The authors have been studying the synchronous-symmetry distance education before this project for thirteen years sponsored by Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research.
Although IT : Information Technology has been progressed on a large scale in this term, people concerned education, teachers, network engineers, learners and observers, have not stored yet sufficient experiences and extracted know-how. In spite of getting technological means, the culture has actually not been consisted yet. However, the international synchronous-symmetry distance education among four countries and four universities has been seemed successful in the mind of functions and controlablity under the given budget and manpower, so it seems Triple-four Method will be standard.
Triple-four Method is to divide the square display to four parts corresponding to four sites just fitting without vain display space. We call it Triple-four Method with four countries, four universities and four divided display.
Three sites(three countries and three universities) and BBS at fourth channel is also considerable, it is overload but for regular university teachers and by the passed experiences, Triple-four Method is easy and in advance for stability.
On the contents of international synchronous-symmetry distance education, language education and cross-cultural education are most suitable and have been experimented in this by Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research project so far. Hereafter, getting more participants and experiences, it is expected that many contents will be developed to practice in the formal classes which are credit-exchangeable.

This research reports the following : 1) The design of the structure of the learning histories data-base, 2) New data mining method for huge amount of the learning histories data for e-learning, and 3) a development of new LMS with a function of data mining for learning histories data. The details of the functions are as follows :
1) Online Detection of the learners with irregular learning processes
2) Online prediction function of future learner's state
3) Automatic construction of the learner model using the Bayesian belief network
4) Association Rule analysis of Learning histories data
5) On-line Gamma distribution analysis of learning time data
6) Online leaning agent using the data mining
Actually, we used this system to actual learners. The results show that the system is very effective.

The purpose of this research is to make practical experiments for the feasibility about technological and pedagogical matters for the international credit compatibility between universities of Japan and foreign countries based on the distance instructions using international broadband network and to clarify the knowledge for the conditions of organization and application methodology. The investigators are from Waseda university (Keizo Nagaoka, professor, head investigator), National Institute of Multimedia Education (Toshio Kobayashi, Professor, Hiroshi Kato, Akemi Kawafuchi, Professors. Emi Nishina, Toshihisa Nishimori Jun Nakahara, Research Associates) Hokkaido university (Yuei Nishihori and Shigeto Okabe, professors), NICT(National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), and Stanford university (Larry Leifer, Dale Harris, Professors) and university of Alaska Fairbanks. Through fiscal year 2002-fiscal year 2004,several experiments have been practiced between Hokkaido university and Stanford university, and in November 2003 a demonstration has been practiced at a session of the Meeting of Information Processing Education which was held at Hokkaido university. In that demonstration, professor Dale Harris, a visiting scholar of Hokkaido university at that time, taught his students at a site of Stanford university by real-time remote schooling based on the international broadband network. In the demonstration time, distance class for cross-cultural communication was executed between a class of Professor Yuri Nishihori's English studying class at Hokkaido university and a class of Instructor Lipton Okano's Japanese studying class. In January 2005,a synchronous and symmetric distance class between Hokkaido university and university of Alaska Fairbanks has been practiced of which subject matters were "Distance between two persons" and "What is in your pocket now?" which were related on cultures of each countries. Awareness of participation for international distance class of students were confirmed in experiment. It was seemed an effectiveness of high quality presence based on the broadband network.

We developed a LMS with a web based computer testing mechanism.
The features of the LMS are as follows :
(1)Supporting test construction function based on test theory
(2)Mounting of an item database based on test theory
(3)The adapted type test function not only using item response theory but a new test theory
(4)The detailed data analysis system using time required data, the change data of a reply, etc
(5)Data-raining system for learning historical data is developed
Contents distribution was performed as an e learning lesson using this LMS.
400 or more attendance students per year have been studying.
I.II.was performed in theoretical research.
I.Development of a new test theory
II.Research and development of the data-mining technique

