大分工業高等専門学校紀要

第 54 号(平成 29 年 11 月)

ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF RATIONALES FOR
E-LEARNING OF ENGINEERING AND ENGLISH AT
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY IN JAPANTomek ZIEMBA
Dept. of General Education

A growing interest and increase in the use of e-learning technologies have become an interesting fieldin the past decade. In Japan as well, the MEXT has been encouraging various ICT implementations foreducation and is supporting trials though research grants. However, at National Institutes of Technology,
there is not one complete system of rationales for its use, and seems that each college and subject or
faculty is left to figure things out themselves. This study analyzes existing e-learning efforts forengineering and English language subjects. It is seen that true to their nature of being institutes oftechnology, engineering subjects are superior with more thought and purpose put into their efforts.
Key Words : e-learning, kosen, EFL (English as a Foreign Language), engineering, education

1. BACKGROUND
Since the end of the Second World War,Japan is known around the world for being
technologically advanced. Unfortunately, its
educational methodologies and use of technology
for teaching is almost non-existent. Research byProfessor Suzuki from Kumamoto University statesthat Japanese e-learning readiness is one of thelowest among developed nations, with still noconcrete plans or trends known publically at thetime of publishing (2009).
For this analysis and comparison ofe-learning strategies, two specific examples werechosen based a unique teaching environment. Not isthe author an English professor at a technicalcollege in Japan, the Kosen education system is alsoquite different from other institutes of higher
learning by focusing on fostering future engineers.
The need arose to analyze and compare thedifferences in a Kosen board-wide e-learning plan,
as well as the same for specifically English classes.
Often compared to a combination of high school anduniversity, Kosen are the Japanese term for National
Institutes of Technology, which started in the 1960s
after the number of engineers by trade in post-war

society were low yet in need. Students study
specialized engineering subjects with plenty ofhands-on and workplace experience. They arenaturally good at maths and sciences, yet are weakat humanities subjects such as English because of
their strict engineering orienteered curriculum(Harden, 2011).
Kosens were originally created and run by
the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (henceforth referred to asMEXT) until they became a self-governing body in
2004. One of the reasons for this independence wasdue to the needed emphasis on e-learning which wasusually run at a national level by MEXT, and byhaving Kosen run themselves, gave more freedom inthe creation of such learning materials. However,there are few faculty members that have the capacity
to create neither their own material, nor the support
staff with knowledge in educational theory to create
suitable materials individually (Nakayama &Santiago, 2004). Since the movement toself-government, it has been an ongoing struggle forall Kosen colleges to have the same levels ofeducation and certification, as seen by continuous
troubles from the implementation of the JABEE
accreditation system.

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2. ANALYSIS(1) English E-Learning Endeavours
Professor Aoyama from the National
Institute of Technology, Toyama College statedvarious rationales for the starting of e-learning forEnglish subjects at Kosens in her 2009 report.
She focused on three main rationales:
1. Increase
familiarity
withcomputer-based learning for students
2. English teachers can execute e-learningwith the help of technical staff
3. Ease of creating educational materials
and keeping them up to dateThus in turn, The Council of College English
Teachers (henceforth referred to as COCET) set out
to create Kosen English Town, or KET – an online
resource that aims to be used in combination with
their unique COCET 3300 vocabulary list for Kosen
students. Nakayama & Santiago‟s research statesthat English e-learning is executed for extraqualifications for workplace recognition andpromotion, such as TOEIC and EIKEN. The
rationale is for the LMS to be supplementary to an
English teacher‟s existing curriculum or study plans.
Furthermore, Aoyama states that another of themain rationales for the creation of specifically
COCET 3300-based e-learning material is to saveon the amount of paper used by Kosen English
teachers that hand out photocopies of worksheets
and other printed materials in class (2004). Thisbase of materials would also work for engineering
subjects, as the vocabulary selected in COCET 3300
is specifically designated for Kosen students andtheir future work in engineering. It is also stated thatby having a Kosen-wide base material that is notoverly complicated will help in having equal levelsof ability across all institutions. An online
scoreboard with a nickname-based system is madepublic so students can compare and compete witheach other on leaderboards for specific quizzes.
Kosen and Japan‟s test result heavy society reflects
this need for comparison, as it is also expected tohelp students study and practice for institutionalized
tests.
(2) Engineering E-learning Endeavours
In comparison, 10 Kosens havecollaborated together to develop what is known as
the K-Skill Project, with one member institution
being the National Institute of Technology,
Hakodate College – which has been leading othere-learning training sessions and webinars forvoluntarily interested staff which I have been a partof in previous faculty development activities.
Currently, there exists a shortage of approximately
70,000 specialized engineers in the workplace as of2009. These include programing engineers whoneed to be familiar with assembly or C-language,
architectural engineers needing pipeline and water
purification knowledge, as well as electrical andelectronic engineers just to name a fraction of thosein shortage (Yonamine, 2011). However, with thiswide range of needs, a reliable level of safety for thelowest possible cost is required. With an existing
imbalance of curricula and educational content
among Kosen colleges, the K-Skill Project brings
together 10 institutions to have matching levels ofskill through collaborative online lessons, which canbe accessed regardless of physical distance, or timeof the day. This common curriculum is aimed atbridging the gap between what skills are required byworkplace engineers and what is being taught toKosen students.
TheK-SkillProject
lists
threerequirements of students by the industry as a basis
for the creation and execution:
1. Unique perspectives and high level oftechnical skills for any situation
2. Communication and problem solving
skills for interpersonal relations
3. Studious and analytical perspectives tofurther research in their fields
K-Skill Project members also narrow it
down to three keywords at the basis of their plans:
standardization, visualization, and quality assurance(Yonamine, 2011). By having research staff invarying fields at each of the 10 participating Kosen,catered material can be provided and instructed
through e-learning regardless of campus or lack ofcontent-familiar staff on site. The creation of ane-test can help students meet specialized
certification standards needed by their future
workplaces, all from the comfort of their campus
computers. The results of the tests are also audited
to guarantee fairness and quality. This endeavor wasawarded the National e-Learning award in 2011 forits excellence not only in rational, but also for its
rates of student achievements.

3. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
Now, to compare the two rationales will
help make sense of it all. Bates and Sangra list 5
important facets of rationale (2011):- 8 -大分工業高等専門学校紀要

第 54 号(平成 29 年 11 月)

1. Enhancement to quality of learning andinstruction
2. Accomodating “Millenial”-styles oflearning
3. Increase
student
flexibilityandopportunities of learning
4. Develop “21st century” competencies
and skills
5. Improve cost-effective methods ofteaching
First, the KET online details are very limited, asAoyama‟s 2009 document is very short and bylooking at the current status of the COCET page andthe KET section, not much has changed since its
initial creation. The rationale was not to enhance thequality, but to simply decrease the need for handouts
to be printed out (Aoyama, 2009). The scoreboardof online quizzes could be taken as amillennial-friendly learning style, much likegamifying education. Unstated was the increase inaccess in flexibility and opportunity, developing
modern competencies, nor cost-effectiveness (unlessthe argument for cost of handouts is to be taken atface value). Although not clearly stated, increased
flexibility and opportunity could be attained byhaving a central medium, in this case the KET site,
for students from various Kosen to come learn at acentral location with a fixed set of questions basedon standardized lists and materials, like COCET
3300. This however does not link to skill
development or costs.
The overall lack of detail and image of where
the COCET run KET described by Aoyama in 2009shows, and was likely predictable to have ended inits current state of lacking any form of update orrenewal. Some KET internal links are even broken
to this day. The rationale to have all Kosen English
classes be at the same level is a very important one,given the lack of unity since its self-government, butvery little was done without any concrete image to
set in stone a base that could be renewed easily.
Suggestions by McCool on how to cater e-learning
projects for Japanese audiences include “highcommunication context, collective motivation, andnon linear education” (2006). Not surprisingly, eventhough these suggestions were made three years
before Aoyama‟s work, none of these seem to bereflected in COCET‟s attempt at rationalizing thestart of e-learning via KET. The range of learning on
the continuum is very narrow and linear in naturethat not only Bates & Sangra (2011), but also
McCool (2006) states. The oversimplification andlack of depth in content brought it to its doom.

