Removing Roadblocks: Ongoing Strategies to Expand Online Learning Japan

Overview

This research looks at why online learning is rarely used in Japanese higher education. We identified all online programs listed for Japanese universities in the fall of 2016 and analyze the type and enrollment of these programs. We discuss how Japanese universities have incorporated MOOCs and LMS in their course offerings, and discuss how universities are adapting online learning degrees, licenses or certifications. We review policy initiatives enacted by the government, and discuss whether these strategies are likely to overcome the obstacles facing Japan.

The Problem

Japan provides a difficult conundrum for advocates of online learning.  Japanese schools have been slow at integrating ICT, even though Japan is a leading producer and innovator in the ICT sector.  The Teacher and Learning International Study (TALIS) found: “only 10% of teachers in Japan report that students use ICT for projects or class work frequently or in all or nearly all lessons (compared with 37% on average in TALIS countries). This is the lowest rate of more than three dozen nations surveyed. (Bachnik 2003) noted major socio-cultural or organizational “roadblocks” to the spread of information technology in Japanese schools and universities.  Although the national government has heavily promoted ICT -- and some scholars (Nakagaki 2015) argue that “It is evident that teachers can conduct classes more effectively and efficiently using ICT tools” -- ICT integration in Japanese schools lags behind the rest of the world. Recent work suggests that Japanese teachers need “… training courses related to designing and organizing ICT integrated lessons, utilizing new ICT media such as digital textbooks, tablet PCs and interactive blackboards/whiteboards….” (Yoshida, 2015) p. 804. 

The Data

In the fall of 2016, LeTendre was a Fulbright Research Scholar at the Institute of Comparative Culture at Sophia University in Tokyo.  He visited a dozen different universities, public and private, and interviewed scholars about university use of online programs.  He also collected data on all online and distance education programs offered that semester.  In addition, he reviewed and analyzed recent government initiatives designed to promote online learning.  In addition, LeTendre and Brinker review the current MOOC offerings and literature on international expansion of online learning in higher education, and discuss Japan’s position vis-à-vis other nations that are developing their online learning infrastructures.

Background

Previous studies such as (Bachnik, 2003) found that barriers to online learning included a weak infrastructure, a strong preference for face-to-face learning, and a general suspicion of the quality of online learning. However, Japanese have readily adopted the use of cell phones and social media, as well as extensive use of e-learning within the business sector (http://freesoft-100.com/web/study.html).  Japan also leads the world in humanoid-robot development for social services and education (including a new SoftBank initiative that has lent 2,000 “Pepper” units to Japanese schools.  This readiness to experiment with, and adopt, information and communication technology in other sectors suggests that there are deeper cultural issues that have retarded the spread of online learning in higher education.

While MOOCs have promoted the idea that online learning can help break down the barriers to access and intercultural exchange in an international context, the degree-based online education sector has been slow to mature. Barriers such as accreditation, cost, the reputation of online learning, lack of English ability when considering programs from leading providers in the U.S., UK, and Australia, as well as broadband access and government regulations keep the global market for online degrees limited. While Japan looks promising in terms of growth potential for online education due to its population size, broadband access, educational attainment, per capita income, and study abroad participation, a deeper look at the market reveals numerous barriers, which are mainly tied to cultural resistance to technology-driven change in education.

(Aoki, 2010) found that there was little use of interactive learning in Japanese higher education seminars, with over 80% of classes offered in a lecture format. She hypothesized that this form of instruction is rooted in traditional K-12 educational patterns.  (Sakamoto, 2002) notes that the MEXT has made e-learning a policy priority since the 1990s, and lists several universities that have made significant advances.  However, he also finds that respondents note significant infrastructural barriers (costs, lesson material, etc.) to engaging in e-learning in higher educational environments.

The Findings

Currently less than two dozen universities in Japan offer online courses.  Indeed, Japan’s leading distance education university (The Open University) is only now developing online programs. These universities run the range from elite private to low-status, private education providers, but in general tend to clump in the low end of the status range.  Despite their popularity in the U.S., there are few M.Ed. programs or MBA programs in Japan.  Oberlin University has recently offered a fully online program for teacher license renewal that has received initial positive enrollment growth.  The Ministry of Education (MEXT) has made the expansion of ICT and online education a priority, and has also called for reforms of teacher education that may promote further expansion of online teacher certification markets.

