My Vision No.38
2018.10Student-oriented University Education
In an era in which science and technology are developing at an ever-accelerating pace and society
and industry are each changing rapidly, what is required of today’s university education toensure that students are able to make optimal use of what they learn in their working lives andtheir social activities, and enjoy long and satisfying careers? What role should universities playin realizing student-oriented education? In this issue of My Vision, we introduce guidelines
formulated by Japan’s educational authorities and initiatives being undertaken by some of theworld’s leading universities in order to advance thinking regarding the ideal direction for future
university education in Japan.

About this Issue

How should universities change?
– We must produce inventors and entrepreneurs
Yasufumi Kanemaru

NIRA Representative Executive Officer & Executive Vice President
Chairman and President, Group CEO, Future Corporation
Keywords…Subjects students excel at / Subjects students like, students with earning power, universities withthe ability to make profits, governance reform, fusion of industry experience and academic excellence in top
management

Expert Opinions

Student-oriented University education
What is student-oriented university education for the digital era, and what should universities doto realize it?

Fostering human resources to drive
Society 5.0

What and how should we teach in the digital
era?

Yoshimasa Hayashi

Martin Williams

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, andTechnology

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), University of Oxford

Keywords…Society 5.0, recurrent education, basic
mathematical literacy, programs that span the sciences
and the humanities, major and minor subjects

Keywords…Ability to take on unfamiliar intellectual
challenges, ability to rigorously evaluate arguments andevidence, learning to adopt an intellectual approach,tutorial-based instruction, blending of innovation andtradition

Towards education that responds to anddevelops students’ entrepreneurial spirit

Our extensive campus serves as a testbed for
new technologies

Shigeru Miyagawa

Subra Suresh

Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Project Professor, The University of Tokyo

President and Distinguished University Professor,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Keywords…Desirable specialization, use of online
learning, flexibility of education, just-in-time education,
entrepreneurial spirit

Keywords…Internationalism, ability to adapt touncertainty, translation of knowledge into forms that
benefit industry, government and society, tightinterconnection between learning and researchStudents’ success requires integrating learningwith the real world
Ben Nelson

Founder & CEO, Minerva Schools at KGIKeywords…Impactful leaders, integration of learningwith the real world, relevancy, adaptability

Interview period：July – August, 2018
* Titles and positions of interviewees and contributors tothis issue are as of September 28, 2018
Interviewer：Maiko Sakaki (NIRA Research Coordinator)
Mari Kawamoto (NIRA Research Coordinator)*Martin Williams and Ben Wilson contributed their own
manuscripts
Editor：Isao Arai

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
About this Issue

How should Universities Change?

– We must produce Inventors and Entrepreneurs
A Japan that is clearly Declining
Today, as the Heisei era draws to a close, Japan’s decline isevident to all. Japanese companies have disappeared from global
market value rankings. In the field of scientific research, thenumber of papers published by Japanese researchers has declined
dramatically – the situation is such that the British journal Naturerecently published a special feature on the crisis in Japanese
research. Japan has become a nation in which innovation is dead.
Japanese incomes are also extremely low in comparison to
the standard in other advanced nations. Companies, fearing that
Yasufumi Kanemaru
they would lose consumers, have turned to cutting prices, and theentire nation is trapped in a deflationary mindset. Japan has
Representative Executive
Officer & Executive Vice
become a cut-price nation.
President, NIRA / Chairman
The nations of the EU offer a stark contrast. The EU
and President, Group CEO,recognized at an early stage that it would not win out over emerging
Future Corporation
nations by means of price competition, and sought to escape thetrap of cutting prices. Since 2000 especially, the EU has focused its
efforts on education that fosters human resources able to adapt to a modern knowledge-based society.

