English Abstracts

Voluntary Development forJapanese University Administrative Staff
NATSUME Tatsuya

This study examines the potential for voluntary development ofadministrative staff in Japanese universities.
The legal status of national universities changed from national
government operated to university corporation operated in 2004.
Since then, each national university corporation has been responsiblefor its own management and they have been compelled to more
efficiently use their teaching and administrative manpower toaddress this challenge.
The universities began conducting staff development as part ofthis effort, but each university’s staff development depended on thesize of the staff and budget.
This study found the following results.
1. Job aptitudes are difficult to assess because administrative
staff often apply diverse aptitudes.
2. Seminars and workshops are popular staff development
activities in many universities, but they do not meet individual
staff members’ needs because these may be diverse andpersonal.
3. It is necessary and useful for universities to offer their staff
various types of training. Some universities have adopted
voluntary staff development, wherein the staff, not thepersonnel division, determine the training contents andmethods.
Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya
University

259

Practical Intelligencein Academic Administration
NAKAI Toshiki

The sharing of practical intelligence in academic administration isimportant in staff development. To examine issues with practicalintelligence in academic administration, this study examines findings
from the experience of developing the Handbook for Academic
Administration published in 2012. The findings are summarized asfollows:
First, staff have broad discretion in academic administration,
though laws and rules are important in this field. They must judge
and take action at their discretion.

Second, the traditionalquestion-and-answer format is effective in collecting and sharing
practical intelligence in academic administration. It effectively
provides knowledge in context and facilitates the administrative
staff’s experiential learning. Third, collaboration between faculty
members and administrative staff in different organizations iseffective in collecting and publishing practical intelligence inacademic administration. Fourth, publishing practical intelligence inacademic administration is becoming increasingly important foruniversity staff.
Associate Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University

260

Research Administration at Universities:
Expertise and Professional Development
SAITOH Yoshiko

Several Japanese universities now integrate University Research
Administrators (URA). The field of research administration has
garnered attention due to changes in the research funding system,
financial requirements of universities for funding approval,
newly-implemented research evaluations, and recent cases ofresearch misconduct that have resulted in calls for appropriate
responses from academic institutions.
Establishment of research administration departments in Japanese
universities

began

in

around

2000,

with

subsequentacknowledgement of the importance of research administration andadministrators in Japanese policy documents.
URA numbers
increased with the 2011 launch of URA programs.

As a precedent

to Japan’s action, other nations’ institutions introduced URA
programs. Professional associations have been established to define
the required expertise, certify professionals, and develop personnel.
The nature of research and researcher mindset dictate further
URA development in Japan along these lines: (1) establishingsuccessful models should be prioritized, (2) research administration’s
purpose should not be limited to securing funding, and (3) URA
positions must avoid being overly perceived as alternative
post-doctorate careers.

These guidelines can expand the role ofstakeholders in the research process for extensive development of
university research.
Assistant Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University

261

Developing Reliable University Staff:
University General Affairs Duties in Education
and Research Institutions
NAKAMURA Shoji

This study investigates the nature and composition of skills
required for university job profiles affiliated with the General Affairs
Department.
In the university reformation since the deregulation of university
establishment standards, university staff are constituent members ofuniversities according to the CCE University Course Report (2008),
which declared that education and research is supported fromvarious perspectives.
As universities’ primary purpose is education, their main focus is
the students and teaching staff. From that viewpoint, the duties of
the General Affairs staff are more difficult to understand than thoseof Student Support staff, and there is rarely an affinity between
faculty or other constituencies and General Affairs..
Facultymembers who inquired received dismissive responses that the rules
permitted no leeway.

Such a response results from fairly andflawlessly conducting duties; trust can be built if staff members
convey that they are partners in the workplace.
Thus, the General Affairs Department, which is difficult for theteaching staff and students to comprehend, should demonstratechanges in the awareness and understanding of teaching andadministration staff duties by behaving in a manner that fulfills
duties and builds trust.
Administrative Staff, Aichi University of Education

262

Staff Development in Academic Libraries
KATO Shinya

This paper presents an overview of the “Summary of discussion
for the development of academic libraries” of the Science Information
Infrastructure

Working

Group,

Research

Environment

Infrastructure Group, Subdivision on Science, and Council for Scienceand Technology that was released in December 2010 by the Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) andthe “Recommendations on academic library staff personnel policy
issues” published in March 2012 by the Committee on Human
Resources, Japan Association of National University Libraries(JANUL).
In addition, it summarizes the sections of these
documents that address academic library staff development.
The study then describes the training of library staff at Nagoya
University Library and the current status and problems of the
training program for the next generation of library staff, which waslaunched in the fiscal year 2010.
Finally, it suggests improvements for academic library staff
development: 1) more strategic implementation of OJT (On-the-job
Training) and external training; 2) library staff should be enrolled in
graduate school to obtain advanced knowledge and skills; and 3)
examination of academic library staff development in the broader
context of university staff development.
Executive Director, University Library, Nagoya University