This research treats of an aspect of human activities which is referred to as emergent division of labor (EDL), that people interactively and contingently organize, maintain, reorganize division of labor. We argue that such a field of EDL can be a rich repertory of learning opportunities. The goal of the research is to analyze actual process of EDL so that necessary conditions to support EDL become clear, to establish methodology of learning environment design based on the EDL point of view by means of development of CSCL system for supporting smooth EDL.
In specific, we worked on the following researches,
・ Ethnomethodological analysis of the practice of EDL in collaborative learning scenes in face-to-face situation
・ Theoretical research on requirements to accomplish EDL and the ways to support EDL
・ Development and evaluation of a synchronous CSCL system for supporting smooth EDL
・ Development of video observation and analysis tool for learning through discussion on video data
・ Research on facilitating discussion on BBS in remote collaborative learning of higher education
・ Empirical study on remote collaborative learning over the Internet for continuing and vocational education
As the result, we proposed design principles of CSCL revealed by analysis of EDL process, developed a synchronous CSCL system KneadingBoard and a video observation and analysis tool CIAO, which is provided as a freeware on the Internet.

The method of computer assisted health education is developing rapidly after 1970s. Nevertheless varieties of tool, a few model assisting decision making process exists. The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze the contents of "role-playing game for healthy life through computed virtual reality in dialogical pattern" and to make the prototype of a game. The game is respected to provide experiential self learning for health education oriented to decision making. With brain storming and KJ method (originated by Jiro KAWAKITA), the data concerned factor disturbing health behavior were abstracted by college students. For the consideration to realize the scenario of game story simulating behavior of the agent, the game contents map was constructed applied to the group ware "ANDO-KUN".
In development of a game, the support system of i-mode Java platform (J2ME), Borland Jbuilder7, and add-on software Jbuilder MobileSet were used, and it programmed on the screen of a personal computer in the environment which can be debugged so that it could be used from a cellular phone. Furthermore, in the process of Prototype creation of a game, the opportunity to take in a student's idea was prepared.

We have developed several academic and educational databases in order to promote information sharing and reutilization of various learning materials among instructors in higher education. At the end of this study, we have reached 5 models for development of effective and efficient educational material database.
1. Media Integration Model
integrates high definition images, high definition video images, graphics, virtual space, (ex. Abbaye de Saint-Savin)
2. Material Integration Model
integrates distributed materials which are accumulated on different servers spatially, (ex. Veterinary Medicine Case Image Database)
3. Digital Archive Model
includes historical records, (ex. World War II Image Database)
4. Intellectual Resource Model
integrates intellectual resources in different academic fields. (ex.
5. E-learning Model
integrates on line courses through different media.

This research was basically planned to make connections between the university in the Makuhari new urban core area, and a company mutually with a pair of laser beam transcmitter and aims at construction of the city concentration type lifelong learning network for members of society by industrial, administrative and academic sectors cooperation. Using the network, some experimental trials were performed and itsvalidity was confirmed.
The experiment that interlocked simultaneous bidirectional Distance Education and the web based counseling system was conducted in 2001. It was confirmed that the counseling system made into the ex post facto follow-up purpose of a public IT short course functions effectively.

In education field it has been pointed out that it is important to educate ability to solve a problem by using a lot of knowledge and know-how. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate individual student7s structural understanding level. As one of the countermeasures related to above problem, we presented the method for cognitive mapping tests and have reported its practical use and effectiveness. This research presented the results on improvement of our instructional methods as an example of its effective use. Next, we discussed the characteristics of cognitive mapping methods based on cognitive maps with multi-valued edges. We applied Design and Drawing class in our university, and confirmed effectiveness of our methods.

The purpose of this research regards a "virtual university" as a key concept of the higher education system of the next generation, and is the vision proposal and to do empirical research and development of its elements. About vision proposal, clarifying considers that the directivity of the higher education system of the next generation that our country should take is now important in National Institute of Multimedia Education as a core research organization. About empirical research and development of many composition elements, the researcher of various research fields, such as information communication engineering, pedagogy, an educational technology, psychology, cognitive science, a human interface, and virtual reality technology, was organized, and systems development was performed on the basis of synthetic approach. In 2001, while system development and presentation officially at an international society etc., experiment trial was performed. Especially the effectiveness of systems about computer test and learning community was confirmed practicality.