Breaking Free from the Focus on Input
Japan’s greatest problem is its failure to break free of a focus on input. The more exhaustively wecompile already existing knowledge, the more difficult it is to generate new insights, and output also
declines. Japan’s school education continues to resemble an outdated quiz program in which contestants
compete on the basis of memory power.
In this issue of My Vision, Martin Williams, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) of the University of
Oxford, indicates that the purpose of education is “to instil in students a love of learning, the confidence
to take on unfamiliar intellectual challenges, and the ability to rigorously evaluate arguments andevidence.” This is exactly so.
Japan’s schools focus on five main subjects; the students who possess superior memory power andhence excel at these subjects become the “elite,” making careers as bureaucrats with central ministries
and agencies or as employees of major companies. However, these human resources have little earning
power. Possessing no entrepreneurial spirit, the Japanese-style elite devote themselves single-mindedly
to seeking stable posts. Surely, though, designing a society in which the 90 percent of the non-elite could
flourish with vigor would be more beneficial in increasing Japan’s GDP?

Fostering Students’ Potential using a Variety of Metrics
Having positioned results in the main five subjects as the supreme goal for students, theJapanese school system continues to produce a large number of dropouts. However, we no longer havethe leeway to allow this to happen.
Visiting an elementary school in Denmark that practices advanced education, I asked theprincipal what he considered the most important factor in education. His answer? “Not to hurt the
dignity of the student.” This school encouraged students to actively make use of the subjects in which
they excelled – for example by having students who excelled in IT assist other students in using IT – inorder to create relationships of mutual respect.
In Japan also, elementary and junior high school students should be helped to find the subjects inwhich they excel and to decide on their own path at an early stage. High schools and universities shouldchange their subject portfolios to enable their students to learn practical subjects that will give themearning power when they enter society. Of course, not every student has a specific subject that they likemore than others or in which they excel. Given this, it would be necessary for schools to constantly
revise their curricula, anticipating the changes of the times in incorporating portfolios of subjects andcourses that will allow students to earn a living if they specialize in them.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10Creating Universities that possess Profitability
In the case of universities, the viewpoint that a balance between fundamental and appliedresearch is most important is strongly rooted, but a balance with academic subjects must also be
considered. For example, despite the fact that Japan has been entirely left behind in the software field,
university subject portfolios remain outdated and rigid. As a result, the number of students able to be
accepted in each subject in engineering faculties is fixed, and some students are forced to major in
subjects other than those in which they desired to major.
By contrast, Professor Shigeru Miyagawa of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tells usthat students of that institution are able to major in the subject of their choice, and that approximately
40% of all students specialize in computer science. MIT also has a keen focus on the fostering of anentrepreneurial spirit. Professor Subra Suresh, the President of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological
University, informs us that all students of NTU, irrespective of their major, are required to take acertain amount of subjects related to digital technologies. In both cases, the universities have adopted
systems that allow them to respond flexibly to social change, and we can say that they have achieved areal balance. Ben Nelson, the founder of Minerva Schools at KGI, says of his institution’s approach that
“Unlike the narrow specializations at other institutions, which may impede students’ future successbecause their skill sets are less adapt to change, Minerva students learn practical knowledge that canbe applied across any field and within emergent categories across them.” The fusion of diverse academic
fields and digital technology generates inspiration, and this leads to the creation of new value.
A phenomenon that seems to crystallize these considerations was observed recently at Stanford
University. Last year, a class on machine learning in the university’s Computer Science Department
attracted 1,000 students, the largest number for a single class in the university’s history. Diverse majors
were represented, with students from the university’s School of Medicine, Graduate School of Business,
and Psychology Department in attendance, apparently eager to seek out and study new fields. It is also
often the case at Stanford that students from different areas of specialization work together in joint
projects, allowing them to naturally develop the ability to cooperate across disciplinary boundaries. It is
not uncommon for such projects to form the basis for a start-up.
In Japan itself, the cultivation of human resources looking towards Society 5.0 has commenced
under the leadership of Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, andTechnology (*). Impetus is growing towards the realization of cross-sectoral humanities and sciences
programs that transcend the frameworks of university departments and graduate courses.
The key to realizing profitable university management is bold governance reforms and the natureof the qualifications of top management. While the authority of university presidents has been increasedin Japan, given that presidents are appointed on the basis of support from the university’s academic
staff, it is not an easy matter for them to exert leadership in reforms.
With regard to management qualifications, leadership of university organizations by personnel
with actual business experience is also vital for university management. Symbolic of this is John L.
Hennessy, who led Stanford University as its president for many years, announcing his retirement in2016. In addition to being a first-rate inventor who developed a mechanism that forms the foundation ofmodern computer processors at Stanford, Hennessy was an entrepreneur who started a semiconductor
company that has conquered the world. Because Stanford was led by an inventor and a businessfounder, the university’s management has been in a different dimension to university management inJapan, where top management tends to be appointed from the ranks of dyed-in-the-wool academics. The
same tendency can be observed among members of the university’s faculty. It is not unusual for
academics in Stanford’s sciences departments to start businesses, and they are said to sometimes also
act as investors. Individuals who fuse industry and learning within themselves lead education andresearch at the university.
Professor Shigeru Miyagawa points out in this issue that unless universities are able to respond to
the expectations of their students, they can play no important social role. Universities must work torealize profitability. And they must foster students who possess earning power. What needs to besafeguarded are not the jobs of faculty members, but the future of students. It is necessary for us to once
again remember this fundamental meaning of the university.

