Global Development of Generic Skill Building in Higher Education from the Perspective of Liberal Education
【Objective】
In Japanese higher education, general education was introduced into specialized undergraduate education nearly 70 years ago, just after WWII. However, since its inception, it has been in a difficult position in undergraduate education due to its perceived antagonistic relationship with specialized (subject specific) education.
On the other hand, in recent years, higher education systems in some countries and regions, such as China, Hong Kong, and the UK, which had long provided specialized (subject specific) education only, introduced liberal or general education components into their undergraduate education, partly because they were expected to build generic skills among students.
These emerging developments are worthy of note as an experiment because it might be challenging to embed general or liberal education into specialized undergraduate education as seen when reflecting on Japan’s experience. Why did institutions in these regions decide to implement general or liberal education in undergraduate education? How well are they working within their own systems? In what ways does general or liberal education contribute to the building of generic skills among students?
We will make use of this opportunity to discuss the relevant issues and share our own experiences and insights.
【Speakers】
Four speakers from China, Hong Kong, the UK and Japan will each make 30-minute presentations (including 5-minute Q&A), followed by a 40-minute panel discussion session (18:05-18:45).
【Outline】
◆Title: Global Development of Generic Skill Building in Higher Education from the Perspective of Liberal Education
◆Date and Time: 16:00-18:50, Friday, January 25th, 2019
◆Venue: Ohkuma Small Auditorium (Building 21), Waseda Univercity
http://www.waseda.jp/eng/common/images/campus/map_printable_waseda.pdf
◆Entry: Free of Charge ⇒ https://bit.ly/2QTS4Ua/
◆Sponsorship: CHES, Center for Higher Education Studies, Waseda University
◆Cosponsorship: DCC, Digital Campus Consortium
◆This work was supported in part by MEXT/JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JP16H03786 and JP1702685.
【Program】
■16:00-16:05 ＜Introduction＞
Aya Yoshida (Professor, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Vice Director of the Center for Higher Education Studies, Waseda University)
■16:05-18:05 ＜Lectures＞
Moderator：Kyoko Anegawa (Assistant Professor, Center for Higher Education Studies, Waseda University)
■16:05-16:35
Modernization and Tradition, Oriental and Occidental: The short History of General Education in Mainland China,
Lu Xiaodong (Professor, Graduate School of Education, Peking University)
■16:35-17:05
The Common Core at the University of Hong Kong: Transdisciplinary General Education in Action,
Gray Kochhar-Lindgren (Professor, Director of Common Core Curriculum, University of Hong Kong)
■17:05-17:35
Liberating Closed Curricula: Rethinking the Value and Purpose of a University Experience,
Diana Spencer (Professor, Dean of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences, University of Birmingham)
■17:35-18:05
Undergraduate Curriculum Reform in Japan; Towards An Integration of General and Specialized Education,
Yumiko Sugitani (Professor, College of Education, Psychology and Human Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University)
■18:05-18:45 ＜Panel discussion＞
Moderator: Kazuhiro Sugimoto (Professor, Institute for Excellence in higher Education, Tohoku University)
Speakers: Xiaodong, Lindgren, Spencer, Sugitani, and Yoshida
■18:45-18:50 ＜Concluding Remarks＞
Aya Yoshida, Professor
◆language
Simultaneous translation (English & Japanese)
◆Reception
A reception for the speakers and participants will be held from 19:00. ※Fee：JPY3,000
【Contact】
CHES, Center for Higher Education Studies, Waseda University
DCC, Digital Campus Consortium Secretariat
Email: [email protected]
