design and evaluation processes of a short-term study-abroad program (STSAP) that was held in 2019 in Hong Kong for Kanagawa Dental University (KDU) students. At the design stage, a multi-module system was adopted in order to meet a wide variety of needs of the participant students and help them develop (1) their English proficiency, (2) disciplinary (= dentistry) knowledge/skills, and (3) social/intercultural competence. The evaluation involved different types of data sources, in order to describe complex dimensions of the STSAP. The triangulation of the data gathered revealed that the participant students were overall satisfied with the multiple-module structure of the KDU STSAP curriculum. On the other hand, the affective and interpersonal dimensions of collaborative learning emerged as an issue that deserves attention and consideration for the development and re-designing of the KDU STSAP. It is suggested that the designer and coordinator should pay full attention to students’ skills and resources for collaborating and managing their own learning in an unfamiliar environment.