50 Years of the Japan-Mexico Exchange Program : Assessing the Long-term Impact Through Alumni Association Activity

This research note uses a comparative analysis of two alumni association publications to assess the long-term impact of participation in the Japan-Mexico Exchange Program. It uses assessment criteria of portability, dependability and sustainability for evaluating learning outcomes developed by Naomi Miyake and adapts it to the context of this exchange program that has run almost continuously since 1971. The analysis of articles and features in the publications reveals that interests and activities of alumni reflect the fulfillment of the three criteria, but with some important differences that likely correlate to the different goals of the program on the Mexican and Japanese sides. This research note suggests a simple comparative methodology that can be used to assess the impact of participation in the absence of other assessment tools.