263

Staff Development: Administrative Staff
Involved in University Internationalization
KATSUHIRA Hiroshi*
NODA Akihiko**
DEGUCHI Hidenori***This study reviews the job specifications of administrative staff
involved in university (National/Comprehensive) internationalizationand explains how their development should be planned andconducted.
The Nagoya University International Affairs Department includes
the International Planning and International Student Exchange
Divisions.

The International Planning Division job requires foreign

language acquisition to communicate with foreign institutions and a
deep understanding of diverse cultures. The International Student
Exchange Division manages international student affairs. Bothdivisions require not only comprehension of diverse cultures but alsohigh communication skills.
Moreover, these divisions’ staff
members are expected to strengthen the university’s structure toemulate other superior universities.
Nagoya University provides various forms of staff development toenable the administrative staff to develop their practical ability,
knowledge, and talents in international business affairs.

Staffmeetings, development courses, and informal seminars, all conducted
off campus, also support their development.
This study finds that administrative staff development requires
both the ability to build the university’s own network and support
system.
*Director, International Affairs Department, Nagoya University**Director, International Planning Division, Nagoya University***Director, International Student Exchange Division, Nagoya University264

Can the Introductory Academic Writing Course
Alter Students’ Negative Attitude toward
Writing?
CHIKADA Masahiro

Many Japanese university students are negatively inclined toward
academic writing; therefore, Japanese universities now commonly
provide first-year students with courses to improve academic writing
skills. In 2012, Nagoya University established the Introductory
Academic Writing course. This paper examines whether the
students’ negative attitude toward Japanese academic writingchanges because of the course.
By analyzing student self-assessments, we determined thatnegative feelings decrease from the initial processes of creating
worksheets through writing the first draft. In contrast, a smaller
but consistent number of students reported increased negativity inevery writing process.

More than 40% of students reported

increased negativity in more than one writing process. For
improving writing skills, students considered textbooks, worksheets,
and well-organized lectures to be more effective than non-organizedvoluntary group-work supporting worksheet creation.
The course can effectively alter students’ negative attitude in theinitial stages of writing.

Its effectiveness, however, is limited tocertain processes, a small number of students, and by the narrow
range of teaching tools.
Associate Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University265Life Stories of University Staff inan International Affairs Division in JapanWATANABE Rumi

This study explains the specialties of full-time staff at aninternational exchange division in a Japanese university throughtheir life experiences.

We interviewed staff at two private

universities; they described their experiences before becoming staff
members, learning from experiences on and off the job, and how
these events supplemented practices applicable to their current
work. Furthermore, they discussed student services and university
internationalization strategies.
Although not holding administrative positions, the staff members
perform administrative duties, experiencing both difficulty andfulfillment, while retaining their convictions regarding university
international exchange and internationalization.
Although research addresses the necessity of development andspecialization of international exchange instructors, there isinsufficient qualitative research concerning the thoughts andexperiences of individual staff members.
connections so that their stories can

We must create
inform university

internationalization strategies and management as well as future
professional development capabilities.
Designated associate professor, International
Cooperation Headquarters, Nagoya University

266

ExchangeandLesson Structure in Undergraduate Seminars
FUSHIKIDA Wakako*
KITAMURA Satoshi**
YAMAUCHI Yuhei***This study investigates the lesson structure in undergraduate
seminars for second-, third-, and fourth-year students on the basis offivefeatures:

understanding

learners’characteristics,

setting

educational goals, setting learning goals, performing learning activities,
and teachers’ instruction.
Wesurveyed

600

teachers,

of

whom

125

completedthequestionnaire. First, we analyzed the data using exploratory factor
analysis. The results suggested that teachers are aware about whichseminars serve as a platform for interaction for them and students aswell as a means of professional education, and they recognize theseminars’ value that exceeds at improving students’ expertise.
Next, we analyzed the factors affecting the lesson structure:
academic discipline, teaching experience, targeted grades ofseminars, and seminar size. The results of the analysis of varianceshowed that (a) humanities teachers more strongly emphasize
knowledge transmission than do social sciences teachers, (b) teacherswith greater teaching experience value acquiring expertise throughseminars, (c) students’ presentations and teacher’s support forlearning tasks are more highly rated in seminars for fourth-year
students, and (d) the seminars’ size and the amount of collaborative
work in groups and discussions among a teacher and students are
directly proportional.
*Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information
Studies, The University of Tokyo**Assistant professor, Faculty of Communication Studies, Tokyo Keizai
University***Associate professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The
University of Tokyo

267

Learning Support to Improve University
Students’ Academic Performance
YAMANOUCHI Kenshi

This study examines the types of learning support that university
students require.
I first examined patterns of university students’ high school
subjects and discovered that the patterns exhibit great variety. Thisimplies that some students enter university without sufficient subject
experience essential to university studies.
Second, I compared Kobe University’s education features withthose of the former imperial universities, including Nagoya
University.

