Student Survey 2024 proposal submitted to Science Tokyo leadership team

Student staff submitted the results of the 2024 Student Survey, together with a proposal based on these results, to Science Tokyo President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naoto Ohtake, President and Chief Academic Officer (CAO) Yujiro Tanaka, and Executive Vice Presidents for Education Noriyuki Wakabayashi and Hidetoshi Sekiguchi on March 28. A total of 2,418 students completed the survey, which was carried out online from June 24 to July 24, 2024.

The Student Survey, an inquiry conducted every other year and launched by Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech),* one of Science Tokyo’s predecessors, provides all the Institute's students with an opportunity to express their opinions on topics such as the educational environment, facilities, on-campus services, and other issues. Student staff members take the initiative in reviewing survey content, creating questions, tabulating and analyzing survey results, and communicating students’ opinions and suggestions to Science Tokyo. The Institute then strives to make enhancements in response to this feedback.

The 2024 survey was the tenth time student staff members conducted the poll. They gathered information from across the Institute, analyzed the data, and held discussions with faculty and staff members from various academic and administrative units, after which they put together a proposal for desired improvements at the Institute.

Student Survey 2024 was conducted amid big changes in student life. In-person lectures were again on the rise after the pandemic, the communication platform Slack was being introduced for use by all community members, and new facilities such as the Tsubame Terrace cafeteria were appearing on campus. In addition, Science Tokyo’s predecessor universities — Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Tokyo Tech — were still two separate entities. Under such unsettled circumstances, the student staff members compiled twenty-three recommendations and six summaries of opinions on various topics. Most items were related to Tokyo Tech as the pre-merger survey targeted students of the predecessor university. However, the content was designed to look ahead to the future and help all students have a better university life after the merger.

The 2024 proposal was presented and explained thoroughly to four Science Tokyo executives by seven student staff members at a meeting in late March. Ohtake and Sekiguchi responded openly to each recommendation, identifying suggestions as feasible or more difficult to achieve based on the current situation. Tanaka and Wakabayashi also shared their impressions, particularly from the perspective of the medical and dental sciences. After this, all meeting participants discussed the vision of Science Tokyo as it looks to the future.

A notification regarding this proposal has been sent to all students, faculty, staff, and relevant departments within Science Tokyo. The proposal can be viewed at the Science Tokyo Library or online.

• Expand entrepreneurship courses
• Enhance environment so students can more easily take courses on other campuses
• Improve environment on Tamachi Campus
• Plan and disclose information on summer use of learning space in Ookayama Library
• Strengthen harassment-related training program for all members in science and engineering fields
• Adjust current status of study abroad options and promote these options
• Expand applicability of authorized absence system
• Promote participation in disaster drills
• Increase opportunities for discussions with Science Tokyo executives

In addition, the proposal included various opinions on Science Tokyo’s Schools, Departments, and Graduate Majors.

Junya Matsumoto
1st-year master’s student, Life Science and Technology

Since the submission of proposals and additional reports concerning Student Survey 2022, learning has, in principle, shifted back to an in-person format, and many students have returned to campus. There have also been changes in facilities and services, including the opening of the Tsubame Terrace cafeteria and the introduction of the communication platform Slack across the Institute. Furthermore, in October 2024, TMDU and Tokyo Tech merged to form Science Tokyo. Student Survey 2024 was conducted from June to July 2024, prior to the merger, and we received many opinions, including those about the new university.

Before creating the proposal, we actively exchanged ideas among the student staff members on how to best reflect the opinions of students and communicate them to the executives, faculty, and staff.

Personally, my research relates to improving the efficiency of the metabolic pathway construction process through mechanization. As I continue to pursue this research, I believe the experience and knowledge I gained during my collaborations with colleagues during the Student Survey project will be useful in the future.

I hope that this proposal will make Science Tokyo a better university for everyone.

Ryoya Yoshimura
1st-year master’s student, Systems and Control Engineering

Student Survey 2024 was the last survey conducted as Tokyo Tech. Although the survey was conducted prior to the merger with TMDU, it included questions related to the merger, newly completed facilities, and new systems, all of which were developed through discussions among the student staff. The goal was to collect honest opinions from students for the betterment of Science Tokyo, the new university. A total of 2,418 students responded to the survey, and after careful analysis of the data and collaboration among the student staff, we were able to create the proposal.

I learned a great deal about the importance of interaction with my peers through the Student Survey activities, and I have already applied these lessons learned to my current research, which focuses on robot manipulation. In the future, I will continue to dedicate my efforts to both the Student Survey and my research in order to further advance my learning.

• Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology merged on October 1, 2024, to form Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo).

• Student Survey 2024 proposal (Japanese)
• Student Survey 2022 proposal submitted to Tokyo Tech president ❘ Former Tokyo Tech
• Past Student Surveys, university responses (Japanese)