Introducing you to our key learning fields

Update: 2026.05.26

Lifelong Learning

College & University Education Studies

Research Subjects

An Empirical and Practical Examination of Student Experiences and the Roles of Faculty and Staff in Curricular and Co-curricular Contexts in Higher Education

Research Group Overview

Today’s university education is becoming increasingly complex, as the student body continues to diversify against the backdrop of rising university enrollment rates. The Laboratory for College & University Education Studies empirically and practically examines both the formal curriculum, including courses and assessment, and co-curricular activities, such as learning support, within increasingly complex university education, with a focus on the nature of student experiences, including student engagement and transition, and the roles of faculty and staff.

In doing so, the laboratory aims to recreate better university education by considering both the commonalities and differences between university education and high school education and by comparing university education in Japan with that of other countries. My own research has qualitatively examined how students who engaged in inquiry-based learning in high school make use of those experiences in their learning at university from the perspective of high school-university articulation. Accordingly, this laboratory will also continue to conduct research on inquiry-based learning from lifelong-learning perspectives such as regional collaboration and high school-university collaboration.

Ideal Student Profile

The Laboratory for College & University Education Studies broadly welcomes students with the following interests and concerns:

• Students who want to investigate and articulate, through their own efforts, the dissatisfaction or sense of incongruity they have experienced in university life
• Students who wish to clarify, through research, the nature of university students’ experiences, including engagement and transition
• Students who wish to clarify, through research, how faculty and staff perceive curricular and co-curricular activities
• Students who wish to engage in international comparative research on student experiences and the roles of faculty and staff

In addition, this laboratory seeks students with the following competencies:

• The motivation to patiently refine their own interests and concerns over time
• Specialized skills in the basic quantitative and qualitative research methods necessary for conducting research on college and university education
• Advanced problem-solving skill to examine their own questions logically and critically and to synthesize conclusions from multiple perspectives
• Communication skills to relativize their research topics through active discussion with others

Possible Master’s and Doctoral Thesis Topics

In The Laboratory for College & University Education Studies, the following thesis topics can mainly be considered:

• Empirical, practical, and international comparative  research on student experiences and the roles of faculty and staff in curricular and co-curricular contexts of university education
• Empirical and practical research on inquiry-based learning in high school from the perspectives of regional collaboration and high school-university collaboration

Staff

Lecturer          TANAKA, Kohei