A research article entitled “Preparing Future Faculty Program for Graduate Students in Science and Engineering: A Survey of Faculty and Staff at Other Universities’ Programs” has been published in the Journal of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning.
- Preparing Future Faculty Program for Graduate Students in Science and Engineering: A Survey of Faculty and Staff at Other Universities’ Programs
Kato, Y., Kadomatsu, S., Asayama, T., Hatakeyama, H., Yamashita, Y., and Murota, M. (2025)
Journal of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, (32), 47-57.
https://doi.org/10.14943/J.HighEdu.32.47
Abstract
This study aims to gather insights into the design and implementation of a Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program for graduate students at science and engineering universities. A survey was conducted on faculty and staff at 20 national and private universities in Japan about the scope of participants, formats of implementation, contents of the program, and evaluation methods of the PFF program. The results revealed that at major national universities, PFF programs are offered as standard graduate education (official) courses and implemented throughout campuses together with university teaching assistant training. The structure of the PFF program focuses on content related to course design, which is essential for teaching practices. Based on the results, the study discusses the selection of program contents and conduct of teaching practicum for highly skilled teaching assistants who are capable of partially handling introductory science courses within the framework of PFF training. The study also identified challenges involved in the continuous operation of PFF programs. In particular, the program needs to raise awareness in universities, secure a steady number of participants, and ensure the availability of staff to administer the PFF.