Online "Study-Abroad" Summer Programs Offered

To foster medical professionals with a global perspective, Showa University organizes study-abroad programs for students during the summer vacation. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, two online “study-abroad” programs were offered this summer – Portland State University (PSU) Online Summer Program and the Tokyo Global Gateway (TGG) 国内グローバル体験 Program.

PSU Summer Program

The PSU Online Summer Program lasted 5 days, and 10 students participated. Before the program, students participated in 3 days of training through the International Exchange Center, where they learned about Portland, studied about how to introduce themselves and “speak their mind” in English, and built rapport with each other.
During the 5-day program, students studied conversational and medical English, interacted with PSU students and students from a nearby comprehensive medical university, and learned about Portland’s various SDG initiatives using a local homeless shelter as an example. On the final day, students demonstrated their increased skill and confidence in speaking English through wonderful PowerPoint presentations or role-playing skits.

TGG国内グローバル体験 Program

Due to the COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo, the 10 participants couldn’t visit TGG in Odaiba, so instead it was modified to an online program. This program included 4 online speaking lessons with an English-speaking staff from TGG, and 10 online logical speaking lessons with an instructor from the Philippines.
Since group work was eliminated, the International Exchange Center held four support online meetings during the program that focused on students introducing themselves, sharing information on learning tips, playing games in English, and forming rapport with each other. At the completion ceremony, students spoke glowingly of their new-found confidence in speaking English thanks to this program.