First Tokyo Tech-MIT Japan Language Exchange Program held online

The Tokyo Tech-MIT Japan Language Exchange Program was organized for the first time from June to July 2020, with 17 students from MIT Japan and 18 students from Tokyo Tech participating. For some time, Tokyo Tech and MIT Japan have been conducting exchange programs such as the Tatara Steel Making Workshop in Japan since fiscal year 2017.

This summer, due to the travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19, many exchange events have been either canceled or postponed. Thus, in order to supplement face-to-face interaction between the two universities, new online activities were planned and organized.

In this virtual language exchange program, students from Tokyo Tech and MIT Japan were randomly matched, and 17 groups were created. The objectives were to 1) develop communication skills in a second language (English or Japanese), and 2) understand different cultures and ideas, and broaden perspectives through language exchange.

In early July, one month after the individual language exchange sessions, participants again gathered online for the final session. A movie digest compiling all of the movies by the 17 groups were shown, and each participant made a short comment in their second language. After voting, three prize-winning groups were selected. The winning themes were 1) sharing of traditional cooking recipes, 2) comparison of two folktales, and 3) differences in language structure.

Comments from voters included the following:

• "This group's video was the easiest to watch because the content was helpful for all of us and their explanation was concise."
• "The comparisons were interesting, and the video was easy to understand."
• "The movie took a very creative spin, making cooking tutorials and having a great music selection without overbearing the main audio. The exchange of menus was so interesting. I want to eat!"

At the end of the session, a certificate of completion was provided to each participant, along with the generous gifts from MIT Japan.

According to the feedback from participants, all students would recommend this activity to their friends. It was a good opportunity for them to learn from each other through an equal balance of "teach and learn." Even after the completion of the program, students from MIT and Tokyo Tech may meet online regularly and conduct language exchange. Many students commented that they enjoyed meeting new friends from other countries and exchanging ideas about the same topics in Japan and the US while practicing communication skills in a second language.

Organizers hope that this activity will continue between MIT and Tokyo Tech, and wish for a lasting friendship among participants in the first MIT-Tokyo Tech Language Exchange Program. Based on this first trial, it is hoped that this sort of activity will be further developed between MIT and Tokyo Tech.

Comments from participants

• "We made lots of efforts to make movies together and it helped to understand and help my partner. It was a good opportunity to practice speaking skills in a second language. Also, it was a good opportunity to learn about US culture."
• "I had a wonderful time with my partner! I had a lot of things to teach my partner when we talked about our topic, and vice versa."
• "It was a lot of fun! Once a week is a good timeline since there was usually enough to talk about."
• "This activity was helpful as it was in between formal courses and private activity, so it was a very relaxing event."
• "Through this program, my purpose to improve English, understand American culture, and make friends who can contact each other were all fulfilled. So it was a very good experience."
• "Although we needed to figure out issues about time differences, we managed to adjust the meeting times in the morning and evening."
• "We could decide the discussion topic on our own, and as we proceeded with the conversation, we were able to select a topic of mutual interest and develop a movie."
• "It was interesting to watch other groups' movies."
• "I may hesitate to join face-to-face international exchange events, but since this was held online, it was easy for me to join the activity. It was a very good, rare opportunity to meet students from MIT."
• "I really enjoyed this program. I made a new friend and talked about various things together. I learned not only English vocabulary and grammar but also different cultures and lifestyles. I became more interested in the US and MIT! Thank you for organizing this fantastic program."

Comments from instructors

• Tatara Steelmaking Workshop offers insights to Japanese culture | Tokyo Tech Global Stories
• Global Scientists and Engineers Course
• MIT - Japan Program

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This article has been updated on September 9.