I have been going to school throughout my life until my current study, MSc in Digital Marketing, at the University of Surrey. Additionally, until my undergraduate days, I had never enrolled in a private school. Therefore, adapting to the UK academic style was also an exciting experience for me. However, people sometimes struggle to get used to following a different academic style. Therefore, this blog will share what I have found different regarding academic styles between Japan and the UK to give some academic preparation focus for your study abroad.
List of Contents
- Teaching Styles
- Classroom Interactions
- Assessment Methods
Teaching Styles
In Japan, many teaching styles tend to be that students are expected to listen and take notes while professors give them information during class. On the contrary, even lecture (vs. seminar: smaller class) classes often include interactive discussions, group work, and student participation. For example, in my taught (vs. research) course, some professors do not teach further until they are sure that their students understand the lecture contents, so students are expected to show their understanding by either giving opinions/comments or asking questions to make sure that both sides, students and professors, are on the same page. If you would like to practise participating in lectures as the example in the UK, I recommend you to do the same since you are in Japan. When I realised the teaching differences between Japan and other countries such as the UK and the USA through hearing from my teacher, I started participating in classes very actively even by being different from other students. It took me a while to build the confidence to share my opinions in classes, so you will benefit more from your study abroad from the beginning if you already have the skills.
Classroom Interactions
Following the differences in teaching style, classroom interactions between professors and students are different in a similar way. While there are not many interactions during classes in Japan as students are typically supposed to only listen to a lecture, there are many opportunities for interactions in the UK. As mentioned in the above section, students are expected to actively participate during lectures. As a result, a few lecturers who have taught me at the University of Surrey acknowledge that there are some academic words which are difficult for international students, and the words are explained without even asking questions. Therefore, I believe classroom interactions often raise the understanding of both students and professors.
Assessment Methods
In terms of assessment, there are some differences as well. As 90% of the assessments in my course were submissions, only the submission-style assessments will be discussed in this section. In the Japanese education I experienced, there were many assignments that were memorization-based. When there were submission-style assignments, the assignment contents usually focused on demonstrating my understanding and knowledge through words. However, in the UK, more assignments such as report submissions, group work, and presentations are used as assessments. Therefore, you can prove your understanding in different ways. For instance, in the case of report submissions, one of my classes, which was about social media marketing, required the students to do a practical simulation and receive certification. We then reported on the social media performance as if we were in a real professional setting. Hence, I feel that I gained more practical skills compared to my experience in Japan. This approach not only developed my theoretical knowledge but also provided hands-on experience, preparing me better for real-world challenges.
Thank you very much for reading this far. I hope you will have a lovely day.