In this research, it had several research discussion and deliberations by joint research with U. S. Stan ford University (SLL Stamford Learning research Laboratory). The trial experiment of the International Distance Collaborative Learning, which connects between Stan ford University and National Institute of Multimedia Education, was planned and performed. Although Distance Collaborative Learning is tried in the educational field, is the new educational method that never has much accumulation of experience. This research aims at the construction of the model for measuring and evaluating the effect scientifically, and development of the evaluation method. And the examination and construction from both sides of an information study position and a cognitive psychology position are aimed at for the model of Distance Collaborative Learning as communication science. From National Institute of Multimedia Education, this international high-speed network can have the course which connects with the line by the laser beam translmitter to the Makuhari gigabit research center, connects with the gigabit network JGN in Japan. Through APAN/Transpac further, the connection point of U. S. Chicago, connects the inside of the U. S. by Abilene and CALREN-2, and reaches the Stanford University campus, and can always use the band-width of dozens Mbps (es). The experimented research is as follows, l) Implementation of the Distance Collaborative Learning between international project based Learning, and Distance detailed work instruction 2) Enforcement of the chat ＆ debate system in the cultural communication by web based simultaneous bidirectional communication 3) Investigation analysis of International Distance educational implementation aiming at the effect actual proof of the situated learning in theory-study of ME133 (machine design theory lecture) in the Kyoto Stamford Japan center.

To promote the research and development of new educational methodologies and pedagogies in higher education by utilizing advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and multimedia technology, various proposals have been made by governmental, industrial or academic organizations and sectors. In this study, researchers visited excellent cases in overseas (mainly, North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania) and in our country, collected and analyzed printed materials and interviews, and accumulated the latest data and valuable findings. In addition to the latest situation of ICT uses, such as satellite communication, multimedia and Internet, they reported the development and distribution of digital educational contents, copyright processing of digital contents in European higher education, quality evaluation criteria for educational software in North America and Europe, faculty development on ICT use in the classroom, informatics and information literacy learning for students and various support centers and organizations to facilitate ICT use, media utilization in education for disabled students, excellent cases in ICT use in Japanese higher education, virtual universities in the United States and so on.
The results are disseminated by a printed report and its homepage. We expect these results will be utilized for the reform in Japanese higher education.

The project attained experiments into fields. (1) Behavioral Measurement of "Presence" Given by Highly Realistic Display Systems, and (2) Applied Behavior Analysis for Evaluating the Telecommunication System for Distance Education.
(1) We developed the method to evaluated "presence" in quantitative way using induced movement and stabiliometer.
(2) We applied the double-agent method of verbal conditioning to evaluated the effects of transaction delay in TV conference system, and found that this method can reliably measure the unconscious psychological aspects of communication delay in TV conference system.

Objectives of this research are to prove the effectiveness of Distance Education by human beings which is becoming a practical use scientifically and to settle on construction of a methodology of communication technology such as construction of a teachers-students model, making it center that is a human intelligent activity such as a education and learning in the network society which will come in the future.
(1) Virtual reality, research on a high presence environment education systems : Through the multimedia network, we develop and test education system to do live teaching, learning and research, going over a distance even in a long distance by exchanging images, voices and computer data. In this research, we investigate possibilities of Space Collaboration System which includes actual technique factors which has been impossible in Distance Education until now by exchanging moving information with 3-D images and data-glove, using virtual reality technology, adding images, voices and calculation data which are used on usual TV conference systems.
(2) A basic plan of multimedia higher education system experiment environment : As a new technique of air program production, there is a virtual studio technique which we remove big tools from a studio and make a hypothetical studio set with special influence image technology. Using a virtual studio, we produce education programs experimentally and analyze a burden on teachers when they use them and investigate a direction technique of a light burden on the teachers and virtual studio using technique.
(3) Research on multi display systems : We measure influences on wide view and sight effects of multi display systems.

