Exploring Religion and Culture in Japan
Partner university (faculty)
Faculty of Letters, Chiba University and University of Cincinnati
Class schedule
Term 1-2
Time difference
13 hours
Class objectives
This class seeks to promote exchange between students and the internationalization of Chiba University and to contribute to the learning of the students from the University of Cincinnati (UC) who are studying Japanese education and culture by conducting online lessons with the students of the UC, a partner school of Chiba University, who were planning to study at Chiba University for a short term. The objective is to let students grasp the current state and issues of the globalized society and the meaning or importance of Japanese studies from a global perspective as they learn the culture, language, and society of one another and exchange their opinions through active learning to create video content to be presented to the students in the partner country.
Class content
The participants in this course were the students of the course and several faculty members at Chiba University, Junko Markovich, a faculty member of the UC, and fifteen students of the UC who had originally been scheduled to study at Chiba University for approximately two weeks from mid to late May. Note: Ten of the students from the UC cancelled the course later, and the number of the participants from the UC became five (March 20, 2020).
Given that face-to-face classes became impossible during the 1st and 2nd terms, the course was conducted through Moodle and COIL-Moodle instead. First, students have to access the Moodle course. The students of Chiba University who are enrolled on the course created content, such as videos, images, and PowerPoint, in English and Japanese for the students of the UC and conducted exchanges using those materials. Several faculty members of Chiba University also provided relevant content and materials.
The students from the UC also provided content, and the participants conducted exchanges, such as discussions in English, as they shared the content created by the participants from both universities (for example, an online discussion between the students by using texts written in roughly one paragraph as replies to the questions from the students of the UC).
Nonetheless, due to the time difference and other factors, we did not hold real time two-way discussions.
Class format
Asynchronous
Tools used
COIL-Moodle
Although we had to make drastic changes to the plan due to the coronavirus pandemic, the experience provided us with valuable insights regarding online exchanges and demonstrated that it is possible to conduct various kinds of exchanges. The exchange prompted as many as forty-three students of Chiba University to register for the language exchange program of the UC as they learned about it from the students who had been on the course, and we were able to have the students of the UC introduced to all the newly registered students. Furthermore, we are working with the UC to provide such an arrangement to students who wish to scheme to introduce their students to the students of Chiba University who wish to participate in the scheme.
実施大学（学部）
千葉大学文学部 シンシナティ大学
授業日程
T1-2
時差
13時間
授業目的
千葉大学の協定校であるUCから短期留学予定であった留学生とWeb上で共に学ぶことにより、UC学生の日本語教育・日本文化研修に寄与するとともに、学生同士の交流と千葉大学の国際化を促進することを目的とする。相手国の学生に提示する映像コンテンツを作成するというアクティブ・ラーニングによって、双方の文化・言語・社会を学び合い、意見を交わす中で、グローバル化社会の現状と課題、世界から見た日本研究の意味・意義を把握する。
授業内容
本授業の参加者は、千葉大学の本授業の履修者および複数の教員、UC教員の順子マルコビッチ氏、および本来なら5月中旬から下旬まで、約2週間千葉大学に留学予定であったUC学生15名である。※その後、UC学生のうち10名が履修取り消しを行い、参加学生は5名に変更（2020年3月20日）。
第1・第2タームは対面授業不可となったことから、MoodleおよびCOIL-Moodleを通して授業を実施した。まずは、Moodleのコースにアクセスすること。千葉大学の履修学生は、全員がそれぞれUC学生向けの、英語+日本語による映像・画像・PowerPoint等のコンテンツを制作し、これを用いての交流を行った。複数の千葉大学教員からも、コンテンツが提供された。
UC学生側からも、コンテンツが提供され、双方の作成コンテンツを共有し、Web上での英語によるディスカッション等の交流を行った。（例：シンシナティ学生の質問に対し、１パラグラフ程度のテキストによる学生同士のオンランインディスカッション。）
ただし、時差等の関係で、同時刻の双方向型ディスカッションは行わなかった。
授業実施形態
非同期型
使用ツール
COIL-Moodle
コロナ禍により計画を大きく変えざるを得なかったが、オンラインでの交流について、多くの示唆を得ることが出来、様々な交流の可能性についても確認出来た。また、この交流がきっかけとなり、交流終了後にも、受講者の紹介で千葉大から４３名もの学生がシンシナティ大学のランゲージエクスチェンジに登録し、先方より４３名全員にシンシナティ大学の学生を紹介していただくことが出来た。2021年度も、希望する学生にはこうした紹介を行っていく旨、シンシナティ大学側と計画中である。
