About the Institute of Physical Education's New Action "Certificate Course: Seminar Program"—A Program for Keio students Who Want to Learn More About Sports

The Institute of Physical Education, which celebrates its 64th anniversary this year, has three principles regarding physical education and sports: "education," "research," and "sports promotion," as an organization that plays a part in "intellectual, moral, and physical education." Based on the basic policy of circulating these three principles and "nurturing Keio students full of action to carve out the future," we work daily with the goal of providing "inspiration" and "excitement" to the minds and bodies of Keio students and cultivating the school spirit. In this article, while briefly introducing the recent actions of the Institute of Physical Education, we will introduce the "Certificate Course: Seminar Program," a new educational initiative that started in the 2025 academic year.

At the Institute of Physical Education, for example, in terms of research, faculty members have been conducting research in various fields within the interdisciplinary areas of physical education and exercise/sports science to contribute to the resolution of various problems in university physical education and competitive sports activities, as well as the development of sports culture. On the other hand, for sports promotion, we continue activities so that everyone can lead a rich life both mentally and physically through sports by holding public lectures such as yoga and Pilates for Keio students, faculty, staff, and local residents, sports tournaments within Keio such as volleyball, basketball, and futsal, opening training rooms and pools, and holding sports events in collaboration with other organizations.

In this way, at this Institute, faculty members with various competitive experiences and specialized knowledge are involved in diverse situations related to physical education and sports in classes, extracurricular activities, support for the Athletic Association, and the university and affiliated schools. Beyond that framework, the knowledge gained through accompanying Japan's national teams in various sports and presenting at international conferences is utilized in education and research, supporting practical and high-quality initiatives.

There are two new actions: one is internationalization. Although details will be left to other articles, we concluded international agreements with Yonsei University in South Korea in January last year and Edith Cowan University in Australia in July this year, and we hope to continue building international cooperative relationships with overseas universities and research institutions. The other new action is the "Certificate Course: Seminar Program."

Until now, we have developed attractive classes such as over 40 types of practical skill classes at the Mita and Hiyoshi Campus, intensive classes in a camp format, and lectures/exercises on the body, movement, and health. From April 2025, the Certificate Course: Seminar Program has newly started. This seminar program is designed to connect the basic knowledge (basic subjects) learned in physical education lectures and exercises to more advanced and practical learning (applied subjects). It was established to contribute to expanding options in career decisions in physical education and sports-related fields in the future and to considering advancement to related graduate schools such as the Graduate School of Health Management. Although the structure is fundamentally different from the seminars in each faculty, a certificate (completion certificate) will be awarded to those who complete it. So, what specific seminars are there? Currently, the following three seminars are being developed.

Students will practically learn the know-how and theories for measuring high performance and conditioning in competitive sports. The know-how and theories learned will also be useful for undergraduate graduation theses and research when entering graduate school in the future.

With sports organizations (Athletic Association, clubs, etc.) in mind, students will confirm the organization's purpose, set goals, and discuss and practice methods of organizational leadership to achieve them. Through the management of sports organizations, we will nurture social leaders with a broad perspective.

We aim to produce leaders who solve social issues through social contributions and other means toward the realization of a sustainable world by utilizing the power of sports. To achieve personal growth as a celebrated leader, students will discuss what initiatives are necessary and conduct initiatives for practice while visiting advanced cases and local regions.

The seminar program is offered as physical education subjects established by the Institute of Physical Education (Spring Semester: Seminar Program I, Fall Semester: Seminar Program II). It is possible to take Seminar Program I and Seminar Program II across academic years, but to take Seminar Program II, one must have completed Seminar Program I. Those who wish to take each seminar program must have completed at least one credit from the physical education lectures or exercise subjects. For details, please check the Institute of Physical Education website. A certificate (completion certificate) will be awarded upon obtaining credits for Seminar Program I and Seminar Program II.

The Certificate Course: Seminar Program started after a three-year trial period with support from the Hiyoshi Project budget and other sources. To introduce some of the activities of Associate Professor Takataki Inami's Sports Science Seminar, a characteristic point is that Keio students from many faculties such as the Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business and Commerce, School of Medicine, and Faculty of Policy Management participated, with 25 students participating over the three years. What was learned in an exercise format in the spring semester was practiced in the fall semester, and a final results presentation was held.

The introduction of this seminar program is expected to lead to the strengthening of the educational system of this Institute and at the same time contribute to the development of physical education and sports education and research at Keio University. By constructing a system to acquire systematic knowledge by taking multiple lecture and exercise subjects, it will lead to the nurturing of human resources who will become university researchers, those who will pursue careers in sports management or coaching, those involved in the operation of various sports organizations, and those who will work for sports-related companies in the future. We hope that many Keio University alumni will be active as leaders in the physical education and sports world.