アナハイム大学TESOL修士課程卒業生の声 – Josh McMillenさん（2018年卒）
アナハイム大学オンラインTESOL修士課程（MA in TESOL）を今年卒業された、Josh McMillenさんに、本学でのご経験とこれまでのキャリアについて伺いました。 1. アナハイム大学を選んだ理由は？ 教授陣の質と、スケジュール調整がしやすいオンライン学習という点から、このプログラムに決めました。実習がないところも気に入りました。学生の多くは教育現場で既に働いているので、今いる環境を勉強に役立てることができるのです。 2.これまでのキャリアについて教えてください。 日本でJETプログラムのALTとして働いています。中学校と、２つの小学校で教えています。 3. 修士号は今後のキャリアにどう役立つと思いますか？ 修士号を持っていることで、教員のポジションが得やすいことと、能力を信用してもらいやすくなります。プログラムを始めた時と比べると、今は英語教育の分野についてもっとよく理解しています。 4. 一番の思い出は？ 夏季集中講義は思い出深いです。クラスメートや教授陣に直接会えたことは、素晴らしかったです。 5. 好きだった授業は？ 一つを選ぶのは難しいです。先生方の授業が本当に面白いので、いつも翌週の授業を楽しみにしていました。すべてオンラインですが、魅力的なコミュニティー環境をつくってくれ、毎週とても楽しんで参加できました。 6 オンライン学習という経験についてはいかがでしたか？ 私にとって、初めての100% オンラインの授業だったのですが、とても楽しむことができました。私にはとても都合の良いものでした。 7. 大変だったことは？ プログラムを始めることが私にとっては一苦労でした。最後に学生をしていた時から、何年も経っていたので、どうなることかと心配していました。さらにすべてがオンラインという授業も初めてで、子どもも生まれたばかりでした。教授陣と、サポートスタッフの方々はとても親切で、安心することができました。システムは使い勝手もよく、インターネット接続にも困ることなく、とても良かったです。 日本とアナハイムの時差の関係で、授業はいつも、息子が寝ているか、起き始める土曜日の午前中の時間帯だったのが非常に良かったです。完璧なタイミングでした。周りの 方が皆親切にサポートしてくれたので、どんな困難も乗り越えることができました。 9. TESOLを学ぶことは英語の先生たちにとってどう役に立つと思いますか？ TESOLを学ぶということは、先生たちの「指導ツールボックス」にたくさんのツールを入れるようなものです。新しいメソッドを学ぶと、生徒たちの学習進捗をたどるときに、より分析的に見られるようになります。 12. ラーニングコミュニティーの一員であると感じましたか？ クラスメートや教授陣とつながっているというのは難しいだろうと予想していましたが、本当にコミュニティーにつながっているように感じました。先生方はいつもすばやくメールに返信してくださいました。毎週のオンライン・ディスカッション・フォーラムも、一週間ずっとクラスメートや先生と皆でつながっていられる場でした。 13. 新しく修士課程を始める方に一言。 何か質問があるなら、ためらわずに聞いてください。教授陣とスタッフの方々がサポートしてくれることでしょう。先生も怖がらなくて大丈夫です。フレンドリーで話しやすい先生方ばかりで、驚いたくらいです。何か問題を抱えているのなら、誰かに話した方がいいと思います。皆、あなたが成功してほしいと思っています。 14. その他コメント 卒業はうれしいことですが、もう終わりと思うと、少し寂しいです。
【10月15日開講】デジタルフィルム製作修士課程（MFA in Digital Filmmaking）開講コースのご案内
アナハイム大学のアキラクロサワ・スクール・オブ・フィルムが提供する、デジタルフィルム製作修士課程*（Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking）では、2018年10月15日（月）（米国太平洋時間）より、新たな授業（Concepts of Post Production: Sound and Editing) を開講します。サウンドや編集技術について学びます。 *世界各地から集うクラスメートと脚本から撮影、また映画史にいたるまで映像・映画製作を学びます。カリキュラムは100%オンライン（夏季集中講義*を除く）。 **ロサンゼルスまたは東京で開催される約1週間の実地学習。 MFA 580 Concepts of Post Production: Sound and Editing 担当教員：Alison Marek開講期間：2018年10月15日〜12月16日 ライブ授業：毎週金曜日午後5時30分〜午後7時（日本時間土曜午前9時30分〜午前11時） 担当教員プロフィール Alison Marek 幼い頃から映画やコミックに興味を持ち、自作の小説をイラストレーションで表現し始める。自作の絵本が出版され、絵本作家・コミック作家としてキャリアをスタートさせる。その後、脚本執筆に興味を持ち、ニューヨーク大学の映画製作修士課程に入学。これまでに数々の自作のショート・フィルムで多くの賞を受賞し、テレビ放映もされるなど、幅広く活躍。
International MBA Student Interview – Motomi Mizushima
Motomi Mizushima 1) Why did you choose Anaheim University? There are three main reasons; tuition, quality of the courses, and diversity of the class. After doing some research about business schools, I realized that what needs to be considered in starting an MBA is finding the balance between tuition, quality of the coursework, and diversity among students. Paying very expensive tuition that the typical American business school requires was definitely not affordable to me without full-time work. Also, there are only two application timings after putting enormous effort and money to prepare for admission. Thus I focused on an online MBA that I can afford and start the course once I get the acceptance. Although some people say that online learning is inferior in quality, Anaheim University has a proven track record as an online university in their well-structured curriculum, prominent professors, and excellent student careers. On top of that, I started thinking that doing an MBA while working full-time is an effective way to reflect on what I’ve learned in my courses to bring to my work in practice. I also thought that the learning in this way brings synergy effect in terms of reproducibility. Moreover, students [in the same courses] working in different countries give us a variety of perspectives that you have never had before. 2) Can you briefly tell us about your career? For about seven and a half years since I graduated from college in Japan, I worked in accounting at Dole Japan, the largest importer and seller of bananas and pineapples in Japanese market. I currently work as a senior analyst of Financial Planning and Analysis at Ralph Lauren Japan in Tokyo. 