Social / regional cooperation Facilities/Research Laboratories
Higher Education Research and Development Center
Role of the Higher Education Research and Development Center
As higher education becomes more universal, students' learning objectives, academic abilities, and motivations are rapidly diversifying. In this situation, it is important to promote a smooth transition for students from high school to university. Therefore, our university places emphasis on education in the "first year" (the first year of university life), which is an important "transitional period" for students, and implements a variety of educational programs to promote a smooth transition from high school to university.
Furthermore, with changes in society, universities are now being asked to ensure that their four-year education maintains the educational content and quality worthy of awarding a bachelor's degree. This calls for efforts to design education and effectively utilize media. Aiming to improve education and enhance its quality, our university conducts academic and empirical research and designs and develops educational programs based on that research.
Activities of the Center
The Center consists of six divisions: Educational Development, First-Year Education, ICT Education, Liberal Arts Education, Foreign Language Education, and Materials Development. The Educational Development Division conducts research on quality assurance in undergraduate education, develops educational programs, and establishes standards and methodologies for evaluating and improving educational quality. The First-Year Education Division conducts research on "first-year education" to facilitate students' smooth transition from high school to university, and develops and manages educational programs. The ICT Education Division conducts research and development on ICT-based education, and develops a data science curriculum with the aim of improving problem-solving skills. The Liberal Arts Education and Foreign Language Education Divisions set university-wide basic education goals and consider their content, teaching methods, and management and implementation methods. In particular, in foreign language education, we develop educational programs aimed at improving communication skills, intercultural understanding, and building academic foundations. The Materials Development Division, which will be established in 6, aims to develop effective teaching materials through support and instruction in the creation of on-demand teaching materials.
In addition, the center holds a five-day PD (Professional Development) program a year where faculty and staff from the three campuses of Kobe Yamate, Amagasaki, and Miki gather together. (SD), etc., and is a collective term for organizational efforts aimed at the professional development of faculty and staff).The contents are: integration of subjects based on "semester theme", promotion of active learning, improvement of syllabus, use of rubrics, enrichment of e-portfolio, analysis of various data, sharing of excellent teaching practices, advanced overseas It covers a wide range of fields, from learning through systematic initiatives to enriching off-campus programs.Although it is a training session for faculty and staff members, it is also noteworthy that students are encouraged to participate every time.
ス タ ッ フ
| Director of Higher Education Research and Development Center | Kazumi Uemura (Professor, Faculty of Business Administration) |
|---|---|
| Head of Education Development Division | Yoshiyuki Mukuta (Associate Professor, Faculty of Education) |
| Head of First Year Education | Ayuko Tanaka (Associate Professor, Faculty of Psychology) |
| Head of ICT Education Department | Shika Akira (Professor, Faculty of Sociology) |
| Head of Liberal Arts Education Department | Kazuya Taniguchi (Associate Professor, Faculty of Education) |
| Head of Foreign Language Education Department | Masahiko Yokoyama (Professor, Faculty of International Communication) |
| Head of Teaching Materials Development Department *Newly established from fiscal year 2025 |
Yoshitaka Fukuda (Attached to the Center for Research and Development of Higher Education) |
History of the center
| September, 1998 | At the same time as the opening of the university, the Institute of Higher Education was established. |
|---|---|
| September, 1999 | As the first first-year educational program at our university, we offer ``lecture strategies'' and ``note-taking methods'' as short programs at the Learning Support Center. |
| September, 2000 | Based on "lecture strategies" and "note-taking methods", "Learning Techniques" is offered as a general education subject. |
| September, 2002 | Kuroshio Publishing publishes a textbook on learning techniques, Steps to Knowledge.In the same year, it ranked 13th in sales among university co-ops nationwide. |
| September, 2004 | Opened Higher Education Development Center. |
| September, 2004 | Adopted for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Distinguished University Education Support Program" for "University Universalization and Learning Support Efforts". |
| September, 2004 | Opened the first-year education research and development center. |
| September, 2005 | University-wide course "Career Planning" opened. |
| September, 2006 | The textbook "Knowledge Workbook" is published by Kuroshio Publishing. Received the Writing Award from the Japan Creativity Society. |
| September, 2006 | Adopted for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Distinguished University Education Support Program" for "integration of first-year education and development into bachelor's course education". |
