PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sep. 4, 2024

Contact: Public Relations Strategy Office,
National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College
pr@ibaraki-ct.ac.jp

Building a New Model for AI Education

Student-Centered Research Project Launches with Support from Cohere For AI

National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College (866 Nakane, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture; President: Akihiro Suzuki; hereinafter “Ibaraki KOSEN”) launched a research project on August 5, 2024, aimed at creating a new model for AI education in technical colleges. This project, titled “AI Education Innovation,” is supported by Cohere For AI^※1, the non-profit research organization of the advanced AI company Cohere^※2.

In this project, students will actively participate as co-researchers, making creative contributions using the latest AI models^※3. The project will analyze the effects of learning activities using AI chat and APIs^※4, exploring the potential of AI utilization in technical college education.

Project Characteristics:

1. Participatory research leveraging student creativity: Students actively engage as co-researchers
2. Educational use of cutting-edge AI technology: Utilizing advanced AI models with support from Cohere For AI
3. Emphasis on ethical considerations and diversity: Focusing on ethics education in AI use
4. Contribution to international educational AI development: Building an AI education model from a global perspective
5. Gradual expansion of participants: Starting with initial core members and progressively expanding student participation
   
   

Project Structure:

The project began with 21 carefully selected students from the 2nd to 5th years across various departments as core members, under the guidance of faculty members. These core members bring diverse perspectives from various specialized fields and academic years. As the project progresses, we plan to gradually expand student participation. A public call for participation will be made at the end of September, providing more students with the opportunity to engage in AI education research.

Highlights from the Initial Student Survey:

An initial survey conducted with the 21 core members revealed:

• 95% of students use AI tools for “learning and research assistance”
• 66% of students want to “actively utilize” AI in the future
• All students showed a positive attitude towards participating in AI-related education and research projects

These results suggest high student interest in AI technology and great potential for AI utilization in education.

Student Voices:

Interesting opinions from the survey included:

• “I think the ability to effectively use AI will be required.”
• “I expect learning efficiency to improve.”
• “I hope it can be used to assist in creating materials and generating ideas.”
• “I haven’t been able to actively utilize AI until now, so I want to use it in various fields from now on.”

Message from the Project Leader (Associate Professor Keisuke Sato, Department of General Education, National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College):
“With the rapid development of AI, next-generation engineers need AI literacy and critical thinking skills.
Cohere For AI’s AI models are gaining attention for their excellent multilingual processing capabilities and performance in the education field. In fact, we have obtained better results than other companies’ AI models in explaining physical laws, which has the potential to bring innovation to technical college education.

Furthermore, Cohere For AI’s proactive stance in supporting educational institutions has greatly
contributed to the realization of this project. Through this project, we aim to help students deeply understand AI technology and develop the ability to create innovative solutions while considering ethical aspects. The initial survey results have also revealed students’ high interest in AI, reaffirming the significance of this project. By expanding student participation in the future, we aim to build an innovative AI education model through collaboration between faculty and students, maximizing creativity and initiative.”

Future Prospects:

Through this project, we aim to develop human resources who will lead technological innovation by equipping the next generation of engineers with AI literacy and critical thinking skills. We will also share the project’s outcomes widely, contributing to the construction of an AI education model that can be utilized by other educational institutions. With the expansion of student participation, more comprehensive and multifaceted research results are expected.

Project Members:

Faculty:
Keisuke Sato (Associate Professor, Department of General Education, Ibaraki KOSEN)
Ayako Kanawa (Associate Professor, Department of Common Education, Ibaraki KOSEN)
Hideaki Sato (Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Control Engineering, Ibaraki KOSEN)
Takashi Kataoka (Lecturer, Department of General Education, Ibaraki KOSEN)

Students:
21 core members selected across departments from 2nd to 5th-year students

Research Grant:

This work was supported by compute credits from a Cohere For AI Research Grant. These grants are designed to support academic partners conducting research with the goal of releasing scientific artifacts and data for good projects.

Terminology:

*1… This work was supported by compute credits from a Cohere For AI Research Grant. These grants are designed to support academic partners conducting research with the goal of releasing scientific artifacts and data for good projects.

*2… Cohere is a company rapidly gaining attention for its development of large language models. Its advanced Japanese language processing capabilities and excellent performance in the education field are particularly noteworthy.

*3… This refers to artificial intelligence systems that learn from large amounts of data and recognize and predict patterns. They are created using technologies such as machine learning and deep learning, and are used to automate and streamline various tasks.

*4… API stands for “Application Programming Interface.” It is an interface for connecting software and programs.

About National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College:

National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College provides young people from Japan and abroad with 21stcenturyglobal standard educational content and environment that does not make them conscious of national borders. We also assist the gradual growth of students’ intellectual curiosity, teach the relationship between science, technology, and engineering with society, and foster a foundation for understanding how society works by connecting the two through the acquisition of entrepreneurial spirit. We implement global career education as preparation for not only career choices but also life planning and living as independent engineers. By adding these elements to conventional specialized technical education, we nurture robust engineering talent to lead the next generation.

School Overview: