It is already March… Surprisingly, this is my first entry of the year. Time really seems to fly by.

On February 28th, this year’s research seminars came to an end. It is deeply moving that the first two students I supervised are finally graduating…

As usual, after our reading circle of the Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, we held research presentations where the two graduating students shared their experiences and memories from graduate school. There were many nostalgic stories… tales from when they first enrolled, JSET research meeting presentations, national conferences, experiments, the pressure from me to “write your master’s thesis,” the acceptance of their short letters, and the acceptance of their papers at international conferences… we went through so much together.
Also, the two graduates presented a “User Manual for Yamada.” It was quite hilarious. Well, it is true that I often forget things… haha. They said that while my emails might seem cold, I am kind when we talk in person. They even called me lonely? I am not really aware of that, though… sweat. I realized they observed me well, noting that while I am impatient, I am also genuinely concerned about them. They also left some wonderful advice for their juniors.

They were truly two excellent students. One student had a short letter accepted by JSET, and the other had a full paper accepted at an international conference. I think they are truly great role models. I realized that my role is to create an environment where students can work hard to complete their research and actively present their findings.

I will continue to accept research students and graduate students from the next academic year. I want to do my best to ensure we conduct good research and provide stimulation to the students (just like my mentor, Professor Akahori).

The photo shows the flowers sent to our two graduates by Mr. Sakata from the Kyushu International University Library, who always participates in our seminars. I am grateful for your thoughtfulness. Thank you very much.