(Kurita)Hello. This week, the topic for “Interactive Teaching” is “Let’s learn about Active Learning”. In this session, we would like to talk about the status of Active Learning. Today, we have invited Mr. Hideo Narita from Kawai-Juku Educational Institute (Department of Education Research) who is also a board member of the Japanese Association of First-Year Experience at Universities and Colleges. Thank you for your cooperation. Before getting into the main topic, I would like to clarify the week’s goal and today’s objective. The overall goal for this week is “to promote a better understanding of Active Learning”. The specific objective for today is “be[ing] able to explain the present situation of Active Learning”. Here is the table of contents. Let’s look at these five contents in order. The first is the background of the survey on Active Learning carried out by Kawai-Juku. Next are the features found in the status of implementation of Active Learning and how much it has been considered effective, as well as the future prospects. Mr. Narita, would you please tell us about the background of the survey conducted by Kawai-Juku on the status of implementation of Active Learning at universities? (Narita)OK. I would like to talk about why Kawai-Juku carried out this kind of survey. One reason is that we wanted to know how universities are coping with the changes in the skills required in our rapidly changing society. The other reason is that we wanted to conduct a survey from a critical viewpoint on whether it is appropriate to see universities only by the deviation value of academic ability oriented to entrance examination taking in this rapidly changing society. What specifically are the skills required in society? To make it easy to understand, I would like to give you two examples. The first type of skills comprises the basic skills for working adults, a concept advocated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). It is classified into three skills: skills to step forward, skills to think out, and skills to work in teams. Skills to step forward are those needed by people to get involved actively without waiting for directions. Skills to think out are needed for individuals to really think by oneself and solve a problem without simply following a manual. Skills to work in teams are those needed to cooperate with others when faced with the need to figure out problems, without being a lone wolf. These kinds of skills are needed in society. The other examples are the bachelor’s competences advocated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). They are the skills that need to be acquired within four years before graduating from university and are often called generic skills, which include communication, problem-solving, self-control, and leadership skills. Especially, communication skills and skills to work in teams are difficult to acquire in one-way, unilateral classes. We need classes using the methods of Active Learning to impart these skills to students. It is true that we need technical education in universities, but we also need additional education for the skills that students need to go out into the world. I think that will be the important point. Now, let’s go on to the classes using the methods of Active Learning. Dr. Kurita must have already given you several definitions of the term. I would like to think of Active Learning by dividing this concept into two. One is the Active Learning used in the settings of technical knowledge; in other words, Active Learning for knowledge acquisition. It is based on the idea that it is better for students to understand technical knowledge through activities with others than from only listening to one-sided lectures. The other one is the Active Learning for problem-solving skills. Here I mean the skills for solving practical problems and writing graduation theses, which require higher-order thinking, and are beyond simple knowledge acquisition. The Active Learning in the settings of first-year experience programs is also needed. There is a Japanese Association of First-Year Experience at Universities and Colleges, as introduced a while ago. Students need to learn actively in their transition from senior high school to undergraduate program. There are methods of Active Learning for academic and research skills, such as investigating, thinking, and organizing presentations. The knowledge required here does not have to be technical. It can be general or practical knowledge, and that’s why we conducted a survey on the status of Active Learning by it dividing into these three categories. (Kurita)Please keep these three categories in mind. Now, let’s listen to the explanation of the characteristics seen in the status of Active Learning. (Narita)The graph on the screen may be too small, so please look at it in your handouts. It shows the percentage (converted to points) of humanities students registered in classes in the styles of seminar and problem solving, from first year to fourth year. The results differ slightly according to field. What is notable is that many of the students are involved in classes on learning how to study at universities in their first year, and they are involved again after they start to major in their special fields. However, in spite of their involvement in the first year, the percentage (converted to points) suddenly plummet in the second year, and that is a problem. First-year experience programs apply several methods of Active Learning, which helps first-year students develop their styles of learning on their own. For example, group works are used to develop communication skills, given that it is impossible for students to develop such skills by learning alone. This survey is conducted with a three-point scale: used in every class, used in half of the classes, and used sometimes. The results showed that group works are frequently used in the fields of sociology/international studies, education, and biology. Debates are used for promoting a better understanding of concepts when students need to solve problems through group discussion. In fieldwork, students proceed to a site and investigate various kinds of things. Students deliver presentations on what they have done, thought over, and gained using problem solving. Presentations seem to be used in most fields. It is highly important to not only get involved in activities but also reflect on what kinds of skills are developed through those activities. Reflection is applied in half of all the classes. The last category shows extracurricular study. It relates to how students learn, by themselves outside of the class time, things they need in addition to what they have learned during class time. It is also an important component of Active Learning. We conducted a survey on all these categories. I would like you to refer to the book we have put together on the results, for more details, but here I have selected some points on where differences between students of science and humanities can be seen. These columns are on business administration and law as the representative humanities fields. We added up the points for the whole four years. Compared with the science fields, Active Learning methods are less used in the humanities. They are more used in science areas, such as in mechanics and electrical engineering/electronics. A closer look shows that group works, reflection, and extracurricular study are used more in science fields. (Kurita)As such, the percentage falls in the second year, and Active Learning methods are more used in the sciences than the humanities. (Narita)Yes. (Kurita)Let’s proceed to the effectiveness of Active Learning methods. (Narita)Effectiveness differs across universities. Differences exist, although Active Learning has been increasingly introduced to classes. I think only a few universities have not implemented Active Learning. Thus, presently, Active Learning has been in the midst of implementation. Some of the preceding cases have been highly successful. I would like to introduce one of the many successful cases, which was conducted at the College of Business, Rikkyo University. There is a program called “Business Leadership Program,” aimed at realizing the leadership of all members without anyone being in a position of authority. What is interesting about this program is that it is well organized from the first year to the third year. Project-based problem solving is set up in the first semester of each year. Students deal with problems given by corporations in the first semester, and then they study in the second semester concerning their lack of abilities, identified through problem solving. I think it is well organized. (Kurita)Thank you. To reiterate, the effectiveness has not been confirmed, and Active Learning has been in the midst of implementation. Would you tell us briefly about its future prospects? (Narita)OK. As for future prospects, it is true that designing Active Learning for one class is important, but that is not enough. These days, there are two policies for universities. One is admission policy: a policy concerning what kind of students a university wants to admit. The other is diploma policy: a policy concerning what kind of skills a university wants their students to acquire before graduation. A curriculum must be designed based on the design of the admission and diploma policies, and all subjects must be placed properly in the curriculum. Some classes are for knowledge acquisition, and others for communication skills. The implementation of Active Learning is not an issue of installing it into a single class. The entire design of a curriculum needs to be considered. In that sense, plan, do, check, and action, or PDCA, are what we need at this moment. (Kurita)At this point, we’d like to wrap up the session. First, Active Learning is needed to develop the skills required in society. (Narita)Yes, it is. (Kurita)Active Learning has been in the midst of implementation, and its effectiveness has yet to be confirmed. (Narita)Yes. (Kurita)Designing Active Learning that fits with the entire course is the key. It is important not to merely throw Active Learning into a class but to place it properly in a curriculum. (Narita)It means that this course will be effective in that sense. (Kurita)OK, that’s all for this session. Thank you.
