For two weeks from February 20th, 2015 to March 9th, 30 first-year undergraduate students took part in the 20th START Program *. Led by Professor Nobuhito Yoshinaka (Graduate School of Social Sciences) and 3 other faculty members, the students went to Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.



To let the students feel the real atmosphere of studying abroad, the training at Flinders University was held on the main campus. For the English classes, the students were separated into 3 groups and taught by 3 teachers, and primarily studied expressions, pronunciation and vocabulary and the skills necessary to give a final presentation. Aside from taking special classes on Australia’s multicultural society, the students were able to take regular classes with other local students from Flinders University. The program was very wide-ranging and many hours were reserved for the introduction of Japanese culture, discussions with the host families and teachers, hearing investigations (interviewing local students and teachers on campus) for the final presentation. The students made the best use of what they learned and acted positively. At the beginning, some students said that the local English was spoken too fast, and that they could not communicate in English with local people properly. But they supported each other and their English abilities improved day by day, so that soon became able to communicate without problems.



The students also visited Kangaroo Island on a weekend. It was a precious opportunity to learn about Australian specific wild animals and to enjoy the great scenery, and it was one of those activities, the students had been looking forward to joining even before departure. They had a very profitable time feeling the unique natural beauty and diversifying and expanding their knowledge on Australia.



Finally, the students held a presentation in English, as a culmination of what they have learned in these two weeks of overseas study. They split up into 6 groups of 5 students each and reported about topics such as “culture”, “tourism and animals”, “education”, “ethnic groups”, “history and coexistence with other countries” or “environmental issues”. The contents included a large amount of information they got from the lessons they attended in Australia, from discussion with local students or through hearing investigations. The students also used expressions and gestures they were taught during the lessons and reported confidently.



As in past START programs, all of the students lived with different families during their stay in Australia. At the beginning, it was difficult for them to communicate with their host families and they were confused by the life style differences. But performing their daily activities, they gradually felt the warmth of their host families and succeeded in enjoying their stay. When the students went back to Japan and had to say goodbye to their host families, many of them were moved to tears, feeling very sad and grateful at the same time. For both parties, it was a precious and unforgettable experience.



The students had a short but meaningful time and they completed the whole program without illness or injury. At the end of the program some of them told about their future goals: “I want to continue studying English and strongly wish to come back to Australia” or : “As I would like to go for a long-term overseas study program and fulfill my dream, I will make more effort to study my major.”

An English lesson	Discussing with local students
Introducing Japanese culture to local students	Weekend trip to Kangaroo Island

* The START Program provides first year students who have little overseas experience the opportunity to attend lectures and see everyday-life at a foreign partner university in order to raise interest in international/cross-cultural activities and studying abroad. It was established in 2010 and by the end of the first semester of 2014, it has already been held 19 times. This time they had the 20th program. The Hiroshima University Fund financially supports part of the research expenses to lessen students’ economic burden and to give a broader population of students the opportunity to study abroad. The participants went to study abroad following a two-month training period before departure during which they attended 2 pre-lessons, group presentations and 8 study meetings mainly composed of students. Back in Japan, they had a follow-up session.

【Inquiries】

International Exchange Group,

Education and International Office,

Hiroshima University

TEL：082-424-4346

E-mail：kokusai-ryugaku(AT)office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp

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