A
Status Report on Information Science Education at Japanese Private Universities[1]
Ken Takagaki, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada
and
Tomio Koyama, Osaka Institute of Technology, Japan
March, 2001
ABSTRACT
This short report highlights
some features of Computer Information Systems training at leading Japanese
private universities. Important trends
and comparisons to Canadian post-secondary training in this area are made. A
brief overall description of the Japanese Post-Secondary system is also
provided.
INTRODUCTION
There are some 570 national, regional and private
universities in Japan of which the vast majority, some 435, are private. The national and regional universities
receive financial support primarily from the national or regional (mainly
prefectural or municipal) governments. Private universities also receive
financial support through the Ministry of Education (Monbusho) but to a lesser extent.
Therefore, tuition fees at private universities average about twice that
of public universities. All recognized universities are subject to various
regulations and program standards as set by Monbusho.
Overall, the public universities, and in particular, the
national universities, tend to enjoy the greatest prestige and reputations. However, there has always existed a strong
tradition of private post-secondary education in Japan and some of the leading
universities in Japan fall into this category.
The sheer number of universities (not to mention several thousand two-year
colleges and technical institutes) allows for diversity and specialization
impossible in a less populous country such as Canada. Altogether, the system offers a huge range of alternatives and
options to the student seeking post-secondary education.
Recently, many Japanese universities, with the encouragement
of Monbusho, have established new
programs in Computer-Based Information Systems (Jou-Hou Kagaku in Japanese).
As a result, there has been a proliferation of Jou-Hou Kagaku programs throughout the post-secondary system,
including both undergraduate and graduate levels. This report focuses on some
of the key characteristics of these Computer-based Information Systems
programs, mainly as implemented by private universities and institutes of
technology.
First, a brief description of the Japanese Post-Secondary
system in Science and Technology/Engineering is given to provide a contextual
background. The role of private
universities in Japan is then briefly described. Various implementations of Information System programs at
different universities are discussed together with an analysis of their
curricula. The report concludes with
brief summary comparisons to the programs and curricula of corresponding
Canadian universities and institutes of technology.
THE JAPANESE POST-SECONDARY SYSTEM
Recruitment and Admission to Japanese Post-Secondary Institutions [2]
Japan has one of the higher secondary and post-secondary
participation rates in the world. Virtually all youth in Japan complete high
school. The 1997 high school completion
rate in Japan was reported at 98%. In
the same year, Monbusho reported that
45% of high school graduates that year proceeded to university or junior
(2-year) college and a further 20% proceeded to some other form of post-secondary
training. (This compares to a reported
80% high school completion rate and 21% transition from high school to
post-secondary for British Columbia[3].)
Admission to almost all universities, private or public, is
primarily by competitive examination. All
national and public universities as well as many private ones require a
nation-wide University Entrance Examination.
In addition, most universities provide their own individual entrance
examinations that are designed, in theory, to identify applicants best suited
to the kind of education they provide.
In some cases, individual faculties or departments will also require
their own entrance examinations. Every applicant attempting an entrance
examination is charged a fee typically ranging from about 20,000 Yen to 35,000
Yen ($250 - $440 CAD)[4].
Competition for university admission is intense, especially
for the more reputable and prestigious institutions. Further, the national universities schedule their examinations
twice per year on the same dates, thus restricting the applicant’s choice of
universities. Regional and private universities, however, are more flexible,
both with respect to examination dates and consideration of other factors in
addition to examination results.
Recently, in addition to raw examination scores, private universities
have introduced a large number of assessment variations to make their programs
accessible to a broader range of applicants.
For example, identified subject areas (e.g. mathematics or English) or a
combination of best scores in certain areas might be weighted more heavily in
computing final scores.
Applicants who are not accepted into the university of their
choice have the option of re-applying in succeeding years. A minor industry in the private sector has
developed to provide intensive preparation and strategies for taking university
entrance examinations. It is not
unusual for high school graduates to defer the application process for a year
or more in order to better prepare for entrance examination to the school of
their choice. Summary statistics
published by the universities suggest that students who have waited a year
before applying have significantly better success rates than students coming
directly from high school. In fact, Tokyo University reports that about 50% of
their annual admission consist of students who have deferred their application
one year or more. Once a student is
accepted, he or she pays a one-time entrance fee typically about 250,000 Yen
($3,150 CAD) in addition to the normal first year tuition.
Compared to Canada, this process tends to require much
earlier and greater commitment to a specific institution and program of studies
on the part of the student. Further, once a student is accepted, transfers to
other universities or other programs within the same university are rare. Unlike Canada, where students often roam
from school to school or program to program, especially in the first two years
of university, direct admission other than to the first year of a program from
another post-secondary institution is difficult and rarely occurs.
