Is a Lecture by an Avatar an In-Person Class? | Fumio Shimpo, Assistant to the Dean / Professor, Faculty of Policy Management

June 14, 2022

Starting in the spring semester of 2022, university classes have, in principle, returned to being in-person, and a vibrant atmosphere has returned to campus. The fact that recent entries in the "Okashira Nikki" (Dean's Diary) have all mentioned in-person classes is likely a sign of relief that we can once again conduct lectures in a relaxed, face-to-face setting.

I don't think people usually question what an "in-person class" actually is. However, I would like to raise the question of whether a lecture given by a "Cybernetic Avatar (CA)" is "in-person" or "remote."

A Cybernetic Avatar (CA) is a robot or 3D image avatar that acts as a surrogate for oneself. It is a concept that includes ICT and robotics technologies that augment human physical, cognitive, and perceptual abilities, and it is envisioned that in the coming cyber-physical society, we will use them freely in our daily lives, just as we use smartphones today. Recently, the metaverse has been gaining attention, but various activities using avatars have already been realized in online games, for example. Even at SFC's Graduate School of Media and Governance, faculty and students use avatars to participate in presentation sessions for academic evaluation in the graduate school, using an online tool called Gather.Town.

So, would it be considered an in-person lecture if my CA were to stand at the podium and give a lecture, or if students were to attend a lecture as CAs? Or would it be treated as an online lecture, on the grounds that the avatar and I, or the students, are merely connected via a communication line?

What is a class? To begin with, a "class" at a university is defined as something "conducted through lectures, seminars, experiments, practical training, or practical skills, or a combination thereof" (Article 24 of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities (Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 28 of 1956)).

So-called online lectures or remote classes refer to classes conducted by a method defined as "having students take the class in a place other than the classroom where the class is held, through the advanced use of diverse media" (Article 25, Paragraph 2 of the same standards).

The methods of instruction are stipulated in the "Standards for the Establishment of University Correspondence Education (Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 33 of 1981)," which sets the standards for universities conducting correspondence education based on the School Education Act. Four methods are defined: (1) classes using printed materials, etc., (2) broadcast classes, (3) face-to-face classes, and (4) classes conducted using media.

From the above, "classes conducted using media" are referred to as "remote classes," and "face-to-face classes" are generally called "in-person classes." It should be noted that since cases where experiments and practical skills are conducted online are limited, what is being conducted online is often not "remote *classes*" but actually "remote *lectures*."

What is attendance? If a student attending a lecture is present as a CA, does that count as attendance? If it is not recognized, would an avatar responding during roll call be considered the same as "daihen" (having another student answer roll call on behalf of the actual student)?

Until now, when it came to attendance, I believe there has been no opportunity to seriously consider what "attendance" itself means, other than for faculty to check students' attendance status and for students to think about how to attend properly to earn credits. However, with online lectures, we are already evaluating students by judging online access as attendance, rather than physical presence. In that case, it seems reasonable to consider a physical CA connected via a network from outside the classroom, but present in the classroom, as being in attendance.

However, can this interpretation clear the so-called 60-credit problem (remote classes as a special exception)? Based on Article 32, Paragraph 5 of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities, the upper limit for the number of credits for "remote (online) classes" that can be included in the 124 credits required for graduation in an undergraduate program (bachelor's degree) is set at no more than 60 credits. However, according to an administrative communication from the University Promotion Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) (July 27, 2020) and a notice from the MEXT Higher Education Bureau Officer titled "Regarding the Handling of Remote Classes at Universities, etc. (Notification)" (April 2, 2021), flexible application is permitted. This includes conducting remote classes as a special measure for in-person classes as stipulated in Article 25, Paragraph 1 of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities, in cases where it is difficult to conduct all or part of a course scheduled for in-person instruction as planned due to the spread of COVID-19. Credits earned through online classes in the 2020 and 2021 academic years are excluded from this upper limit as a special measure due to the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, the same document indicates that courses where the number of remote class hours—conducted as part of an in-person course and possessing simultaneity or responsiveness, interactivity (dialogue), and recognized as having an educational effect equivalent to in-person classes—does not exceed half the total hours do not need to be included in the calculation for the upper limit and can be treated as in-person courses. For this reason, some lectures at SFC are conducted using a combination of online and in-person methods, even if they are designated as in-person lectures. Furthermore, the University Subdivision of the Central Council for Education is also discussing the creation of a special exception to relax the 60-credit regulation for online classes, on the condition that the quality of education and research is guaranteed.

However, even in these special exceptions, it is naturally not envisioned which class method a lecture by a CA would fall under. Some might point out that the use of CAs is a matter of fantasy at this point and does not need to be considered. However, as someone aiming to establish "New-Dimensional Jurisprudence," which anticipates and examines such new legal issues, this is a challenge I cannot avoid. Above all, if lectures by CAs are treated as online, the very purpose of introducing CAs—to conduct lectures in an environment equivalent to in-person classes—would be lost. This could even eliminate the need to consider using CAs at universities at all.

"Remote classes (online: real-time, on-demand, and a combination thereof)" or "hybrid classes (Hy-Flex)," which combine remote and in-person instruction, will likely become established in the future. However, online communication lacks the sense of closeness and intimate interaction found in face-to-face communication. By using CAs, it is possible to solve such problems, conduct classes in an environment similar to in-person settings while connecting online from outside the classroom, and enjoy the benefits of both online and in-person formats.

There are also students who are hesitant to come to a crowded classroom due to testing positive for COVID-19 or for other health reasons. For faculty members who have struggled and continued to experiment to achieve SFC's goal of providing the best online lectures, many feel that online lectures have a higher educational and learning effect than in-person lectures.

CAs are not yet in a state to be used in society and are still in the research and development stage. It sounds like a dream, and indeed, it is still at the dream stage. I am writing this partly as a self-reproach for having been so caught up in dealing with immediate real-world problems that I have recently lost the capacity to think about such dreams. I would be delighted if everyone at SFC would also take an interest in researching the issues necessary for the social implementation of Cybernetic Avatars.

Fumio Shimpo, Assistant to the Dean / Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Faculty Profile

*Portrait photo ( Top Page ) taken by photographer Kikuko Uzuyama