Rapid Support and Ease of Use for Overseas Bases: Realizing Operational Efficiency

Serving approximately 280 students from Kindergarten to College Prep

Could you start by describing your business?

Our institution operates two primary business divisions: 'Gakushu-juku Hinoki' and 'Hinoki Hoshuko.' First, 'Gakushu-juku Hinoki' is an academic preparatory school that provides entrance exam coaching specifically geared toward middle school, high school, and university admissions for returnee students. With the goal of helping students gain admission to their schools of choice, we provide instruction designed to build academic proficiency in a step-by-step manner.

On the other hand, 'Hinoki Hoshuko' is a supplementary school that provides education based on Japanese textbooks for Japanese children residing abroad. We conduct our lessons in accordance with the academic grade-level progress followed in Japan.

We take pride in the fact that a school offering both 'preparatory coaching for returnee entrance exams' and 'textbook-based supplementary education' simultaneously is a rarity, not only in North America but also on a global scale. Currently, we have approximately 280 students enrolled across a wide age range, from kindergarten through to university applicants. Our faculty and staff consist of 11 Japanese faculty members.

What are the key priorities in your teaching approach?

To compete in Japanese entrance exams, students must maintain the same academic level as students residing in Japan. We provide meticulous, ground-up instruction tailored to these high standards.

English instruction is a prime example; conversational English used in daily life abroad is often insufficient for the technical rigor of Japanese exams. Even returnees with Grade 1 Eiken certification may only score 60% on an entrance exam. Our mission is to bridge that gap.

Please tell us about your background and area of expertise. 

My career began during my university years, when I started working as a part-time instructor at a private one-on-one tutoring school. After gaining approximately three years of teaching experience, I briefly stepped away from the classroom during my senior year; however, upon graduation, I accepted a full-time position at a group instruction academy in Saitama Prefecture.

In 1996, I decided to move to the United States. I interviewed with a learning center in New Jersey that served Japanese children living abroad, obtained my visa, and officially relocated in October of that same year.

In 2002, I moved to Irvine, California, where I have remained ever since. I have now lived abroad for approximately 29 years. Over my 38-year career as an educator, I have primarily specialized in instruction for Mathematics and Science.

Please describe the characteristics of Irvine, California, where your school is located.

In recent years, I have observed a growing number of Japanese residents in Irvine. Although there were previously several other learning centers in this area, they gradually withdrew due to various factors, such as business management challenges or declining student enrollment. As a result, our institution now stands as the remaining school dedicated to providing academic support for Japanese children residing in this region.

"We Reached a Breaking Point" — The Catalyst for Considering e-Learning

Could you tell us about the background behind the implementation of e-learning?

The primary catalyst was the realization that our traditional methods of operation had reached their limit due to the growth in our student body.

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we transitioned to remote classes and temporarily accepted students from other schools, leading to a temporary surge in enrollment. Once we resumed in-person instruction, even more students joined us, bringing our total enrollment to over 200.

Consequently, the administrative burden of distributing materials and handling communications via email escalated rapidly, making efficient management increasingly difficult.

What specific challenges did you face regarding operations?

At the time, we were sending all materials and announcements via individual emails. Since the content varied by grade and class, every correction or resend required significant time and effort.

As my wife and I were the only two full-time staff members, we handled the vast majority of administrative tasks ourselves. It was not uncommon to spend two to three hours a day solely on email correspondence.

That is a substantial workload. Was it in response to those circumstances that you began considering an e-learning system?

I was impressed when I observed local American schools utilizing web-based platforms for the centralized management of distributed materials. In response, we attempted to set up a dedicated members-only page on our own website; however, it was unfortunately hacked just two weeks after launch, rendering the site unusable.

This experience made me realize that learning management requires a dedicated system with robust security, which led to our decision to implement a formal e-learning platform.

User-Friendliness and Reliable Support Drove the Implementation

How did you first learn about learningBOX, and what aspects caught your interest?

We were first introduced to learningBOX by the president of the company handling our website production, who suggested it as a system that seemed to meet our specific functional requirements.

We began by using the trial ( Free Plan), with our instructors acting as students to test the system. Operations such as creating groups, assigning participants, and updating registrations when changing courses were exceptionally smooth (Manage contents), which gave us a strong impression of its ease of use.

 Viewing permissions also allows us to display specific materials only to those who were absent, for example, and I found this feature was highly intuitive for student and parents.

With various international services available, what was the deciding factor in choosing learningBOX?

The ability to receive support in Japanese provided an unparalleled sense of security. Although the system is intuitive, we naturally encountered questions during the early stages of implementation; the thorough and polite explanations we received at those times were very impressive.

Another major factor was that the support went beyond simple troubleshooting—the staff took the time to understand our specific situation and brainstormed solutions alongside us. This dedicated attitude of seeing an issue through to the end reflects the meticulousness unique to Japanese companies and was a significant driver in our decision to adopt the system.

A Smooth Launch Driven by Ground-Level Initiative

Did the transition from implementation to full-scale operation go smoothly?

Yes, it was even smoother than I had imagined. Our part-time instructors are primarily women in their 40s and 50s, yet they all began using the system without any significant resistance. Even those working only twice a week were able to operate it without issue within about two weeks. I felt the overall structure of the system was very intuitive and easy to understand.

Were there any specific strategies or efforts you employed during the rollout?

By chance, one of our part-time instructors was particularly tech-savvy and took a leading role in the process. As I was busy balancing teaching with management and could not dedicate significant resources to the rollout, this instructor proactively learned the operations and shared that knowledge with others.

Thanks to this initiative, the system became naturally integrated into our workplace without me having to provide extensive explanations, allowing for a seamless start to operations.

Could you tell us specifically how you have been using learningBOX since its implementation?

We primarily use it for distributing materials and viewing lesson videos. We also use it to send out email newsletters and accept event registrations.

The handouts we distribute include PDFs of "Kanji Tests," "Monthly Math/Arithmetic Test Prep Problems," and "English Vocabulary Tests" originally created in Word. Since monthly tests from our partner academies arrive as PDFs, we upload them to learningBOX and have students take the exams at home.

Leveraging Convenient Features to Drastically Improve Operational Efficiency

After using learningBOX, what points do you find particularly convenient or user-friendly? 

I find the ability to duplicate content and assign it to different groups particularly useful (Edit Course Menu). Additionally, the ability to swap out content smoothly allows us to complete corrections in a very short amount of time, which is a great help.

Recently, we have begun using the "Questionnaire" function for event registrations. Previously, we distributed PDFs that each household had to print, fill out, and submit; now, they can respond directly on learningBOX. This has reduced the burden on parents and made management much easier for us.

We announce these questionnaire via the "Notice" function, and placing a link within the body of the notice allows users to access the survey screen instantly, which is very convenient.

Under our previous paper-based system, registration records were scattered and managing the tabulation was complex. Now, we can review responses in a single list and export them in CSV format, which has drastically improved our work efficiency (Manage grades).

How do you feel about the learningBOX sales and support?

We are very satisfied. From before the implementation to the present day, they have always responded politely and thoroughly whenever we have an inquiry.

Reducing Paper Consumption from Three Boxes of 5,000 Sheets per Month to Nearly Zero

What specific results have you achieved since implementing learningBOX?

The most significant change is that individual follow-ups with students and parents have become virtually unnecessary. By making all required materials available for download on learningBOX, we no longer need to send individual emails or materials to students who miss class.

As mentioned, event registrations—which were previously paper-based—are now handled online using the "Access period" setting. Since the system automatically closes registrations after the deadline, we no longer have to manually decline late applications.

Paper usage has also been drastically reduced. By posting materials and announcements on learningBOX, our use of paper has almost disappeared. Previously, we were using three boxes of A4 paper (5,000 sheets per box) every month.

What specific changes have occurred in terms of management?

Full-time staff and instructors have been able to reduce their workload by approximately five hours per week. This allows us to dedicate more time to lesson preparation and curriculum research. We have also seen a significant change for our part-time instructors.

In the past, they were occasionally contacted by parents even on their days off. However, now that all information sharing is centralized on learningBOX, inquiries outside of working hours have essentially ceased.

Are there any other positive changes resulting from the implementation?

Since we started utilizing the "Notification" function, the response time from parents has become much faster. Upon receiving a notification, they access the link and respond immediately, so cases of parents forgetting to register for an event have almost entirely disappeared.

Furthermore, instructors can now prepare materials whenever they have free time and schedule them for delivery using the "Access period" setting, which has greatly increased the flexibility of our work hours. Very few overseas classrooms have such comprehensive member-only sites, so parents seem to find it extremely convenient.

Iterating on Usage Methods to Create an Effective Learning Environment

What are your broader goals for the future?

At this stage, our use of learningBOX is centered on material distribution and communication, and I feel the foundation is now well-established. Moving forward, I want to explore more advanced ways to use the system, perhaps by utilizing long-term school breaks.

Specifically, for our short quizzes in Japanese and English, we have yet to fully leverage learningBOX. I plan to first work with the instructors in charge to experiment with "Create Quiz/Exam" and organize how we can better integrate these features into daily learning.

Thank you very much for your valuable insights!