Teaching SoTL for graduate students:
Future Faculty Program

Hiroaki Sato (Osaka University Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS))
Teikyo University SoTL Symposium 2021
October 16, 2021
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Presentation Overview
1. Current state of Pre-FD programs in Japan
2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
3. Evaluation of what graduate students who took the FFP
learned4. Significance and challenges of teaching SoTL to graduate
students
5. Disseminating SoTL through academic societies
References21. Current state of pre-FD programs in Japan
Pre-FD in Japan• In the United States and elsewhere, there are an educational programs called
Preparing Future Faculty Programs (PFFP), which were launched with the aim tosmooth the connection from graduate student to faculty member(Kira 2014). In Japan,
these are collectively known as “Pre-Faculty Development (Pre-FD) programs.” (Waga2003)• Since the 2000s, various programs have been developed mainly at research
universities, and the number of such programs has been on the rise, particularly sincearound 2010 (Natsume 2011, Konno 2016, Kurita 2020).
• In 2019, universities with graduate schools became legally required to make efforts toconduct Pre-FD programs or provide information as a result of the revision of theStandards for Establishment of Universities (Standards for Establishment ofUniversities, 2019).
• The content generally includes theories of higher education, course design (including
teaching methods and assessment), teaching skills (Simulated Teaching and reviewsessions), and a summary of educational achievements, with a focus on training in
educational practices (Kurita 2015).
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1. Current state of Pre-FD programs in Japan
Major Pre-FD initiatives in Japan(Konno 2016:62)

NameYearStartedFormat

Preparing Future Faculty Program2010

Graduate school course

Teaching Science in Higher Education (Japanese version of PFF)

2010

Graduate school course

Teaching Fellow System

2015

Teaching Fellow SystemTohoku University Preparing Future Faculty Program

2010

Extracurricular program

Teaching Fellow System

2008

Teaching Fellow System

Teaching at University as a Profession

2008

Graduate school course

PFP Program2013

Graduate school course

Hitotsubashi University

Teaching Fellow Program

2006

Teaching Fellow System(with credit)

The University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo Future Faculty Program (FFP)2013

Graduate school course

University Teacher Preparation Program

2005

Graduate school course

Program for Graduate Students and Postdoctral Fellows

2005

Extracurricular program

Graduate School of Letters PFF Project2009

Extracurricular program

Teaching at a University

2012

Graduate school course

Relay Lectures in the Faculty of Letters in Collaboration with The
Consortium of Universities in Kyoto

2015

Extracurricular program

Preparing Future Faculty

2011

Extracurricular program

Osaka University Future Faculty Program2014

Graduate school course

Osaka City University

Practical Teaching Training Program for University Teachers

2011

Extracurricular program

Hiroshima UniversityTeacher Training Program for Teachers in Charge of Teacher
Training Course

2007

Graduate school course

University Name

Hokkaido University
Tohoku UniversityUniversity of Tsukuba

Nagoya University

Kyoto University

Ritsumeikan University
Osaka University

In addition to the above, Kyushu University's Preparing Future Faculty Program(Zheng et al. 2021) and Kobe
University’s Future Faculty Preparation Course (Chikada 2021) are being offered from 2020.
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2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
The Structure of the Osaka University Future Faculty Program

Required courses
Electives•••

Course nameContentCourse Design andTeaching I

Knowledge learning and technique training for course designand basic educational skills

Course Design andTeaching II

Training in advanced teaching techniques, practical teachingtraining, class observation (Prerequisite: completion of Course
Design and Teaching I)

Course Design andTeaching III

Preparing aspirations for education, research, and socialcontribution, and planning education and research(Prerequisite: completion of Course Design and Teaching I)

Academic Writing :Writing and Teaching
MethodTeaching Writing

Advanced courseon career design

Career design and practices for graduate students

Other designated subjects

Multiple subjects offered by other departments

Course Design and Teaching I was started in 2014 and was added sequentially.
By completing the three required courses and one elective, students can receive a certificate ofcompletion for the advanced Interdisciplinary program officially recognized by Osaka University.
Starting in 2020, graduates of this program will be partially exempted from New Faculty training
program.
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2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Research

SocialEngagement

Education

Course Design and Teaching III (Integration)
Course Design and Teaching II (Practice)

Goals

Assessment

Learning

Content

Methods

Course Design and Teaching I (Theory)

Course Design and Teaching

Graphic Syllabus
62. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Table 3 Comparison of learning content between Program for Primary andSecondary school teacher training and FFP at Osaka University
Learning Content
Content Knowledge

Program for Primary and Secondary
School Teacher Training
・Related subjects (English studies,English literature, English
communication, cross-cultural
understanding, etc.)

Osaka Univ. FFP・Specialized courses in graduate school

・Course Design and Teaching I

Pedagogical Knowledge

・Subjects significant to the teachingprofession, etc.
(Principles of teaching, teacher theory, etc.)
・Courses on basic theories of education(Educational psychology, educational systemtheory, etc.)

Pedagogical ContentKnowledge

・Subjects for learning theories andmethods necessary for practice(Teaching Methodology for English,
mathematics, social studies, etc.)

・Teaching Methodology for English
literature, medicine, engineering, etc.)(Currently not yet offered)・Student Teaching・Course Design and Teaching II・Experience as a TA or TF
・Experience teaching younger students
in the laboratory
・Course Design and Teaching III

Teaching Experience
Integrate Knowledge
and Competencies

・Hands-on practice in teaching72. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Course Design andTeaching I(2 credits=90 hours)

DateClassDAY11Orientation

2

Micro Teaching (1)3Course design (syllabus writing)

4

Graphic syllabus

5

Micro Teaching (2)6-8

Teaching Strategies

9Class design

10Assessment

11-13

Micro Teaching and Peer Assessment

14

Teaching philosophy and Career
Design15

Reflection[Course start date]Spring-Summer: 1 session
Fall-Winter: 1 session

DAY2

3 days program[Eligibility]
Master's course, Doctoral
courseDAY3Content8

2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Course Design andTeaching II(2 credits=90 hours)

DateClass

DAY1

1-3

Orientation & self-introduction, review ofFFP I

DAY24-6

Micro teaching in Active learning method,
Teaching practice and observing classes

Depends
onstudents

7-9Class observation and analysis(classes taught by university teachers andclassmates)

DAY3

10-11

Mid-term reflection

Depends
onstudents

12

Teaching Practice (90 minutes or more at ahigher education institution)

DAY4

13-14

Online Class Design and Assessment

15

Reflection on Teaching Practice / Overall
Reflections[Course start date]Spring-Summer: 1 session
Fall-Winter: 1 session[Eligibility]
Master's course, Doctoral course

Content9

2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Course Design andTeaching IIIDateClass

DAY11

Orientation & Self-introductions, review ofFFP I & II

2-5

SoTL and Planning Research on teaching

6

Making the research philosophy

7−8Making the social engagement philosophy

9-10

Making the teaching philosophy

11-12

The Current issue about higher education/
relevance of the Three philosophy

13-14

SoTL case studies by senior students

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Philosophy as University teacher(2 credits = 90 hours)[Course start date]

DAY2

Content

Fall-Winter: 1 session
Intensive lectures[Eligibility]
Master's course, Doctoral
courseDAY3102. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
SoTL and Planning Research on teaching１） Learn about the history, theory, and significance of SoTL
２） Read and analyze papers on educational practice research at universities• Reading (one or two paper selected from 20 types of Japanese and Englishliterature)• Critique (pair work)• Presentation
３） Plan Research on your own educational practice• Formulate research questions• Set up research approaches (qualitative, quantitative, mixed research methods)• Consider the necessary conditions for implementation

４） Present and Assess the other students’ research plan11

2. Overview of FFP at Osaka University
Relevance of the ThreePhilosophy
In Course Design and Teaching III, weteach not only the SoTL, but also thescholarship of discovery, integration,and application.
In order to have students build
relationships among these concepts, wehave them express their philosophy inthe three academic disciplines foruniversity teacher—research, education,and social engagement with society—using a Venn diagram.

