This paper considers selected students’ cases in the classes of workshop sessions that turned out well-regarded products in community. It focuses on design processes of those cases and clarifies the conditions of projects which led into success cases. We use the phase of design processes which is classified into ‘think by sketching and choose one’ , ‘production’ and ‘refine’ . Then we analyze the two cases of most successful results among them, ‘Nekokaburi’ and ‘Tamago Bench’ . ‘Nekokaburi’ is a paper-made hat shaped like a cat’ s head. ‘Tamago Bench’ is a wooden bench shaped like an egg. The both projects have appropriate constraints and using an excellent “one-stop” design tool that our students can proceed with their works, with the result that the unique pieces were created. The combination of these two matters seems important for design education. The Installation in public places and the publication in newspapers particularly encouraged students to engage in working on their assignments.

View full abstract

To prevent that younger people avoid science, we have given annual series of experiment and manufacturing workshop on the subjects of electrical and electronic engineering, as the activities for contribution to the community, since 2008. In order to continue the annual series, the educational tools and materials have been improved continuously in all of the workshop. As the results, our attempts provided systematic education of scientific literacy for many participants (total number 2,000 or more), especially for the repeaters, and they were composed of several age groups, students under junior high school, parents of the students, and elder people. At the same time, they got mutual communications on science and technology. This paper reports some results of educational effect and effectiveness of our attempts.

View full abstract

An educational program for cultivating high potential engineers was introduced, which was based on past long experience as a company manager. The program has been performed in a lecture of manufacturing systems engineering for second-year students of the Advanced Engineering Faculty in NIT, Akita College. Three important points are included in the program. The first point is to clarify by the lecture the relationship between academic knowledge and the ways of solving the problems at companies. The second point is to acquire the global insight by doing home works. And the third point is to gain a wide range of thinking by running virtual companies with the students in different fields and by making presentations. One hundred and sixteen students have practiced in the program in 6 years. Their presentations showed they developed their thinking ability and discussion skill. It was clear they accomplished the hard job with deep understanding. Their impressive reports were filled with the pleasure of having confidence for the future. Above results indicate the program contributes to the cultivation of high potential engineers who can act immediately to the change of social needs and companies’ situation.

View full abstract

A simple simulation material for learning titration was prepared by using several one- and ten-yen coins, and a simulation sheet with burette and beaker areas drawn on it. The two areas were both divided to 10 mL areas. One one- and ten-yen coins, and one pile of these two coins were decided to indicate the quantity of 1 mmol of a titrating agent, analyte and the reaction product, respectively. These coins and piles have to be putted in the burette or beaker areas according to the rule that the same number of them located in the each divided 10 mL areas. It was possible to visually and intuitively estimate the concentrations of these chemical species in the virtual beaker on several titration processes.

View full abstract

At National Institute of Technology, Kure College, we have been working on an improvement of educational programs in order to cultivate students, who have obtained certain professional skills and can contribute to society and its changing demands and needs. As a core of our educational program, a course called Incubation Work has been operating since 2015. In Incubation Work, there are about sixty themes that are grouped into three categories: collaborative work with local communities, company collaboration and research. All of the students from the 1st to the 5th grade are required to take one Incubation Work theme and tackle that subject through a project-based learning approach. In this paper, we report on the evaluation of Incubation Work regarding the growth and changes of our students by scrutinizing the results of a student questionnaire on Incubation Work.

View full abstract

In the class or lecture, the ICT Capacity Development Association (hereinafter referred to as ICTDA) develops an educational scheme based on industry-academia collaboration that analyzes and evaluates students′ understanding of learning at the period of a couple of weeks during a class opening of a course period. We utilized the education scheme based on industry-university collaboration into a basic course for digital signal processing. This paper reports about the improvement results which was obtained by analyzing the educational outcome.

View full abstract

Nuclear energy education collaborated with other organizations which give nuclear energy educational programs have been conducted in National Institute of Technology, Gifu College. In this report, we introduce some kinds of lecture meetings and discussion of nuclear energy and study tours for facilities of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited in Rokkasho village and Mizunami underground research laboratory in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. These programs are collaborated with Japan atomic energy relations organization and Japan atomic industrial forum Inc.

View full abstract

The most important point for Japanese university students is to find a problem, think it, and then solve it, by themselves. The author has tried to make it in a curiosity driven laboratory which is based on the university students’ curiosity oriented learning at Nihon university since 2008. This paper reported the original idea of the unique trial in Japan.

View full abstract

National Institute of Technology, Yonago College opened a “Liberal Arts Center” in 2016, aiming for a further improvement of liberal arts education. “Liberal Arts Discourse Group” started as a part of this, students with a deep hobby give lectures, with which the faculty develops in connection with current affairs issues, etc., and gives the participating students the opportunity to have discussions. It was held five times from May 2017 to April 2018. According to a questionnaire taken afterwards, it was determined that this discourse group was very popular. The most important thing in this discourse society is the atmosphere of encouraging students to be comfortable in speaking freely, and it turned out that students are more likely to participate if they can do so.

View full abstract