The Yumekobo Project Education at Kanazawa Institute of Technology

Abstract

Yumekobo, which can be translated as “Factory for Dreams and Ideas” , has been attracting the attention of reform-minded educators in Japanese universities. The major function of Yumekobo is to support a student project called the Yumekobo project. It resembles an extra-curricular club activity as at other universities; however, the Yumekobo project is not only an extra-curricular activity but also a symbol of the educational philosophy of Kanazawa Institute of Technology. Students in the Yumekobo project are encouraged to develop a good character, which includes independence, creativity, morality, cooperation, and internationalism. In this paper, an overview of the Yumekobo project is given, and its characteristics are described. Further, its educational effects are discussed based on an analysis of student questionnaires conducted from 2002 to 2005.