3) Why did you choose to pursue an MBA? As I got involved in budgeting and forecasting business performance from my fifth year at Dole, I started getting interested in business management. Since the best part of FP&A is that you can influence decision-making processes to make business more profitable, I believed it would be a good idea to have a viewpoint from the management side in order to analyze the company situations and support business operations. For this reason, I thought that it is necessary to have the related knowledge in various fields such as HR and marketing from the financial perspective. 4) What do you like about this program the most? Interactions with classmates is the best part of this program. There was a time when I was struggling to manage the time balancing my new work at Ralph Lauren and my MBA courses and I almost dropped out. However, one of my classmates, who was in the same group for a team project, is a working mother with two little children. She encouraged me saying, “stay the course you set.” They were very simple words, but I always remember them whenever I was about to give up. I also had the opportunity to meet with a classmate from Germany in Tokyo, and it was great to meet face to face. 5) What has been your favorite course thus far? International Management. For the internet research and final individual assignment, I chose a topic about current trends in management strategy in the fashion industry. I wanted to take advantage of my experience working in this field and wanted to expand my view from an academic standpoint. I did a lot of research on the difference between strategies in Ralph Lauren and other fast fashion brands, and realized that we are sticking to an old-fashioned way even though we have a long history as a prominent fashion brand. I talked about my thoughts with my coworkers and discussed what kind of management is required and what kind of managers we need to be in order to accelerate globalization and digitization. It was a good opportunity to take a moment to stop and think about our company strategy and organizational structure by comparing competitors with a financial viewpoint. 6) How do you study online? I make use of small pockets of time as much as possible. For example, I downloaded e-textbooks to my iPhone so that I can read it at any time. Also for group work, teams exchange ideas through apps such as WhatsApp and Skype in order to reach out immediately from different time zones. 7) How have you managed to balance your studies with work? I studied during lunch breaks, commuting time to work, and free time on weekends. Reading e-textbooks online during commuting, doing the written assignment during lunch breaks, then making an outline of a research paper at a cafe, and finishing it up at home: this is the most efficient way for me to keep myself focused and motivated. However, to be honest, I struggle to balance the time when I am busy with my work and especially when feeling tired. I am still working to discipline myself to manage the time more efficiently. The one thing that works for me is to do something fun to get energy and refresh my mind. As the time goes by, I gradually realized that switching my mind so as not to get unproductive is one of the essential skills that anyone could have, especially for people doing an MBA with full-time work. 8) Do you feel that you are part of a learning community? Yes. Students at the Anaheim University have various backgrounds and high ambitions for education and their careers. For example, I had many classmates who are doing DBAs, as well as running a company or executives of global companies. They are very inspiring, and the environment being surrounded by such people makes me realize first-hand through this experience that there is no end to learning for everyone in business. I feel that I am participating in a wonderful community where I can always discover new perspectives. 9) What is the most unusual place you have taken part in a live online class from? It was the riverbank outside the public library (Ballona Creek Bike
MA in TESOL Graduate Interview – Josh McMillen
Why did you choose Anaheim University’s MA in TESOL program? I chose this program because of the quality of the professors and the online setup allowed me to keep a flexible schedule. Also, Anaheim does not have a practicum, which is great. Anaheim recognizes that its students are already working in TESOL situations, so we can use the settings that we are currently in to aid us in our studies. Can you tell us about your career to date? Currently, I am working in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) with the JET Program. I work at one junior high school and two elementary schools. How do you expect your Masters to further your career? Having a Masters qualifies you for better teaching positions and helps your employer to have more confidence in your abilities. I now know a great deal more about my field than I did when I started in the program. Can you share a favorite memory from Anaheim University? The residential sessions really stick out. It was great to meet people and the professors face to face. Did you have a favorite class at Anaheim University? Honestly, it is hard to pick just one. With many of the classes, I looked forward to the next lesson because the professors were so interesting. Even though the classes were all online, the professors created an engaging community environment that I enjoyed logging in to every week. How did you enjoy the online experience? This was my first fully online classroom experience and I truly enjoyed it. It was so convenient. Who would you recommend Anaheim University’s MA in TESOL program? Anyone interested in TESOL. What were the challenges in your program? Starting the program was a challenge for me. I was worried about how I would do because it had been years since my last classroom experience, I had never had a fully online class, and I just became a father. The professors and office staff were very helpful, which put me at ease. The user interface was easy to navigate and the internet connections were great. Because of the time difference between Anaheim and Japan, I always had classes on Saturday mornings, which was great because my son was either still asleep or just waking up. The class timing worked out great. Because everyone was so helpful and supportive, any challenge that came up was very manageable. In your opinion, how does learning TESOL improve careers for ESL teachers? Learning TESOL gives ESL teachers more tools to use in their “teaching toolbox.” Learning new methods helps you to become more analytic when tracking your students’ progress. Could you please tell us about your Research Portfolio? I enjoyed my portfolio experience mainly because of the weekly readings and journaling format. The readings helped me to understand complex topics and the journals allowed me to wrestle with these ideas and come to my own understanding. Which residential sessions did you attend and what did you like best about them? I attended both sessions in Tokyo (in August 2016 and August 2018). Meeting people and making connections was a great part. How did you feel connected to your learning community? I thought that it would be hard to feel connected because the classes were online, but I felt a real connection with my community. Professors were quick about emailing back. The weekly forums helped us all to stay connected throughout the week. What advice can you give to new students entering the MA in TESOL program? If you have any questions about anything, do not hesitate to ask. The professors and staff are more than willing to help. Do not be intimidated by the professors. I was surprised at how down to earth and easy to talk to they were. If you are having problems with anything, let people know. They want you to succeed. Other comments I am happy to graduate, but a little sad that it is over.
