Concept
Further improving the quality of liberal arts education
We provide comprehensive support to help faculty to manage classes more effectively through the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Daily consideration is given to what kind of support instructors need to help them manage their classes. By helping faculty improve their IT skills and their classes, we are able to further enhance the quality of the education that we offer.
Progress
We are expanding the breadth of the teaching support we offer.
To assist faculty who teach specialized courses in English but who are not native English speakers, in the 2016 academic year, we launched a program in which these faculty are sent to attend an English Medium Instruction (EMI) training program to learn about specific innovative methods for teaching in English. In the 2018 academic year, the EMI training program was held twice (in August and March) at ICU, and we welcomed faculty from other universities as well as ICU faculty. Since the 2019 academic year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have arranged for faculty to attend EMI training programs online.
In terms of helping faculty to improve their IT skills and classes, we have expanded our workshops for faculty and enhanced our provision of individual support to facilitate so-called flipped classes, in which faculty upload videos they have created in advance so that more class time can be devoted to discussion and other active learning activities. The workshops have covered the recording environment and methods that can be used in such classes. In addition, we have also conducted workshops on how to use learning management systems (LMSs) and, by sharing resources and videos using a range of media, we have endeavored to achieve efficient class management and the improvement of education quality. As a result, when we were forced to hold classes online due to COVID-19, we were able to provide teaching support by using as a basis the support systems that had already been established. In 2022, most classes have returned to face-to-face teaching. We are expanding our support to encourage the use of ICT in not only online classes but also face-to-face classes to enable faculty to further enhance their teaching.
In the 2021 academic year, as part of the Faculty Development Program, the Top Global University Project Office held interactive online discussion sessions on "Best Practices in Education," jointly with the Center for Teaching and Learning. The sessions were attended by many from both within and outside our institution.