Topics that shape the future
- Closer look at research results -

Yamaguchi
ADPISA currently consists of three programs: "ADPISA-E (entry level)," "ADPISA-M (intermediate level)," and "ADPISA-H (advanced level)." The first program was "ADPISA (equivalent to H)" in 2019. In response to the social background in which it has become difficult for women to return to the workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has been supporting recurrent education projects for women, and in 2021, we launched "ADPISA-F," an IT recurrent education program for women that is the basis for the current "ADPISA-E." As I myself have been involved in promoting women's participation in the workforce in companies for a long time, I was approached at the planning stage of "ADPISA-F" and joined the project.

Ikoma
I felt that ADPISA was in tune with the times when the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published the Digital Transformation (DX) Report in 2018 and I realized that social awareness of DX had changed significantly. Since then, social momentum has grown to create businesses using information technology, and IT education for working adults has also come into focus. The concept of ADPISA started in 2016, so it feels like it was a little ahead of its time. Also, Professor Miyagawa has been preaching the importance of information systems studies that lead to DX as his life's work for the past 30 years, so I believe that it was because of this foundation that our university was able to start training IS architects in a way that was ahead of the social momentum.

Miyagawa
In 1998, I co-authored a book called "Invitation to Information Systems Studies - Seeking Harmony between Human Activities and Information Technology," which is the basis of ADPISA's educational policy. When most people hear the term "information systems," they think of computers. However, in reality, computer systems and humans work together to create new value.
"Humans" and "systems" should not be viewed separately, but should be designed together. The same is true in the business world, and this is connected to ADPISA, which provides education that firmly links information technology and business activities. I believe that the essence of DX is to create something new by connecting digital and human activities.

Miyagawa
Since the Faculty of Social and Information Studies was established in 2008, we have placed importance on cultivating the ability to link each specialized field and lead to new ideas by learning that combines the liberal arts fields of "social science" and "human science" with the science field of "information science." We believe that the Faculty of Social and Information Studies is unique and has its strengths in the overlapping of the three fields of "social science," "human science," and "information science."
For example, we place emphasis on nurturing human resources who can generate business ideas that would not be possible without IT savvy, and conversely, who can lead the field in creating value by turning ideas into reality. As a faculty, we also place emphasis on nurturing practical skills, so we have been implementing recurrent education for working adults who require advanced expertise since the founding of the faculty. One of these initiatives, ADPISA, can be said to be the working adult version of the human resource development that Aoyama Gakuin University's Faculty of Social and Information Studies aims to achieve.

Ikoma
There are many private companies and educational institutions other than universities that offer substantial IT technical education. However, the reality is that most IT education to date has been focused on technical training for new and young IT professionals. When companies consider their medium- to long-term vision, they believe that there are two major problems with the content of such education.
One issue is the target audience for education. Today's IT is not just a technology required by IT technicians. Furthermore, the speed at which technology evolves today is remarkable, and current technology may become obsolete in 5 years, let alone 10. For this reason, it is important for employees in all professions to continue learning. Another issue is the lack of a perspective on using technology to create value. I think there has been very little education on using technology to create value for one's own business. I believe that the major difference between ADPISA and other IT education is that we make an effort to teach this aspect thoroughly.

Ikoma
In the current structure of Japan's information industry, while the "designer" and "constructor" are often the same company, the "client" is almost always a different company. This means that the person placing the order is separate from the person building the system. However, in the United States and other countries, the "client" often has people in-house who are knowledgeable in both business and IT, and these people act as "designers," so there is no break in the cycle, there is a shared sense of purpose, and it is a system that makes it easier to create value. In Japan too, talent like IT architects will become important to make this cycle run more smoothly than ever before and create value.

Yamaguchi
Reskilling is important in modern society. This applies to both men and women, and is carried out to develop employees who can take on the required jobs in today's rapidly changing society. Universities are expected to play a role as a place of such learning.
On the other hand, recurrent education for individuals to learn actively is also emphasized. It was first implemented at Japan Women's University in the 2000s, and at the time, many people who had left their families and wanted to work again or connect with society took the course. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been various reasons for people to take the course, such as those who have lost their jobs and want to add value when re-employing, non-regular employees taking the course to advance their careers, or clerical workers taking the course to acquire new skills. ADPISA has many students in their 40s and 50s, so they aspire to learn in order to gain some sense of security when looking to the future, and they proactively engage in the learning that they think is necessary at any point in their lives. I think that is the best part of recurrent education.

Ikoma
Recently, the position of information in Japanese school education has changed significantly. Students have been learning programming-based thinking since primary school, and all high school students are studying "information" subjects at the current level of education for new IT company recruits. A generation with even more advanced information education is entering society. In this situation, I sometimes wonder what the current working adults who have not studied information up until now will do in their social lives for decades to come. Therefore, I would be delighted if people from various positions, and especially Aoyama Gakuin University alumni who are interested, would take ADPISA.

Miyagawa
As I mentioned before, the Faculty of Social and Information Studies has set a goal of contributing to recurrent education. In today's changing society, the question arises of how many years after graduation university learning will be maintained, and it is very important for the university to answer this question. University is a place for students to study on their own, but I think that in the future we need to consider the nature of undergraduate education, including places to return and study again. At Aoyama Gakuin University, both current students and alumni have a strong attachment to the school and strong ties, so I hope that you will feel free to come back and take up recurrent education, making this your "home."