Vol. 12
APS Professor

KUBO Takayuki

・Research Field:

Q: How do you plan your classes andwhich subject do you plan for the most?

proposal on improving the local tourism.

A: I don’t plan for one class in particular, but I

process for the class becomes a 3-step process inwork to spread my energy and planning across allwhich students first learn about the topic, thenthe classes I teach in a semester. My class plan

study that topic in a hands-on manner, and lastly

often includes a 3-step process.

become able to present their findings.

This class also includes guest lectures by local
scholars and practitioners. In this way, the learning

One example of this process is in the Special
Lecture in Tourism and Hospitality that I am

Q: In your classes, what do you do toincrease the quality of students’learning?

City Planning/Architectural Planning,
Economic Policy, Area Studies

teaching this semester which is being sponsored by

Destination Marketing and Managementsites and carry out onsite research. For example, If

A: As I mentioned, the 3-step learning process is athe lecture content of a class is based on Kunisaki,very useful and engaging method that helpsthen in the following week we will take the bus andimprove the quality of students’ learning. In mytravel to Kunisaki for students to do their research

300-level courses, I encourage the students towhich they will present to the class. In one of ourconduct data analysis regarding a particular topic.

field trips we went to Keisekien in Yabakei toIn the learning step, students

allow students to study tourism and create alook up raw information about a particular topic

・Subjects:

MICE Industry,

Tourism Development and Planning,
Special Lecture in Tourism and Hospitality
Major Seminar and Graduation researchInterview date: October, 2021

Tips

1. Implement a 3-Step Leaning Process:learning, applying, and presenting

2. Active learning before, during, and afterclass through online respon quizzes andmanaba forums

3. Have students think theoretically and apply
theories practically through case studies
which explore real-life examples

Oita Ginko (Oita Bank). Through this sponsorshipwe can rent buses for students to tour Oita heritage

and separate and arrange that data to be analyzed

encouraged from the very first class, so I take thebecause it is difficult for students to focus in online

class with feedback from students.

and studied. I then encourage students to search forfirst class of the course very seriously. I giveclasses that are over 100minutes long. I therefore

I also use manaba for assessments by checking theproblems and challenges related to that topic tostudents a detailed course overview specifying theplan my classes to include points where students

students’ frequency of commenting on classmates’

apply what they have learned. For example, I may

demands of the course. Another mantra that Ican engage with other students and share theirposts or even whether they download lecture

ask them to write about their experiences withstrictly adhere to is the Active Learning Credo

opinions. For this scheme, I changed some grade

materials for the class. The students’ engagement istourism and compare those experiences with their(Mel Silberman, 1996). By practicing the Active

evaluation methods. For example, in one of myfurther assessed by short weekly reports in which

parents’ generation, while observing and noting

Learning Credo, students can be self-motivated andclasses the grade evaluation is divided into:

they can express their thoughts on the lecture. In

the differences. The students will then present theirlearn methods, such as discussing and teachingfindings and possible solutions as the final step.

what they have learned, which can help themThrough this assignment in which students firstachieve their personal goals for the class. The

search for raw data, I encourage students to think

Active Learning Credo (see image) acts as a map

3：Final Individual Report: 30%
The course engagement component also includes

theoretically and apply what they have learned tofor how to learn actively.

in-class quizzes which use the application respon,functions available in the current online

later followed by in-class discussions, assignments,environment.

real-life examples.

Q: In your classes, what do you do toincrease students’ motivation forlearning?
A:I think that motivation for learning should be

1：Course Engagement: 40%

2：Group Project and Peer Review: 30%

Q: Since the shift to online classes, whatsorts of changes have you made for youronline classes?

and feedback through manaba in the form of

A: Since the transition to online classes, I havevery beginning, one as a quiz question related totried my best to make the lectures more engaging

the lecture topic, and one which completes the・
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between lecturing, I also encourage students to use
the Zoom chat function to answer questions related
to the lecture. All of these changes have helpedstudents actively engage in the class and utilize thecomments or requests and questions for the nextlecture. Usually, there are 2-3 respon quizzes ineach lecture, one for “Lecture registration” at theCourse engagement through manaba

Q: When improving the contents of yourclasses, what kinds of steps do you taketowards improvement?

accordingly.

Q: What do you expect from the students
who take your classes?

A: I ask my students on a weekly basis to give me
feedback or ask me any questions they have

A: What I expect from my students is for themregarding the lecture. The students can provide thisto think logically and solve problems, as myfeedback by accessing the survey section ofcourses usually deal with case studies. Formanaba, and complete a survey which includes aexample, in one case study I gave about inboundfree comment section for students to note anything

tourism in Japan which explored why the number

they missed during the lecture or anything theyof inbound tourists from overseas suddenly

want to express after the class. Students can also

increased after 2011, students needed to gather

write down any questions or concerns they haveresources, discussed the topic with theirregarding the lecture material, and my TA and I try

classmates, conducted research to come up withto respond to these questions as much as possible.

solutions, and shared their ideas with the class.

Through these surveys I receive comments andquestions regarding theories or parts of the lecture
which are difficult to understand, and I make

Q: What do you think is important in theprocess of education?

changes to future lecture content and slides
A: I think it is common practice among students tostudy of Yabakei in Keisekien in which students

take classes which seem easy for good grades orcreated a proposal to vitalize tourism in that area,credits, but I would like to change that notion andstudents not only get to experience working withhave students focus on a different goal. Education

local officials and practice theories they haveshould not be about attaining good grades orlearned, but they also discover how to conduct

easy credits, but rather about gaining

proper research, a beneficial skill needed for jobs

knowledge and skills in a certain field of studyand graduate schools.

which is crucial forpersonal development. To

ensure that students gain more than just grades byattending classes, while attending my lectures is aconditional requirement, I put more emphasis oncomprehensive understanding throughimplementing a group project and having thescores from that project be strictly counted.
Furthermore, learning in the classroom is notenough.
Students should also possess the curiosity tolearn more and practice what they have beentaught. For example, in the aforementioned caseInterviewer Impressions
This was my first time to meet and speak with Professor Kubo andthrough this exchange I realized that he has a wealth of knowledge
which he knows how to transfer to the students.
I personally like Professor Kubo’ s method of active learning inwhich students get the opportunity to answer questions online
during and outside of classes. For students who are shy or not
comfortable answering in class, this method gives them theopportunity to do so, including and motivating everyone as a result.
Students who plan to take Professor Kubo’s classes will also be
rewarded with hands-on learning experiences rather than learningthat is confined to classroom walls and laptop screens.

What is [Q]?

At APU there are many professors who put together wonderful classes, and if
we could get to know how these classes are planned, it would contribute to
the improvement of other professors’ classes. For that purpose, we havebegun doing interviews in order to learn about class planning. These articles
have been entitled [Q], comprising a variety of meanings such as: increasing
the [Q]uality of classes, answering [Q]uestions to increase quality, andforming a [Q]ueue, or line, of class improvements. We would be very happy
if these articles could contribute to the [Q]uest of APU professors’ class quality
improvement.

Interviewer

Name: BANERJEE Sulagna
College: APS (CSM)
Country: India
Message: Hello! I am Sulagna, class of FA
2022, majoring in Culture, Media andSociety. My hobbies are watching animeand reading manga. I have been part ofALRCS and Project Q since Fall 2019 andworking for Project Q has given me abetter under standing and newfoundappreciation towards our teaching facultyin APU. Our professors put a lot of effort
into creating the course material for theirstudents. Therefore, I hope that our articles
help out our students and APU teachingfaculty to improve the overall quality oflearning in APU.