As in Canada, many universities will provide for separate
admission procedures for foreign students. Mobusho
as well as many of the top ranked universities in Japan have pro-active
policies for recruiting qualified applicants from outside Japan.
School Terms, Class Sizes, Tuition
The university academic year in Japan is divided into two
semesters, mid-April to late September and mid-October to beginning of
March. There is a five-week summer
break (late July and August) and a two-week winter break (last week of December
and first week of January).
Except for their final year, undergraduate students
typically enroll in about 15 courses per semester and attend about 30 hours of
lectures, laboratories or seminars per week.
The school day, Monday to Friday, is divided into four or
five periods of 90 to 100 minutes each.
Typically, each course meets one or two periods per week. Most courses are one semester in length.
Typically, final year students, particularly those in
Science or Engineering faculties, spend most of their time preparing a
graduating thesis. Normally, they are
assigned to a research or development laboratory and supervised by a senior
professor who, in most cases, takes an individual interest in ensuring that the
student is appropriately qualified upon graduation. This final year tends to be a ‘capstone’ experience for the
student and it is not unusual for the student to maintain a strong professional
relationship with the supervising professor long after graduation.
Average undergraduate class sizes range from a small handful
to large lecture classes of 150 or more.
The average student-to-faculty ratio is about 1-25 in private
universities and 1-15 in national universities. The total number of students admitted to any university within a
given year is regulated by Monbusho
and is usually a function of the number of full-time, tenured professors. The total number of tenured professors
within any university is also determined by Monbusho.
As of 1998, the typical annual tuition at a well-regarded
private university was approximately 1,200,000 Yen ($15,000 CAD)[5].
Annual living expense for a university student averages around 2,000,000 Yen
($25,000) per year. Monbusho and other organizations offer a
variety of scholarships and long-term loans to students to help finance their
education. In some cases, loans are
interest-free or forgivable.
Faculty and Working Conditions
As in Canada, faculty at Japanese universities are well
qualified and highly trained. Tenured
professors and associate professors are expected to possess the Ph.D. or
equivalent in their area of specialization as well as significant academic and
research records. In addition to
teaching and lecturing, professors are expected to maintain research programs
and supervise both fourth year and graduate students. Typically, professors
will supervise about 25-30 fourth year and graduate students at private schools
and about 5-10 students at public universities. Many professors also maintain
strong industry relationships through consulting, recommending graduates for
employment, and other related activities.
However, compared to many Canadian programs, institutional-level
arrangements between industry and universities such as formal Advisory
Committees appear to be rarer.
University professors in Japan enjoy significant respect and
social status. Wage levels are equal to
or better than Canada, with typical annual salaries for tenured professors
averaging about 10 Million Yen at public universities and 12 Million Yen at
private universities ($126,000 - $150,000 CAD). Currently, salaries at Japanese universities fall in the upper
third or quarter of wage scales in Japan. This is in contrast to Canada where
salary scales in post-secondary education have often fallen significantly
behind industry, especially in high technology fields. While full year
sabbaticals are apparently still rare in Japan, professors are eligible for
short-term sabbatical leaves and international travel to conferences and other
scholarly activities.
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN JAPAN
Private universities, junior colleges and other
post-secondary institutions play a far more important role in Japan than in
Canada. The vast majority (over 75%) of
universities in Japan are private and some 80% of all universities students
attend a private institution. Unlike
Canada, where private universities generally operate with minimum government
intervention and are sometimes not well understood (or accepted) by the public,
private education in Japan is an important and highly integrated part of the
Japanese educational system. Japanese legislation provides for government
subsidies to private institutions for their operating expenses as well as
grants and long-term, low-interest loans for capital costs. In 1997, Monbusho
support for the operating expenses of private universities was in the order of
295 Billion-Yen ($3.9 Billion Canadian Dollars) or about 12.4 percent of the
operating budgets of private universities. (Interestingly, private schools
overall in Japan have experienced a significant reduction in government support
since 1980, when the percentage of government support was at a high of about
30%.)
Private universities in Japan are operated by educational
foundations known as Gakkou Hou-jin in Japanese. Hou-jin
received charters from the appropriate government bodies and Monbusho to operate private schools and
other educational enterprises. Many foundations
operate several schools at different levels under a single management
umbrella. For example, a Hou-jin may operate a university, a
junior college and a high school. Successful Hou-jin may run several universities and/or campuses.
As mentioned earlier, Japanese students seeking
post-secondary education have a huge range and diversity of alternatives before
them, limited primarily by the intensely competitive entry process, especially
at the more prestigious institutions.
