Tutor System and Purpose

Once they are in Japan, international students require detailed guidance over an extended period of time regarding not only their studies but also daily life so that they may quickly become skilled in Japanese, get used to Japanese customs, and make good progress in their studies and research. The types of guidance described above would be difficult for faculty members alone to provide, and entrusting this duty to younger persons may be more effective, so TUAT established a tutor system to supplement instruction and guidance from faculty.

TUAT's tutor system is at its most effective when the advising faculty member, tutor and international student have developed a relationship of trust, so TUAT encourages all involved to maintain close contact.

TUAT believes the purpose of these tutoring activities is to provide proactive consideration and assistance so that international students grow accustomed to their studies and life in the local community as quickly as possible.

With this in mind, tutoring is provided to relevant undergraduate students for two years from the time they enter the university, or one year for international research and graduate students after they come to Japan. Graduate students, undergraduate students and international students proficient in Japanese are selected to serve as tutors.

Tutor Roles

The specific roles of tutors are summarized in the following three points:

Guide

Provide guidance to ensure that the student's studies and research at TUAT go smoothly.

Mentor

Explain matters relating to schoolwork that international students do not fully understand, and correct the student's compositions as an advisor when he/she is writing up experiments and practical reports to improve his/her Japanese-language abilities.

Friend

Explain facets of Japanese daily life, culture and society in an easy-to-understand way, and occasionally ponder things together with international students. Compare and discuss international students' home country culture and society, and strive to deepen mutual understanding.