All over the world, the institutions of higher education have started the pioneering research about designing educational environment with ICT (Information Communication Technology) in order to improve teaching/learning activities. Recently it has been widely recognized that teaching and learning in higher education should be more learner-centered style and ICT has great potential to promote such transition of teaching/learning styles in the classroom. Tablet PC and portable devices, which have high mobility and simple interface, have been a focus of constant attention in Western and Asian countries, because they are especially suitable to support the autonomous and cooperative learning environment in face-to-face learning opportunities.

Microsoft chair of Educational Environment and Technology (MEET) has been launched in the University of Tokyo, which is the top-drawer university in Japan, in order to investigate the advanced educational environment in higher education here in Japan and abroad. MEET has its own slogan: “Meeting the learning of tomorrow.”

MEET develops the advanced educational environment for higher education, especially for undergraduate students, with various applications for Tablet PCs or other portable devices to cultivate their basic academic skills and their knowledge creation ability. Furthermore, MEET evaluates the effectiveness of the proposed educational environment through practical researches in actual courses. MEET will release the latest research developments, and disclose technical information not only to the University of Tokyo, but to the domestic and international higher education institutions.

MEET collaborates closely with TREE (TREE: Todai Redesigning Education Environment), a project of “Upgrading the Education at the University of Tokyo by fully utilizing information technology”, and with the foundation of innovative learning studios of Fukutake Hall, which is a new building for learning and advanced researches in educational technology and learning environment design at the University of Tokyo. MEET operates the projects by promoting researches not only in higher education but also in introducing new teaching/learning styles in elementary and secondary education.

MEET is endowed by Microsoft for approximately 3 years and operated under the Center for Research & Development of Higher Education of the University of Tokyo. The chair and its projects have just started in April, 2006.