A Proposal for One-Stop Contact Points for Student Support in Remote Teaching/Learning at University during COVID-19 Crisis by Institutional Research

In 2020, because of the COVID-19 crisis, remote teaching/learning (RTA) has been implemented simultaneously in higher education institutions across Japan. At that time, there were many faculty members belonging to these institutions who were using RTA for the first time. The majority of faculty members noticed the advantages or disadvantages of RTA from their own experiences; and from student opinions who have experienced RTA, we find insights to successfully implement RTA. Efforts to improve the quality of RTA was the main focus of our response to the recent situation; the new status quo will continue until a vaccine is widely available. However, once the situation turns around and classes return to normal, we believe that we will see a search for more effective teaching practices that take advantage of the characteristics of both face-to-face classes and RTA. It would be effective to set up a one-stop contact point for student support (naming OSCPSS) for a certain period of time until the students become familiar with the new method. This is one of the easiest ways for universities to keep students motivated to learn and get the most out of the new educational methods.