Measuring Quality of Undergraduate Education in Japan

This book firstly focuses on a higher education policy toward quality assurance in OECD countries. It provides comparative views for cultural and structural similarities and differences in higher education in two countries which could explain significant differences in the gains students make in college, as well. Higher Education on a global basis is now facing a great issue. Universities and colleges have to be responsible for quality assurance of education. In other words, the concept of assessment of student learning and development has been focused and spotlighted. Teaching and learning issues have been widely discussed in higher education institutions worldwide. For example, the last quarter of the 20th century brought significant changes to the policy and the structure of higher education in Japan. Government policy toward higher education has shifted dramatically. Universities have become more teaching-and-learning-centered and developed more internationalized curricula. In particular, quality assurance for teaching and learning has become a very critical issue for all Japanese higher education institutions. The author will present the policy, trend, and the data for an international comparison, which may contribute in expanding the range of the perception on institutional structures beyond any benchmarking assessment that would be limited to a single country.