As a result, the entire Japanese post-secondary environment is also
highly competitive, with each school aggressively promoting its unique features
and programs to attract the best students.
As described previously, in addition to straight raw scores,
universities have recently been introducing various imaginative and creative
approaches to evaluating entrance examination results in order to attract the
most suitable applicants to their programs. For example, OIT lists six separate
ways of applying to their programs in their entry guidebook, each based on a
different method of computing examination scores. Thus, applicants with weaknesses in certain areas but
corresponding strengths in others may still be successful in entering an OIT
program.
The amount and quality of the information provided to
applicants by the typical Japanese university is impressive. In addition to the usual calendars and
program descriptions, other information provided include sample entrance
examinations and detailed statistics related to examination results,
demographics of successful candidates, and post-graduation examination
results. Further, publishing houses and
other organizations also publish their own statistical summaries and guidebooks
to universities.
Due to the sheer volume of information as well as the high
costs of the entry process, Japanese students appear to be somewhat more aware
and better-informed consumers of post-secondary education overall, especially
compared to the typical applicant to Canadian universities.
The Osaka Institute of Technology
The Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT) is primarily an
Engineering and Computer Technology university offering programs at Bachelor,
Master’s and Ph.D. levels. OIT forms
part of the Osaka Kodai Setsunan Daigaku
Educational Foundation (Hou-Jin), which includes three universities (OIT, Setsunan University and Hiroshima
International University), a junior college (Osaka Institute of Technology Junior College) and a private high
school (Osaka Institute of Technology
High School). In total, the
foundation operates five university campuses (4 in Osaka and 1 in Hiroshima),
the junior college campus, high school campus, and numerous conference centers,
guesthouses, private hotels and retreats throughout Japan.
OIT is ranked in the top third of Japanese universities and
comprised of three major faculties or schools, Engineering, Information
Systems and Graduate Studies and
serves some 8,000 full-time students in both day and night programs[6]. As with many Japanese universities of this
caliber, OIT also enjoys significant international relationships with
universities around the world, including China, Korea, Indonesia, Mexico and
the United States.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROGRAM AT OIT
Japan has a highly developed computing industry and a
commensurate educational and training system to provide the necessary human
resources to grow and maintain this important industry sector. Recently, Information Science as opposed to
Computer Science or Computer Engineering has been receiving significant
attention throughout the Japanese post-secondary sector. With the encouragement of Monbusho, the number of new programs
focusing specifically on Information Science (Jouhou-Kagaku) has proliferated significantly during the
mid-1990’s, with major investments of money and other resources by many Gakkou-Houjin in this area.[7]
The Faculty of Information Science at the Osaka Institute of
Technology is a typical example of the level of commitment been made by
Japanese universities in this new, developing area.
The Faculty of Information Science was established at OIT in
April 1996. A specially designed campus
and 148,000 square meter building were established to house the activities of
this new faculty. Currently, the
Faculty offers two 4-year, bachelor level programs, Information Processing/Management and Information Systems Science to some planned 1300 full-time students
with a staff of about 28 tenured professors and numerous contract faculty. At the present, only about 10% of the
students are women.
Information Systems Programs -
Typical Syllabus
Graduation requirements (in credits) for the Information
Processing/Management 4-year program at OIT are as follows:
|
General Education-
Humanities |
24 |
18% |
|
General Education -
Science |
14 |
10% |
|
Information Science -
Required Courses |
40 |
30% |
|
Information Science -
Electives |
56 |
42% |
|
Total Credits |
134 |
100% |
Typically, courses at
Japanese universities are offered in 2 credit units each semester.
Courses in General Humanities fall into three major
categories:
1.
Social Sciences and Philosophy (e.g. Logic, Philosophy,
Literature, History, Law, Psychology, and Economics);
2.
Foreign Languages (e.g. English Conversation, English
Grammar, Modern English Usage, and English/American Culture)
3.
Physical Education.
Courses in General Science include:
1.
Physics
2.
Chemistry (General and Molecular)
3.
Earth Sciences
4.
Biological Sciences
The majority of these courses are taken in the first two
years of the program. In certain
situations, variations are allowed for foreign students studying in Japan (e.g.
Japanese language courses can be applied toward graduation requirements).
