These instructional goals have lead both Yamashiro and Sakano to redefine their roles and those of their students. She approaches students as equals with opinions and ideas to express. To fit the exigencies of the global issues EFL class, Yamashiro and Sakano supplement traditional evaluation methods with an intricate process of feedback, negotiation, and reflection that benefits instructors as much as students. Students give feedback to instructors on their teaching and the classes and reflect on themselves in journals, speeches, and oral diaries. They give more formal comments on questionnaires and other instruments throughout the year and after any major projects.
Students also give each other feedback on their presentations.
On the other hand, students at Keio SFC still receive traditional grades, and instructors accordingly base grades on quizzes, tests, presentations, and classroom participation, including attitude. But even here students are encouraged to negotiate with the instructor or devise their own criteria for evaluating an activity such as a speech. Although both Sakano and Yamashiro feel confident that their students are improving their general English ability more than they would with other approaches, they regret the absence of an objective measure of comparison with competing curricula. Such an instrument could further strengthen the argument for formalizing the inclusion of global issues in English classes, especially in the eyes of administrators. In addition to developing their own instrument, Sakano and Yamashiro are considering standardized, commercially available English tests which contain a speaking component.