Abstract Book of the 8th International Conference on Innovative Research in Education
Year: 2025
[PDF]
Value-Creating Approaches to Online Teaching
Nozomi Inukai
ABSTRACT:
A university in the Midwest in the U.S. launched a fully online asynchronous program focused on value-creating approaches to education, which is an Eastern philosophy expounded by three Japanese educators, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. The theoretical framework of this study is Makiguchi’s (1981-1996, Vol. 5) theory of value, which considers the purpose of education as cultivating students’ ability to apply knowledge in order to create value in terms of beauty (what is pleasant when perceived by the five senses), gain (what benefits the entirety of an individual), and good (what benefits the larger community or society) (Goulah, 2021; Goulah & Gebert, 2009). I conducted a self-study (LaBoskey, 2004; Samaras, 2011) to examine how I could be more intentional in aligning my practice with the theory I teach by helping my students create positive value through my course materials, assignments, and teaching practices. The primary data consisted of journal entries from Spring 2022, Spring 2023, and Winter 2024 quarters, as well as course materials and formal and informal student feedback. I gradually identified and developed teaching practices that were value-creative, such as assessments that are enjoyable (value of beauty), lead to personal growth (value of gain), and benefit those around them (value of good). This study not only improves the program where I teach, but also informs teaching praxis at all levels by providing an example of how teachers and teacher educators can create positive value with their students, even in an online asynchronous setting.
Keywords: assessment, e-learning, Makiguchi, self-study, value creation