The University of Tsukuba’s Bachelor’s Program in Design (DPD) has implemented an educational strategy promotion project for the fiscal year 2020: “Building a Foundation for International Research and Education Collaboration in Creativity (IRACI) and Realizing an International Joint Degree Program”. The following three objectives are the strategic research and education program (IRACI: International Research Alliance for Creativity and Innovation) for learning and applying creativity. 1. To conduct an International Creativity Research Festival to build an international collaborative organization for creativity research and to realize a double degree/joint degree program. 2. To introduce a VR conferencing system that allows many people to gather virtually in one place, share their experiences, and […]

In April 2021, Chiba University’s Design Course celebrated the 100th anniversary of founding the Tokyo Higher School of Technology in 1921. We launched a new department to respond to increasingly diverse and sophisticated social issues by creating next-generation innovations with this opportunity. This new department is the Design Research Institute (dri), which was established by the faculty members in the Department of Design belonging to the Graduate School of Engineering. Furthermore, at the same time as the establishment of dri, the “Chiba University Sumida Satellite Campus” was opened in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, a manufacturing city, with the concept of simulating all aspects of life with the entire building as a demonstration […]

The degree program of the graduate schools of our university, which started planning in 2015, began in 2020 after various studies. The purpose of the program is to acquire the practical ability to create products and environments that improve people’s minds, to create social systems that develop good and fulfilling connections between people, and to foster highly skilled professionals or researchers with the qualities of top international leaders who will play a central role in various research and educational institutions, and apply their creativity to nurture, maintain, and revitalize rich and constructive communities and societies. Design education is positioned as a Degree Program in Design (DPD). In addition to the […]

Based on the founding principle of “leveraging and developing Akita’s traditions and culture”, the University has been developing local brands and promoting local industries in Akita Prefecture through practical projects. From the fiscal year 2019, we have conducted “ORAe Project”, aiming to build a new collaboration system between the University and industry that goes beyond individual projects. This Project is a collective of woodworking businesses scattered throughout Akita Prefecture. It aims to be a platform that contributes to the development of the woodworking industry and to the nurturing of its future leaders. This Project will connect veteran and young businesses that have had little interaction with each other, and promote […]

Future University Hakodate is a public university based on information science, which opened in 2000. Under the motto of “Open Space, Open Mind”, the university aims to nurture “a high professional capability in Systems Information Science”, “the ability to explore and conceptualize problems supported by research skills and associated attitudes”, “the ability to express information through teamwork and co-creation”, “the ability to learn autonomously and continuously (meta-learning)” and “humanity required for a specialist”. Undergraduate design education aims to acquire the ideas, knowledge, and techniques necessary to design a human-centered information environment. While integrating various disciplines such as information design, cognitive psychology, sociology, and communication, students will learn the philosophy of […]

Under the initiative of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo Metropolitan University is focusing on research and development related to the local 5G environment from 2020. Our department is leading the “WHEE Project”, a project to develop and provide an outdoor activity support system for wheelchair users, which aims to support independent activities in a fun way with a wheelchair device that has a built-in camera and sensor and AR contents. Professor Kumiko Kushiyama is actively promoting this project. Under the title of “Social Implementation of AI Wheelchair System to Support Fun Independent Movement with AR Games”, we develop assistive technologies and content to help the elderly and people with […]

Establishment of International Office, Faculty of Design In April 2020, the Faculty of Design established the “International Office” to strategically promote internationalization (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Previously, internationalization was done through individual faculty members, organically linking internationalization operations that were scattered among various departments. The purpose of establishing this office is to systematically promote internationalization and provide a single point of contact (one-stop) for internationalization. The logo of the International Office (IO), Faculty of Design. It is designed to represent the many students and faculty members who will spread their wings to the world through the IO and gather at the Faculty of Design. The Coronavirus Pandemic Right after we […]

The Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference gathers 22 public universities with design-related faculties and departments. On this day, 17 of these universities gathered for the third symposium, which was held online. In 2021, the pandemic that began the previous year had not been resolved, and the state and methods of education at universities continue to be questioned. Under the overall theme of “New Normal: New Relationship between Society and Design”, case studies from each university were shared, and a lively Q&A session was held under the sub-theme of “Student”, “Region”, and “International”. In the first half of the session, the three universities shared their […]