Almost as a polar opposite example, the K-Skill
Project did start with a very detailed plan and easy
to understand rationale for its creation. Similar tothe COCET KET, the goal was to bridge the gap
between Kosens‟ individual education plans, butalso fill in what was missing that was required for
graduates in their future workplaces. This baserationale clearly aims to enhance the quality ofteaching and learning by filling in these gaps, whichis their selling point and likely reason for theire-learning award. This rationale is also defendableon the grounds that it will keep the already existinghigh reputation of Kosen graduates in theengineering workplace, and also keep the students tosaid standards too.
Although unstated directly, the K-Skill
Project also enhances learning opportunities andflexibility for students involved. They don‟t have tobuy extra study material to get a specificcertification or qualification, and are able to accessthe modules online from even outside campus
networks. This also ties into the needs of skills andcompetencies that the existence of the K-Skill
Project is based on – to keep a specific high level ofskills needed for the modern workplace. The only
concern that is unstated or remains hidden is thecost-effectiveness. No mentions were made about
cost of implementation, but simply that it will give
students free study material and opportunities forcertification. Is the K-Skill Project funded internallyamong the 10 participating colleges? Is it somehow
connected through corporate sponsorships of thebusinesses that eventually hire Kosen graduates fortheir workplaces? All seem likely possibilities but
none of that information is made publicly available
as of yet.
Also mentioned in McCool‟s list of
e-learning adaptations for Japanese audiences is its
internationalization. The graduates of the K-Skills
Project are aimed at being sent to overseas branches
in the futures of their careers, even if the Project isbased domestically within Japan. Having them ableto remain as a valid technician and engineer on theglobal scale is another strong point for its creation
as an e-learning program. Hopefully in the future,a collaboration with COCET to ensure that thetechnical skills learned in the Project can be related
to actual English skills would make the graduatesthat much stronger overseas.

4. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
Doctor Sakamoto from the Japanese
National Institute of Multimedia Education stated in- 9 -大分工業高等専門学校紀要

第 54 号(平成 29 年 11 月)

his 2002 work that there was a need for a push toincrease technological functions into the current
education system, but that there was still concernswith familiarity and computer literacy as ahindrance. His survey also compared the percentage
of use of various forms of technology and showedthat not much had changed in a one year span
between 1999 and 2000 (Sakamoto, 2002). With
still very common use of fax machines in sending
documents domestically, a need for more up-to-date
data is visible to make for more accuratecomparisons.
A year later in 2003, he deepens his analysis
and lists a multitude of suggestions for
improvement; from public and private institutions,businesses and society, as well as the national
Japanese higher education systems as a whole. Oneof which being to “develop a standardized plan for
creating, … and using teaching materials”(Sakamoto, 2003).
His previous 1999-2000
comparison was further extended with the additionof 2001, which showed that perceived barriers of
ICT adoption did slightly decrease, with the mostsignificant change being in “media literacy”, which
lowered by approximately 5 percentage points eachconsecutive year, ending with a low of 56%
surveyed (Sakamoto, 2003).
Given that Sakamoto surveyed various
levels of higher education institutions across Japan,
a similar study based on Kosen staff and students
would seem to be required to further refine thecurrent efforts by various faculties – bothengineering and humanities departments. By
bridging the gap between departmental entities,
further developments and creation of e-learningmaterials should be seen and considered as a viableoption in the near future.

2)

Bates, A. W. & Sangra, A. (2011). Managing
Technology in Higher Education: Strategies
for Transforming Teaching and Learning.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

3)

Harden, B. (2011, October 14). With workplace
training, Japan‟s Kosen colleges bridge „skills
gap‟. The Washington Post, Available Online:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/wi
th-workplace-training-japans-kosen-colleges-bridgeskills-gap/2011/10/03/gIQAF0gmjL_story.html
4)

McCool, M. (2006). Adapting e-Learning forJapanese Audiences Tutorial. IEEE
Transactions on Professional Communication,
49(4), 335-345.

5)

Nakayama, M. & Santiago, R. (2004). Two
Categories of E-Learning in Japan. Educational
Technology Research and Development, 52(3),100-111.

6)

Sakamoto, T. (2002). E-learning andEducational Innovation in Higher Education inJapan. Educational Media International, 39(1),9-16.

7)

Sakamoto, T. (2003). E-learning in Japanese
universities. Industry & Higher Education,December 2003, 397-404.

8)

Suzuki, K. (2009). From Competency List toCurriculum Implementation: A Case Study ofJapan‟s First Online Master‟s Program for
E-Learning Specialists Training. International
Journal on E-Learning, 8(4), 469-478.

9)
REFERENCES
1) Aoyama, M. (2009). Kosen Eigo Kyoiku toe-Learning. Monbu-kagaku Kyoiku-tsuushin,
226, 20-21. Available Online:
http://www.cocet.org/monkyo/aoyama.pdf

Yonamine, T. (2011). Kosen-ban Torikumi
Kyoiku no tame no e-learning no Jissenteki
Dounyu. E-Learning Awards Forum,
Available Online:
http://www.elearningawards.jp/pdf/user/yonamine.pdf(Received September 29, 2017)- 10 -