Phase 3 Individual notes,
2. Discription of the New Engineering Education with the Local Community as Classroom 1. Past Projects
The Department of AC has made efforts on projects based on actively involvement with the local community for 11 years, from 2001 through 2011. 53 projects were undertaken as part of this effort in 14 subjects, accounting for approximately 64% all of lectures and seminar classes. The 5th year has eight subjects (26 projects) that apply to this effort, which is the largest number for any year. Two of the subjects (14 projects) are in the 4th year and four subjects (13 projects) belong to the 1st-3rd years. In the Advanced Engineering Courses, out of 11 elective subjects in construction include such projects. Extra-curricular activities outside the classroom have also been performed, including co-exhibitions of architecture with local architects and a collaboration project with the Chamber of Commerce regarding revitalization of the downtown. Extracurricular activities are multidiscipline cross the year, and have a great potential to promote active learning by students.
2.2. Goals, Topics and Relevance to Classwork
As shown in Figure 3, approximate goals are set for each school year, which are coordinated in connection with social activities in accordance with each goal. Students acquire specific skills, corresponding to their school year while building up their overall knowledge in a spiral.
Figure 3. Relationship between the Curriculum of Department of the AC Department and New Engineering Education in Collaboration with the Community
Figure 4. Relationship between the goals of the five levels and the abilities to be developed through subjects and themes
Subjects related to the most of the initiative Part linked to the community
Figure 4 shows the relationship between the overall goals, the abilities to be developed and the community projects. For example, the 3rd year Drafting and Design class mainly develops basic learning skills, technology skills and ability to gather information. This class deeply involves the local community during information collection. The 4th year Architectural Design class focuses on applied skills such as proposals and design and involvements with the local community shifts to problem identification.
Figure 5. Introduction to Engineering (the 1st year) Students extract keywords from a picture book and organize their relationship to architecture.
Figure 6. Introduction to Engineering (the 1st year) Students measure body dimensions to learn their relationship between the furniture dimensions.
Figure 7. Field survey of the 3rd year Local residents describe the situation in the region.
Figure 8. Presentation of the 3rd year held in the community in order to facilitate participation of local residents.
Figure 9. Field excursion of the 4th year Students visited local elementary schools, and received an explanation from the principal.
Figure 10.Presentation of the 4th year We invited experts and the principal of an elementary school. Students made a presentation of design proposals and received advices about it.
Figure 11. Group work of the 5th year Toward the presentation, students discuss the layout of the drawings.
Figure 12. Review meetings of the 5th year Professional lecturers invited three times during students lectures give advices on design proposal.
Figure 13.Participants summarized the concept of extracting keywords.
Figure 14. In the extracurricular activity workshop, students explain the design proposal being finalized.
Figure 15. In extracurricular activity workshop, students explain the design proposal on site to participants using a mock-up.
Figure 16.In extracurricular activity workshop, students describe the final draft of the model
Year Course Title
Themes Aim Method of practice
Relationship to community A assignment
All students
Extracurricular activity
“Hospital Gallery”
5 times * 150 min
Synergy among students by collaborative learning
· To learn to design in detail through the design of fact or the experience a variety of problems.
· To improve skills that can be explained and can be easily understood presentation, about designing own proposals and ideas.
· To improve skills of consensus building and communication with people who are different professional field.
· To improve a technical basic skills and learning, through collaboration with other students.
· Divide into 4 groups of about 10 people, doctors and the hospital staff, local high school students (in charge of photo exhibition), and our college students.
· Each group extracts keywords describing a good gallery, and our college students make a design based on the keywords.
· Each group refines the design while discussing whether it is suitable as a hospital gallery based on the previous design.
· After the design is decided to some extent, they create a mock-up, and considered the design in detail.
This project involves actual refurbishment of the hospital, plans to take advantage of the passage as a gallery of 61m in length.
This long corridor is designed as a healing space for not only patients and their families, but also local residents.