The Information Science courses are as follows:
|
|
Information
Processing |
Information Systems
Science |
|
First Year |
Math I & II- Linear Algebra Math III & IV – Calculus* Engineering Science I Intro to Information Science I* History of Science Graph Theory Programming Workshop I* |
Math I & II- Linear Algebra Math III & IV – Calculus* Engineering Science I Intro to Information Science I* History of Science Graph Theory Programming Workshop I* |
|
Second Year |
Math V - Fourier Transforms Math VI -Differential
Equations Probability &
Statistics Introduction to
Electricity/Electronics Engineering Science II Intro to Information
Science II* Programming Fundamentals Programming Environments Systems Programming I Numerical Methods Mathematical Programming Data Structures Intro to Computer Circuits Artificial Intelligence Applications of Computing Programming Workshop II* Software Workshop I* |
Math V - Fourier Transforms Math VI -Differential
Equations Probability &
Statistics Introduction to
Electricity/Electronics Engineering Science II Intro to Information
Science II* Programming Fundamentals Programming Environments Systems Programming I Numerical Methods Mathematical Programming Data Structures Communication Theory Artificial Intelligence Applications of Computing Programming Workshop II* Software Workshop I* |
|
Third Year |
Systems Programming II Software Engineering* Compilers Theory of Algorithms Computer Architecture II Computer Circuits II
Integrated
Circuit Technology Optical
Circuit Technology Sensing/Measuring
Devices Reasoning/Inference
Systems Text Processing Image
Processing* Voice
Recognition Robotics Software Workshop II* Information Systems Workshop I* Technical Writing* |
Systems Programming II Software Engineering* Compilers Theory of Algorithms Computer Architecture II Signal ProcessingData Communications Information
Systems Science II* Simulation Operations
Research Computer
Graphics Data Base
Systems* Information
Searching/Data Warehousing Voice Recognition Robotics Software Workshop II* Information Systems Workshop I* Technical Writing* |
|
Fourth Year |
Hardware
Interfacing Parallel
Computing Architectures Actuator
Theory Integrated
Circuit Design Natural Language ProcessingInformation System Devices Info System Law Info System Workshop II* Special Topics in Information Systems* Graduation Thesis* |
Systems
Validation Management
Science Social/Economic
Systems Info Systems
Media Data Base
Applications Information System Devices Info System Law Info System Workshop II* Special Topics in Information Systems* Graduation Thesis* |
*
Required Courses
In Canada, programs equivalent to Jouhou-Kagaku roughly fall into one of two categories, Computer
Science and Information Systems.
Compared to the typical Canadian Computer Science program,
the following general observations can be made*
1.
General education and humanities components are similar
except for the emphasis on English language courses. OIT considers English language skills important as a way of
promoting internationalization of their graduates and, in the field of
computing, especially since much of the primary source of new information in
this area is English-based.
2.
The mathematics component of the OIT program is similar
in most respects to Canadian Computer Science programs, especially in the first
two years.
3.
Most of the software-based course titles are similar to
those in Canadian programs.
4.
The OIT program has a strong emphasis on hardware,
including courses in Mechanics, Electronics, and circuit design. This is typical of Information System
programs in Japan and may partially reflect Japan’s strength in electronics
manufacturing and design.
5.
A unique characteristic of Japanese undergraduate
training is the graduating thesis
6.
Since the entrance examinations provide a significant
amount of uniformity in terms of background knowledge, there is little concept
of remedial courses in Japan. There is, however, some overall concern about the
basic skills levels of high school graduates, particularly in language and
mathematics.
Compared to Canadian programs in Information Systems, the
following general observations can be made.
1.
The general education and humanities components are
similar (except for the comment above on English language skills).
2.
The mathematics component is similar or greater than
most Information Systems programs in Canada.
3.
The core software-based course titles are similar
(programming, data base, AI, etc)
4.
The hardware component is significantly greater than in
Canadian programs. In fact, many
Canadian IS programs do not include any hardware component.
5.
Canadian programs tend to include many courses in an
applications area, primarily business applications. For example, a typical
Canadian IS program will include several courses in Accounting, Economics,
Business Law, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior. Japanese IS programs do not normally include such topics.
6.
In most cases, Japanese Information Systems programs
are located within Schools of Engineering.
In Canada, they are just as likely to be located within Business
Schools.
7.
Recently, Canadian programs have been emphasizing
courses or other activities related to interpersonal communication, group work
and teamwork skills. While the Japanese
curriculum does not include such formal coursework, the social culture and
context appears to encourage and foster a high level of camaraderie among
students. Friendships are forged and
centered around course and research activities. Such friendships permit life-long networking after graduation.
Japanese Information Systems programs tend to include more
hardware and media technology courses. This seems to be consistent with the
large product design and development industry in Japan.
In Canada, the focus tends to be more on software
development methodologies, systems analysis and design, systems configuration
and integration, and use of computers to promote overall business and
management efficiency.
Graduating Thesis
All students from the program are expected to complete a
graduating thesis or graduation research report. This is usually done in the fourth year of the program.