This project was intended to study and develop method and system to utilize a high-speed multimedia network in higher education. This network transmits large-capacity multimedia information at high speeds, enabling real-time transmission of HDTV image.
Specificitems include as follows :
(1) System configuration such as quality and speed of video and audio data to be transmitted, support software tools
(2) Education contents such as education goals, methods, effects, materials
(3) Educational model such as what type anad sphere of new education can be expanded
The following experiments were executed on multimedia network. "Interactive TV Program for Distance Education", "Chorus Lesson", "Counseling", "Dance Lesson", "Debate", "Computer Assembly", "Multimedia Testing", "Virtual Studio."
The result of the study indicates that the basically required information has been delivered sufficiently. It also indicates that there are special conditions according to the curriculum details. Generally, we could acquire almost all of the results according to the initial plan, including verification of whether non-linguistic exercises can be put into practice.
On the other hand, we often suffered from a connection trouble when maintenance of the network foundation for the study and development environment depends on voice quality. This suggests that the high-speed multimedia network foundation has not yet put into a user-friendlyproduct although it has been achieved technologically.

This project had two aims.
1. To make clear the idea of Life Skills in Scientific and Technological Society of 21st Century
2. To develop the teaching materials or curriculum for students to develop their Life skills in school.
The first year we could find the concepts of life Skills as below :
(1) We must realize our life is highly technolozied, and our society is information technolozied society.
(2) We must have a competence or skills to manage the technological subjects, to select proper information, to educate by myself, to develop self esteem, and to be decision making by ourselves.
We developed life skill teaching programs in the Akashi experimental schools attached Faculty of Human Development of Kobe University. We could find we should develop the cross-curriculum or comprehensive activity programs for students to develop their Life Skills.
Through the experimental approach to develop new materials in elementary schools in Kobe, We can find the project leader must be play the talented life skill manager.

The purpose of this study is to conduct an extensive survey within and out of Japan on the possibility of the use of multimedia technologies for higher education and, based on its findings, to prospect a new learning environment in higher education towards the 21st century.
In 1995 we conducted a fact-finding questionnair survey on the actual use of multimedia technologies in national, public and private universities throughout Japan with focus upon ; (1) practical education using multimedia, (2) condition of multimedia equipments, (3) the current issues surrounding the use of multimedia, and (4) future prospectives.
We analyzed the result of this survey and further conducted a research by visiting 22 sites carefully selected among the universities in Japan where the use of multimedia technologies is prominent.
Following this domestic research, in 1996 we conducted an international survey centering on higher educational institutions in North America on the current situation of on-line education and virtual university concept.
The primary findings of this survey are ; (1) education shifting from teacher-oriented to learner-oriented, (2)learning environment becoming more open and flexible, (3) education becoming more globalized by the computer network.

This study is intended to develop a multimedia teaching materials production support system to be shared by users in higher educational institutions in Japan.
We investigated the current multimedia technologies to examine consistency with the existence systems, and developed the multimedia teaching materials production support system based on the following 5items :
(1) Functions that distribute the audio-visual resources used to produce multimedia teaching materials
(2) Standardization of scenario and script description techniques to describe contents and structures
(3) Effective and efficient preprocessing such as digitization and compressing of image and sound data
(4) Preparation of some authoring systems applicable to two or more multimedia platforms
(5) System integration
We put this multimedia teaching materials production support system to practical use as a shared system, and used the system to produce the electronic media of various academic and educational visual resources for some special fields. The visual resources include the following ; old photographs, anatomical slides, aerial photographs, scenic pictures, pictorial arts, videos.
As described above, we have developed the following techniques to produce the academic and educational resources in higher education :
(1) Production of a multimedia teaching material "St.Savior's wall paintings"
(2) Study of techniques to digitize the insert video used to produce broadcast class programs in University of the Air
(3) Development of techniques to digitize picture scrolls

The purpose of this research is to develop a computerized testing system for measurement and evaluation of new achievement which is called Multimedia Testing System. The system has functions as follows : 1) to be able to measure and evaluate the educational goals more correct than a paper and pencil tests, 2) to be able to measure and evaluate the educational goals which were seemed to be difficult to measure and evaluate with a paper and pencil test, 3) to be able to create new educational goals which will be measured and evaluated by changing of means to multimedia from paper and pencil tests.
The research results in the fiscal years are as follows : to clarify the relationship between the multimedia testing system and measurement and evaluation of the new achievement concept. Especially, focusing the scoring evaluation in multimedia, a theoretical model was proposed which is based on generalization of IRT (Item Response Theory). Then some concrete multimedia test items has been developed using pictures and videos. They have been executed to university students. The result data were applyed to the above mentioned theoretical model for scoring and evaluation.
The progress of multimedia testing system has been discussed : including the view of development and diffusion of multimedia technology, a computerized testing system on network has been considered which harmonizing the distance testing using computer network and item bank. The physics education as a concrete applying field has been considered too.

