It has been about a week since the first semester classes, “Educational Information Engineering (Undergraduate)” and “Educational Information Engineering (Master’s),” concluded. Although the number of students was small, I feel that we were able to conduct active, discussion-centered classes, much like a seminar.

For the undergraduate Educational Information Engineering course, I used a (semi-)jigsaw method in the class design. I prepared several types of literature, each 20 to 30 pages long, every week. I assigned students to read them, and in class, students who read the same literature formed groups to ensure they understood the content. Then, they formed new groups with students who had read different literature to discuss the themes, make presentations, and engage in Q&A sessions. While it was not a complete jigsaw method, I felt this level of class design was appropriate to ensure thorough discussion, so I proceeded with it.

Reading 20 to 30 pages of literature every week is quite demanding, but the students kept up well. The discussions were active, and the reflections they wrote on Facebook—covering what they learned in class, summaries of activities, and their own thoughts—were also very well-considered. They wrote excellent content, including opinions they couldn’t voice during the discussions and counterarguments to points I had raised. The first half of the course focused on theoretical topics, while the second half involved interacting with learning and educational support systems created based on research findings in Educational Technology and the Learning Sciences. We compared these with the theories to consider the systems’ strengths, areas for improvement, and evaluation methods. The experience of actually “touching” the systems is valuable. It reveals the connection to theory. I want them to understand how theory is applied, so I would like to continue incorporating the experience of interacting with systems in the future.

However, while I wanted them to understand the content of Educational Information Engineering, I also wanted them to acquire skills that will be required of them by society in the future, such as how to read literature, time management, methods for collaborative task execution, information organization and integration, and impromptu presentation skills. I ensure that these activities are included in the undergraduate Educational Information Engineering course. I explained this in the final session. I hope they will reflect on this and make good use of these skills.

For the master’s Educational Information Engineering course, I also provided English research papers every week for them to read. I believe that reading about 20 pages of English papers every week is a heavy burden for master’s students, but I am glad we did it. I attended the master’s interim presentation sessions and felt that many students were struggling with reviewing prior research. As a result, they faced fundamental questions they could not answer. There was even a sense of them avoiding English. This is very problematic. It is inevitable that the originality of their research will be questioned. At the extreme, they must be prepared to be told, “Your research has already been done, so it is not research.” This is painful.

I recognize that educational research is now being conducted similarly all over the world. Reviewing only domestic Japanese papers and being told “there is no such research to date” lacks persuasiveness (it is difficult to prove that something “does not exist”; a famous quote by Professor Kitamura at Tokyo Keizai University). I want them to consult overseas literature, consider the positioning of their own research, and apply that to their future work. The master’s students kept up well. They wrote about what they thought after reading the papers almost every week, and they wrote in light of their own research fields. I am looking forward to their future research.

My classes require a significant amount of reading. From next year, I would like to consider collaborating with the library. I have a literature list, but it might be good to link it with the library catalog. If the number of students next year remains around the same (about 10), I will hold the class in the Learning Commons. It was indeed a good decision to hold the class in the Learning Commons. The current Central Library Learning Commons in Hakozaki is a bit small (I wish they would move some of those huge catalog card cabinets or large bookshelves to make more space), so I hope the new library is completed soon.

I have incorporated various things I want them to learn into the class design. When submitting their final reports, some students even sent emails saying they wanted to make use of what they had learned. I am glad I proceeded with this class design. I wish the students success in their future endeavors. Good luck.

Finally, I would like to thank Professor Hideyuki Suzuki (Ibaraki University), Professor Hiroshi Kato (The Open University of Japan), Professor Hideo Funao (Soka University), Professor Toshio Mochizuki (Senshu University), and Professor Toru Fujimoto (The University of Tokyo) for providing systems and research papers for this class. Thank you very much.