Goals and Characteristics of Continuous Community–University Cooperation Activities in the Same Rural Area

Abstract

This study focuses on the goals and characteristics of continuous community–university cooperation activities in the same rural area based on participant observation and interviews. In this study, we analyze the community-university cooperation activities (2012–2017) by the students at Shimane University and the local residents in the Mindani district, Yoshida-cho, Yunnan-shi, Shimane Prefecture. Our main results are as follows: (1) The characteristics of the teaching activities include providing continuous survey results feedback to the local residents and promoting communication among the students. (2) The characteristics of the local residents’ activities include holding various events and communicating with the students. (3) The characteristics of students’ activities include undertaking problem solving activities and providing peer support. (4) The goal of continuous community–university cooperation activities in the same rural area is to promote students’ subjective learning and reinforce local revitalization.