Teacher-centered instruction, or a one-way teaching style, has been regarded as one of the causes of decline in university students' academic ability in Japan. Even if faculty members have excellent research achievements, they have not necessarily undergone pedagogical training. Additionally, some professors are not familiar with introducing interactive-style lessons into their courses. This is partly because universities do not require a teaching certificate or teaching skills for recruiting

more »

... iversity faculty members. Even if educational achievements are required, they would be nothing more than having teaching experience at a Japanese university. Nevertheless, universities are now encouraging faculty members to introduce active learning style lessons to deepen students' understanding. This paper provides an overview of active learning and examines the problems and potentialities of active learning implementation at Japanese universities, particularly under the circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic.