やわらかな高等教育システムの形成

バーチャル・ユニバーシティの態様と単位制度の意義

抄録

　 Japanese higher education is rather large in scale, but most of its students are young and recent graduates of high schools, and there are few working adult students. In this article, I consider ways to make Japanese higher education more flexible and able to adapt to a learning society.

　 First, I look at virtual universities in the United States, including California Virtual University, Western Governors University, the University of Phoenix, Regents College, and the National Technological University, to find the most flexible ways to expand accessibility for working adults. Although there are many types of virtual universities and several kinds of efforts there for flexibility and quality, the most essential requirement is well-organized course work, and a properly-administrated credit scheme is the key to achieving this.

　 I also examine the condition of Japanese higher education in the areas of performance of course work and administration of credit schemes, and find poor performance in these areas. Most classes are not interactive. The credit scheme is often administrated without regard to any standard. Therefore, I propose improved performance of course work and administration of credit schemes as the minimum requirements for increased flexibility and quality of Japanese higher education.