2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Exploring a Novel Graduate Education Model in Life Sciences: A study of Both American Students and Japanese Students
| Project/Area Number |
22KK0203
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| Research Institution | Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science |
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Principal Investigator |
小村 桐子 東京薬科大学, 生命科学部, 特命准教授 (80861682)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023 – 2025
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| Keywords | Graduate Education / Curriculum Assessment / International Experience / Professional Master's / STEM Beyond Borders |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Primary Investigator (PI) was able to conduct a study in both Japan and the United States consistent with the research proposal.
As the first year of this research, the PI prepared for data collection and the design experiment to a sample of American graduate students in STEM. Research collaborators at the U.S. institution worked with her respective institution to find which cohort in a designated biotechnology program would be appropriate to conduct the study. As a result, the PI was able to execute the study between September and December 2023, measuring the students’ intercultural communication and presentation skills in Biotech. Moreover, the PI and research collaborators reached out to biotech industry to investigate which 21st century skills are important for students' career preparedness.
Additionally, the PI collaborated with another faculty member to hold workshops to faculty to collect qualitative data on their insights of providing courses about intercultural communication skills to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduate students.
Finally, the progress of the first year of study was presented at the education research conference with research collaborators. Questions from the conference attendees were useful to improve the research design including developing a model for this study and industry partnership which confirmed the direction of the study.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
As the first year of the project, the research progressed more positively than the PI originally anticipated. Working with the research collaborators in the U.S. facilitated this study to progress rather smoothly that the PI was able to secure a targeted sample and conduct the first phase of the study to American graduate students in Sciente, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
As the second year, the PI will administer surveys and interviews to a sample of graduate students who participated in the study in year 1. The research collaborators will work with their institutions to prepare for survey administration and distribution including their respective institutional approval processes, such as Institutional Review Board (IRB). The PI plans to distribute the assessments in Fall 2024 to measure self-efficacy of soft skills toward the students’ career advancement. Additionally, the PI will conduct the same experiment to the next cohort to compare the sample group to the data collected in year 1.
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