2月～3月にかけて海外の提携大学学生受入れプログラムを実施しました。①ドイツ　フレセニウス大学より11名（理学療法学科サイト参照）②タイ　タマサート大学より5名（看護学科サイト参照）③フィンランド　ヤムク大学より6名　ドイツ　フランクフルト応用科学大学より14名と総勢36名の学生と教員4名が本学を訪れました。

③2/26～3/5まで行ったヤムク大学、フランクフルト応用科学大学の学生受入れプログラムは「最先端ロボットによる高齢者?障がい者支援の体験と理解～最新技術と心の触れ合いの融合～」をテーマに学内での講義に加え、高齢者施設訪問、Avatar Robot Cafeでの体験、バリアフリーなど日本の住宅を知るべく、モデルハウスの見学等、多彩な内容で行いました。高齢化社会における最新技術の利用を人の温かみを失わずに行うには、何を使って、コスト課題をどう解決し、何をしたら良いか等、プログラム内で学び、日本、フィンランド、ドイツ三チームのプレゼンテーションを英語で行いました。日本チームは医療情報学科、社会福祉学科、薬学科、子ども教育学科からの7名の混成チームです。どの国も英語は母語ではありませんが、それぞれ熱のこもったプレゼンには説得力があり、各国の事情を知って、その背景を比較したうえで医療、福祉を考える非常に有意義な発表会となりました。文化交流では高崎だるまの絵付け体験他、高崎観音山、響橋散策を楽しみました。来日学生にとって初めての甘酒やみそおでんは、本学学生の説明でチャレンジする人もいれば躊躇する人もあり、食の違いの楽しさを笑って分かつ時間を過ごしました。その他、神社の参拝体験や日々のランチ、夕食等、全学科より手を挙げた本学学生25名が来日学生と交流しました。

2020年以降、海外との交流はOnlineのみでしたが、今回、感染症対策を施した上で、対面での交流が実現したことは、訪問者にとっても受け入れ側にとっても感慨深く、交流を継続していく大切さを改めて実感する機会となりました。関わってくださった全ての方に感謝申し上げます。

3 different programs for guest students from our overseas partner universities were carried out in the months of February and March. A total of 36 students and 4 teachers visited our university, including (1) 11 students from Fresenius University, Germany (Please refer to Physiotherapy Department website), (2) 5 students from Thammasat University, Thailand (Please refer to Nursing Department website), (3) as well as 6 students from JAMK University, Finland and 14 students from Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany for the 3^rd program.

The program for students from JAMK University and Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, which ran from the 26^th of February to 5^th of March, consisted of lectures on campus under the theme “Humanitarian remote mental and physical care of the elderly/disabled using avatar robotics with cutting-edge technology?“. The program included a visits to a facility for the elderly, a tour of the Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, as well as a visit to a model house to learn about Japanese housing using the barrier-free system, among others. As a final project, the teams of Germany, Finland and Japan gave a presentation each about the feasibility of using a remote avatar robot for the care of the elderly by healthcare workers piloted by social welfare workers from a different location rather than relying exclusively on the ever-growing advances of A.I. The Japanese team was formed by students from the departments of Healthcare Informatics, Social Welfare, Pharmacy and Child Education. Although English was not the mother tongue of any of the teams, their outstanding??presentations in English were very professional.

This program was also an opportunity for everyone to learn, compare and extract the good aspects of the healthcare and welfare systems of the visiting countries as well as to identify their uniqueness due to the cultural and historical differences of each one of them. During the cultural exchange, the students enjoyed the experience of painting Takasaki Daruma dolls, as well as walking around Takasaki Kannonyama and Hibiki-bashi Bridge. Some tried and enjoyed amazake and miso oden, which were new to the foreign students, while others hesitated to try them after finding out what they contained, which brought some spontaneous laughter that created an atmosphere of contentment and joy by sharing these light but meaningful moments. In addition, 25 students from all departments of our university interacted with foreign students, including visiting shrines, daily lunches and dinners.

We are glad to go back to times where students can finally come together again and are able to go from the online programs implemented since 2020 to programs where they can feel again the human warmth that only comes when meeting face-to-face. The above programs included strict measures of daily COVID-testing but we hope that as time goes by, we will be able to let go of this practice. The feedback from everyone was excellent, with comments that included of nascent new friendships created among all the participants, including our own students, which provides an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of continuing these exchanges. We would like to thank all those who were involved in the implementation of these programs.