However, a major barrier toward widespread adoption appears to be the rigid status hierarchy of the Japanese university system.  Although the MEXT has repeatedly tried to break open this hierarchy, students still continue to strive to enter the most prestigious universities via traditional entrance examinations.  Those who enter the most elite universities are essentially guaranteed jobs in a limited labor market (LeTendre, Gonzalez, & Nomi, 2006; Zeng, 1999).  Thus, there is little incentive for high-status universities to invest in online learning.  Low-status universities appear incentivized to experiment with various forms of online and blended learning, but their impact on the overall system is negligible.

Respondents noted several other reasons why online education has been slow to expand.  First and foremost, they linked the lack of interest in online education to the low-level use of technology in Japanese K-12 schools and universities.  As noted above, Japanese public K-12 schools rank dead last in the world in terms of ICT use. While most teachers surveyed (Nakagaki, 2015) indicate they would like to use more technology, they cited lack of infrastructure and time for training.  Thus, the infrastructure barriers that Bachnik noted, are really not so much at the higher education level, but originate in the lack of ICT and online education use in K-12 schooling.  Although a small number of schools have shown high level technological innovation based on participation in government promotion programs (such as the 12 schools in the MEXT “Future Schools” or the few dozen “Super Global High Schools”), most students do not regularly use computers or tablets through the end of high school.

Similarly, the use of learning management systems (LMS) is relatively limited in Japanese universities.  For example, colleagues at Waseda University and the University of Tokyo that LeTendre worked with, still use mimeographed materials that are handed out in seminars.  While some universities (e.g. Oberlin) have promoted wide-spread adoption of LMS systems, many Japanese university students are unfamiliar with online support for residential learning or “blended” learning.  Indeed, several respondents confused the terms “online” and “blended.”  Some were shocked to learn that students in the U.S. could receive a degree without ever setting foot on a college campus.

Policies and Suggestions

            Barriers to the expansion of online learning in Japanese higher education appear rooted in the broaderK-12 system.  Little integration of ICT, much less online learning, has occurred in this sector, and so students are ill prepared to engage with online materials upon entry to college.  At the same time, the rigid hierarchy of Japanese universities, and the continued use of paper-based traditional entrance examinations discourages high schools from introducing online materials.

            The integration of electronic or online materials needs to be achieved much earlier in the educational system in order to provide students with a familiarity with these technologies.  One area where significant change is occurring is the use of digital textbooks in K-12 education. These texts are appealing to teachers they come packaged as lessons with links to graphics and activities that can be readily inserted into the classroom.  Digital banks of lessons, shared among teacher in a district or subject area could allow for review for accuracy, appear to be gaining in popularity.

            However, Japan faces still faces significant infrastructural problems.  Few schools have a stable school Wi-Fi system, and few schools encourage students use of tablets, chrome books or laptops.  Government promotion policies have focused on creating islands of innovation without providing systematic training and ongoing support for ICT integration in the K-12 schools.  Thus, when funding for innovative programs ends, the innovative use of ICT or online material tends to fade, rather than spread.  Without a general initiative to integrate e-learning, online learning and other forms of ICT earlier one, the general prospects for rapid expansion of online learning in Japanese higher education appear limited.

Rere

Aoki, K. (2010). The Use of ICT and e-Learning in Higher Education in Japan. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 4(6), 986-990.

Bachnik, J. (Ed.) (2003). Roadblocks on the Information Highway. New York: Lexington Books.

LeTendre, G., Gonzalez, R., & Nomi, T. (2006). Feeding the Elite: The Evolution of Elite Pathways from Star High Schools to Elite Universities. Higher Education Policy, 19, 7-30.

Nakagaki, M. (2015). Attitudes toward the use of ICT in schools in Japan.   Retrieved from http://www.childresearch.net/data/school/2014_01.html

OECD Country Note: Japan.  http://www.oecd.org/japan/TALIS-2013-country-note-Japan.pdf.  Accessed on May 15, 2015.

Sakamoto, T. (2002). E-learning and Educational Innovation in Higher Education in Japan. Educational Media International, 39(1), 9-16.

Yoshida, H. (2015). Elementary and Secondary School Teachers' Needs for Media Education: With Focus on Curriculum Development for Professional Development. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(11), 836-840.

Zeng, K. (1999). Dragon Gate: Competitive Examinations and Their Consequences. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.