Culture Shaka HI: A Hawai‘i Culture Shock Workshop App

Twenty-three percent of freshmen students at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) drop out after their first year in college. One of the biggest factors is their inability to adjust to Hawai‘i culture. Currently, there is no culture shock resource specifically for new students that can help them cope with their move in Hawai‘i. More urgent admission processes are discussed during mandatory new student orientations such as course registration, housing, health insurance, visa, and so on, so that culture shock awareness is often overlooked. About 33% of the UHM student population consist of out-of-state students which validated the need for a mobile culture shock resource.

Culture Shaka HI is an instructional mobile application designed to address the culture shock that many new international and U.S. mainland students experience at UHM. It’s purpose was to provide learners with the knowledge they need to learn basic Hawaiian customs and to overcome the culture shock phase of moving to Hawai‘i. This session will discuss the instructional goals, objectives, strategies, and results for Culture Shaka HI’s instructional design modules and implementation. The project was designed and tested using peer evaluations, three one-on-one interviews, and two group sessions. The goal was to increase the target audience’s motivation to tackle, understand, and cope with some of their culture shock experiences. After completing Culture Shaka HI, it appears that the modules were successful in helping students become better achieve the project’s terminal objective. This session will discuss the successes and data results of the project.