Mr. Kanemaru is NIRA’s Representative Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, and the Chairman &President, Group CEO of Future Corporation, Inc. He also serves as the Acting Chair of the Cabinet Office’s Council
for Regulatory Reform.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
Expert Opinions

Fostering Human Resources to drive Society 5.0
AI and other advanced technologies are today evolving at
an unprecedented pace, and the advent of the “super-smart
society” (Society 5.0) is on the horizon. Research has indicatedthat fully half of existing jobs may be replaced by AI or robots,
but this does not mean unemployment – jobs that do not exist
today will be created in their place. How can we look ahead tothis new society? How can we foster the functions that will beessential to it? The role of education will be extremely important
here.
Yoshimasa Hayashi
To me, “student-oriented university education” would meanthat students are able to explain what they learned and theMinister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science, andqualities that they developed at university when they graduate
Technology(*)
and enter society. We demand of universities that they set explicit
standards and conditions for the awarding of degrees. Against thebackground of the possibility that the human lifespan may reach 100, the enhancement ofrecurrent education has become an important topic, in government councils also. I myself took adegree mid-career, and based on that experience also, I think that essential value, in particular inrecurrent education, should be placed on what skills universities are able to provide students with,and what skills the student is obtaining for what purpose.
Since autumn last year, we have been holding expert panel discussions regarding thedevelopment of human resources looking towards the realization of Society 5.0. These discussions
have concluded that the three most important skills are logical thinking, the ability tocommunicate, and sensibility/curiosity/spirit of inquiry. Initiatives across the entire spectrum ofeducation will be necessary in order to cultivate these abilities. At university, it will be necessary to
make no distinctions between students specializing in the sciences or the humanities in order toestablish a common foundation of basic mathematical literacy (for example in data science andprogramming). It will no longer be the case that humanities majors see mathematics as
unnecessary for them, as has been the case up to the present.
Eliminating the barrier between the sciences and the humanities to allow students to master
both, as in the American system in which students study multiple subjects and have majors andminors – this type of interdisciplinary education, which enables students to possess knowledge andability in fields other than their major, will become increasingly important as interdisciplinary
research increases.
Some universities are already undertaking reforms of this type, but the Central Council for
Education is also discussing the realization of programs that span the sciences and the humanities
and that also transcend the frameworks of university departments and graduate schools.
Mechanisms enabling the flexible mobilization of educational staff will be necessary in order torealize this goal. Science and technology advance rapidly. Setting 2030 as our goal, it will beessential for us to start work immediately in those areas in which this is possible today.
Mr. Hayashi is a member of the House of Councilors. He has held a series of important government offices,having been successively the Minister of Defense, the Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, and theMinister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In August 2017, he was appointed Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding). Following graduationfrom The University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, Mr. Hayashi joined Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in 1984. He attended theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, taking an MPA, and in 1995 was first elected to
the House of Councilors, where he is now serving his fourth term. The government’s Third Basic Plan for the
Promotion of Education, passed in June 2018, projects Japan’s transformation into a “super-smart society,” andsets initiatives including the realization of next-generation education, the reform of graduate school education,and the promotion of further education for members of the workforce as important items on the education policy
agenda.
(*) Title as of September 28, 2018
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
Expert Opinions

