Date: May 19, 2020

Place: Kobe Campus for Commerce, the University of Hyogo

Photo 1: (From left to right) RA Anushka Shukla, RA Cherry Tasya Lim, Professor Koichi Nakao

Photo 2: RA Anushka Shukla (left), Professor Koichi Nakao (center), RA Cherry Tasya Lim (right)

Resident Assistants are the 2nd year GBC students who live in the Global House. Their role is to give support and provide guidance to the 1st year dorm residents. The aim of their activities is to, in cooperation with the university administrative and faculty staff, cultivate sociability, communal understanding and mutual support in this multicultural dormitory.

RA Anushka Shukla and RA Cherry Tasya Lim conducted an interview with Professor Koichi Nakao (Research Seminar II) to share his experiences and thoughts about teaching at GBC. This was the RAs’ first attempt at interviewing GBC professors!

Question:
Could you tell us about your experience of being a professor at the University of Hyogo? How does it feel to teach GBC students who come from all around the world?

Professor Nakao:
I am pleased to work here, in the Global Business Course, University of Hyogo. I was in elementary school, junior high school, and high school in Akashi city, the neighboring city of Kobe.
My Project Seminar and Research Seminar usually provides the opportunity for students to tackle the problems of companies and organizations in Hyogo Prefecture. Connecting my hometown and other cities and towns in Hyogo Prefecture with international students worldwide is always exciting and enjoyable for me.

I also enjoy teaching students from various countries. I usually assigned the so-called minute paper for students after the lectures. Learning different answers to the same questions, based on differences in their background and the way of thinking is one the most exciting parts.

Question:
What are your thoughts about the impact of the COVID-19 on the teaching system? How is teaching online classes for you?

Professor Nakao:
I think the COVID-19 results in a tremendous impact on the teaching system. Thanks to the massive support of the administrative office of the University of Hyogo, we have been able to provide students with lectures.

Teaching online has both positive and negative aspects. I think the “chat box” function facilitates the communication between students and me. I could easily and quickly understand students’ opinions, especially in a large class, in a short time. I can also easily share links of helpful websites with students. On the other hand, I cannot provide full merits of fieldwork, where students can learn the subject with their five senses."

Question:
Do you have any interesting or memorable experiences with GBC students that you could share with us?

Professor Nakao:
Listening to the students' presentations is always an exciting moment because I can confirm the student’s growth at the moment. The quality of presentations is usually beyond my expectations. Some groups overcome difference of opinions. I appreciate students’ efforts behind the scenes.

I will tell you now about one memorable experience I have had. The story is about the Project Seminar. A student group consisting of Thai, Romanian, and Japanese students were asked to think about the idea for the internationalization of a honey company. After repeated discussions, they decided to conduct an online survey for the potential customers of the honey company. They prepared questionnaires with Thai, Romanian, and Japanese. They collected the data of hundreds of potential customers, including our university staff and their friends, and presented the results to the company. Without the diverse backgrounds of the students, they could not have conducted the trilingual survey, which is one of the merits of learning at GBC.

Question:
What are hardships and perks of teaching at GBC?

Professor Nakao:
Preparing for lectures, including checking students’ reports, is the most challenging part. I need to spend twice or three-time efforts to prepare for the course than the lecture in the Japanese language. On the other hand, the advantage of teaching in GBC is learning about something new from the students, such as food, culture, and business around the world. Also, despite the lack of working experience in shopping streets, agriculture, fishery industry, social welfare, etc., thanks to the presence of the students, I have been able to enjoy learning about a variety of businesses with Japanese and non-Japanese students."

RAs:
Thank you so much Professor Nakao for giving us the chance to interview you. We had a good time learning your perspective as a Professor, which we didn't known before!

Interview by:
Anushka Shukla, Global House Resident Assistant (India)
Cherry Tasya Lim, Global House Resident Assistant (Indonesia)