Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is one of the assessment methods used in the clinical education of acupuncture and moxibustion, by which Tanzawa et al. successfully conducted a systematic study. Beginning with their success, in recent years, OSCE has been introduced in the clinical education of acupuncture and moxibustion and has attracted researchers' attention.
In this report, we examine various types of educational methods used in the clinical education of acupuncture and moxibustion. To assess the methods, we used “Practice by Simulation”, a practicum introduced by our school in 1993, with the Rashomon Model, a method of developing and assessing curriculums. In addition, we discussed the usefulness of the practicum based on the students' achievements.
The studied “Practice by Simulation” class is summarized below. For this class, the General Instructional Objective (GIO) was to learn the clinical skills necessary for clinical treatment by acupuncture and moxibustion and to improve motivation as a practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion while cultivating problem-solving ability. This class introduces the role-play method as a teaching strategy, and utilizes review sessions between the faculty and students and between the students. When this method of interaction is applied to the class, any member of the faculty must take creative actions according to the circumstance in response to the students' opinions and suggestions. In this case, importance is placed on “competence as a professional teacher”, which is one of the features of the Rashomon Model, because the class may thus develop beyond expectations. For this class, the teachers evaluate the students' achievements generally based on the observations and records of their contributions to the class and their positive attitudes in the discussions as well as short essays on the assigned subject by comparing with the defined GIO.
More than 70% of the students answered “yes” to the questions “Are you interested in this class?” and “Do you think it is useful?”, showing that “Practice by Simulation” with the Rashomon Model was useful. We will conduct a further study on this subject considering the students' psychological transformations.

The fifty first academic meeting of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was held this year. Atthis time, the number of members has increased, and now exceeds 2, 900 people. Quality and quantity have changed greatly, and the academic meeting expands.
How are members affected by the change and expansion of such an academic meeting? Moreover, does an academic meeting or the relations among members affect the activities of various academic meetings, and can those activities be maintained?
This time, a membership survey was carried out focusing on the critical issues cited above. The survey for the year 2001 was mailed to all academic meeting staff in November-December. The response rate was 21.5% of 632 questionnaires sent This survey is the foundation material from which the future of our academic society will be considered.
The following survey results are presented. 1) Members over 50 years old comprised 45.8% reflecting a tendency toward an older membership. 2) As for the members' professional qualifications, “Acupuncturist” comprised 88.9%. Other designations such as “Annma-Massage-Acupressure therapist” comprised 40%. 3) Members working as “acupuncture moxibustion mentors” comprised 61.3%. This was thought to influence a motive for participatingin academic meetings, the degree of satisfaction with the academic meeting, their relationship with the academic society and research reports they would expect on the journal 4) Evaluation of the general usefulness of the authorization system (qualified acupuncturist) varies. The significance of this system needs to be discussed.

Recently, education for persons providing medical treatment has changed greatly due to remarkable progress in various life science fields. Regarding education for persons providing acupuncture and moxibustion, acquisition of modern medical knowledge related to social needs as well as acupuncture and moxibustion medical science is appropriate for practitioners of acupuncture and moxibustion who are able to develop their abilities by receiving such background training.
Therefore, radical plans to check the educational contents and unify the curriculum are being developed, focusing on the core curriculum in order to achieve curriculum reform. This paper discusses the issues underlying such curriculum reform plans. The core-curriculum in medical education is a so-called minimum requirement. However, a liberal education supports that curriculum and provides an important knowledge base. There is also an education ideology that is important to that goal. In other words, education ideology can be considered as the core in curriculum.

Purpose
We evaluated the degree of “learning skills” and “the will to learn” among students in an Acupuncture and Moxibustion course by investigating their awareness and determining the dominant causes of the results of this investigation.
Methods
At the end of October 1996, we delivered questionnaires to 185 students in the 3rd year of our Acupuncture and Moxibustion course. Responses were collected from 141 students (76.2% of surveyed. Survey was conducted anonymously in each class. As analysis methods, we selected variance analysis and factor analysis. The former was selected to determine the distribution of student attributes, while the latter was done to extract and examine latent factors in the students.
Results
1) As a result of the variance analysis, it was suggested that the main results of each survey involved the age factor.
2) Among the questions whose loading rate showed 0.6 or more (absolute value), we detected the following latent factors :
(1) Regarding “the skill of learning”, we called the first factor “the ability to grasp key points” (showed a minus direction), the second factor “the ability to deepen understanding”, the third factor “the subsidiary skills” (minus direction), and the fourth factor “the ability to relate”.
(2) Concerning “the will to learn”, we called the first factor “the will to pursue problems”, the second “the will to participate in classes”, the third “the will to take up challenging tasks” (minusdirectlon), and the fourth “the will to create a learning schedule” (minus direction).
Consideration and Conclusion
Regarding “learning skills” and “the will to learn”, we conclude following about the students' attributes :
1) Age is a large factor.
2) Among the four factors involved in “learning skills”, “the ability to grasp key points” and “subsidiary skills” are factors that students were weak in, while “the ability to deepen understanding” and “the ability to relate” are skills students were strong in. Concerning “the will to learn”, “the will to pursue problems” and “the will to participate in classes” were stronger, while “the will to take up challeng tasks” and “the will to create a learning schedule” were weaker.

