Soka University held this year’s first teaching design workshop at Tachikawa Grand Hotel on September 5 and 6, 2016.

With help from the Institute for Education and Student Support at Ehime University, the AP Promotion Center of the School for Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) holds the annual “teaching design workshop for active learning at Soka University,” for Soka faculty members. Ehime University is certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as an institution available for shared use of resources. The certificate allows the university to serve as a place for faculty and staff development. Twenty-four faculty members attended this workshop. Most of them teach in the economics and education faculties.

During the two-day program, guest instructors Naoto Kobayashi, Director of the Office for Educational Planning and Research (OPAR) of the Institute for Education and Student Support at Ehime University, and Masaki Nakamichi, Head of Ehime University Instructional Design Office, led hands-on workshops. Mr. Kobayashi dealt with the topic “What is active learning?” to speak about an educational method for exploratory learning and the educational effects of active learning. Mr. Nakamichi discussed the topic “What is teaching design?” to present the idea of teaching design, how to write a syllabus, and how to develop clear learning content.
The participants each drew up suggestions for making improvements in their own syllabi as well as teaching design reports, then presented them in small groups.