What and How should we Teach in the Digital Era
The rapid development of digital technology raises two keyquestions for us: how should what we teach and research adapt tothis rapidly changing environment? and how can we use digitaltechnology to enhance the way we teach?
On the first of these, Oxford University does not regard theadvent of the digital era as fundamentally changing universities’
role. Our educational objectives remain as they always have: to instilin students a love of learning, the confidence to take on unfamiliar
Martin Williams
intellectual challenges, and the ability to rigorously evaluate
arguments and evidence. We believe these attributes will enable our
Pro-Vice-Chancellor(Education),
students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world in which the more
University of Oxford
functional skills – digital or otherwise – will quickly become obsolete
and need to be re-learnt.
So, while we have seen growth in courses such as computer science, engineering and biomedical
sciences, our teaching in these subjects, as in others, has remained true to our ethos of emphasising acertain intellectual approach over the acquisition of knowledge and skills. It is also true that, whilethese subjects have grown, we have also maintained large courses in humanities and social sciences,which we find are equally valuable as training for bright, inquisitive minds, and equally open to
innovation. Indeed, one of our strongest emerging academic themes is digital humanities, in which
computer technology is used to enhance the research, analysis and display of texts, documents, artworks
etc.
Turning to the way we teach, Oxford’s response to the digital era has been relatively cautious andselective. In our core undergraduate programmes, we have stayed true to our belief that education
works best when it is personal. Innovative use of technology is widespread, but it remains subservientto the personal educational experience. Central to our approach is the tutorial model of teaching, inwhich students meet with leading academics in groups of two or three, on a weekly basis. They
undertake a substantial piece of independent work in advance of each tutorial, and explain and defend
it orally for around an hour.
This is not to imply that Oxford values tradition approaches over innovation – the two should go
hand in hand. Our tutorial model is well-suited to blended learning approaches, with information
imparted electronically and independent, online research playing an important role, but small-group,
face-to-face teaching remaining at the heart of the process. Thus, much of our interest in newtechnologies relates to how they can help us enhance our core subjects and teaching approaches rather
than replace them.
Professor Martin Williams teaches in Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science. He holds a Ph.D.
from Bristol University, and specializes in structural design engineering and structural dynamics. Over the courseof many years, Professor Williams has served in a range of official positions related to the administration of theuniversity, including member of the Council, Senior Proctor, and Chair of the Committee for the Proctors’ Office.
Since 2017, he has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education). He has also served as Associate Head (Education) of theMathematical Physical and Life Sciences Division. Oxford University was ranked number one in the world in theTimes Higher Education University Rankings 2019, receiving the world’s highest rankings in the “Overall” and“Research” categories. The university’s tutorial system is a major factor in its ability to maintain its high academic
standard.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
Expert Opinions

Towards Education that responds to and develops
Students’ Entrepreneurial Spirit
All students at MIT are able to major in the subject of theirchoice. Reflecting the fact that tech companies hold the top position interms of market value, the number of students wishing to major incomputer science and other electronic engineering subjects isincreasing. Students majoring in computer science now represent 40%
of MIT’s entire student body. They seek employment in lucrative
fields, and can expect to earn an initial average annual salary of
US$88,000 following graduation.
Deluged by students, MIT’s electrical engineering faculty are
Shigeru Miyagawa
overwhelmingly busy in seeking to meet their students’ expectations.
Professor, Massachusetts
Online education methods such as MOOC (large-scale online courses
Institute of Technology/Project Professor,
open to the public) are sometimes used for lectures to make it possible
The University of Tokyo
to respond to large numbers of students and reduce the burden onteaching staff. In the case of seminars conducted in small groups,
graduate students (of which MIT has a large number enrolled) provide assistance to make itpossible to respond flexibly to students’ needs. MIT has around 1,000 full-time teaching staff, but
tenure is offered only following an extremely rigorous review. The majority of teaching staff areemployed under flexible conditions, and this also may be considered to increase the flexibility ofMIT’s education.
Some American universities, including MIT, have begun to introduce “just-in-timeeducation.” This is a style of education that teaches the students what they need to know to enable
them to be what they want to be and create what they want to create in society. Many MIT
students want to start their own companies after graduation, or join a start-up that has just beenfounded. To allow it to respond to the expectations of these students, MIT makes active use ofinternships, connecting students to the real world and offering them opportunities to test
themselves. Venture capitalists are also permitted to visit classes, where they listen to student
presentations and engage with students who have promising ideas. If universities are unable torespond to the expectations of their students, they will have abdicated any important social role. It
is the entrepreneurial spirit that will determine the future.
I also work at The University of Tokyo, and I feel that there are significant differences
between Japanese and American universities across the board, including entrance examinations,student aspirations, methods of education and approach to employment. And Japan is stillpracticing “just-in-case education” – a style of education in which student are taught what it would
be beneficial for them to know “just in case.” Japan should also make the transformation to asystem of university education that instils and nurtures an entrepreneurial spirit in its students.
The nation is surely capable of this – to leave things as they are is to not take advantage of the fullpotential of this nation.
In addition to teaching linguistics, his field of specialization, Professor Miyagawa is also involved in a wide range ofactivities that seek to improve the quality of higher education. He is a proponent of open education, and was one of
the advocates of MIT’s OpenCourseWare vision (commenced as a world first in 2002). Professor Miyagawa is also
involved in the holding of MIT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bootcamps throughout the world. MIT has beenranked number one in the QS World University Rankings, which are compiled from evaluations by more than80,000 individuals involved with institutions of higher education, for seven consecutive years. The Guardian
newspaper titled an article commemorating the founding of MIT “The MIT factor: celebrating 150 years of maverick
genius.”This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
Expert Opinions

