RCIC
Research Center for Industrial Culture

Research concerning the design of a learning space using learning resources – the complete design of the children’s “junior space expert qualification course”

2024

Since 2022 in the Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum (also known as “Sorahaku”), the “junior space expert qualification course” for children has been developed and designed in IAMAS’ facilities, the “innovation studio”, and through collaborations with an IAMAS graduate designer.
This year taking the study theme of “space exploration” and “lunar probing” as a motif, we grappled with developing learning materials that kept the complete design in mind.

  • Collaborator

    Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum

  • Period of collaboration

    2024.04 - 2024.08

Process and results

Using this year’s course theme of “lunar probing” as a motif, we designed and produced teaching materials for a six-session course aimed at upper elementary to junior high school students. The goal was to provide them with a sense of purpose in their learning and a feeling of accomplishment. The materials created included: ① slide designs, ② name tags, ③ worksheets, ④ reflection sheets, ⑤ pass certificates and stickers, and ⑥ a certificate of completion. The students who attended the course commented positively on the well-designed materials, which helped raise their expectations for the course and encouraged them to actively fill out the reflection sheets with insights they had gained.
Additionally, through the design process, we gained valuable knowledge over the six sessions about how to adjust layouts according to the content of each lesson, as well as creating formats that could be easily edited by others, such as lecturers and museum staff.
This year, Sorahaku was given the responsibility of creating slides and other materials that they could produce independently, with the aim of encouraging a more proactive role in the design process. As part of an opportunity for Sorahaku to learn about the characteristics of digital fabrication equipment, we organized a guided visit to the IAMAS Innovation Studio. During this visit, we collaborated on the design of a certificate of completion.
The certificate features a puzzle inspired by the moon’s surface, allowing students to explore its texture by feeling the bumps. This design was carefully crafted to spark continued interest in space and the moon. On the back of the acrylic board, we printed the course content, with the intention of making it a useful reference for students when reflecting on the course later.

  • Event venue

    Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum
    IAMAS Innovation Studio

  • Faculty in charge

    • Kyo Akabane
    • Junko Takamori
    • Shota Shiozumi
  • Operations

    Total design:
    Chihiro Oyama (Graduate of IAMAS)

    Design and creation of the certificate of completion:
    Shota Shiozumi (IAMAS Innovation Studio)

    Operations
    Kyo Akabane (Professor at IAMAS / Director of the RCIC)
    Junko Takamori (RCIC researcher)

    Film and photography:
    Satoshi Fukushima (RCIC researcher)
    Shoko Ito (RCIC information support professional)

  • Schedule

    2024.04 Meeting held
    2024.05 - 08 Development of learning materials, classes implemented