Transformation And Breakthrough: A Study Of The Development Of Japanese Professional University

Japan’s higher vocational education system is well developed and has a clear hierarchy,which is the object of imitation and study for many countries in the world.However,with the rapidly developing of information technology,the speed of knowledge update,and the gradual replacement of the labor force by artificial intelligence,the current higher vocational education in Japan is gradually out of line with the society and cannot take up the important task of cultivating advanced technical and skilled personnel to meet the development needs of the human resources market.At the same time,a series of problems existed in Japanese higher vocational education institutions,such as low level,backward status,short study period,emphasis on quick cultivation,and outside the formal education system,which have led to an obvious gap between vocational education and academic education,causing the academic and vocational education are mutually exclusive.The gap seems to be an insurmountable river.To achieve the integration of vocational education and academic education and to build a bridge between academic education and vocational education,industry circle and educational circle in Japan have been engaged in a fierce debate over whether to incorporate specialized school into the “institutionalize”,or to create a new type of practical higher education institution,or to reform vocational education based on the existing higher education institutions.In the end,after a series of negotiations and debates among circles of Japan,the final compromise was the creation of a new type of higher education institution.Thus,the professional university system was born.As a vocational education institutions integrated into the Japanese university system,the professional university system is a breakthrough in Japanese higher education and higher vocational education,also a new attempt to develop vocational education at the undergraduate level in Japan,which has epoch-making implications and values in the Japanese educational reform.Therefore,this study analyzes the characteristics of Japanese professional universities through an in-depth study and refers to the development of an undergraduate vocational education model in China.This study consists of six parts.The first part concludes the reason for selecting the topic,the significance of the study,and the literature review and so on.The second part is the transformation requirements of Japanese higher vocational education,including the historical origin and realistic background of profession universities.In Japan,the creation of the specialized school system,the improvement of the system,and the reform of the vocational practice curriculum in the specialized schools were the pioneering attempts and the necessary foundation for the emergence of the professional university.Secondly,Japanese society is facing the development of economic and educational environment,the advent of the fourth industrial revolution,the development and change of employment structure,the growing problems of childlessness and aging,an increase in the popularization rate of higher education in Japan,and the demand for lifelong education and continuing education from society.The third part introduces the institutional design of professional university,including the establishment standard,development guarantees,and unique position of professional university.In the fourth section,two representative and different types professional universities are selected for case studies: Shizuoka Professional University of Agriculture,a public professional university,which is transformed from a traditional industrial specialty,and Professional University of Information and Management for Innovation,a newly established private university with a new industrial specialty.This section analyzes the commonalities and individual characteristics of the two professional universities,and then draws an ideal blueprint for the future accredited professional university.The fifth part summarizes the innovative features of the professional university.Professional university have two characteristics,which one is guided by policy values and closely follow the theme of practical higher education and the other is practice oriented by collaboration and firmly grasp the strategy of the concept of cooperative education.It’s specifically concluded the cultivation of compound talents to meet the real needs of society in the objective of education,the provision of practical teachers to serve the quality of education and teaching in the faculty facilities,the exploration of practical courses to highlight the characteristics of undergraduate vocational education in the curriculum development,the development of flexible learning system to ensure the learning needs in the educational system design,the standardization of degree system to strengthen the formalities of vocational education in the degree system,the introduction of multiple benefit gainers to take up backup support in the cooperation mechanism,and the formulation of a progressive assessment mechanism to enhance the overall strength in the quality assurance.The sixth part consists of three sections.First,it discusses the controversy and argument about the establishment of professional university,and explores the development paradox of professional university from the viewpoint of opponents.Further,it proposes the optimization measures to consolidate the victorious achievements of the transformation of professional university.Adhering to the principle of balance and avoiding the homogenization of education,building a mobility framework and striving for transformation of academic and professional,and expanding the power bodies and implementing a collaborative governance model will be the future path for professional university to achieve their original purposes.Finally,with reference to the policy and practical experience of Japanese professional universities,measures are proposed to develop undergraduate vocational education in China.That is,undergraduate vocational education in China must establish a perfect degree system to clarify the orientation of undergraduate vocational education;build a deep platform for integrating industry and education to realize the cultivation goal of undergraduate vocational education;develop a comprehensive vocational evaluation system to guarantee the internal and external quality of undergraduate vocational education;adhere to the concept of integration of theory and practice to manifest the dual value of undergraduate vocational education.