IAC News

Shibaura Institute of Technology’ s Internationally-Oriented Education and Education Policy during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Prof. Takeshi Iyoda
 (Shibaura Institute of Technology)

Established in 1927 as an engineering college, the Shibaura Institute of Technology was initially composed of two departments: the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Civil Engineering. Today, it approaches its 100th anniversary. Having experienced many transformations over the years, the Shibaura Institute of Technology continues to grow. In terms of making the university more internationally-oriented, in 2014 we were the only engineering college in the world to be selected for the SGU Project (Super Global University Project), setting out on our journey to achieve our major goal of making the university more internationally-oriented. It used to be a small university with almost no one from overseas on campus. However, starting with this project, we began efforts that were completely different from anything we had done before, such as supporting Japanese students to study abroad, accepting international students, hiring international administrative staff, hiring administrative staff who can communicate in English, and setting up courses to be offered in English. In particular, we have accepted short-term and long-term international students from Brazil, Africa, and Asian countries through programs such as Science Without Borders and the Abe Program. In addition, in 2020, we established the IGP (Innovative Global Program) within the Faculty of Engineering, a program that allows students to obtain a degree by studying solely in English. We are attracting new students every year.

The Department of Civil Engineering is also involved in the IGP (recruiting international students in the field of civil engineering as well) and takes on many students in the aforementioned program. For example, my laboratory has also accepted three short-term international students from Brazil, two from Asia, and one from Africa. Also, my laboratory has been steadily welcoming graduate students as long-term international students, with two from Africa and two from Brazil. Furthermore, the Department of Civil Engineering as a whole has a large number of international students participating in programs such as those of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Although such efforts were successfully helping to make the university more internationally-oriented, due to the impact of COVID-19, there was a dramatic drop in the number of international students and students in general on campus. However, the programs have continued, and, by holding them online, our lectures have continued. Because of this, we decided to offer lectures to a large number of students from all over the world by providing courses held in English. However, online students who had not traveled abroad would not turn on their camera when using Zoom, etc., and so it was a very difficult situation in which it was not possible to tell what kind of students were on the course. This school year, many students have traveled abroad, reaching their respective universities, and many international students have returned as before the pandemic. The number of international students on campus now was inconceivable in the midst of the pandemic, and I sometimes see Japanese students in the corridors doing their best to communicate in English.

Fast forward and research presentations have also become more internationally-oriented. While there were not many laboratories in the department that submitted papers to international conferences, this wave of increased international activity has seen an increase in the number of submissions to international conferences. It is a shame, however, that these events are still held online due to the impact of the pandemic. In my laboratory, graduate students have submitted papers to many international conferences over the past few years, but all of these events have been held online. While the sight of students giving presentations in hesitant English in a corner of the laboratory wearing formal attire on just the upper half of their body was a real pity, at the same time, I realized how convenient it is. As they could not understand what was being said in the Q&A, some students also made eye contact with me, seeking help. If it was a conference in person, this would rarely happen. This world of online events is really interesting.

As I mentioned, efforts to make the university more international are progressing at an accelerated pace, and I feel that the Department of Civil Engineering is also getting closer to reaching the levels of nearby universities. The fact that we have more and more opportunities to speak English without having to study abroad is stimulating for both the students and myself and makes me very happy. I also find it extremely encouraging given that exposure to different cultures is a source of growth for our students. 

【Reported by Prof. Takeshi Department of Civil Engineering,
 Faculty of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology】