Improvement of student laboratories in electrical and computer engineering

Japanese universities have reformed quickly since the Ministry of Education changed the university standards in 1991. Each university must establish an identity to survive. Many things, such as curricula, syllabi and entrance examinations have been reformed. Here, a trial innovation in student laboratory activity in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kumamoto University, is presented as one of the university reforms. Key aspects of the innovation involve presentation of results, introduction of long-term subjects, construction of a new building, incorporation of Internet instructional materials and fabrication after design. These improvements were achieved while maintaining the advantages of traditional student laboratories.