On substance of graduate school education it is an important factor to clarify the difference between an academic degree and professional degree in engineering fields, as well as the difference between master and doctor degree, and the ability that the degree guarantees. In order to achieve it, the target and aim of talented person education under the corresponding degree must be clearly shown, and the development of a proper curriculum and a new system for the graduate education are required. Based on those, to control and maintain the quality of the degree, exit (outcome) management is necessary.

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Essence of engineering education is acquirement of professional knowledge and skills for engineering. From viewpoints of time and motivation for the knowledge and skill acquirement, the education in Japanese colleges of technology is discussed in comparison with university's engineering education. The double tracking system of engineering education is available no matter how many students may go on to a university from a college of technology. Cultivating ability to put the knowledge to practical use is important in the engineering education of the colleges of technology.

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Technical education for young engineers at MHI is urgent for seamless succession of the technology and for compensation of insufficient university education. Various activities at MHI as common action and individual action at Nagasaki shipyard are described.

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This will clarify how effective it is in making trainees self-motivated before the seminar and in making the most of the seminar itself. We verified the importance of self-motivating trainees by examining ⌈Engineer Nurturing System⌋ for enhancing knowledge in their respective specialties among the in-house engineer training programs, and ⌈IP (Internet Protocol) TOP school⌋ . Accordingly, ⌈Engineer Nurturing System⌋ has led to coordinating the company's goal with that of the employees, resulting in their enhanced expertise, higher morale and friendlier work environment. Additionally, ⌈IP (Internet Protocol) TOP school⌋ has contributed to further self-motivating trainees through setting two targets. One target is to obtain patents in business models. The other to make trainees sort out their problems and think of clues for solutions before the seminar.

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New reformation project on engineering education, which is supported from 2005 to 2008FY by Support Program for Contemporary Educational Needs of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, started in Kyushu Institute of Technology. In this project, teaching experience of students is introduced into the curriculum of Faculty of Engineering. In the curriculum students try to prepare teaching materials and to teach local school pupils with them by themselves. Teaching experience is remarkably effective for them to strengthen their self-dependence and learning motivation. Science Education Center, Science Laboratory and Super Teachers College were also organized to promote the area cooperation on the education of science and mathematics.

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The Faculty of Engineering, Kumamoto University opened a satellite laboratory in the downtown area of the Kumamoto City in 2006, which is named as the Downtown Atelier. Its major tasks are, firstly, to support students and staffs effectively study policies and techniques of urban planning through case studies, secondly, to stimulate both private and public groups that have interests on the downtown planning so that they could conduct collaborative actions, and thirdly, to provide the university members a channel through which they could present their in-campus activities to the public. This paper reviewed the first two-year activities done at the atelier by students and staffs, and then discussed that the atelier could advance successful steps to achieve its goals.

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Since more than 20 years ago, we had been discussed and researched between regional collaboration how to use the biomass generated by food industries (and how to promote the reuse) and the value addition of food recyclable resources. Accordingly, we collaborated mainly with Biotechnological Research Development Association and promoted the project for biotechnological human resource development. In order to realize such project, the followings were proposed : the human resource development programs, skill standards, curricula, practices, and estimations. As a result, it is recognized that our trials and practices brought educational effects for not only graduate school students but also working engineers, and that these programs must be conducted for continuing development.

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A new educational program was introduced to our college in 2000. This program based on the extensive knowledge in the engineering and high culture, originally intended to foster young engineers with creativity, diversity, interdisciplinarity, internationality and high practical skills. It also aimed to nourish engineers who would be engaged in developing user-friendly technologies that can coexist with nature and who can flexibly cope with current global issues such as environmental problems, food shortages and energy efficiency. Regrettably, great numbers of students don't seem to be interested in studying. We feel that there is an urgent need to improve the educational program to attract students to learn and encourage their motivations. In this paper, We would like to propose a new education model that is the Collaborative Work of Industry, Local Government and College of Technology.

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The Cell Engineering Center was established in October, 2003 to research and develop manufacturing technologies and cell engineering technologies with human cell lines, which boost their uniqueness. The center serves as a base for advancing industrial development and creating new industries in Kitakyushu City area. One of the features in this center's activities is to promote technology exchanges between the students and researchers in private firms and to facilitate developed biotechnologies transferred to the private sectors. The Cell Engineering Center aims to train the advanced biotechnologists who have abilities for applying for patents, international communications, and leaderships. In this work, the educational and research activities in the Cell Engineering Center will be reported.

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Sasebo National College of Technology started a mutual exchange internship program in 2005 in partnership with Xiamen University of Technology. The aim of this program is to educate and train young Japanese engineers who can apply their knowledge and skills fully to their work in the factories in China. This program also aims to educate and train young Chinese engineers who will acquire not only technological knowledge and skills but also an understanding of the organizational structure and cultural background of Japanese companies. By deepening mutual understanding between Japan and China through this program, young Japanese and Chinese engineers can work toward their common goal of economic prosperity in their respective countries, while building partnerships based on mutual trust and respect.