| September, 2008 | The Higher Education Development Center and First Year Education Research and Development Center will be integrated into the Higher Education Research and Development Center. |
| September, 2009 | "Work and Career Formation I" and "Work and Career Formation II" are newly offered. |
| September, 2009 | Adopted for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Student Support Promotion Program" for "multilayered support to invite you to job hunting without delay". |
| September, 2011 | A Career Education Department will be established in the Higher Education Research and Development Center. The text "Career design to make your dreams come true" is published by Kuroshio Publishing. |
| September, 2012 | "Career Planning" was developed and dissolved, and "First Year Seminar" was newly opened. |
| September, 2012 | Selected for the 24 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's 3 Inter-University Collaborative Education Promotion Project (three years), and started as an initiative under the jurisdiction of the Research and Development Center for Higher Education. |
| September, 2014 | Make the Career Education Division independent as the Career Education Committee. |
| September, 2015 | Selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Acceleration Program for University Education Rebuilding (AP) as a composite type of theme I (active learning) + theme II (visualization of learning outcomes), and established the Faculty of Human Sciences. Started the initiative as the center. |
| September, 2015 | Start university-wide efforts to integrate courses based on the "semester theme." |
| September, 2016 | Start the “Learning Route Map” initiative throughout the university. |
| September, 2018 | Implementation of arrival confirmation test. |
| September, 2018 | In addition to setting up a media education department in the Center for Higher Education Research and Development, we will launch a teacher support site with the aim of having knowledge of instructional design (ID) and effective use of ICT used in course design. A university-wide “learning flow chart” initiative will be started toward a five-faculty, five-department system. |
Contents of this university PD workshop
2024
Annual theme: "How to deal with diversity that faculty and staff should understand"
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
Monday, August 8th/ 27th (Tue) |
Amagasaki | ●Theme: "Student support in higher education institutions: Reconsidering what reasonable accommodation means and to what extent?" (Professor Takaki Funakoshi, Associate Professor, Human Empowerment Promotion Bureau, University of Tsukuba) ● Sharing understanding and identifying issues regarding the increasing number of international students Progress of liberal arts education reform ● Sharing understanding (Explanation of our university's educational reform efforts) ● Strategic introduction of online and on-demand classes
●Theme: "Using AI in Education: The First Step from Understanding to Practice" (Assistant Professor Hiromi Takahashi, Undergraduate Education System, Soka University) Exercises using generative AI in real-world contexts |
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Amagasaki | ● Regarding the career paths and career aspirations of international students after graduation ● "Exploring Learning Communities in the First Year: Aiming to Promote First-Year Students' Adjustment and Academic Success" ●Information sharing and role-playing
"Writing Prompts and Lesson Preparation Support" |
| Part3 |
August 2 (Thursday) / 21 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● Current status report on learning situation ●LC (Learning Community) Initiatives
|
2023
Annual theme: "Education in a Diverse Student Population - Creating an Environment and Opportunities for Students to Learn"
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Thursday) / 25 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● Responding to "diverse situations" in student guidance and support
(Mr. Akira Morisaki, Director of Recruit Research Institute/Visiting Associate Professor at Waseda University) ●Subject work 2: Consider and organize the assignment of subjects by type ●Explanation on establishing interactivity, diversifying evaluations, and utilizing tools ●Individual work: Practice making one class on-demand |
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Amagasaki | ● Consider assessment methods that will lead to learner-centered learning.
Departmental work: Considering the strategic introduction of on-demand classes into the department's curriculum management with an eye toward the 2024 academic year, and identifying issues and countermeasures. |
| Part3 |
February 2th (Tue)/ 21th (Wed) |
Amagasaki | ● Confirm preparations for on-demand class operation in 2024 Confirmation of lesson design, teaching materials, learning support system, evaluation and feedback methods, etc. for on-demand learning ●Changes to career subjects in 2024, etc. Information sharing from the Inclusive Support Committee ● "Business use" of generative AI such as ChatGPT ...Considering using it for administrative and departmental work ● "Educational use" of generative AI such as ChatGPT ...Consider using it in educational and learning situations ● Syllabus review work |
2022
Annual theme: "Creating an environment and opportunities for students to learn - Responding to the increasing diversity of our student population"
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Thursday) / 19 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ●Current status report on "learning"
