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The needs analysis revealed that the instructors and stakeholders were pleased with the
2013 Osaka University Biomedical English Program curriculum design. The focus of our 2014
design is to enhance some of the features from the previous program in order to provide more
opportunities for learner output production, interaction with field-related experts, and to target
specific concerns that the students expressed in the 2013 post-course evaluation. The primary
teaching and learning philosophy that encompasses our design is found upon a Sociolinguistic
approach. This approach is best described as the view that language learning is socially
constructed or is dependent on face-to-face interaction and shared processes such as joint
problem-solving and discussion, with experts and also with peers (Mitchell, Myles, & Marsden,
2013, p. 222). Therefore, it is the foundation of our design that students will have the opportunity
for interaction with instructors, peers, and experts in their fields.
The Osaka University Biomedical English Program course is an English for specific
purposes program, with the participants learning reflected in their ultimate goals to participate in
and give presentations at English language, international biomedical conferences. Thus, the
umbrella of the curriculum is a content-based instructional approach (CBI). CBI is a method that
promotes comprehensible input and output through task-based interaction using authentic
material for academic and real-world language use within a positive and cooperative learning
environment (Jourdenais & Shaw, 2005). The students will receive authentic input relevant to
biomedical research by viewing TED Talks (i.e., internet-based video presentations that cover a
wide range of professional topics). The use of authentic materials is a criterion for CBI because
they will increase both linguistic skills and learner motivation (Jourdenais & Shaw, 2005). The
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students are already well-versed in their fields within biomedicine, so a curriculum that includes
the use of TED Talks will activate the students schemata, thus increasing their linguistic
competence by way of language awareness and negotiation of meaning. Swaffer (1985) explains
that by using authentic text in context with the students prior knowledge, the students schemata
will not only be challenged but their vocabulary and grammatical competence can increase.
Another benefit of using the TED Talks will be the increase of motivation that the
students will experience. Swaffer (1985) also explains that the use of authentic materials aid in
the promotion of motivation and interest for learning. The Oaska students already have a high
level of interest in the program, but one of our design goals is to make sure the students do not
lose interest or become bored, as we believe maintaining a high level of interest is a key to
learning. Cook (2013) asserts that L2 learners do better in their language acquisition when they
are motivated and that instrumental motivation takes place when the students identify with the
target culture and people in some sensefor a career goal or other practical reason (pp. 136-
137).
To further both motivation and interactional input and output, the design features site
trips to medical labs and facilities where the students will be able to interact with professionals in
their fields. It is our hope that the interactions will also stimulate negotiation for meaning as the
students will be able to ask and answer questions. Long (1996) claims that through the process of
topic clarification, or in this case, a question and answer format, language acquisition will occur.
For the final project of the course, the students will give a presentation in each of their
areas of expertise. This project design feature is intended to promote professional confidence and
to increase motivation. Dornyei (2009) explains that motivation is linked to the ideal-self or
future-self. The ideal-self is an image of what the learner envisions for himself or herself, which
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subsequently promotes motivation. In this case, the students will simulate the future experience
of presenting their topics in a professional presentation. The students will give their presentations
for an audience of their peers and MIIS graduate students in the Teaching of English to Speakers
Other Languages (TESOL) and Teaching a Foreign Language (TFL) in a principles and practices
class at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The presenters will have the opportunity
to demonstrate their language abilities and to receive feedback from their instructors, peers and
student audience. We believe that the presentations will be a valuable experience for the students
as they will be able to gain confidence and detailed feedback from several sources. Long (1996)
asserts that the inclusion of feedback in the design provides the learners with evidence to help
them notice their errors and promote their language development.
We have incorporated elements of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into
our curriculum design. For instance, the diagnostic assessment tool for our curriculum is an
Internet-based test (iBT). According to Roever (2001), Internet-based testing (iBT) has certain
advantages over traditional paper-based tests, namely flexibility over time and space. For
example, the incoming program participants are able to take the test anywhere at any time
without having to go to a specific site to take the test. The test is meant to diagnose their
listening, speaking, and writing skills, so another advantage of iBT is that participants not only
hear the same, unchanged recordings for listening comprehension instead of listening to a test
administrator speak to them in person, but they are also able to record their voices.
The second aspect of CALL that we have incorporated into our curriculum is a learning
module that takes place in MIISs Digital Learning Commons (DLC) during the final two weeks
of the program. During the one-hour module for two days each week, participants will utilize the
computer resources available in the DLC in order to complete their digital visual aids for their
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final presentations as well as create informational brochures for next years program participants.
Participants will have access to resources and instruction from the DLC staff, thereby increasing
their oral fluency for the purposes of communication.
The third CALL component in the curriculum will take place during the two-day
pronunciation module that will occur during the second week of the program. During the
module, participants will be able to utilize computer-assisted voice recording and voice mapping
technology so that they can observe intonational patterns of not only native English speakers, but
also their own speech. Higgins (1995) notes that CALL has been particularly beneficial for
speaking practice. For instance, the voice mapping software that will be used in the module is
important for the participants better understanding of their own speech patterns, thereby making
them more aware of how English is spoken and how they can better improve their speech.
Additionally, the participants can download the software and practice their intonation patterns
well after the program has ended, and thus are enabled to become more autonomous and self-
aware learners as a result.
Another key component of the design is the incorporation of service learning. The
experiences gained through service and the content covered in the classroom are interconnected
and enrich one another, while simultaneously supporting a defined community need (Roosevelt
University, 2005). The Digital Learning Commons module was adapted to support program
participant presentations as well as provide the service experience. The project will identify a
need in the participants community, involve target language output in the final product, and also
provide opportunities for students to meaningfully reflect on their experiences in the program as
well as their participation in their learning community.
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Students will be asked to design a brochure, or informational pamphlet, for the following
years program participants. The brochure will function as a guide for the future participants to
get the most out of their experience in Monterey and also maximize their language learning. The
designers of the brochure will draw directly from their personal experiences through reflection
and discussion to determine what information will benefit incoming program participants. The
final product not only supports the incoming students who will be in a strange country, engaged
in an intensive, discipline-specific language program, but will also help smooth the transition
into the program and ideally increase learner experiences.
Additionally, producers of the brochure will use their written English for a less formal
register and hopefully for a fun purpose. Based on our needs assessment, we concluded that most
of the 2013 program participants had practice writing English but mostly in academic registers.
Thus, students will gain skills and enrich their educational environment through this service
project.











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References
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Green, P. (2005). Service learning: A guide to course implementation. Proceedings of the
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