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The ministry of Economics and Industry started the project collaborated with National Colleges of Technology titled “Upbringing Young Engineers in small and medium-sized enterprises” , in 2006. In our college, the authors planed the upbringing-program for the die-cast engineer in automobile industries collaborated with several enterprises in neighboring area and applied for the project. The program was adopted and worked out the concrete curriculum for the first year. The curriculum contains the training of the base of mechanical design with 3D-CAD/CAE/CAM systems and the practical training on manufacturing, by means of Problem Based Learning method. The program carried out in September and finished in December successfully. This paper reports the outline of the curriculum and the results in the program.

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We carried out questionnaire survey about technical education for graduates residing in Oita prefecture. As a result, we understood that they want to attend technical educations also after graduation. But their duties are too busy, so they cannot attend. A lecture that they want is CAD, and they hope that the lecture is under five times and for holding on Saturday or weekday night, and the expense is equal to or less than 30,000 yen. We understood that the place that they want to attend is their old school. Although authors and persons concerned with school has been showing many information of engineer education in HP, about 80% of all graduates did not know it. In a free opinion, they say that engineer education is inevitable but personnel trainings or humanities as a person are also demanded.

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Okinawa National College of Technology proposed “Educational Program for Practically Skilled Engineers in Advanced Welding Technology in Okinawa Style” to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and was adopted as a 2-year project starting from 2005. This project designed to fit for the regional characteristics of Okinawa, aims to develop the core human resources program that will help reinforce and innovate the welding engineering in the manufacturing industries. In 2005, the education program and the original textbook were developed, and in 2006, a proof class was held to confirm the suitability and the effectiveness of the program and the textbook in order to improve the attendees' basics and the application ability of welding. The results were quite positive. Also, by collaborating with the Japan Welding Society, points scored in this course were authorized as the education points of IIW international welding engineer qualification.

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The attempts of new learning based on practical exercise and problem-solving concerning the engineering design were studied as common subjects for freshman and sophomore students in all departments in faculty of engineering. Developments and trial run of this learning was carried out experimentally by model class as a preliminary procedure. Two long-term themes and four small themes were tried, and those effectiveness were examined. In addition, the practice program, which will be able to be executed, is proposed. By the engineering design education as introduction class, it was confirmed that it is able to experience technological interest.

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Experiments in the engineering education play important roles in motivating students to study voluntarily. A trial aiming to enhance this effect in the experiment of vibration at Mechanical System Engineering, Kumamoto University is introduced. The trial consists of 1) oral presentation by students, 2) web-based learning system and 3) feedback through reports. An evaluation by questionnaire was conducted to show the validity of this trial. This result revealed that the trial succeeded to encourage students.

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There have been literatures that have focused limited topics of teaching material, educational robots etc. There have been also literatures to teach control engineering in the robotics. It seems to be no reports that have discussed the framework, curriculum for system control engineering education. The present paper describes the design of curriculum for system control engineering of technical college in Japan. The feature of the curriculum is line tracer oriented. In the proposed curriculum, basic line tracers are developed to high technology tracers as grade in college advanced. Basic tracers are developed with simple logic devices. High technology tracers are controlled by microcomputers, such as H8. Students can develop line tracers based on the course programme, and it is expected that students will be more aggressive in learning technology. The paper introduces basic concept of a line tracer oriented curriculum and shows educational perspective for embedded technology. The proposed idea in the paper can be applied to other education sectors.

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The national colleges of technology in Kyushu area have offered some short term intensive programs for advanced course students called Summer Lecture every year. In this year, we also offered a Summer Lecture entitled 'Microcomputer System Engineering for Improving Skills of System Development'. In the present paper, some educational materials developed for the lecture and a educational method of PBL are described.

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Recently, the importance of an engineering education increases by the development of the information technology (IT) . Development of the information literacy education is important to deal with new IT in the education on college of technology. Our group investigated the current state of information literacy education on college of technology at Kyushu area and the secondary education. In addition, we investigated about the talent whom the industrial world requested. From these investigation results, this paper proposed cooperation with the elementary and secondary education, enhancement of intellectual property education, introduction of information ethics education, introduction of career education and enhancement of PBL to information literacy education on college of technology.

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Engineering ethics education deals with a wide range of matters. Therefore it should not be treated within a single subject, but in a whole curriculum of a college. In Yatsushiro National College of Technology, we have designed a systematic education program of engineering ethics on the basis of “Yatsushiro National College Synthetic Education Program” , which was established in 2002. This education program, including education for formation of character and morality as well, has two distinctive features : five or seven-year successive course of study and cooperation among the departments and teaching staffs. This interactive scheme has produced highly educational effects.

