Evaluating the effectiveness of an online pre-sessional course for Japanese and international university students

This study explores the role of an online pre-sessional program in preparing students to matriculate into an English-medium bachelor’s program at a Japanese university. The study covers two program sessions, the first of which consisted primarily of international students, and the second comprised mainly of graduates of Japanese high schools. To accommodate the wide range of students from both Japan and abroad, the instructors aimed to design a program that would introduce participants to the learner-centred, interdisciplinary curriculum of the bachelor’s program, encourage the development of learner autonomy regarding language study and personal academic goals, and generally ease the transition to an English-medium curriculum. Assessment of the pre-sessional program is based on the first two sessions and includes both quantitative data (usage data drawn from the online platform and questionnaires issued at the end of each pre-sessional program), and qualitative feedback gathered through opened-ended comments on the questionnaires and focus group discussions held during the first or second semester after matriculation. Results highlight gaps between instructor goals and student expectations, as well as distinctly different patterns of participation that emerged in the two sessions, despite nearly identical content.