Finding where the three overlap enables
them to make their own sense of how
research can be related to educationand social engagement.

EducationResearchSocialEngagement

Venn diagram used inCourse Design and Teaching III123. Evaluation of what graduate students who took FFP learned

State of actual completion of classes
Number of students: 64 (2015-2019)

No. ofgraduates

Graduate
Schools
breakdown

Coursebreakdown

Medicine（HS)（3）Medicine（MS)（1）International PablicPolicy(1)Human Science(1)Frontier Biosciences（1）
Language and Culture
（1）

MC：5
DC：3

Letters（2）Human Science(3)Economics（1）Science（1）Medicine（HS)（1）
Medicine（MS)（3）Engineering Science（1）Language and Culture
（3）

MC：7
DC：8

Letters（2）Human Science(4)Science（3）Medicine（HS)（2）
Language and Culture（6）
Information Science andTechnology（1）Engineering（1）

MC：5
DC：14

Letters（2）Medicine（HS)（4）Engineering Science（1）Language and Culture
（2）

MC：5
DC：4

Letters（1）Human Science(（4）
Medicine（HS)（3）Engineering（1）Language and Culture
（4）

MC：6
DC：7

Proportion of students in the course
Master’sCourse

DoctoralCourse(Oyama 2021)

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3. Evaluation of what graduate students who took FFP learned

Examples of SoTL Themes
・Examining the effect of grouping on motivation for group learning participation
・Examining the effects of handouts in lecture method
Generalteachingissues

・Effects of designated seating on learners in lecture methods
・Examining the effects of a flipped classroom in a seminar・Is flipped classroom teaching, in which students learn independently, effective in raising national
examination pass rates?（regarding Nutrition in the national examination for dental hygienists）
・Effectiveness of e-learning in preparation for the national nursing examination

Fieldspecificteaching
issues・Verification of the effectiveness of group study of Hiyari-hatto (Close-call) cases during practicaltraining: In pre-Basic Nursing Practices orientation
・The effect of flipped classrooms on the maturity level of Statistics Practices course
・Development of course design to improve rehabilitation students’ practical report writing abilities
・The effects of introducing individual work on students' memory of class content: A case study incognitive psychology

・Doctral students are more likely to cite field-specific teaching issues than master‘s students(Oyama et al. 2017).
・Field-specific teaching issues-General teaching issues + case study, Field-specific teaching practices(Oyama 2021)14

3. Evaluation of what graduate students who took FFP learned

Evaluation of the class
I am satisfied with this class (5-point scale)■Yes, very much

■ Yes■Can’t say either way■ No■ No, not at all

Generally high level of satisfaction(Oyama 2021)

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3. Evaluation of what graduate students who took FFP learned

Evaluation of the class
Did you understand SoTL concepts sufficiently? (5-point scale)■Yes, very much

■ Yes■Can’t say either way■ No■ No, not at all

Concepts were generally understood(Oyama 2021)

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3. Evaluation of what graduate students who took FFP learned

Evaluation of the class
Do you plan to practice SoTL when you become a university
teacher? (5-point scale)■Yes, very much

■ Yes■Can’t say either way■ No■ No, not at all

Most students plan to practice SoTL(Oyama 2021)

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4. Significance and challenges of teaching SoTL to graduate students

Significance of teaching SoTL to graduate students
1) Significance to the individual•••

Advantageous for finding job (increases achievements in teaching)Enable continuous improvement of teaching based on theory and practiceContribute to the formation of a cross-disciplinary community for practice (Encourages thebuilding of an ongoing community of educational practice. Osaka University has an Alumni
Academy, a sustained network of graduates, and ongoing teaching research.)“In order to put the SoTL-based educational practice research plan into action, it is important to builda network of graduates among FFP students and support community where discussions oneducational practice research can take place on a regular basis.” (Oyama et al. 2017)2) Significance to the organization•••

Teach SoTL as a course
Cultivate human resources who can lead SoTL at academic
societies and in various fields
Develop human resources for educational leaders ineach university (FD committee members,department chairs, deans, etc. in the future)

