Fundamental Laboratory for Creative Activity(FLCA) I,II and III with a style of project based team learning are set up as required subjects in freshman and sophomore year. These FLCA courses have four purposes. First is to make students understand a usual experimental process for solving a problem. Second is to make students accustom to scientific thinking and investigation of scientific journals for solving problems. Third is to make students keep a conventional style and several rules for scientific reports in their mind. Fourth is to train students for leadership and personal/interpersonal skills.
The most characteristic features of FLCA are that students can select freely a team experiment theme within familiar phenomena encountered in their daily life and must carry out their experiment by themselves. Instructors are just adviser in these courses. These are very different from usual experimental courses in which experimental themes and methods are fixed. The class consists of 140 to 280 students and 4 to 8 instructors. Each instructor takes care of 4 to 6 teams consisted of 4 to 6 students. Moreover 6 to 12 student staffs assist the class.
It was clarified from the results of the questionnaire for FLCA III that the characteristic features of FLCA were very effective for the formation of active attitude for learning and of habits of scientific thinking.
The goals to be achieved in each FLCA course, the operation of class, the support system of class and an example of experiment carried out in FLCA III were also introduced.
Conceive
Design
Implement
Operate
