Tokyo Women's Christian University
We welcomed 29 undergraduates from Tokyo Women’s Christian University to SMU, in collaboration with ThinkX, for their first hands-on experience with an innovation framework—delivered in English. To support their learning, we created a Japanese version of our Responsible Innovation worksheet, enabling deeper engagement. Despite language barriers, tools like Google Lens helped us co-create a safe, encouraging space for idea-sharing. The students explored interdisciplinary problem-solving and were even inspired by SMU’s architecture, proposing ideas like Green Curtains. Along the way, we learned the power of patience, affirmation, and creativity when navigating across cultures and languages.
Brief About the Session
- We hosted 29 undergraduate students from Tokyo Women’s Christian University at SMU, a collaboration with ThinkX
- It was their first time to be equipped with an innovation framework (and in English), which they found to be very helpful
- We specially designed the Responsible Innovation process into a worksheet for the undergrads in Japanese, so that they get maximised value from the session
- They gained knowledge of formulating solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration
- Some were also inspired by SMU's architecture and proposed solutions such as Green Curtains
- Despite some language barriers, it was an enlightening experience for us as we navigated the journey together, creating a safe space for one another to express ideas (with the help from the trusty buddy Google Lens and Google Translate)
- [From Tizi] We also learned from our Japanese participants:
- Being patient with one another as we work to express our ideas - being comfortable with more silence as participants thought through what they wanted to say
- Helping each other overcome fear of judgement - there's no "wrong answer" - gentle encouragement and affirmation to create a safe space
- How to navigate when things get lost in translation - finding creative ways to guide the discussion and link participant sharing back to our topic even if sometimes, activities/prompts can be misunderstood
Here’s the Stats!
- The undergraduates are from different faculties and are from different ideation stages (if applicable)
- The overall confidence level of the participants in innovating responsibly post-session increased by 28.8%
The Feedback
- There aren't many active classes in Japan, so it was fun to come up with ideas and discuss them.
- [The RADAr framework helps to] Organize your thoughts in a logical framework
- I learned that through games I can have fun thinking about things I had never thought about before.
- アイデアの可能性は無限にあることが分かった → I realized that the possibilities for ideas are endless.
- In my group, we discussed an unusual combination of Lego and going paperless, and I'm glad we came up with some surprisingly interesting idea
- We had so much fun! This is my first time to innovate with others but I got confident thanks to this opportunity.
How we translated the worksheet into the Japanese language, as we aim to maximise the value of the session for the undergraduates:
Check the Photos from the Session Here!
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