New educational development of artifactology

—Project-based learning that emphasizes engineering foundation for synthesis of artifacts and reflection—

Abstract

In the synthesis-oriented education of artifacts, not only problem solving and creation but also reflection of their new effects are important. This paper constructs an education method for an artifact system that involves (I) understanding common viewpoints for creation of artifacts, (II) practice by project-based learning, and (III) reflection by mutual evaluation and retro-spection. In order to clarify how (I) is acquired and improved through (II) and (III), intensive lectures were conducted for three years at the University of Tokyo. It was shown that there was a difference in the degree of understanding of each viewpoint, and that understanding was promoted through practice in performance evaluation, measurement, use and maintenance, and through retrospectives in design, integration, function and service. The secondary effect of critical thinking from the viewpoint of (I) was also observed.