Advisor & Advisor Assistant System
Advisor System
After enrollment, an Advisor (i.e. one-on-one tutor) will be assigned to each student and will actively support the student’s campus life. This Advisor will not only provide thorough educational tutoring on course registrations and study plans based on each student’s interest and wishes but also gives empathetic advice on personal issues. For example, if a student’s performance-related problems are pointed out, the Advisor will consult with the Dean and arrange personal coaching or counseling.
Advisor Assistant (AA) System
In the Advisor Assistant (AA) System senior students offer support to newly enrolled students to help them make a smooth transition to campus life. The students who are AA’s primarily take part in a pre-enrollment gathering, freshmen orientation, and the Aoshima retreat. They make a point of actively talking to freshmen, and if they are concerned about any freshmen, they will consult with the Student Affairs office or the Advisor (one-on-one tutor) in order to help students’ deal with difficult issues as soon as possible.
Advisor Assistant (AA) System
Special Support for International Students
Global Education Center
At the Global Education Center, English-speaking staff members are helping international students for obtaining visas, arranging housing, picking them up at the airport when they arrive in Japan, and providing consultation on daily life after arrival.
Support for job hunting in Japan
The Career Education Center at MIU holds a job fair for international students hosted by one of the major human resources advertising companies in Japan, where the international students will be provided with detailed guidance on how job hunting in Japan works, what they need to do and when they need to do it. The Career Education Center also provides useful information on job hunting in Japan for international students as needed.
In the required classed called Career Design 1-3, students think and learn about their entire career, not just getting a job or continuing on to higher education. For international students with limited Japanese language skills, these classes are taught in English.
Support for Japanese Language
The University offers Japanese language classes for international students from beginner to advanced levels. International students must take at least 6 credits (3 classes) of these classes. In the advanced level class, students can aim for the N1 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Outside the classrooms as well, we have a Japanese conversation partner system for international students. Japanese students acting as tutors, allowing international students to practice Japanese conversation at their convenient time in more casual settings.
Counseling System
Some students encounter problems as they are getting used to campus life. In order to help them in these situations, MIU has certified clinical psychologists (school counselors) who provide professional counseling services. All the freshmen have individual interviews with the counselors from Throughout the year. The school counselors consider how to help students solve difficult issues, and the best counseling methods to meet students’ needs. This support system helps students feel more at ease, overcome difficult personal issues, and better focus on their studies.
Counseling Room
Other Support Systems for Students
Midterm Report System
Students receive support each semester appropriate to their academic performance. Instructors send midterm reports on all freshmen and any other students who may be in danger of failing a course to the Office of Academic Affairs, the Dean, and students’. Advisors will seek to find solutions with instructors and provide such students with a range of coaching and support in their studies. If there is a possibility that students may fail several courses, MIU sends written correspondence to such student and their guardians and schedules interviews with the Dean. At MIU, we provide comprehensive coaching and support to each of our students until graduation.
Course Evaluation System
A system for students to evaluate their instructors and the contents of their courses has been part of MIU’s educational program since the university’s founding. At the end of each semester, students anonymously evaluate their instructors and courses by completing an online survey. The criteria consist of nine items and a comments section, including questions such as “Did the instructor listen to you and encourage you to state your opinion?”, “Did the instructor explicitly answer your questions about the curriculum?”, and “Did the instructor treat you fairly?” Students provide their answers based on a scale of one to five. After a student’s grade for the course is finalized, each instructor receives the evaluations for his or her classes, and the Dean also reviews the evaluations to give instructors constructive feedback and to improve courses.
Extracurricular Courses and Guidance to Meet Various Student Needs
The School of International Liberal Arts offers exam-preparation courses for the TOEIC English test as well as guidance and preparatory workshops for students who would like to go to graduate school. Students can take advantage of these opportunities and the supportive educational environment that MIU instructors provide to achieve their educational objectives.