FFP III[Pre-FDstage]“Education as a Propertyof the Community(Matsushita 2008)”

Leaders of SoTL in each field(academic society/university organization)

Communities ofdifferent disciplines(Partial revision of Oyama 2021)

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4. Significance and challenges of teaching SoTL to graduate students

Challenges of teaching SoTL to graduate students
1. Possibility of becoming a university teacher is not 100%

2. Small amount of practical teaching experience
3. Weak public relations system (it’s difficult to get students)
4. Uneven distribution of students (there are few students in science and engineering)
5. Lack of understanding and cooperation from faculty members
6. Insufficient cooperation with the Teaching Assistant system
7. Insufficient linkage with research and management development(Prepared referencing Kurita 2015, Oyama et al 2017, and Chikada 2021)
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5. Disseminating SoTL through academic societies
Examples of activities to disseminate SoTL throughacademic societies
1) Japan Academy of Nursing Education(JANE)
Under a project of its Board of Directors, since 2016, JANE has been organizing workshops on
SoTL for university and vocational school teachers specializing in nursing education. (Theauthor served as a lecturer from 2016 to 2020.)
2) Japan Association for College and University Education(JACUE)
The Committee for Researcher Development of JACUE has been conducting an introductory
course in university education research since 2018 to improve research abilities. (The author
served as the committee chair from 2020 to 2021.)
SoTL concepts have been emphasized in these initiatives. There are also graduate students
among the participants.
There are few universities in Japan for learning research methods on teaching in highereducation. Dissemination activities by each academic society are significant to creating
opportunities for graduate students to learn about SoTL.

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References1.

近田政博（2021）「大学院生の教育能力形成に関する課題 ：プレ FD 実施大学への聞き取り調査を中心に」神戸大学大学教育推進機構 『大学教育研究』29, 73-86.
2. 吉良直（2014），「大学院生のための段階的な大学教員養成機能に関する研究 アメリカの研究
大学 から日本への示唆，教育総合研究：日本教育大学院大学紀要（7），日本教育大学院大学，
1-20
3. 今野文子（2016）「大学院生等を対象とした大学教員養成プログラム（プレFD）の動向と東北大学における取組み」『東北大学高度教養教育・学生支援機構紀要』2, 61-74
4. 栗田佳代子（2015）「プレFDの現状からみえる課題と目指すべき方向性」『大学教育学会誌』
37(2), 75-78.
5. 栗田佳代子（2020）「大学院生のための教育研修の現状と課題」『教育心理学年報』59, 191208.
6. 鄭漢模・長沼祥太郎・野瀬健・丸野俊一（2021）「九州大学におけるティーチング・アシスタン
ト制度 改革 : 1 年間の記録」九州大学基幹教育院『基幹教育紀要』7,189-212.
7. 夏目達也（2011）「大学教育の質保証方策としてのFD－FDの新たな展開の諸相－」『名古屋高等教育研究』11,133-152.
8. 大山牧子（2021）「プレFDにおけるSoTL実践の意義－大阪大学未来の大学教員養成プログラムを事例に–」大学教育学会大会発表資料．
9. 大山牧子・根岸千悠・佐藤浩章（2016）「SoTL に基づいた教育実践研究に関するプレ FDプログラム開発と評価―大阪大学未来の大学教員養成プログラムを事例に―」『大学教育学会第38回大会要旨集』,108-109.
10. 大山牧子・根岸千悠・佐藤浩章（2017）「SoTL に基づいた教育実践研究計画を作成するプレFDプログラムの試行と評価」『日本教育工学会論文誌』41, 225-228.
11. 田⼝真奈・⻄森年寿・神藤貴昭・中村晃・中原淳(2006). 「高等教育機関における初任者を対象としたFDの現状と課題」『日本教育工学会論文誌』30(1), 19-28.
12. 和賀崇（2003）「アメリカの大学における大学教員準備プログラム－ファカルティ・ディベロップメントとの関連に注目して–」『大学教育学会誌』25, 83-89.
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