In the contemporary higher education landscape, there is an increasing emphasis on cultivating “comprehensive knowledge.” This paper examines the characteristics of science and engineering entrants in the 2023 academic year, comparing them with their humanities counterparts using national data from GPS-Academic, an assessment test specifically designed for basic and general skills. Regarding thinking abilities, the former excel at organizing information and evaluating it logically and critically. Conversely, the latter are skilled in understanding issues from a broad perspective through interaction and deep inquiry. Concerning attitudes and experiences, science and engineering students tend to approach matters more rationally than emotionally, while humanities students are adept at acknowledging diverse perspectives and considering individual viewpoints when addressing issues.

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This study clarifies the educational effects of early STEAM education through a follow-up survey of participants. We implemented the “Mathematics for Engineering Course” (comprising 6 sessions) as part of its early STEAM education mathematics program in the 2024 academic year. The first four sessions targeted third-year junior high school students while emphasising connections to mathematics studied in engineering. The final two sessions targeted prospective students, covering topics typically studied in the first year of technical college. This paper focuses on the field of “Equations and Complex Numbers.” The results of follow-up surveys indicate that students who attended all sessions outperformed those who attended only the latter two sessions in terms of average scores and other metrics.

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This is a report on the development of experimental teaching materials in the field of physics. Using machine learning, it is possible to easily identify the position coordinates of motion from recorded video. In this report, we report on a student experiment using DeepLabCut on the theme of action and reaction.

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In subjects related to mechanical design and drafting, education is provided in a gradual and systematic manner as students advance through the academic year. By offering these courses in parallel with practical training, the curriculum provides a foundation in manufacturing. Furthermore, practical training provides an important opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge of manufacturing through hands-on experience, and its collaboration with lectures is expected to enhance educational effectiveness. At the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Toyota College, an initiative has been developed to promote collaboration between lectures and practical training in order to teach the fundamentals of mechanical drafting and highlight the importance of drawings. This initiative is implemented as part of project-based learning (PBL) aimed at fostering comprehensive engineering skills. This paper outlines the initiative and discusses its educational outcomes.

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This study investigates how a project-based course on traditional Japanese culture influences students’ self-evaluations of critical thinking and future-oriented thinking. Students examined cultural values embedded in historical artifacts and reinterpreted them to envision future society. Learning outcomes were assessed through poster products, pre- and post-course self-evaluation surveys, and reflective writings. Results showed significant improvement in both abilities, particularly in envisioning the future grounded in cultural context. Qualitative analyses also indicated that learners extracted underlying cultural values, interpreted them critically, and transformed them into future-oriented ideas. This highlights the value of cultural resources in education.

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Architecture students exhibit diverse learning orientations driven by aesthetics, technical skills, and structural or environmental interests. Although often unarticulated, these tendencies are potentially reflected in their works. This study classified CG works by 54 students from the 2023 “Architectural CG” course using Fully Connected and Convolutional Neural Networks. By integrating the results and analyzing the correspondence between extracted image features and concept descriptions, we examined the relationship between these features and the learners’ academic orientations.

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This study examines factors influencing graduate school choices among international science and engineering students, based on a 2024 Tohoku University survey. Both master’ s and doctoral students prioritize research quality, though doctoral students value funding, faculty connections, and career support significantly more. For students with prior stay experience in Japan, academic resources outweigh geographical or cultural proximity. Asian students prioritize university reputation and support services more than Europeans. These findings highlight the need for recruitment strategies tailored to academic levels and regions, utilizing short-term programs to shift student focus toward research excellence.

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A novel casting method that can be implemented at the laboratory scale was developed. The proposed method is highly safe, well-suited for educational demonstrations, and enables participants to indirectly observe and experience the melting process of gold. In this study, 3.11 g of gold, recovered and refined from waste materials, was placed into a machined graphite mold and heated in an electric furnace at 1200℃ for five minutes. This process successfully produced a gold medal with a diameter of 16 mm.

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This study aims to verify the effectiveness of obtaining feedback for design improvement by having students, who are engaged in barrier-free design projects, appreciate their own designs from the perspective of a wheelchair user. We independently developed a “wheelchair experience system” that reads the rotation of the wheelchair’ s wheels and links it to the movement of an avatar in the VR space. In this research, we implemented a curriculum that linked the university’ s “Architectural Basic Design Drawing” and “Architectural CG” courses. Students designed a barrier-free house in the first semester, converted the data to 3D and placed furniture in the second semester, and then performed VR appreciation using the constructed system. As a result, it was confirmed that engaging in the VR experience during the early design stage heightened students’ awareness of barrier-free design, leading them to prioritize aspects such as corridor width, ramp shape, and circulation planning. Furthermore, by appreciating their own designed houses in VR, areas that were ambiguous during the design stage became clear, and a tendency for students’ self-evaluation of their designs to increase was observed.

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In order to develop practical engineering human resources that the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Science aims for, it is necessary to experience handling statistically generated random signals under conditions where noise is a problem with observation signals. In this paper, we report the results of a radiation detection experiment using a PIN photodiode as a teaching material for handling random and weak signals.

