English Abstracts

A Study of Education in a Graduate School:
The Department of Psychology andHuman Developmental Sciences
YOSHIDA Toshikazu

This article is a report on the current state, and future prospects ofthe Department of Psychology of the Graduate School of Educationand Human Development at Nagoya University. First, I review thenumber of applicants, and the admission rate to the graduate programin the past five years, placing a special focus on the number of applicants from our undergraduate program. Second, I made a report on
the faculty that comprise the two majors of our department, Psychological Sciences, and Human Development and Clinical Psychology,
viewing each section’s Masters and Doctorate programs and theircurriculum, along with the required coursework. Third, I report on
the Team Participatory Graduate Education Program, operated on a
grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture as part oftheir support for graduate school education initiatives, aimed atgiving students first hand experience participating in on-going research projects, hence preparing them for independent research.
Finally, I discuss future directions for our Graduate School.
Professor, Graduate School of Education Human Development, Nagoya University267

Curriculum Reform at the Graduate School ofEconomics and its Expected Educational Effects
ARAYAMA Yuko

This paper reports work on the introduction of a new curriculum at
the Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University and clarifies
expected educational effects of the new curriculum.
A group of younger faculty initiated the discussion about the basic
structure of a new curriculum and the committee for future planningat the graduate school took over this discussion and proposed it at thefaculty meeting to promote curriculum reform. We aimed to improvelearning at the undergraduate level, and to construct a system of
attractive course work in the graduate school.
The curriculum for undergraduates includes two tracks: learning
broad knowledge in business and economics, and pursuing a special
interest in specific subjects. Furthermore, we initiated a “5 yearbachelor-master program” to promote the award of a masters degree
for able students. In the graduate school, we prepared two different
course work programs: one for business persons and the other forresearchers. We also introduced a “subject oriented workshop” which
is taught by multiple professors and can provide a high level research
environment.
Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University

268

Education at the Graduate School of Sciencein the Age of “Disorder by Information”
SATO Masatoshi

Nowadays, a flood of information has, in some sense, introduced“disorder and chaos” and “complexity” into our society. This haschanged the attitude of university students (including graduate students) to their learning science. For them, there are various things
more important than studying science hard. The almost competition-free entrance examination and the growth of the domesticeconomy, which liberates young people from unstable future life,enhance this tendency. This circumstance has given rise to a serious
question: What can the people working at Nagoya University do, inparallel with conducting world-class research, to raise excellent
scientists with the ability to work energetically with creativity and/or
skill? Arguments about what they should keep in mind in the education process, are given from a view point of a physicist belonging to
the department of physics, where the possible direction of the improvement of the curriculum is briefly described. The department isworried that various requirements from wider society and government accompanied by certain financial actions act to discourage anddistract educational activity. Many other things which should be
improved are also pointed out.
Professor, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University269

Engineering Education in Graduate School
Courses at Nagoya University:
Present Situation and Issues
HAYAKAWA Yoshikazu

During the last ten years, the number of graduate course students
has increased dramatically in the Graduate School of Engineering,
Nagoya University. However, the main focus of graduate education isstill to supervise masters’ and doctoral research theses. About tenyears ago, the graduate school established a unique structure of engineering education and research, called “Flexible Graduate SchoolSystem”. In this system, two groups of departments, the so-called“Ryoiki Senko Group (associated with the traditional fields)” and“Fukugo Senko Group (associated with the interdisciplinary fields)”,
are integrated through several laboratories belonging to both groups.
This enables the interaction between different fields of engineeringand technology and encourages education in these areas. In this article, the present situation of engineering education in the graduate
school is briefly summarized illustrating some distinguished programs and examining issues raised in two reports which were given
by our graduate school and the Japan Engineering Educational Program committee.
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University

270

Course Works Integrating the Humanities andSciences in the Graduate School ofEnvironmental Studies, Nagoya University: A
Case Report on Reform of the Common Subjects
YAMAGUCHI Yasushi