Twenty-two japanese universities with a proven track record in the field of design and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion will collaborate to hold the Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference in FY2019. The purpose of the Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference is to create new academic research areas in collaboration with design universities in Japan and other Asian countries, form an international research center for design studies, and promote design study education research. The Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference focuses on the culture, arts, industry, and human resource development in Asia. It […]

At Iwate University’s Graduate School, for Design and Media Technology (Master’s Course, Doctor`s Major), students can study design technology and media technology. In design technology, students learn about the environment, products and content, while in media technology, research is conducted on the basic technologies that support design. The aim is to create a deeper learning and research environment by approaching specialized fields from both media technology and design technology. At the same time, groups of students from different fields, including international students, engage in problem-solving projects to acquire interdisciplinary knowledge, mutual communication skills, communication skills through group learning. We aim to develop human resources who can play an active role […]

Akita University of Art started the 2020 school year with the genuine question of how to proceed with education and research during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: how to look at the pandemic beyond the purely negative light of the current moment, and view it from a more neutral perspective, as a phenomenon which has been repeating throughout history. How have humans behaved in the face of biological and environmental change? And what are the implications of Akita University of Art’s efforts? This may sound a bit dramatic, but what kind of ingenuity can be achieved by looking at the social situation we are facing now as a point on […]

The University of Tsukuba launched the New Coronavirus Infectious Disease Risk Response Team in January 2020 and compiled countermeasures for large-scale gatherings at the end of February. As a result, the decision was made to review the graduation ceremony’s operation method and cancel the entrance ceremony. A parallel task force was established to deal with the new semester. The task force discussed how to operate the educational organization from April onward, especially at what stage to start the new semester and how students and faculty members should respond to non-face-to-face classes. Since the university-wide comprehensive contract for Microsoft Office 365 was already in operation, we decided to use Microsoft Teams […]

The Department of Design and Applied Arts of Faculty of Arts in Hiroshima City University aims to conduct comprehensive education and research on art and craft related to society and life. We develop students with a fundamental skill in modeling expression and thereafter, they choose a specialization. There are 7 specializations: Visual Communication Design, Product Design, Digital Media, Metal Design, Textiles, Lacquer Arts and Contemporary Art and Theory. We aim to foster individuals that are flexible, creative and expressive that can contribute to improving society and shaping a new era.   Annual Chart ●University-wide Common Subjects　●Foreign Language Subjects　●Qualification Subjects — In the first year, students acquire a wide range of […]

Kyushu University’s School of Design was founded in 1968 as Japan’s first Institute of Design to offer education and research in the field of design. The institute started with four departments (Environmental Design, Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design, and Acoustic Design). In 1997, the number of departments increased to five with the establishment of the Department of Art and Information Design. Then, in 2003, the institution integrated with Kyushu University. From 2020, the school has only one department, Department of Design, with five courses and a flexible curriculum that allows students to study based on their interests. The School of Design aims to train students to become designers who possess […]

Behind the “humanization of technology” as the founding philosophy of the Kyushu Institute of Design is an urgent need for the appropriate use of science and technology for the realization of people’s well-being in order to solve the various social problems associated with the rapid economic growth. Today, fifty years later, we are facing serious social issues brought about by a pandemic, and the important task is to overcome these difficulties and restore human life through “humanization of technology”. How did Kyushu University Faculty of Design Respond? Due to the impact of COVID-19, which has been spreading since the beginning of 2020, Kyushu University has decided to conduct all classes […]

COVID-19 and Singularity The spread of the new coronavirus has led to a search for new ways of living and working. We were forced to take online lessons at Okayama Prefectural University. When thinking about new lifestyles and design, we had a chance to think about the Singularity (Technical Singularity), the point at which artificial intelligence will be able to surpass human capabilities. If we are to reach the Singularity, would design survive? What do we need to do to survive? We believe that the jobs that require communication with people and the jobs of creators who create new things will have a high probability of survival. The face-to-face classes, […]