Developing Education Platform utilizing English ICT Contents - to generate local human resources with global perspective
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- Developing Education Platform utilizing English ICT Contents - to generate local human resources with global perspective
- Social Background of this Project
- Outline of the Project
- ICT Platform Development Project
- Short-term Content-based International Program (SCIP)
- Reference
Social Background of this Project
Because of rapid change of globalization in society, there is a greater demand on university graduates for English proficiency in order to find good employment. Some newer companies have declared that the major language they use for the business meetings and daily activities will be English and that they will gradually increase the number of non-Japanese employees. Additionally, many companies state their TOEIC score requirements that prospective candidates need to acquire by the time of application. In other words, having advanced English proficiency is more crucial than ever.
On the other hand, English proficiency of Iwate University students is unfortunately not very competitive at the time of graduation, due to the fact that after general education at the freshman year, the opportunity to take English courses is extremely limited. This is especially true for science majors. To respond to the demand of English, each faculty has tried to find a way to increase courses taught in English, but those capable of teaching in English cannot afford the time and energy due to the recent increase in workload for faculty members.
In order to respond to this harsh reality, this ICT project was planned. It consists of two parts: one provides opportunities to improve the students' English skills and the other nurtures the students' global perspective. The purpose of the courses is to shift from "Study English as a goal" to "Use English as a tool to study the students' major fields".
Outline of the Project
TOP > About this Project : Outline of the Project Outline of the Project Iwate University International Center (IUIC), Iwate University Super Computing and Information Sciences Center (ISIC), and University Education Center (UEC) jointly applied for the governmental grant. The following information is the outline of the grant allocated to the project:
| Title of the Project | Developing Education Platform utilizing English ICT Contents -- to generate local human resources with global perspective |
|---|---|
| Type of Grant | Special Operational Grant-In-Aid |
| Scale of the Grant allocated |
2010 ¥27,000,000
2011 ¥25,000,000 |
| Period of Grant Allocation | 2010 - 2012 |
This project consists of two parts: one is to develop the English platform and the other is to develop the Short-term Content-based International Program (SCIP).
ICT Platform Development Project
The project manager is responsible for:
- Database development, construction of the platform using Moodle, a Learning Management System (LMS),
- To make it available to anyone at the university, and
- The evaluation of the contents in classes.
This platform should offer a broad range of contents to meet the needs of professors and students with variety of backgrounds. In 2012, this project will be widely promoted throughout the campus to increase the number of users who will benefit.
Features of English ICT Contents
Here are the features of the contents being developed.
1.Supplementary teaching material useful for any faculty
When used in connection with a course, the contents can be used as supplementary teaching material, such as a review of what is taught in class or previously studied.
2.Order-made contents
In order to make the contents perfect for the course intended, the program manager works closely with the teacher to meet the requirements. By carefully preparing, even if the Japanese teacher is not fluent in English, s/he can add some tasks which increase the opportunity for the students to be exposed to English.
3.Contents for Self-study
The students can access to the platform to do exercises in the self-study areas by selecting contents from something close to their interests to basic skill building.
4.Contents close to the students' area of interest
Since the students already have some background knowledge of their major, it is easier for them to do the work in English by using the knowledge as a clue. At the same time, they will learn technical terms and expressions frequently used.
5.Contents database that can be easily accessed and used according to the teacher's needs
Contents stored in a database can be easily located and used as a part of a new course the teacher would like to construct. The database can be shared and recycled in many different courses.
Short-term Content-based International Program (SCIP)
This course is categorized as one of the General Education courses (ZENGAKU KYOIKU KAMOKU). The concept of this project is to have the students study about renewable energy before they actually visit the sites abroad to look at them in operation. Before they visit either Iceland or Sweden, they will visit Kuzumaki and Hachimantai to learn about the implementation in Iwate.
Number of students: approx. 6
Pre-Departure Program: May - August
Lectures by faculty member of Engineering, Agriculture and Humanities and Social Sciences.
Field trip to Kuzumaki and Hachimantai
Study Abroad: September (for about 10 days)
Sites: Iceland and Vaxjo, Sweden
Post-Program
Sharing of the lessons learned, making an oral presentation and writing a report.
Reference
deBoer, M. (2011). ICT Contents Project at Iwate University. In A. Stewart (Ed.), JALT2010 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo:JALT.