This paper reports on the course works integrating the humanities
and sciences in the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, particularly a case report on reform of the commonsubjects. This school was established in April 2001 as the first interdisciplinary graduate school in Nagoya University. The common
subjects were set to provide knowledge on a wide variety of fields
that support interdisciplinary environmental studies and thus promote more systematic student understanding of environmental studies. The common subjects used to belong to each department when
the school was established. However, we recognized a problem thatmost students taking a common subject belong to the same department to which the subject belongs, so that it does not help students to widen their views. Thus, from the fiscal year 2007, we reformed all the common subjects to belong to the graduate school, notto each department, and renewed the content of the common subjects
as well in order to make the scope and aim of the common subjects
clearer. This reform was possible as the mutual understanding andresearch collaboration among the teaching staff of the school havebeen greatly improved since the establishment of the school.
Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University271

Teaching Research Methodology for
Postgraduate Adult StudentsCHIKADA MasahiroThis paper examines the content and outcomes of the postgraduate
course for adult students in the professional masters program. In theEducation Major in the Graduate School of Education and HumanDevelopment, Nagoya University, there is a shortage of basic skills foracademic writing and critical thinking mainly for adult students inprofessional programs. Thus the Education Major launched thepostgraduate course in 2007 titled “Basics of Higher Education- Research Methodology” for adapting adult freshmen to the graduate
courses and learning basic skills required for a master’s thesis.
According to a survey on the course outcomes, some progress has
been made especially in the students’ recognition of academic requirements for master theses and of the methods in collecting literature. Besides, many challenges are found through the course experience. Firstly, the major should build and represent the requirements and standards for a master’s thesis. Secondly, the major should
provide freshmen with more introductory or remedial courses foracademic writing or critical thinking. Thirdly, the major should undertake a survey on the needs and orientations of postgraduatestudents. The study on postgraduate teaching should be encouraged
by each major for the substantial development of graduate education.
Associate Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University272

Construction of a 'Network model' ofGraduate Education in France:
Conversion from the 'Apprenticeship model’
NATSUME Tatsuya

The purpose of this paper is to explain the 'Network model'
Graduate education in France. The findings are as follows:
1) The French government started the reform of graduate education from the end of the 1980s by establishing new institutions
named 'Ecole Doctorale'. They are composed of some laboratories which are accredited by nationalorganization of evaluation.
2)

They aimed at converting post-graduate education from thetraditional 'Apprenticeship model' to the 'Network model'. Someof the important characteristics are regarded as follows: a. to offer
supervision by some professors and researchers, b. to offer some
types of courses (specialized education based on each discipline,
basic training for developing competency for research including
foreign languages, information technology etc.) c. some courses for
preparing for employment after getting a Ph.D.

3)

Some problems are discussed among stakeholders, researchers,
young researchers, etc. They focus on the quality of supervisionand courses, limitations associated with the number of students
and faculty development for supervisors

4)

Some of the problems are dissolved by the Ministry order datedon August 7 2006. It includes some prescriptions; characteristics
of doctoral course works as professional activities which is the oneof the basic conditions for promoting their rights, limitation ofnumbers of students etc.

Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education, NagoyaUniversity273

Designing Research Ethics Courses for
Graduate Students: Cases in the United States
SAITOH Yoshiko

It is likely that research ethics (or responsible conduct of research:RCR) education will soon be incorporated into the formal curricula ofgraduate studies in Japan. This paper reports a study of formal
courses on research ethics in the United States, to obtain informationand consider the implications for designing such courses in Japan.
Findings are as follows; (1) courses are often developed by aninterdisciplinary team, including ethicists and/or educational scientists; (2) there are two types of courses; one focuses on research ethics
itself, while the other treats ethics within ‘survival’ skills; (3) astandard course objective is that students will be able to judge whataction is ethical; (4) group discussion is often central in the curriculum;(5) methods of ethics are applied in the discussion. This suggests that
support for interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty is essential
and implies that course style and development processes are the keys
for success in designing such courses. The development of graduate
education in research ethics will also be a key in improving the environment for RCR.
Assistant Professor, Center for the Studies of Higher Education,
Nagoya University274