●Theme: "University support for a diverse student body" (Associate Professor, Kota Matsui, Faculty of Psychology) ●Theme: "Understanding Students and the Basics of Crisis Management and Response" (Professor Kazuo Momose, Faculty of Education) ●Work: Share and discuss individual experiences in dealing with students both in and outside of class. ●Outline of on-demand classes - Sharing understanding to put them into practice at our university ●Theme: "Corporate Case Studies on On-Demand Classes" (Kotaro Abe, Manager of the Innovation Management Department, NTT Docomo) Docomo gacco CLO Kei Minami) ●Theme: "Design and implementation of on-demand classes at Kyoai Gakuen Maebashi International University" (Professor Kenya Murayama, Dean of the School of International and Area Studies, Kyoai Gakuen Maebashi International University) ●Lesson: Creating an on-demand lesson① Introducing an easy way to create educational content ●Work: Creating an on-demand lesson② A workshop to try making your own material right away, etc. |
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Amagasaki | ●Theme: "Individually Optimized Learning and Curriculum Management" (Masaaki Hirai, Visiting Professor at Kansai University of International Studies and Principal of Kobe Yamate Girls' Junior and Senior High School) ●Theme: "Examples of the use of electronic textbooks" (Isamu Tabata, Electronic Solutions Development Center, Planning and Development Division, Maruzen-Yushodo Co., Ltd.) ●Theme: "How to use copyrighted materials in online teaching materials" (Assistant Professor Yoshihiro Mori, Academic Media Creation Center, Kanazawa University) Lecture: "The Compensation System for Public Transmission for Educational Purposes and the Effective Use of Online Teaching Materials" ●Check points to note when creating a syllabus - Creating a syllabus for students - and more |
| Part3 |
Monday, August 2th/ 21th (Tue) |
Amagasaki | ●Theme: "Reorganizing Kansai University of International Studies from a Market Perspective: From the Perspective of the Changing Environment Surrounding Universities" (Recruit, Hiroshi Kobayashi) Interview with Recruit's Hiroshi Kobayashi and President Atsushi Hamana ● "Towards improving students' sense of growth - from the perspective of CP evaluation" ● "Support for students with disabilities at our university - including student human rights issues" (Vice President Yasuo Yamashita) ● "Reviewing the role of advisory faculty for next year" (Vice President Yoko Hamana) ●Information sharing and work: Become familiar with the "role of advisory faculty" from 2023 ●Information sharing and work: First-year education reform in 2023 ●Information sharing and work: Strategies to activate students' learning activities in the courses you teach. ● Lectures and work: Mastering how to use ICT tools in the subjects you teach ●Work: Check the lesson plans (syllabus) for 2023 subjects Commentary: "Promoting COIL-style collaborative education and utilizing external resources through the Development Capability Project" (Vice President Shingo Ashizawa) |
2021
Annual theme: Creating an environment where students can learn online
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Thursday) / 20 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ●Explanation of the characteristics of our university's education system ● Sharing and analyzing data on student status
|
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Amagasaki | ●Theme: "Responding to internal diversity" (President Atsushi Hamana) ●Continuation from August PD
(Professor Akihisa Fukazawa, Assistant to the President of Jissen Women's University) ●Discussion on ideas for utilizing PBL methods
|
| Part3 |
August 2 (Thursday) / 18 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ●Theme: "Curriculum and Quality Assurance" (Professor at the Center for Research and Development of Higher Education and Admissions, Osaka University/Councillor of the Institute, Tatsuo Kawashima) ●Report: "Student Learning Status" ●Theme: "Considering Educational DX and the Future of the Classroom" (Daisuke Asano, Director of the Service Policy Division and Director of the Education Industry Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) ●Report and work: "Linking" the three educational programs in the "Learning System"
● Information on how to use new systems and functions through educational digital transformation |
2020
Annual theme: “Educational activities assessment for the start of the new three-campus system in 2021”
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Thursday) / 21 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● Orientation for new faculty and staff ●Proposing issues from the response to COVID-XNUMX in educational and learning activities and extracting issues for departments ● “On applying for scientific research grants” (Lecture by Professor Hiroaki Goto of Aichi University of Education) ● “Taking the response to COVID-XNUMX as an opportunity to shift the paradigm of teaching and learning” (Lecture by Professor Shinichi Mizokami, President of Toin Gakuen) ●【Parallel session】 ① Voices from students who took classes remotely (1) Support and support for first-year students in remote and face-to-face classes (assuming reflection interviews) ③Issues related to the exit of our students ● Organize and share problems by department ● Class design examination work for the fall semester and 2021 ①-1 Extract lessons for designing lessons that can be learned online ①-2 Share tips and problems in online learning guidance ② Re-check the learning flowchart of the department from the perspective of class design |