Realization of the existing state of recent progress of science and technology and its rapid diffusion not only in industry but into social and home life does not admit mutual isolation of science and technology to each other.
Present science and technology (industrial art) education in Japan was analyzed with respect to each field and territory, and investigated synthetically.
Logical reasons of science to function to technology and to practical applications, industry and life, were induced to following five courses ;
A. Substances and materials
B. Energy
C. Information and its applications (metrology and control)
D. Life and Environment (biology and biotechnology)
E. Systematic sense and thought
Japanese science education seems to be improved to emphasize systematic sense in new syllabi of every fields which were revised three years ago. However, curricula of technology education are still lacking in systematic composition.
Dr. Asai (head investigator) presented a series of paper to indicate the review of Japanese technology education with a view to reconstructing its curricula in the near future.
Dr. Joh (co-operator) published the same opinion from the view point of information education.
At the meeting of The Japan Society of Science Education, the president Dr. Ohki (co-operator) gave a basic lecture of the symposium to propose applied science education. At the same symposium, Dr. Asai spoke about the basis of the technology education in the future.

We have developed a computer test system utilizing hypermedia technology on Macintosh II and investigated some practices. Hypermedia technology is defined here a combination of a hypertext and a multimedia.
On the system development, it has been tried to utilize a hypermedia to a test construction, a test execution and a test result marking analysis feedback. On utilizing for a test construction, it is useful to apply mainly a hypertext structure, and on utilizing for a test execution, using multimedia is useful. Using graghs, pictures and sounds especially at a situation of a test execution should be noticed, because it is able to make an environment of the educational test quite different from the previous paper test environment.
A subject matter of Design and Drawing has been adopted as a target of development. As this subject matter is essentially focused to teach a physical substance, it is necessary to deal with non-verbal information and to use a function of graphics or animation for input and output. The abilities which was not able to be measured so far in the paper test era is being possible to be measured with evaluating by computer. That is an answering ability of knowledge representation exempt verbal representation. New informations of time required data and answering record data, which are characteristic in the computer test, has been analyzed and used as information for educational evaluation. The theoretical model and method has been proposed to analyze data. A telecommunicated test construction and execution system has been developed and investigated by practical trials.

Rapid progress of science and technology in recent half century depends on the development of the interdisciplinary research of science and technology and their linking. The remarkable advance and diffusion of them not only innovate in industrial structure but are involving human daily lives in Wide-spread system of modern science and technology. Science study in schools is apt to be coceptive memory work of laws and theories, and gives little realization to learners. Technological education is used to be nothing but manufacturing handicraft or assembling. These educational programs lead learners to little instructive results. In the general education in schools, science and technology have to be integrated with each other, and fundamental scientific conception, laws and theories, should be translated into technological realization and also into practical phenomena in daily lives.
Science education is tried to link to technology one through following five courses of application ; 'substances to materials','conservation of energy to its effective application','concept of the information society to hard and soft ware practice', 'life and environment, biology to human life',and 'systematic view of things' concerning whole courses. Curricular items of science education in primary and secondary school courses of study are allocated to some integrated fields of them, and listed. All over the course, items of science curricula form merely conceptional idea of learners concerning with substance, energy, biology, and surrounding natural phenomena, but are short of providing them with practical realization of material, efficiency of work, and hydraulic phenomena, and so on.
Curricula of industrial arts and home making education in Japanese schools, being constructed by means of conventional phylosophy below the scientific level of present life, they can not share the responsibility for establishment of integrated curricula of science and technology education without reconstruction of themselves.