Purpose : Students have been trained and socialized as professionals called Acupuncture and Moxibustion trainers during the process from entering to professional schools through graduation. Then, are they aware of what their studies are doing for them?
In the following, we will explain our analyses after investigating whether students care about future uncertainties using questionnaires to survey Acupuncture and Moxibustion majors. The questionnaire was designed by the author, Mr. Kawai, to focus on the student's view of the future.
Methods : Of all 3rd year students in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion course of professional schools in Japan, we examined 591 questionnaires (this represents 82% of the 3rd year students).
Results : First of all, during the entire three years of school life, there were 73 students (12.4%), who had been concerned about future uncertainties, while there were 450 students (76.7%), who had never thought about it. Now, we will explain some of these results as follows.
1. The motivation towards study is “Clinical Training” regardless of whether the student cares about the future.
2. In the future, students hope to become leaders after graduation, the number of the students, who have thought of setting up their own clinics, was 60.6%; however, of those who have not considered it, the number was 81.2 %.
Observation : 1. “Clinical Training” can be considered the strongest motivation for students as they pursue their studies. 2. Uncertainty about the future affects what students will do after graduation.

Educational Research was carried out in a joint national survey by questionnaire in a school for the visually impaired and a vocational school in joint research with Anma-Massage-Shiatsu and Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy, aiming at collecting fundamental materials that examine the way of the future of the therapy.
The collection rate for the questionnaire was 71.4% for schools for the visually impaired and 68.3% from the vocational schools (70.3% in total as of August 16, 2006).
When examining the survey results and paying attention to the common and different points between the schools for the visually impaired and the vocational schools, we reviewed the present conditions and subjects in the curriculum reform. We recognized the actual conditions and problems in today's curriculum reform in a comparison of both schools.
We would be pleased if this study became an opportunity to enter a new phase for “Anma-Massage-Shiatsu and acupuncture and moxibustion therapy education”, while respecting the situations of schools for the visually impaired and vocational schools.

[Objective] The increasing number of acupuncture and moxibustion training schools as well as the diversity of new student and patient needs is changing the educational environment of practitioners of Amma massage, acupuncture, and moxibustion. This raises the question whether the present curriculum can meet the challenges presented by these changes. This study presents the findings of a questionnaire survey designed to elucidate basic data relevant to the creation of the ideal curriculum.
[Methods] A questionnaire was sent to a total of 111 schools nationwide, comprising 70 training schools for the visually impaired and 41 vocational schools affiliated with the Society of Oriental Medicine. The staff member responsible for curriculum organization in each school completed the questionnaire.
[Concluding remarks] The response rate was 70.3% (78/111 schools). The questionnaire survey revealed that one group of individuals was responsible for the curriculum. It was also made clear that education was advancing, not by a fundamental curriculum-based teaching system, but by individual teaching staff.
Ensuring future development in the education system for practitioners of Amma massage, acupuncture, and moxibustion will require introducing a core curriculum. Discussion is also necessary.

We investigated intrinsic and extrinsic training methods and their effects on performance and learning among total number moxibustion students. The group of self-taught students learned moxa-cone preparation and use by using an instrument to measure moxa burning temperature and time and evaluating their own performance. And the other group of students learning from teacher learned by having their performance evaluated by a teacher without the use of the instrument.
While there was no difference in performance between two groups, comparison of subjective student self-reports indicates that self-evaluation with the use of instrument provides greater subjective confidence of having learned.
Conclusion: “Deepening in quality of practical training in moxibustion” corresponds to “provides greater subjective confidence of having learned”.

We investigated the relationship between the effects of performance and motivation on intrinsic and extrinsic training methods of moxibustion among the total number of students in our class. The students were assigned to perform moxibustion by two methods; (1) the students were self-taught and learned moxa cone preparation and use by employing an instrument that measures moxa burning temperature and time, and then evaluated their own performance; (2) the students had their performance evaluated by the teacher without the use of the instrument.
The students' motivation for learning moxibustion was estimated by the S. D. (Semantic Differential) method, a rating scale, and by the descriptions of the student's impressions.
Motivation was different according to the performance of the two methods. The comparison of the students subjective self-reports indicates that self-evaluation with the use of the instrument provides stronger self-confidence and motivation, thus method 1 has advantages.
Conclusion:
A comparison of the students' reactions suggests that the stronger motivation of the students regarding their practical training was due to the fact that method 1 was more interesting since the students could monitor the temperature by using the instrument.

Regarding practical training in moxibustion according to the Course of Study (Oriental Medicine College Association, 1990), an experimental new teaching resource was used —a burning temperature sensor at the moxa cone. The purpose of this study was an attempt to improve and enrich practical training in moxibustion.
Forty-five daytime freshman were involved in the study. They were given 2 hours of practical training in moxibustion in a class according to our own lesson plan, which was especially made for that purpose.
As a result of this trial method, the following important points became evident:
1. The students can easily make a self evaluation.
2. The goal and content of the student's education can become broader.
3. Objective evaluation is possible.
The above mentioned points, and perhaps others, regarding education in practical training in moxibustion will become more apparent.
In conclusion, if the use of a temperature sensor in moxibustion is added to the Course of Study, the efficiency level of practical training in moxibustion will increase.