Project-based learning

Our university2002 2002 The project-based learning course (officially called "Systems Information Science Practical Training"), a required subject for third-year students, is a problem-finding and problem-solving learning course in which students collaborate both inside and outside the university to solve and resolve a diverse range of issues rooted in real society. It is a pioneering course implemented nationwide as a required subject for all students, and with a history of over 20 years, it forms the core of our university's educational curriculum. A key feature is that teams are formed not only by students but also by faculty members, transcending departmental and course boundaries, and sometimes including people from outside the university, such as local residents, government officials, and businesses.

Project-based learning is more motivating in a socially meaningful environment and collaborative activities. Furthermore, the process of encountering and communicating with team members, teachers, and people from the community and businesses is of great value. The qualities honed through project-based learning activities—such as perspectives, data collection and analysis, discussion skills, understanding and empathy for others, and presentation skills—will be invaluable assets in one's future life.

This project aims to understand local challenges and needs through the analysis of public data and fieldwork, and to propose policies that support the future of the region using AI.
The setting for these activities was Kikonai Town, located about an hour's drive from Hakodate City. In this town, two groups—an education group tackling the issue of "declining Japanese language skills due to reduced reading time" and a digital coexistence group aiming to "lower barriers to elderly people participating in social activities"—each tackled the challenge of proposing policies.
"The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology defines Japanese language proficiency as consisting of four elements: 'the ability to think,' 'the ability to feel,' 'the ability to imagine,' and 'the ability to express oneself.' We chose 'creating book displays' as an initiative to foster these abilities," says Hayato Yamabe, the project's deputy leader. As a member of the education group, he developed an app that allows users to digitally process, share, and give each other likes on handwritten displays. Many local elementary and junior high school students participated in the display creation events held in the town.

The Digital Coexistence Group combined quantitative data from the Regional Economic Analysis System RESAS (Regional Economic Analysis System) for Kikonai Town with qualitative data obtained through fieldwork, and proposed policies that enable the elderly to participate in society through digital technology, based on the concept of "productive aging." As a first step in realizing these policies, they held the "Kikonai Photo Festival," which anyone can easily participate in, with the aim of promoting local interaction and the use of digital technology. The Digital Coexistence Group's policy proposal won the Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General's Award at the "Regional Revitalization ☆ Policy Idea Contest 2025" hosted by the Cabinet Office.

In dark or noisy environments, everyone experiences inconvenience, regardless of whether they have a disability or not. The DLITE project has been working to address this indiscriminate inconvenience with the concept of "creating tools that are convenient (delight) and somewhat useful (lite) for everyone."
This project begins with writing down ideas for tools you want to create. From there, you decide which tools to actually produce, taking into account their feasibility and how useful they will be to people.2025 2025 This project resulted in the creation of four new tools: "Kaburerun," which solves the problem of visually impaired people having both hands occupied with an umbrella and a white cane on rainy days; "Triple," a dish that collects food when a spoon is used to trace a groove; "Neko no Shirase," which alerts those around the user to its presence with sound and light; and "Cococutter," an attachment that improves the efficiency of laying Cocotape, a mobility aid for the visually impaired. Ayumu Handa, who served as the project leader, reflected on the year's activities, saying, "Cooperation is important when everyone is working together to create something. But we must not forget to enjoy the development process."

This project was formed with the aim of exhibiting a system that would allow people to experience curling at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, one of the world's largest events. "Mirai no Curling" is a system that allows people to experience curling even in places without ice, and it was developed with the aim of solving the problem of the lack of competitive facilities using digital technology.
By embedding sensors in real curling stones and brushes and linking them with a simulator, the throwing speed, rotation, and sweeping motion (the movement of brushing the floor) are reflected in the on-screen behavior in real time. Furthermore, the opponent is equipped with an AI that has learned from a vast amount of past match data. Through the game, you can enjoy the tactics and teamwork of curling.
Because the project was scheduled to be exhibited at the World Expo in September, it was an unusual situation where a high level of completion was required at an earlier stage than other projects. Project leader Masaharu Yamanaka says, "I learned the importance of decision-making skills to lead the team and the importance of user-centric experience design." Many people were able to experience the system at the Expo, which boosted the team members' confidence.