This study provides an understanding of the necessity for diversity in the development of manufacturing personnel, i.e., the effects of changing awareness and acquiring basic knowledge of diversity and inclusion (D&I). To understand diversity and inclusion, which are closely related to the realization of diversity that is important in STEAM education, it is necessary for learners to be familiar and comfortable with these issues. To this end, an experiential learning cycle framework was used in this study to design learning activities and familiarize students with the aforementioned issues. A gender specialist and an engineer with physical disabilities were invited as guest lecturers, and activities were designed to deepen students’ understanding through interactive discussions. Students gained an understanding of the importance and necessity of D&I through the learning activities and discussions with the instructors. After the class, some students were able to connect the newly acquired knowledge to its relevance for their own research. This might have been partly due to the instructor’s demonstration of an electric wheelchair and a customized automobile. Understanding diversity is important for future development of manufacturing personnel, and learning methods must be continuously examined and evaluated for effectiveness.
OZEKI et al. (Thu,) studied this question.