2021 Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 61-70
This study examined the effectiveness of online programs offered by overseas partner universities as an alternative to study abroad programs that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus was on students’ learning outcomes in terms of their abilities and competences such as intercultural communicative competence, flexibility, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking skills that are expected to improve through study abroad. Japanese undergraduates majoring in the humanities and social sciences, who participated in online programs offered by universities in Ireland and Australia, were administered a BEVI-j test to evaluate the change in their competences from the program’s beginning to its end. The test results and the students’ monthly reports were used to verify their learning outcomes and processes and identify the program’s effectiveness in different contexts based on the students’ abilities and characteristics, including English proficiency, GPA, and basic competencies.