Our Extensive Campus serves as a Testbed for New Technologies
Singapore is a very dynamic city, and it is young. It is also amulti-ethnic, multilingual and multiracial society. NTU benefits
from that dynamism. NTU welcomes talent and ideas from aroundthe world, and we are very cosmopolitan, with more than 100
nationalities on campus. About two in three faculty members andgraduate students come from overseas. University structures areoften rigid. NTU is a young university, and we want to make sure it
doesn't become too rigid, so that it can continue to be nimble andadapt to change.
In the relatively short period of time since its inception, NTU
Subra Sureshhas gained a global reputation for attracting and educating top
President and Distinguishedstudents who are adequately prepared with the potential to become
University Professor,
productive citizens and leaders as well as decision- and policyNanyang Technologicalmakers in academia, industry and government. This generation of
University, Singapore
young students is expected to work in a much more globalizedsociety driven by digital technologies. They are likely to change jobs,
and perhaps even professions, many times during long careers.
An NTU education is not intended solely to be a ticket to a career, but rather a training
ground allowing students to acquire skills that will prepare them for lifelong learning and foradapting and succeeding in the face of uncertainty. Starting this year, all undergraduate students
are offered a certain minimum set of subjects and courses related to digital technologies, including
those who are arts or business majors. Students learn the material posted online before the class,so classroom time is better spent for discussion in small groups and for continuous assessment. In
addition, our alumni receive course credits worth up to S$1,600 to enable them to take up online
courses, for example, to up-skill and learn about new topics.
Because academia generally operates with a focus on the long-term, universities often bringa deeper and longer term intellectual perspective to many issues and problems that impact society.
In this aspect, NTU has emerged as a globally recognized university that not only creates new
knowledge at the cutting-edge of many intellectual disciplines, but also translates that knowledge
into products, processes, tools and policies that benefit industry, government and society. We havealso put in place mechanisms that make it easier for research discoveries and inventions from theuniversity to be adapted by industry and startups as quickly as possible.
NTU has a 200-hectare campus which is regarded as one of the most beautiful university
campuses in the world. The campus also serves as a testbed for new technologies such as thoseintended for environmentally friendly buildings for the tropics, clean energy sources and devices,
and autonomous vehicles. We also partner with the Singapore government and industry. Many
multinational companies have established corporate labs and joint research centres on our campus.
One of our longest industry collaborations is the Rolls-Royce@NTU corporate lab focusing on
aircraft engines and power systems. This year, we announced Alibaba’s first joint research instituteoutside China, with NTU, in the area of artificial intelligence. In addition to partnerships with
Singaporean companies, such as Singtel and SMRT, we have joint labs and collaborations with
Delta Electronics, BMW, Volvo Buses, Siemens, and many others. This means that we can performresearch within our campus on topics of industry relevance, and it provides our students andfaculty with a unique opportunity to translate academic work into practical use. As NTU continues
to grow as a great global research university, we place an equally strong emphasis on educationand learning. At NTU, learning and research are very tightly interconnected.
Professor Suresh is a world-renowned engineer and scientist, in addition to being an innovator who holds 25
patents. He completed his Doctor of Science degree at MIT. Professor Suresh has held numerous positions,
including Dean of Engineering at MIT, Director of the US National Science Foundation, and President of Carnegie
Mellon University. He assumed his present position as President of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore(NTU Singapore) in January 2018. NTU Singapore has 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students in its collegesof engineering, science, business, humanities, arts and social sciences, and its Graduate College. The university’s
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine was established jointly with Imperial College London. NTU Singapore is one of
the world’s leading educational institutions. In a joint survey conducted by Nikkei and Elsevier, NTU Singapore
was ranked second in the world behind Microsoft Corporation for the greatest number of scholarly citations ofarticles in the field of artificial intelligence between 2012 and 2016.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.38
2018.10
Expert Opinions

