CHUO UNIVERSITY’S OKAJIMA LABORATORY AND CASTALIA CO-IMPLEMENT A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON MOBILE DEVICE-BASED FLIPPED LEARNING, WHILE ALSO RESEARCHING ON HOW “MOE” INFLUENCES THE CONTINUATION OF LEARNING
Chuo University’s Okajima Laboratory and Castalia Co., Ltd. are launching a feasibility study project where lectures will be done in a mobile device-based flipped learning style, while also researching on how the using of “moe” (a slang that represents feelings of affection mainly towards anime-oriented characters) characters influences the continuation of learning.
Okajima Laboratory, under the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University will join forces with Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki / hereinafter “Castalia”) to launch a feasibility study project on flipped learning and the continuation of learning by using “Goocus” ( http://gooc.us/ ), Castalia’s smartphone-based mobile learning platform.
This project will be implemented among students who take the “Digital Synousiacs” course lectured by Yushi Okajima, Associate Professor at Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University, in Fall Semester 2015. The study will compare paper-based with mobile-based studies, as well as research on the continuation of learning upon using regular contents along with those include so-called “moe” elements as the external motivation to make the learning experience continuable. Adopting “Goocus”, the mobile learning platform developed by Castalia, the project will investigate on each student’s degrees of attainment, understanding, and continuation of learning. The contents will adopt “IT Passport Gokaku Kyohon” (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd.); the “moe” contents will be created under the partnership with Shoeisha (headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Mikio Sasaki) adding “moe” characters and audio contents by professional voice-over actors/actresses onto the regular contents.
Chapter 1: Corporate Activity / Chapter 2: Business Strategy / Chapter 3: System Development / Chapter 4: Technique (Logic-ish Edition) / Chapter 5: Technique (Practical Edition) (Characters that represent each chapter on contents where the “moe” elements are added)
Associate Professor Okajima comments on this project:
Study programs shaped around paper-based books are now facing a major crossroad. Students are spending less and less hours touching paper-based books, while spending much of their disposable time manipulating smartphones. In order to have their time allocated to learning experiences, it seems the most natural that the learning contents foray into the smartphone world.
Naturally, such new forms of learning may generate criticism and skepticism; however, by combining with lecture methodologies such as active learning, we will respond to the changes of the times while maintaining the advantages of traditional lectures.
“Goocus” is an extraordinarily high quality learning package that secures the continuation of learning, which has been the weak point of mobile learning, by incorporating gamification and social learning. We are encouraged by the results of the initial implementation. Through this feasibility study, we are confident that we can take the designing of education as a solution to social issues to the next level.
■ Castalia Co., Ltd.
Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) is a company that reinvents learning under the slogan of “find solutions to social problems with the fusion of education and IT”. We develop mobile learning platform “Goocus” and supply it to corporations and educational institutions. In addition, we collaborate with Shingakukai, an educational conglomerate that operates mainly in Nagano Prefecture, for the curriculum design at Code Academy High School ( http://code.ac.jp ), Japan’s first extensive correspondence high school that sets programming (coding) as mandatory subject.
【For more information, please contact: Ito, Castalia Co., Ltd.】
Email: info AT castalia.co.jp (When you contact us, convert AT into at sign.)
Okajima Laboratory, under the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University will join forces with Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki / hereinafter “Castalia”) to launch a feasibility study project on flipped learning and the continuation of learning by using “Goocus” ( http://gooc.us/ ), Castalia’s smartphone-based mobile learning platform.
This project will be implemented among students who take the “Digital Synousiacs” course lectured by Yushi Okajima, Associate Professor at Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University, in Fall Semester 2015. The study will compare paper-based with mobile-based studies, as well as research on the continuation of learning upon using regular contents along with those include so-called “moe” elements as the external motivation to make the learning experience continuable. Adopting “Goocus”, the mobile learning platform developed by Castalia, the project will investigate on each student’s degrees of attainment, understanding, and continuation of learning. The contents will adopt “IT Passport Gokaku Kyohon” (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd.); the “moe” contents will be created under the partnership with Shoeisha (headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Mikio Sasaki) adding “moe” characters and audio contents by professional voice-over actors/actresses onto the regular contents.
Chapter 1: Corporate Activity / Chapter 2: Business Strategy / Chapter 3: System Development / Chapter 4: Technique (Logic-ish Edition) / Chapter 5: Technique (Practical Edition) (Characters that represent each chapter on contents where the “moe” elements are added)
Associate Professor Okajima comments on this project:
Study programs shaped around paper-based books are now facing a major crossroad. Students are spending less and less hours touching paper-based books, while spending much of their disposable time manipulating smartphones. In order to have their time allocated to learning experiences, it seems the most natural that the learning contents foray into the smartphone world.
Naturally, such new forms of learning may generate criticism and skepticism; however, by combining with lecture methodologies such as active learning, we will respond to the changes of the times while maintaining the advantages of traditional lectures.
“Goocus” is an extraordinarily high quality learning package that secures the continuation of learning, which has been the weak point of mobile learning, by incorporating gamification and social learning. We are encouraged by the results of the initial implementation. Through this feasibility study, we are confident that we can take the designing of education as a solution to social issues to the next level.
■ Castalia Co., Ltd.
Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) is a company that reinvents learning under the slogan of “find solutions to social problems with the fusion of education and IT”. We develop mobile learning platform “Goocus” and supply it to corporations and educational institutions. In addition, we collaborate with Shingakukai, an educational conglomerate that operates mainly in Nagano Prefecture, for the curriculum design at Code Academy High School ( http://code.ac.jp ), Japan’s first extensive correspondence high school that sets programming (coding) as mandatory subject.
【For more information, please contact: Ito, Castalia Co., Ltd.】
Email: info AT castalia.co.jp (When you contact us, convert AT into at sign.)