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Article, 信州医学雑誌 69(4) : 179-187(2021)

Article, 信州医学雑誌 68(1): 41-48(2020)

Tokyo City University has established a series of PBL courses named “SD PBL” and is trying to connect them to graduation research so that students graduate with higher levels of achievement. It also aims to transform the organization toward a learning system paradigm, with these courses functioning as key courses in Pivotal Embedded Performance Assessment (PEPA). This paper reported on the background of SD PBL and its implementation in each department. In 2020 and 2021, we conducted a focus group interview survey and thematic analysis with faculty members in charge of SD PBL courses based on their respective disciplines. The results suggested that common characteristics, such as learning through reflection and collaboration among teachers, were beginning to emerge in departments with good practices during the first two years. We hope to clarify the process of transformation of individuals and organizations while continuing our action research.

This paper examines the achievements of our commitment to problem/project-based learning (PBL) at Tokyo City University (TCU) alongside the concept of PEPA and offers a discussion of its features and current issues. Since FY2020, TCU has introduced a series of PBL courses, named SD PBL, as compulsory for first- to third-year students across all departments. The idea is to emulate the success of the Aalborg PBL model, to help students and teachers see the trajectory of student learning using the same assessment criteria over four years, in alignment with the institutional agenda. Our project is also tailored to link individual and organizational learning through workshops on developing assessment tools. Reflecting on the difficulties of implementing the SD PBL courses, this paper suggests that it is crucial to continue action research to unveil the mechanism of a shift to the learning systems paradigm.

The growing societal demand for assessment of higher education learning outcomes have mobilized academics to define disciplinary and transversal reference points for higher education learning outcomes, not only at the course-level but also at the program-level. Pioneering efforts in the United States, Europe, and Japan have aimed to generate shared understandings of higher education learning outcomes through engaging faculty members in the development of assessment tools such as “assignments, ” “test items, ” and “rubrics.” Based on a review of these efforts, the present study examines how faculty expert judgement is fostered for defining and assessing higher education learning outcomes. The study aims to identify the necessary conditions for faculty to be able to function as change agents toward the institutional adoption of a learning systems paradigm. This roundtable report focuses on empirical research that is being conducted in two Japanese universities.

Masanori Yasuo,1 Yunden Droma,1 Yoshiaki Kitaguchi,1 Michiko Ito,1 Hitomi Imamura,1 Masatomo Kawakubo,2 Masayuki Hanaoka11The First Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan; 2Department of Molecular Pathology, Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, JapanPurpose: Cigarette smoke produces a high level of acrolein, which is thought to be pathogenically involved in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present study investigated the pathological role of acrolein in the development of COPD.Patients and methods: Acrolein concentration was measured in plasmas obtained from 47 patients with COPD and 18 current smokers without COPD, and in supernatants of homogenized lung tissues obtained from 10 never-smokers, 8 current smokers, and 8 patients with COPD by high-performance liquid chromatography. Oxidant status and antioxidant activity were measured using derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolite (d-ROM) and bio-antioxidant power (BAP), respectively, in the Free Radical Elective Evaluation FRAS4 system. In addition, immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the over-presentation of acrolein in lung tissues of patients with COPD.Results: Plasma concentrations of acrolein were significantly higher in the patients with COPD than the non-COPD smokers (P