The "Global Technology Architects Course (GAC)"is a special course designed for students pursuing global careers through which they can contribute to the development of a global society using highly advanced skills and practical creativeness in science and technology. A welcome party for new students enrolled in this course in 2020 was held "online."

The "Online Welcome Party 2020" was organized by the Global House Student Committee (GHSC) and GAC volunteer students. They had originally been preparing the party to meet in person and deepen exchanges while talking over snacks and playing team games. However, the spread of the new coronavirus made it impossible. After thinking it over, they decided to welcome the new students and interact with them online.

• ■Schedule
  Thursday, April 2, 2020 16:00-18:00
• ■Program
  1. Recreation
  2. Activity introduction by current students
  3. Provision Living tips

The welcome party was held using a combination of Zoom and Slack. A total of about 60 GAC freshmen and current students, faculty, and staff attended.

The first program was "recreation". Participants collaboratively created a shape of triangle, a heart, and the G from GAC in windows lined up in the breakout rooms. Taking screenshots of the items, they then played a team competition to see which team could make the best shape. Each team voted to decide which team won, while praising each other's shapes. In the breakout room, participants got to know new friends, introducing themselves and chatting and discussing their collaborative work.

Next, current students introduced the new students to the activities of TUT Global House, university club activities, and off-campus events at the plenary session.

In the final program, held again in the breakout rooms, current students answered questions about life at TUT. All of GAC's undergraduates live in a shared house style accommodation, "TUT Global House," where both international and Japanese students live together. Senior students shared useful information about adapting to the new way of life, such as how to create a comfortable space in the shared house style accommodation, where facilities like supermarkets were and so on.

To finish, participants returned to the plenary session and took an online group photo. The party ended with a smile, everyone vowing to make the best use of their new connections from the welcome party and make campus life fruitful.

Although it was their first experience of an online party, participants seemed to enjoy the time. It was especially important that students were able to get in touch with each other at the beginning of the new academic year, given the difficult at this moment to interact, due to university closures and the cancellation of events where people could meet face-to-face. Since then, interaction has continued through Slack.