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Amagasaki | ●For the fall semester: How to use each system in student guidance ● “Career Advising by Teachers to Students – Aiming for a Connection between Career Education That Fosters Independence and Student Support –” (Prof. Akihisa Fukasawa, Jissen Women's University) ●Progress presentation on August PD department work "Problems, causes, countermeasures" ● Thinking about Learner-Centered Learning: Reflection Reconfirmation Work ~Examination of Advising from the Perspective of Metacognition~ Academic discussion to support the learning of first-year students ~ Examination of reflection interviews in the fall semester ~ |
| Part3 |
August 2 (Thursday) / 19 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● Orientation for new teachers ●Overview of education and learning in 2020/Future outlook Towards a new education that balances individual optimal learning and collaborative learning ● "Visualization of learning outcomes through performance evaluation focused on important subjects" (Prof. Kayo Matsushita, Kyoto University) Academic work (XNUMX) Extraction of related subjects for each department, grade, and semester for "learning activities and evaluation close to the real context" centered on seminars (XNUMX) Examination of departmental issues and countermeasures ③Department presentation ● Digitization of education to the new normal: Recommend online classes ● Confirmation of course design for syllabus creation |
2019
Annual theme: “Toward the realization of a multi-layered organizational educational system”
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Wednesday) / 22th (Thu) |
Amagasaki | ● Orientation for newly appointed faculty and staff ● "Toward the Practice of Learning in an Age Where Predicting the Future is Difficult" "Understanding Evaluation Methods for Visualizing Learning Outcomes -Utilization of Common Rubric Work and e-Portfolio-" ● "Questions that stimulate learners' thinking" (Lecture by Prof. Toshiki Nakai, Ehime University) ● ``Work aimed at a qualitative shift to 'thinking-oriented education' in each faculty--to enhance the synergistic effect of experiential learning and classes--' (From the practice of the ``Student Guidance Theory'' subject / From the practice of first-year education / From the practice of experiential learning) "Theme setting work for 'deepening thinking power' in each faculty's seminar (comprehensive exercise) subject" ●Course selection program ①Rubric moderation introductory course (XNUMX) Information retrieval literacy course for education and research guidance, lesson design course (basic) using ICT such as web classes and e-portfolios |
| Part2 | Friday, December 20 | Amagasaki | ● “Introducing classes using Q&A sessions and improving collegiality among teachers” (Lecture by Professor Masamitsu Mochizuki of Soka University) Learning goal/theme setting work for “deepening thinking ability” in seminar subjects (continued from August PD) |
| Part3 |
August 2 (Thursday) / 14 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● “University-wide issues for the enhancement of systematic education at our university” “Issues in educational reform based on our university’s assessment policy” ● “Active Learning and Leadership Education” (Lecture by Professor Mikiya Hinata, Waseda University) ● “Efforts of Kyoai Gakuen Maebashi International University to Cultivate Problem Discovery and Problem Solving Skills” (Lecture by President Akio Omori of Kyoai Gakuen Maebashi International University) ● "Efforts and issues of problem-solving internships in the university education revitalization acceleration program (AP project)" ● “Seminar reform work based on inter-course collaboration” and “Shared work on syllabus creation” |
2018
August theme: "What educational methods are necessary to acquire 'specialized knowledge and practical skills'?"
September theme: "What is the educational method necessary to acquire 'specialized knowledge and application skills' and 'problem finding and solving skills'?"
February theme: "Are you ready for the curriculum guidance for the next year's five-faculty system?"
| Times | Schedule | Place | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part1 |
August 8 (Wednesday) / 23th (Thu) |
Amagasaki | ● Orientation for newly appointed faculty and staff ● ``Future plans for higher education towards 2040 and what the university is working on'' ``Direction of the new faculty system from 2019'' ``Visualization of learning outcomes of each faculty based on IR data'' ``Visualization of learning outcomes'' Toward -Self-inspection of educational methods and grade evaluation-" ● "Toward PBL Class Design" (Lecture by Prof. Kazuto Yamada, Doshisha University) ● “Workshop for new faculty curriculum map creation” (XNUMX) (XNUMX) Lecture and workshop by Prof. Hiroaki Sato of Osaka University “Curriculum map tour of the new faculty” (poster session) Curriculum map presentation by faculty representatives |
| Part2 | September 9 (Thu.) | Miki | ● "Current educational methods, educational evaluation issues, and improvement plans for new faculties (5 departments)" "Q&A in panel discussion format" ● "Syllabus check self-check I: check and correction work using the check sheet" "syllabus check II: correction work from the perspective of ICT utilization" ● “Shared Work on Case Method Teaching” |
| Part3 |
August 2 (Thursday) / 15 (Fri) |
Amagasaki | ● "Future after the report of the Central Council for Education Grand Design" and "Self-assessment of the university using IR data" ● "Poster session on the learning flowchart of the new faculty -Gallery tour and presentations by representatives of each new faculty-" "Simulation of course guidance based on the learning flowchart of the new faculty" ● "Quality Assurance of Bachelor's Abilities - Revision of Course Design for Substantiation of Graduation Research -" ● "How can students 'train their thinking' through academic writing?" ● "Self-inspection work for syllabus creation from a student's point of view" |
