Exploring the Suitability of an English for Health Sciences Program: Model and Report of a Self-Evaluation Process

Abstract

To reference this article in APA style / Para citar este artículo en APA / Para citar este artigo Ferrer, E. & Pérez, Y. (2017). Exploring the suitability of an english for health sciences program: model and report of a self-evaluation process. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 10(1), 17-48. doi:10.5294/laclil.2017.10.1.2 18Exploring the Suitability of an English for Health Sciences Program: Model and Report of a Self-Evaluation Process UNIVERSIDAD DE LA SABANA DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES ABSTRACT. Program evaluation is a process of carefully collecting information in order to make informed decisions to strengthen specific components of a given program. The type of evaluation an institution decides to undertake depends on the purpose as well as on the information the institution wants to find out about its program. Self-evaluation represents a tool that institutions can rely on to follow up on the quality and pertinence of their programs. This tool can provide important information in relation to the relevance of outcomes, content, methodology, materials, and assessment along with the perceptions of the program from stakeholders such as students, teachers, and administrators. The results of a self-evaluation can guide the decision-making process in an institution to strengthen each of the components of a set curriculum. This paper presents the self-evaluation process conducted by an English for Health Sciences program to determine the suitability of the curriculum in place. It first presents models through which a program can self-evaluate. Then, it elaborates on the model chosen and the steps followed in the self-evaluation process of the English for Health Sciences Program as well as the results obtained from the experience and the subsequent adjustments made to the program. The readers may use this experience as a point of reference to implement a similar process in their own contexts. Keywords: Evaluation; program self-evaluation; self-evaluation models; CBI; curriculum.RESUMEN. La evaluación de programas consiste en un proceso en el cual se recoge cuidadosamente información con el fin de tomar decisiones informadas tendientes a fortalecer componentes específicos de un programa dado. La clase de evaluación que una institución decide llevar a cabo depende tanto del propósito como de la información que la institución desee averiguar sobre su programa. La autoevaluación representa una herramienta en la que pueden confiar las instituciones para determinar la calidad y pertinencia de sus programas. Tal herramienta puede suministrar información importante relacionada con la relevancia de los resultados, el contenido, la metodología, los materiales y la evaluación, junto con las percepciones que sobre el programa tengan las partes interesadas, como estudiantes, profesores y personal administrativo. Los resultados de la autoevaluación pueden orientar el proceso de toma de decisiones en una institución, con el fin de fortalecer cada uno de los componentes de un ...

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