Internationalising Higher Education

A hybrid educational method is being used by Hosei University European Research Centre (HERC), the Japanese university's overseas branch office in the UK. HERC uses a unique IT method to deliver education and seminars through remote education. With the support of the IT Centre of Hosei University in Tokyo, the director of HERC delivers a real time distant class every week, connecting also with Hosei European Research Centre in Zurich. HERC uses a remote system and streaming method online; a system that can be used by most education institutions. In order to bridge the gap between the distant learning in the UK and the direct class in Tokyo, the director has been making efficient use of the 'virtual class' in Second Life and the Skype tool which may hold enormous potential. HERC have experienced challenges, which include world-wide cooperation to implement the synchronised class, technical issues such as the image and sound quality, and running cost. Despite these challenges, however, this poster will strongly emphasise the necessity of this hybrid educational method and explore better possibilities through discussion with delegates at Going Global 4. This poster will put forward this educational method as one of the solutions to 'make education meet the challenge'.