Results reveal that Kobe University has sizeable

resources, even when compared with former imperial universities.
Kobe University is attempting to decrease the size of all types ofclasses, not only special classes.

However, because Kobe University

has few science instructors belonging to science research institutes,
the pupil to teacher ratio is comparatively high. Thus, creatingsmaller science classes is especially difficult.
Professor, Institute for Promotion of Higher Education, Kobe
University(Visiting Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University)268

Changes in University Governance in China
HU Jianhua

In recent years, Chinese university reform has changed university
governance.
The reform aimed to establish a university
management system in which “the Party committee is the leadership,
the president is responsible for the university, professors manage
academic affairs, and there is democratic participation.” This study
examines the following aspects of university governance changes.
(1)

The historical changes in the Chinese university management
system, especially the influence of university reform in the(2)

Academic power in university governance. From the 1950s to
the 1970s, administrative power dominated Chinese

early 1950s and since the 1980s.

universities; academic power had no status.

However, sincethe 1990s, academic power has received increasing attention
and provides the background of the current reform in Chinese
university governance.
(3)

The following conditions of current Chinese University
governance are discussed: composition of the university
leadership, relationships between universities and colleges,role of the academic committee, and the decision-making
process.

Professor, School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University(Visiting Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University)269

Evolution of Organization, Implementation and
Skill Mix in Institutional Research at
Hitotsubashi University
MATSUZUKA Yukari

Institutional Research (IR) in US higher education attempts toimprove institutional performance by collecting and analyzing
in-house data on teaching, learning, and other institutional activities.
IR in Japan’s Hitotsubashi University follows the US model. This
study reviews Japan’s IR history, which has recently received
increased attention.

In addition, it explains why and how

Hitotsubashi University has introduced and implemented its IR,
focusing on the university’s academic and cultural characteristics
that have facilitated IR activities.

It describes the details ofHitotsubashi’s IR sharing in areas such as systems development andapplication, database building, and data analysis and distribution.
Furthermore, it examines the IR skills mix that enables effective IR
implementation.
As an extension of IR in the university
environment, we examine Knowledge Management (KM) as a means
to accelerate institutional performance improvement through faculty
member academic expertise.
Professor, Research and Development Center for Higher Education,
Hitotsubashi University(Visiting Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University)

270

Leadership Development in National
University Educational Organization
FUCHIGAMI Katsuyoshi

This paper suggests a framework for conceptualizing leadershipdevelopment in national university educational organization. After
reviewing leadership effects in university educational organization,
we propose
management.
uniquenew perspectives on leadership of university
In the top management team, each member offers

perspectives,knowledge,

andcapabilities;

therefore,

leadership is determined not by positions of authority but by anindividual’s capacity to influence peers and by the team’s needs at agiven time.

After reviewing research on the roles of group efficacy,transactive memory, and shared leadership in creating the top
management team, we discuss leadership development in national
university educational organization.

Finally, although errors are anatural occurrence in leadership, little is known about how and why
they occur. We describe strategies for effective leadership, focusing
on leaders’ decision making and ethical leadership.

Finally, wesuggest directions for future research on university management.
Professor, Faculty of Education, Okayama University(Visiting Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University)271

Politicians with a Special Interest in Higher
Education and Agendas in Post-War JapanHASHIMOTO KoichiThis study identifies the politicians (Diet members) who
significantly influenced higher education in post-war Japan andexamines their statements through content analysis. Furthermore, it
explains the political actors who influenced higher education and thetypes of political agendas that have been discussed during the 65
years since the war ended.
The following results were obtained from the analysis.
1） I identified the 376 Diet members who made statements in
educational sub-committees in the Diet from 1945 to 2012.
2） I divided them into three groups (core, middle, and peripheral)on the basis of the number of their statements.
3） The 1960s through the first half of 1970s exhibited the mostactive discussion of higher education, which declined thereafter.
4） During the period studied, the politicians often discussed
expansion and improvement of the higher education system,
but since the latter half of the 2000s, they have primarily
addressed education itself and students.
Professor, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo(Visiting Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University)272