Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/56806

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/J.HighEdu.19.65

In March and July 2010, Hokkaido University held 5-day workshops named, “Preparing Future Faculty : An Introduction to Teaching and Writing for Graduate Students.” Two lecturers were invited from the University of California, Berkeley. Each workshop had 30 participants, 6 tutors, 1 coordinator and many observers. During the 5-day program, the teaching sessions addressed the question of, “how to promote students’ learning,” especially considering course syllabi, grading rubrics, large lecture courses, and professional standards. Principles to promote students’ learning were not only discussed in class, but were also applied to the workshop itself. The writing sessions dealt with conference proposals, journal articles, abstracts, and editing. Tutors played a crucial role in assisting the participants. They facilitated group discussions in class, answered questions and suggested ways to improve the participants’ work in tutorial sessions. Tutors’ meetings served as the time to solve any issues raised and, more importantly, as the place to transfer skills of experienced tutors to new ones. The workshops were a valuable opportunity for starting to develop teaching and writing skills needed for future faculty. The demand for this kind of opportunity is high among graduate students in Japan. The workshops indicated the importance of providing training opportunities for both teaching and writing. For Preparing Future Faculty programs to take root in Japanese universities, a human resource development system is crucial to transfer the knowledge and skills of experienced lecturers and tutors. In addition, the programs should be prepared in Japanese.