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As one theme of the introductory course for mechanical engineering students, we developed learning materials based on actual electric vehicle competition. To raise interest in measuring motor performance, we developed a simulation of an EV competition that allow students to experience competing using the motors whose performance they measured in class experiments. In this simulation, by selecting the motor and cowling, and setting the reduction ratio and gear shift timing, it is possible to display current consumption, running time, and ranking in an actual competition. The introduction of this teaching material is effective in stimulating interest in mechanical engineering, as it not only demonstrates specific uses for motors but also allows students to experience the entire design of a competition vehicle using their own ingenuity.

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Beginners in programming often struggle with abstract concepts, which can reduce motivation. Collaborative learning is an effective approach, but interpersonal anxiety can hinder participation. We introduced anonymity into collaborative learning for programming beginners to create an environment in which learners engage with the code or the task itself rather than with who they are working with, which reduced peer evaluation and social pressures. In an empirical study, questionnaire responses and analysis of conversation logs showed that anonymity reduced the influence of interpersonal relationships. Notably, learners who previously had difficulty explaining their ideas increased the number of words they typed in, which resulted in more active collaboration. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of introducing anonymity.

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This paper presents a case study of an FM broadcast signal reception experiment using unterminated coaxial cables as receiving antennas, conducted as an introductory experiential learning activity in an undergraduate communications course. The experiment aimed to foster student interest in radio waves and antennas and to promote intuitive understanding using familiar materials. Students investigated changes in received signal strength by varying the cable length. Basic concepts such as quarter-wavelength resonance and wavelength shortening were introduced beforehand, while environmental influences were intentionally not explained in detail. Analysis of student reports revealed diverse reflections, particularly in the application of theory and interpretation of environmental factors. This case suggests that hands-on experiments with limited prior explanation can encourage diverse observations and reflective thinking among beginner-level engineering students.

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This report examines the educational design and educational effects of an architectural study tour conducted in Singapore in 2025. The program followed a sequential learning process that included the acquisition of preliminary knowledge through pre-departure assignments, on-site experiences of diverse architectural and urban spaces, and reflective post-tour reports. Through this process, students deepened their understanding of environmental engineering perspectives and environmental adaptation at the urban scale, while also demonstrating an intention to apply the insights gained to future lifestyle design in Japan. These findings indicate the effectiveness of experiential learning in architectural education and reaffirm the significance of learning from cities in tropical regions, particularly in an era of accelerating global warming.

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This paper presents the development of an educational program for an architectural design studio that incorporates the perspective of well-being, and describes its structure and implementation. Student design outcomes and assessment results using CASBEE-Wellness Office were further analyzed to identify the educational effects and challenges. The findings show that students were able to propose design solutions that addressed not only spatial configurations but also operational strategies to enhance well-being. In addition, the process of self-evaluation and iterative improvement using the assessment tool contributed to deepening their design thinking and increasing their understanding and awareness of well-being. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that CASBEE can function not only as an evaluation tool but also as a feedback mechanism for educational improvement.

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In 2025, Saitama University launched an entrepreneurship program for all undergraduates to cultivate a “Broad Sense of Entrepreneurship,” going beyond startups to define an essential capacity for everyone to translate ideas into actionable values for others. This paper evaluates the compulsory introductory course. Practitioner-led instruction significantly improved understanding and doubled student interest. Notably, the course shifted mindsets to view entrepreneurship as a “learnable skill,” broadening career perspectives beyond startups.

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This study explores a remote learning case in high school “Informatics” using metaverse technology. Through a university-high school collaboration, students created virtual worlds using Unity and cluster. Implementation revealed technical challenges, including Unity’ s instability on low-spec devices, time constraints of the platform’ s event system, and limited non-verbal feedback. However, qualitative assessments showed high student motivation and proactive problem-solving attitudes. These findings emphasize that while the metaverse effectively engages students, ensuring stable hardware and multi-layered communication channels are essential for successful integration. Future research should investigate effective methods for assessing student progress within these immersive environments to optimize learning outcomes.

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The objective of this project is to develop programming learning materials for elementary and junior high school students using microcontrollers and sensors. By incorporating IoT devices and autonomous driving technology, the developed educational materials aim to make programming more accessible and to improve basic programming skills, creativity, and critical thinking. To demonstrate the usefulness of the educational materials, we used them in the open lecture for elementary school students. In this study, we report the results of the questionnaire survey and discuss their usefulness.

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In the Future Principal Investigator Program, a questionnaire consisting of 122 questions on the concept of laboratory management required for a principal investigator was employed. Using 116 individual multivariate numerical data sets collected from 38 participants, principal component analysis was conducted to perform human resource profiling and identify participant characteristics. The first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) were interpreted as reflecting research career experience and international or educational characteristics, respectively. Based on the identified characteristics, participants were classified into at least three groups. These results indicate that this analysis can be a useful tool for participants in facilitating deeper discussions based on their characteristics as well as for program organizers in designing effective learning environments.

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The rapid development of generative AI has recently brought innovation to educational settings, opening new possibilities for supporting learning processes. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recognizes the convenience of generative AI and its potential to enhance productivity, while also addressing challenges such as misuse and its impact on creativity. This study aims to improve the quality of graduation research guidance by proposing an educational application model for generative AI, including Python programming assistance. A key feature of this approach is its emphasis on promoting students’ self-directed learning by showcasing diverse applications of generative AI, from its fundamentals to prompt engineering, beyond Python programming. Through this process, the study investigates how generative AI may contribute to the development of students’ mathematical thinking and data analysis skills, as well as its impact on improving the efficiency and sophistication of research, based on analyses of deliverables such as student surveys and graduation theses.

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