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In recent years, the social accountability that the organization of higher education clearly shows the purpose and the educational idea to achieve, is requested. Therefore, a new curriculum to achieve the objectives of study and education is designed in 2002, and is arranged the comprehensive engineering education of the 5 years regular course and the 2 years advanced course, which is called “a synthetic educational program” in Yatsushiro National College of Technology. After that, the educational objectives have been minor revised in several times. The setting of the educational objective is giving birth to a good effect according to the self-satisfactory degree survey for the students and their achievement degree questionnaires of the objectives of study and education.

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We present a program to learn ability to solve problems on engineering. This program is called “Experiments in creative engineering” in the department of mechanical engineering in Kurume National College of Technology advanced engineering school. In the program, students have to determine own theme and manufacture experimental devices or some machines by themselves. The students must also perform experiments to valid the function and performance of their devices by themselves. The restriction of the theme is to manufacture a device which function dose not basically exist in the world with limited cost (up to 20,000Yen) . As the results of questionnaire of students, the program would be very effective to the creative education for the students.

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An educational project for promoting the practical professional engineers has been carried out using a special fund from the Ministry of Education (MEXT) , since the fiscal year 2005 after five sixths of the departments were accredited from JABEE. Some typical activities of the project such as design education for the mechanical engineering, motivating self-directed learning for the chemical engineering, and a small-size class for the electrical engineering are described.

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The start of JABEE has given a good chance for the Faculty of Engineering at Kagoshima University to step in a new engineering education. It has promoted us to clarify our educational goals, to reconsider our curriculum, to improve our syllabus, to set an upper limit of completed credits, and to introduce the so-called “GPA” (grade point average) system. Moreover, its innovation on our senses has been carried out by the student evaluations, classes open to the faculty and so on. The establishment of the computer-aided reference system to a personal school record, self-teaching room and self-designing factory has made the environment for study better. In the next step, we strive to offer a better education than now, showing originality from Kagoshima University.

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A new education system for the mechanical design and manufacturing based on the conventional education system has been proposed. The proposed system is considered as a main subject of the specialized subjects of the mechanical engineering department in Kurume National College of Technology. In the proposed system, students could master the way to use 3D-CAD due to making 3D models of a hand-powered winch. The students also learned way of the optimum design for strength due to making the winch handle using CAE/CAM and due to estimating its strength. As the results of analysis of education system, it was seen that the education of the conventional manual drawing and graphics is very important for the new design and manufacturing education.

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Kurume National College of Technology has obtained results concerning intellectual property education combined with inventive education. In the education program, students learn about industrial property and practical expertise such as searching the open patents, making up patent-maps, and making patent application papers to the Patent Office under the guidance of a teacher, a patent adviser and attorney. As a result, some of the creative students have already applied for patents. In the future, we are going to prepare a managing system for the intellectual property at our college for the intensification of cooperative application with the local company.

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Homeroom (HR) activities have an important role in engineering education at technical colleges. Yatsushiro National College of Technology has made a master plan for them and has been putting the plan into practical use since 2002. This plan is comprehensive and has two main categories, social education and career guidance, both being composed of three sub-categories (e.g., self-understanding and making future plans) . Based on the master plan, each HR teacher makes his own plan for HR activities for his classroom at the beginning of the academic year. We have reached a consensus to share our practice and to improve HR activities for years to come. We also recognize that to carry out HR activities based on a master plan that reflects the school's educational goals is essential in order to train students who are well-prepared, both as engineers and as humans.

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This paper presents a lecture, “Introduction to Engineering” , as a step for the first year of an engineering education program on Yatsushiro National College of Technology. The purpose of the lecture is to motivate students in terms of the variety of engineering work and how such work is related to humans' lives, and to educate students regarding the history of engineering. In this pursuit, students receive lectures in an omnibus from a plurality of teachers from a plurality of departments. This thesis introduces a characteristic and contents these lectures and their effect as measured by questionnaires filled out by students.

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In the chemical industry, most of the chemical products are manufactured by operating equipment and changing raw materials chemically and physically. Knowledge and skills regarding the raw materials and the products are required to manufacture the products of good quality safely. Furthermore the knowledge and skills concerning the chemical process, the equipment and other treated materials are needed to operate plant appropriately. The way of plant operation partially depends on the type of process such as continuous process and batch process. As a plant operator is promoted to an upper position, required to improve one's skills. To operate plant safely, the base action to prevent an error of judgment, and the adaptive action based on the rule and principle i.e. KNOW-WHY are also required. In this paper, it reports on some cases of the skill development of plant operators in Omuta Works.

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The original mission as electric power supplier is to stably supply high-quality and inexpensive electricity. In order to achieve this mission, for the employees that actually deal with the electric equipment, to engage themselves in precise job performance is crucial. In fostering human resources, we emphasize both on knowledge development that is required for employees and on skill building that is necessary for the precise job performance. Each engineering department is proactive in conducting the engineering training that is devised along with respective operation through OJT and Off-JT to acquire and transfer practical techniques and skills. Hereafter, we will furthermore work to enhance in-company training, visualizing the techniques and skills that engineers are required to acquire, and the achievement that each engineer has acquired.

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