Every fourth year student is assigned to a tenured professor
who provides the necessary guidance and research facilities to complete the
research.
At OIT, each tenured professor is provided with a research
laboratory equipped to conduct the appropriate level of research. In addition, most tenured professors
maintain an adjunct office for the exclusive use of graduating students. The preparation of the graduating thesis can
be an intense and challenging experience for many students. In their final term, students can sometimes
spend 24-hour days at their laboratory, totally immersed in their research
activity. This can be contrasted to
Canadian universities where this type of intense research activity tends to be
limited to graduate students and not bachelor programs.
Graduates of Information Systems Programs
The OIT Information Science program is currently in its
third year of operation and has not yet graduated its first class. However, overall OIT has a high placement
rate for its graduates. Graduation statistics indicate that about 95% of OIT
graduates find employment or proceed to graduate school.
OIT is ranked number one of all Institutes of Technology in
Japan in terms of the number of graduates who have gone on to become company
presidents. Follow up surveys indicates
that 92% of graduates expressed satisfaction with their work placement subsequent
to graduation.
COMPARISON BETWEEN
JAPANESE AND CANADIAN INFORMATION SYSTEMS CURRICULA
Using the BCIT and OIT Information Systems programs as
representative examples of IS curricula, a summary comparison between the two
reveals that overall the programs are quite comparable. OIT includes more formal mathematics,
information theory, and hardware topics.
BCIT includes more courses in systems analysis and design, systems development
methodologies and business/management.
As mentioned earlier, these differences can be expected
given Japan’s strengths in hardware technology and product design. The BCIT program, on the other hand, is more
consistent with the North American emphasis on the software development industry
as well as the use of computer technology to achieve management and business
efficiencies.
|
Topic Area |
BCIT Computer
Systems
|
OIT Information
Science
|
Comments
|
|
Mathematics |
|
|
OIT requires Algebra and
Calculus. Not required in BCIT programs. |
|
Language/Writing |
|
|
|
|
Core Programming |
|
|
Programming component is
comparable |
|
Advanced Programming |
|
|
BCIT curriculum explicitly
states specific languages or language categories. |
|
Computer Applications |
|
|
OIT requires courses in Information Science and
Theory. |
|
Systems Analysis/Design |
|
|
BCIT specifies more courses on Analysis and Design |
|
Data Base |
|
|
Comparable overall |
|
Data Communications |
|
|
|
|
Specialization |
|
|
The range and variety of
specialization courses is comparable |
|
Architecture |
|
|
|
|
Operating Systems |
|
|
Comparable |
|
Practicum/Projects |
|
|
Comparable |
|
Hardware/Circuits |
|
|
OIT requires significantly
more courses in Hardware |
|
Business, Accounting, Law |
|
|
BCIT requires significantly
more courses in Business and Management |
|
Management |
|
|
|
|
Research Methods |
|
|
|
|
Engineering/ Science |
|
|
|
|
Other |
4 Courses in General Education |
3 Courses in General Education |
|
|
Total |
62-63 |
54-55 |
|
INFORMATION SYSTEM
(JOUHOU-KAGAKU) PROGRAMS IN JAPAN
This is a partial list of Jouhou-Kagaku programs in Japan.
Graduate Programs
Kyoto University
Hiroshima University
Undergraduate Programs
Osaka Institute of Technology (Information Systems Processing/Management, Information Systems Science)
Osaka Sangyou Daigaku
Kansai Daigaku
REFERENCES
B.C. Institute of Technlogy, 1998-1999 Calendar
Osaka Institute of Technology, 1999 Nyuu-Shi Jouhou-Hen (Success Guide)
Kyoto University, Graduate School, Information Science Guide
B.C. Ministry of Education, Moving On, A Report on
Secondary to Post Secondary Transition, 1997
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was prepared during a sabbatical leave granted
to Ken Takagaki by the B.C. Institute of Technology, whose generosity is
gratefully acknowledged. The warm
welcome and superb hospitality extended to Ken Takagaki by the staff, faculty
and students at the Osaka Institute of Technology is both acknowledged and
deeply appreciated. The authors
particularly wish to thank OIT President Dr. Y. Sakurai for providing the
overall environment for a successful and productive sabbatical experience. Drs. K. Kobori and Y. Kutsuwa from OIT acted
as hosts and guides to the various computer related programs at OIT and kindly
allowed Ken Takagaki to observe and participate in various class-room
activities. Dr. H. Matsuhisa from Kyoto
University provided introductions to the Kyoto University Graduate Program in
Information Science as well as the Kyoto node of the Japanese Academic Large
Scale Computing Network.