Guidance of Study at the Universityof Königsberg in the 18th Century
FUJII Motoki

The purpose of this paper is to clarify how the tradition of "Liberalarts" since the Middle Ages has been developed in German universities, such as the University of Königsberg. In this paper, I mainly
focus on the faculty of philosophy of this University, and examine
what kind of reform has been carried out in the latter half of the 18thcentury under the control of the government. The main historicalmaterials for this analysis are both “Guidance of Study” (published in1770) and “Studies Bulletin” (published in the 18th century). Thesematerials show how the government has intervened in academic
education and how this faculty constructed the original ‘Liberal
arts’ curriculum. Through this process, I aim to show historicalfacts about the history of liberal arts education and the historicalorigin ofthe “German model”, which emphasized the significance ofphilosophy in the university.
Lecturer, Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya University275

The Pitfalls of Interdisciplinary
Undergraduate Curricula
YOSHIDA Aya

The aim of this paper is to examine undergraduate curricula after
1991 deregulation of the Standard of Establishment of Universities,
based on a national survey on undergraduate curricula in 2003. The
following four points are found as the result of analysis. 1. There islittle difference between faculties regarding the aim of undergraduate
education and the credits distribution for each curricula category(general education, specialized education, and free electives). While
the faculty of humanities and social sciences make their curricula
broad (eg. introducing minors), the faculty of natural sciences andengineering focus on the sequence of the curricula (eg. courses which
are reguied to take in ceitain grades). 2. The faculty of humanities andsocial sciences tend to have curricula policy to employ interdisciplinary courses. 3. Interdisciplinary curricula are likely to be employedby faculties in which students’ exam scores are relatively low. 4. The
curricula called interdisciplinary means fragmented or weak seguences and may have an adverse effect on students’ learning
their careers after graduation.
Professor, National Institute of Multimedia Education

274andInternational Trends in Outcome-Based Higher
Education Reform and Their Implications forJapanese Higher Education
KAWASHIMA Tatsuo

Both the deregulation of university chartering and the increase in
the enrollment ratio, up to almost 50% of 18 year olds, have brought
Japanese undergraduate programs great diversity. However, the“degree” and “major” should represent what graduates have experienced, and knowledge, understanding and skills they have masteredat the end of their programs.

In this sense “Bachelor” degrees,

regardless of majors, should represent common knowledge, understanding and skills different from those of “Master” and “Doctor”degrees. In other words, “Bachelor” degree has to be defined interms of “Learning Outcomes” as the common means of designing thecurriculum.
In this paper, the author has extensively surveyed international
trends in outcome-based higher education reform followed by acritical examination of the recent history of reform efforts in undergraduate programs in Japan.

Following this survey, the author

proposes the possible introduction of curriculum design based onlearning outcomes, while pointing out the advantages, as well as thedisadvantages, of the use of learning outcomes.
Professor, Institute for Promotion of Higher Education, Kobe University

277

The Present Conditions and Challenges ofTraining and Development Systems andPreparing Future Faculty Programs for
Teaching Assistants in Universities in the U.S.
KIRA Naoshi

The purpose of this study is to examine the present conditions andchallenges of training and development systems for teaching assistants (TAs), who are used extensively at the undergraduate level ofmainly doctorate-granting universities in the U.S. Most doctoral
students acquire their research skills through course work, research
assistantships, and dissertations.

By contrast, there are very few

required programs for doctoral students to develop their teachingskills, and teaching assistantships provide them with a precious opportunity to practice and improve teaching.
This study, thus, closely examines the training and development
systems for TAs to develop their teaching skills, and it divides thetraining and development systems for TAs into two phases. The firstphase refers to the initial training for TAs, which is further broken
down into centralized programs and departmental programs. The
second phase refers to the professional development of experienced
TAs as future faculty in colleges and universities. Through thisanalysis, this study sheds light on the actual conditions of research
universities that train their doctoral students first as TAs and then as
future faculty. This study is preceded by an examination of thereasons behind the expansion of the TA system and the present
conditions in research universities.
Professor, Professional Program of School Education, Japan Professional School of Education

278