The second semester has begun. Yesterday, I taught the “Seminar on Media Education,” a course offered by the Department of Education Systems in the Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies. This is a graduate-level course. We cover the fundamentals of research, including theories, research methodologies, and evaluation methods related to media education. Since it is a seminar, I also hope to have students develop research plans for media education and even develop media to be used in their research.

However, in our graduate school, there are very few students (or rather, none (laughs)) who conduct research on the use of ICT in education and learning. Therefore, while the theme is media education, I plan to proceed by allowing each student to develop a research theme that aligns with their own interests. I am glad that there are slightly more students enrolled compared to the “Educational Information Engineering” (graduate) course in the first semester. With a small group, I hope to deepen our understanding of each other’s research areas, engage in discussions, and ensure that everyone can “explain their own research plan based on theory.” I was surprised to learn that one student is taking this course while on self-development leave from their workplace. I was truly moved by this! I will conduct the class in a way that meets that student’s strong commitment!

Then, starting today, I began teaching “Learning Sciences” for the Library Science program in the Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences. Starting this academic year, I have been appointed as an adjunct faculty member within the university to teach this (is it volunteer work, I wonder?). Taking into account the content of previous classes, I have structured the first half as a knowledge acquisition phase and the second half as a practical phase, where students will be asked to plan some form of learning program by applying research findings from the learning sciences (the themes are already decided, but I plan to announce them at the end of the knowledge acquisition phase). It is rare to have “Learning Sciences” as a required course in a graduate program for Library Science (strangely, it is not offered in the Faculty of Education or the Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies). I have had various conversations regarding library-related work recently, and it is clear that librarians have a strong interest in education and learning. As noted in the deliberations of the Academic Information Committee based on the results of the MEXT Survey on Academic Information Infrastructure, there is a demand for “active involvement of university librarians in active learning.” Given this background, I believe that teaching a course on learning sciences within the Library Science program is highly significant.

MEXT Academic Information Committee (3rd Meeting) Document 1: On Academic Information Infrastructure for Enhancing Learning Environments (Draft Summary of Deliberations)
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/gijyutu/gijyutu4/031/attach/1336647.htm

In this course, I have also decided to use learning content for training information librarians, which was developed through a collaborative project between the university libraries of Kanazawa, Nagoya, and Shizuoka, with support from the Japan Library Foundation. I would like students to study this material outside of class hours, and during class, I plan to focus on discussions based on what they have learned in advance. I want to try out the “Flipped Classroom” approach that has been frequently discussed recently.

Finally, I will also be conducting a trial class for “Collaborative Problem-Based Learning,” one of the core education programs starting next academic year, during this second semester. After observing classes for this program in the first semester, I felt I wanted to experience it myself. It was decided that I would be in charge of this in the second semester around the time the first semester ended. I want to grasp the points to be aware of when conducting this class before it fully starts next year, and make improvements for the coming year.