ADAPT AND ENHANCE Business schools embrace sudden change to boost future success By Julian Ryall
In a world still in the grip of a pandemic, businesses have quickly learned that they must be nimble in the face of challenges, ready to embrace new technologies and mindsets to come out the other side of this crisis in one piece. Those very same attributes apply equally to the tertiary education sector, with some suggesting that universities in Japan may now be more willing to offer web-based options as a direct result of Covid-19. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has, until recently, been slow to embrace the concept of online learning, even though such classes have been successfully introduced in other countries. Instead, MEXT has preferred to stick with the tried-and-tested model of students physically attending lectures in brick-and-mortar classrooms. FORCED HAND Just as it has with other business sectors, the coronavirus has forced a rapid rethink by authorities and a swift pivot by educational institutions. “We were not offering any courses online before Covid-19, due to university policies, but, because of the coronavirus, we have switched many of our courses—including lectures, seminars, and workshops—to online delivery,” said Philip Sugai, a professor of marketing in the graduate school of business at Kyoto’s Doshisha University. Part of the reason behind the decision concerned the uni versity’s international students, many of whom have been unable to return to Japan due to travel restrictions imposed
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either by the Japanese government or that of their home country. The university now permits students to earn credits even if they are not physically present on campus. “The biggest challenge has been making the change so quickly, especially for courses that were designed to be case-based or project-based,” admitted Sugai. “Shifting to an all-online delivery has created challenges in ensuring that students can still learn the key lessons from the cases and projects, and that they do not face any limitations even though they are participating remotely.” RESOURCE SHIFT Educators at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (NUCB) had to be similarly quick on their feet to meet the changing needs of staff and students at the height of a health crisis, but were maybe more fortunate than some as the school already operated an online facility for a limited number of courses. “The Online Studio was used for courses as part of certificate programs, such as the Women’s Career Empowerment program,” said Usman Muzaffar, coordinator for international development at the university. But English-track programs had not previously made use of the facilities. “As it has for many other institutions, Covid-19 necessitated a swift response for the sake of the health of our students and faculty members,” Muzaffar said. “Building off the Online Studio model, we have now set up 10 smaller studio facilities so that multiple courses can run concurrently. “Prior to the outbreak, online courses were an idea to be explored in the future, but have now become the necessary standard. We are learning every day how to maximize the potential of the hardware and online platforms to circumvent their limitations,” he added.