5th year
Architectural Design II
Design Competition of National College ”EARTHTECTURE”
33 times * 100 min
To tackle creatively to solve problem
· To improve skills to find the documentation that may help to design while studying the reference.
· To improve the ability to propose, to design, such as the solution of a problem.
· To improve skills that can be explained and can be easily understood presentation, about designing own proposals and ideas.
· Groups of 3-4 people
· Each group discusses issues, and proposes a design for problem solving.
· In a surrounding or nearby region, each group set a specific location, and proposes an attractive design.
The theme of spatial design department of Design Competition of National College.
To plan a space be integrated into the landscape as architecture rooted in local culture.
To propose unique and attractive architecture rooted in the local culture, in the neighbourhood area.
4th year
Architectural Design I
“Elementary school that is open to the community, after 30 years”
16 times * 100 min
To think thoroughly about the issue and how to resolve it.
· To consider key goals and problems for the design; through field survey and group discussion.
· To develop skills to find the documentation that may help to design while studying the reference.
· To develop the ability to propose, to design, such as the solution of a problem.
· Groups of 4-5 people
· Each group decides on the field surveys to understand the problem.
Each group interviews residents, and examine traffic flow. Field survey is carried out several times.
· All processes, field survey, studying of the plan, final presentation, is carried out by each group.
It is important to study the relationship with elementary school and the local area, considering the declining birth rate.
Students make a proposal about the elementary school after 30 years while studying what specifically it makes to be " open to the local community".
3rd year
Drawing and Design II
“Planning of the front and house on Shin-Hinagu Spa Station”
15 times * 100 min
To think the solution, or the goal through the group work.
· To consider key goals and problems for the design; through field survey and group discussion.
· To develop skills to find the important documentation while studying the reference.
· Groups of 3-4 people
· Students learn the issue from local residents through field surveys, to understand the current problems.
· If necessary, students go to the field survey to extract new problems.
· The concept is determined by the group, the design is drawn by an individual.
· Each group makes a final presentation board with individual designs and explains it to local residents.
Because the present station is about 500m away from Hinagu-spa town, it is difficult to access to the spa town from the station. Local residents have also been hoped a new station around this site closer to Hinagu-spa town. Our proposal is to design a new Shin-Hinagu-S pa Station considering the surrounding environment or region.
2nd year
Integrated Study for Engineering 2 times * 100 min
Preparatory period to be an engineer (2)
· To understand the characteristics of the region.
· To get ideas through the experience of group work, PBL and the connection with the local community.
· Groups of 5-6 people
· Each group performs a field survey in the Hinagu-spa town studying the characteristics of the region.
1st year
Introduction to Engineering Workshop style 5 times * 100 min
Preparatory period to be an engineer (1)
· To raise students' interest in field of expertise.
· To motivate learning.
· To lead to a active learning and PBL.
· Groups of 4-5 people
· Workshop on the theme of
"architecture and a picture book",
"architecture and body",
"architecture and life",
"Architecture and Information".
· Students learn the relationship between architecture and daily life.
· Through group work, students understand different views of others and learn the diversity of sub-disciplines.
Table 1. Projects "actively involved with the local Community"
2.3. Concrete Examples of Recent Projects
Here we introduce some class and extra-curricular activities among those undertaken from 2011 to 2012 in the Department of AC. Figures 5-16 show photographs of specific activities different school years. Additionally, table 1 gives the aims of the topic for each subject and method of practice, relationship with the community, and the assignments related to the activities shown in figures 5-16. The general characteristics of the projects are as follows:
1. All assignments are carried out in groups.
2. From the 2nd year on the class linked to the local community in some way.
3. Wherever possible, the assignment theme is a current regional issue.
4. We encourage voluntary participation in the collaboration or presentation of students to residents and relevant authorities.
5. Seminar classes are taught by more than one teacher.
6. We developed a local information-sharing system using Google Earth. This system is collaborative and searchable and includes local town information, students work and information on the characteristics of the field of architecture and civil engineering.
7. We recommend initiatives that go beyond the school year.
3. Student Questionnaires