“Ningen Ryoku”: The Japanese Way in Inculcating Human Skill into Engineering Education

At the newly formed Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) based at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Kuala Lumpur, the inspiration and philosophy is taken from the idea of inculcating a Japanese style of education into Malaysian engineering degree programmes. A central component of this approach is a human-centred curriculum with specific emphasis on soft skill development and the nurturing of strong environmental values. ‘Ningen Ryoku’ – translated as ‘Human Skill’ from Japanese – is a series of 2 credit courses which bachelor students will take alongside their core technical classes throughout their degree. This paper sets out the approach and practicality of the first Ningen Ryoku course for MJIIT Bachelor Degree Engineering Programme as it ran September 2011 to January 2012. Experience of the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of engaging first year students with largely non-technical knowledge and soft skills development are discussed. It is hoped this paper will serve as a platform for discussion on how Malaysian engineering departments can engage on student and human-centred issues.