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

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.