　ここでは「すきま学習」を，「学習意図のない日常活動中に生ずる比較的短い時間的すきまを利用して行う学習」と規定した．従来より書籍等によってもすきま学習は可能であったが，情報通信基盤の整備・普及により，スマートフォンやタブレット型端末などのモバイルラーニング可能な携帯機器が，ほぼ場所によらず常時ネットワーク接続できるようになったため，伝統的な「机に向かい椅子に座って行う学習」以外の場面でのすきま学習が大幅に拡大しつつある． 　本特定課題Bでは，今後への研究継続を目指し，国内・国外の研究者と研究討議・専門知識提供により研究方針のシステム開発の方向性を策定した．同一教材による学習実験を行い，従来型学習とすきま学習の学習効果・効率の比較を行った．また，すきま学習の成立条件，すきま学習場面の可能性探索などを行った．　大学生および高校生を対象にアンケート調査を行い，98%がすきま学習を経験しているが，その場所は通学等の電車内が92%と最も多く，使用媒体の内訳は書籍94%，スマートフォン78%であった．すきま学習の成立条件についての回答を総合すると，場面としては「動く必要が無く特に他にするべきことが無いこと」，媒体としてはスマートフォンが紙・本より高位となった．また状況として，周囲の状況から浮いてしまわないことがあげられ，参考書やレジュメで学習しては浮いてしまう状況においてもスマートフォンによるすきま学習可能性が示唆された．　次に実験協力者を，今まで暗記ものに関して「紙に書いて憶える」(通常学習派)か「時間のすきまを見て憶える」(すきま学習派)かの両派に分けた．試験教材は高橋書店『漢字検定準１級　頻出度順問題集』を用いた．両派について，すきま学習と通常学習の両方により学習を行い，さらにAパターン「すきま学習→通常学習→すきま学習」とBパターン「通常学習→すきま学習→通常学習」の２群に分けて，計４グループとした．結果，すきま学習派Aパターンにおいて，点数が上がり習熟が見られたこと，また通常学習派Aパターンでも点数が伸びた．共通して，すきま学習は１問にかかる時間が短く，それだけ復習時間が取れたという声があった．通常学習派Bパターンからは，すきま学習のデメリットとしては人の目を気にし，周囲から浮くことを懸念するという声があった．　以上より，すきま学習はきわめて有望な学習手段となりうる感触を得た．なお，今回は得点評価のしやすい暗記的題材を用いたが，これを論理思考問題の題材へ適用して行くことが今後の課題である．

本研究の目的は，国際ブロードバンド回線による同時双方向遠隔授業での国際間単位互換の実効性に関する技術的，教育的要件について実証的な実験を行い，成立するための条件と適正な運用方式に関する知見を得ることにある．研究組織は，早稲田大学，メディア教育開発センター，東京都立科学技術大学，北海道大学，米国スタンフォード大学およびアラスカ州立大学フェアバンクス校の各所属の研究者よりなり，調査研究および実験実施研究を並行して行った．これまで平成１４年度から平成１６年度にかけ，北海道大学とスタンフォード大学の間で数回の実験を重ねてきた．また平成15年１１月には，情報処理教育研究集会の特別セッション「ｅラーニング」の中で遠隔教育デモンストレーションを実施した．デモンストレーションでは、北海道大学のDale Harris教授（情報基盤センター客員教授）によるスタンフォード大学の大学院生との遠隔ゼミを実施した。また，それに先立ち、北海道大学の英語クラスとスタンフォード大学の日本語クラス（Lipton Okano講師）との異文化コミュニケーション授業を行った．平成15年12月18日には本研究課題に関する＜日米「遠隔教育」国際シンポジウム＞「外国語教育における遠隔教育－ブロードバンド時代の教授法変革を求めて－」を北海道大学で開催した．平成17年1月18日には新たに北海道大学とアラスカ州立大学フェアバンクス校の間で，同時双方向遠隔授業により実現できる映像主体の日米異文化コミュニケーション実験を実施した．題材は「二人の人間の距離」並びに「今，ポケットに何を持っているか」などを取り上げた．参加した両大学学生は高臨場感の効果による参加意識の高さが確認された．