The Tankyu Practice for students enrolled in the October 2022 ICT Innovator Course at the Kobe Institute of Computing (KIC) has finally reached its final session.
This course is a first-year required course, enabling students to build up their ICT skills while building on the foundation of “Inquiry Practice” (discovering issues, refining strengths, and practicing hypothesis testing in the field). This course is designed to nurture engineers and business leaders who can work in any field in the world and contribute to the improvement of people’s well-being and is the foundation of the University’s educational policy. New students in this year’s ICT Innovator course are also participating in this lecture from home and abroad through a hybrid of onsite and online.
In this lecture, which is taught in person by President Toshiki Sumitani, students learn various problem-finding techniques and share issues they are facing in their home countries.
Each group creates an inquiry chart showing the hypothesis of problem-solving and value creation through the inquiry practice method. And they repeat verification and proof from the aspects of human resources, uniqueness, and income/expenses. In the final session, all groups present the results of their research and propose solutions to a specific issue.
This year, a total of six groups gave presentations on the following diverse topics.
- Parking system aimed at reducing traffic congestion and increasing people’s productivity
- VR training system to support non-Japanese in finding employment in Japan
- ICT education support system for elementary school students in developing countries
- Utilization of autonomous harvesting machines (ASDHaM) in agriculture
- Environmental awareness system for the younger generation
- Comprehensive healthcare system in West Africa
All groups present their proposals from a variety of backgrounds, including interviews and questionnaires. The fact that students from many different countries leads to the creation of new values by integrating diverse values and backgrounds.
In the first year, students master the basics of this “Tankyu Practice” method and move on to more practical hypothesis testing in “Specific Theme Study A”, which begins in the second half of the first year. In the “Specific Theme Study B” from the second year, students work on research activities with the goal of implementing prototypes in the real world.
In addition, five second-year students from Kobe Taisanji Junior High School took part in this international session. This was part of Kobe City’s the Try-yaru Week and the first time in four years that junior high school students were accepted. They’re also given the opportunity to experience working in public relations by taking pictures with a camera.
KIC will continue to work with local communities to solve domestic and international issues.