Overview

From Sunday, February 11 to Thursday, February 22, 2024, 18 undergraduate students from Hiroshima University studied entrepreneurship, AI, and data science at the University of Texas at Austin in Texas, USA. The 18 participating students came from 8 different faculties: 5 from the School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, 4 from the School of Law, 3 from the School of Economics, 2 from the School of Engineering, 1 from the School of Letters, 1 from the School of Medicine, 1 from the School of Information Sciences, and 1 from the School of Education. The school year consisted of 5 first-year students, 11 second-year students, and 2 third-year students.

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state university located in Austin, Texas, U.S.A. Founded in 1883, it has approximately 54,000 students (undergraduate and graduate combined), about 3.5 times the enrollment of Hiroshima University. There are many faculties, including engineering, business, law, and public policy. The college sports team, the Longhorns, is known for American football and basketball.

Program structure and content

The program consisted of lectures, discussions, lab/center visits, and field trips that provided a balanced study of the three topics of entrepreneurship, AI, and data science, as well as English language and U.S./Texas history, society, and culture.

First, we had a keynote speech from a professor specializing in AI, a former Global Business Director at NIKE, a former physician and entrepreneur in the health tech field, and a former marketing executive at a top company with over 20 years of experience in the field of data privacy. A professor who has been a marketing executive at a top company for more than 20 years talked about data privacy. The professors not only taught at the university, but were themselves active or still active in the business world. The students seemed to be naturally motivated. After each class, students would gather at the teacher’s office to ask questions. The teachers answered their students’ questions sincerely. The teachers were very approachable and friendly, and if you asked them, they would give you their contact information and say, “Contact me anytime. This is the kind of closeness between teachers and students that is unique to the United States.

In addition to attending specialized lectures, students learned English from a teacher from the Center for English Language Education at the University of Texas. There were four sessions in total. We learned English in English about tips for speaking English, pronunciation of English which is difficult for Japanese, practice writing self-introductions, how to write English emails, and so on. The teachers gave us a lot of advice and useful resource information so that we can continue learning English on our own after this program is over.

Characteristics of the teaching style of American universities

The teaching style of American universities is different from that of Japan. Teachers at American universities do not give one-way lectures. Classes are participatory, discussion-based, and students are expected to be proactive in speaking up. In addition, there are many assignments and tasks outside of class time, such as reports and presentations.

The 18 participating students were able to experience American-style group work, discussions, and presentations in English, although the program was only for a short period of time. Of course, some of the students were confused by the different teaching styles, but several of them decided to “always raise their hands and speak up or ask questions in class at least once a day.

Presentation

In this program, students were divided into subgroups of 4-5 students to work in groups, and on the last day of the program, they presented what they had learned in this program in English. A lot of work time was required to prepare the presentation materials to be made in English, and as the day of the presentation approached, it was impressive to see the participating students gathering almost every day in the hotel lobby and other places to study together as a group. Some groups worked in groups until late at night.

What we thought when looking at the UT students studying

According to local students, American universities are difficult because of the amount of preparation (reading lists, etc.), assignments, and reports! They said. We saw local students studying in all kinds of places on campus. There are Study Spaces in every building on campus, on the lawn, in study rooms, etc.

Some of the 18 participating students told us that they were inspired by seeing students studying here and there on campus, and that the U.S. is an attractive place to study because of its learning environment.

Next, let’s talk about the facility tour. We visited three facilities at the University of Texas that are conducting the latest research. At each facility, graduate students talked to us about their own research, and we had the opportunity to actually operate the machines.

This facility is open to all UT students. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, students have the freedom to work on a variety of projects, such as developing robots or designing new products. This allows them to gain practical experience. In addition, through collaboration with many departments and industries both on and off campus, students can work on problem solving from a variety of perspectives.

次は、テキサスの歴史と文化を体験！アメリカの文化、テキサス州の文化についても学びました。学生はアメリカの風土や雰囲気を堪能したようである。

Next, we experienced Texas history and culture! The students learned about the culture of the United States and the state of Texas. Students seemed to enjoy the American climate and atmosphere.

NASA Space Center Houston！

We visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) “Space Center Houston” in Texas. The facility trains astronauts from the U.S. and other countries with which the U.S. has international cooperative relations.

It was an opportunity to see a spacecraft that has actually flown, meet a Robonaut, touch one of only eight moon rocks in the world, and experience firsthand the rich history and bright future of human space exploration.

現地学生との交流

University students from the University of Texas accompanied the program as cultural ambassadors.

The Japanese students seemed to be enjoying themselves very much as they interacted with the local students almost every day. The 18 Japanese students were divided into four groups, with one or two local students per group working together. They were volunteers, and more Texas university students applied than the number of applicants. Before the trip, each group created a group on WhatsApp and started communicating with each other.The Japanese students were relatively shy and did not seem to have much conversation with each other before their trip to Japan. However, after meeting each other at the welcome party on the first day, introducing ourselves and talking face-to-face on site, we became much closer, enjoying group activities together and sending each other frequent messages every day. On the first day, the cultural ambassadors gave us a tour of the campus together.The students went to Texas supermarkets, drugstores, and places where they usually shop, went to meals/cafes together, toured Texas cities, and actively interacted with each other. There was also a bowling night, which provided an opportunity to interact with local students other than the CULTURAL AMBASSADORS.The vast students also participated in daily events held at the university union. Even after the program, students from both universities keep in touch with each other. They also get together regularly to socialize with other vast students who participated in the program. When students from the University of Texas visit Japan, they get together with their peers. This kind of opportunity to nurture friendships is unique to START.

Attended a masked party at Union!

Participant’s Comments:“The tour of the university’s facilities was also very good as it contributed greatly to my motivation for what I was learning. The classes in English were very fresh, the environment was wonderful, and I am very satisfied with the stimulating days I spent there.”

Participation in START has motivated some students to study abroad for a semester because of their cross-cultural motivation. If you are interested, please attend study abroad information sessions and international exchange events at Hiroshima University. Also, the Study Abroad Exchange Group on the 2nd floor of the Student Plaza is always available for consultation.

*Hiroshima University conducted a short-term program with the University of Texas in the U.S., one of three partner universities in the U.S., involving online and actual travel as part of the “U.S.-Japan Global Human Resource Development Program for the Future in the AI Age,” a project to strengthen universities’ global development capabilities.