Understanding Study Abroad Programs
Unit Assessment

Submitted by Noriko Fujiokaito

Objectives:

Content:
Students will...

• identify advantages of language learning in the targetted language speaking country and the system of exhcnage programs (e.g., awards of scholarships, and credit transfer).

Cultural:
Students will...

• identify culturally different aspects of human relationships with professors and friends in Japanese universities.
• learn how students can adjust themselves in a different culture and how culture shocks should be solved.

Language: Content Obligatory
Students will...

• use the conditional forms, vocabulary related to academic life, and new idiomatic expressions which were learned in the previous lessons.

Language: Content Compatible
Students will...

• use an appropriate speech style (e.g., plain forms vs. polite forms), which is suitable for each students' TV commercial.

Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will...

• develop organizational skills to summarize the obtained information and their opinions in a short period of time during producing TVcommercials.

Time Frame:

Two 50-minute class sessions and 1-2 hour homework assignment

Materials Needed:

Videotape

TV Commercials for Japanese Classrooms 2002: The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute

Video camera and tape

Description of Assessment (Performance Project):

Introduction:

 

This assessment unit consists of one class session as a preparation for making a TV commercial and another class session which has students present their TV commercials.  On Day 1, students are exposed to Japanese TV commercials and learn how effective it is to use colloquial speech/plain forms in the images, music, and sound effects which infer or speculate about the meaning.  The selection of props and music and practice of presentation are done as a homework assignment.  On Day 2, each student presents their TV commercial which will be videotaped and evaluated using the rubric.

Day 1

Pre-task:

1. As a preparation for the Unit Assessment, students view short clips of Japanese TV commercials (no more than ten segments) to learn how they can effectively use the colloquial speech/plain forms, the images, music, and sound effects in the commercials they are going to produce to their target audience, who are college students learning Japanese in the US .  After viewing each segment, students discuss what commercial it is and why it is attractive.
2. Students start to have their ideas of TV commercials they are going to produce through brain-storming with their classmates.  The teacher distributes the TV commercial presentation rubric (Attachment), which consists of five criteria--1) Organization of expressing opinions, 2) Accuracy of content information, 3) Delivery of knowledge, 4) Presentation style, and 5) Accuracy of language use--and explains how their products will be evaluated.

[Homework]

 

Selecting the images, music, and sound effects, which can be incorporated with verbal messages in their commercials, students plan and rehearse their presentations.

 

Day 2

 

During-task:

 

Each student presents his or her TV commercial using visual aids (and/or music/sound effects).  All TV commercials are videotaped by the teacher.  Two native speakers of Japanese evaluate the students TV commercial projects while watching the live commercials (the evaluation sheet [Attachment] was given to the evaluators beforehand, so that they can be familiar with the rubric).  The teacher fills out the evaluation sheets while watching the videotape after class, without looking at two other evaluators' scores. 

 Post-task:

Students discuss what they have learned through this project regarding study abroad programs and cultural aspects of college life and the society in Japan.

Assessment:

The second summative evaluation/final assessment is conducted by videotaping each student’s TV commercial project whose purpose is to promote study abroad programs.  The products of TV commercials should be compiled all findings through research and interviews into in a short period of time.  Each TV commercial is evaluated by using the TV commercial presentation rubric (Attachment), which consists of five criteria—1) Organization, 2) Accuracy of information, 3) Presentation style, 4) Accuracy of language use, and 5) Knowledge.  In order to establish the reliability of this assessment, two native-speakers of Japanese and the instructor evaluate each TV commercial project.  After summing up the scores, students who receive the first to the third highest scores are awarded prizes.

References and Resources:

Attachments:

TV Commercial Presentation Rubric

A Lesson from the CoBaLTT Project
/cobaltt
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition
University of Minnesota