Students’ Success Requires Integrating Learningwith the Real WorldTo say that the world is changing quickly is an understatement.
The digital revolution has transformed many sectors, including higher
education. The role of the university, though, remains the same
(though few institutions actually fulfill that role today): to prepare
students to be impactful leaders in the world, regardless of theirchosen path. What it means to “prepare students” is where the digitalera has implications for the university — from the skills and content
necessary for success to the actual method of instruction. Why, forexample, should students sit in lectures passively failing to absorb
content and regurgitating it on exams, when content is readily
Ben Nelson
accessible on the web for a fraction of the price of tuition, if not forFounder & CEO,
free?
Minerva Schools at KGIThis new reality, coupled with a wealth of research affirmingthat lectures are an ineffective way to learn, shows that universities would better fulfill their role if
students spent class time engaged in active learning, developing skills and building practicalknowledge. We’ve put this into practice at Minerva, where students prepare for class ahead of timeusing a variety of digital resources and media, so that classes — all of which are small, intensive
seminars — are devoted to discussion, debate, and application.
Relatedly, we believe it’s imperative to students’ success that they are both exposed tothought leaders, meaningful innovators, and leading organizations around the world and havenumerous opportunities to apply what they have learned in the real world. Location-based
assignments are just one example of a concentrated effort to integrate learning with the real world,
and are a required component of every Minerva course. Rather than merely reading about thelatest advancements and innovations across sectors, students are exposed to them in-person, oftenwith a hands-on opportunity to work with these organizations.
Furthermore, we ensure that what students learn is aligned with evolving needs of themodern workforce: relevancy and adaptability are especially critical in times of rapid change.
Unlike the narrow specializations at other institutions, which may impede students’ future
success because their skill sets are less adaptable to change, Minerva students learn practicalknowledge that can be applied across any field and within emergent categories across them. For
example, in Computational Sciences, the Data Science and Statistics concentration teaches
students to analyze, design, and exploit the infrastructure and technologies required to harness
massive amounts of data. These capabilities — extracting and exploiting insights hidden within“big data” — are broadly relevant to nearly every major organization in the world and are the basis
for numerous growing industries.
We firmly believe imparting interdisciplinary, transferrable, practical skill sets and offeringreal-world experiential learning opportunities is the only way in which universities can uphold
their fundamental promise to prepare students for the future. This is especially true in a world
accelerated by digital transformation.
Mr. Nelson founded Minerva in 2014 to improve upon every aspect of higher education. Today, Minerva Schools at
KGI is not only one of the world’s most selective institutions, but represents one of the most diverse student bodies
in the world, with over 60 countries represented. Classes are held on Minerva’s Active Learning Forum, anadvanced proprietary learning platform that allows students to engage in small, engaging seminars from anywherewith high speed internet. Prior to founding Minerva, Mr. Nelson served as CEO of Snapfish, the world’s largest
personal publishing service. Mr. Nelson’s passion for education reform was sparked at the University ofPennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he received a B.S. in Economics. After creating a blueprint for curricularreform in his first year, he became the chair of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE),theoldest of the university’s student government bodies.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul
Copyright Ⓒ 2018 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement