CALST began as a small mutual-support reading group between two master’s students at different universities. Several years on, it now brings together members across institutions and career stages.
Timeline
December 18, 2018 — The first inter-university seminar
Tomoki Aburatani (M2) and Kento Koike (M1), then enrolled in master’s programs at different universities, held the first inter-university joint seminar — the starting point of what would become CALST.
July 1, 2020 — The ITS Study Group launches
Building on that seminar, the two co-founded the “Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) Study Group,” opening it primarily to master’s and doctoral students across Japan. The group has met every one to two weeks for two-hour sessions ever since, with participation steadily expanding across labs.
April 1, 2024 — Renamed to CALST
To reflect a broader thematic scope and an emphasis on building an international research community, the group was formally renamed to “CALST (Co-study Group on Advanced Learning Science and Technology).”