National Ilan University Project Highlights
Project Highlights 2020

National Ilan University Higher Education SPROUT Project – 2020 Results Presentation


1.Realize Teaching Innovation and Elevate Teaching Quality

A.  Promotion of “4 Years for One Problem” Course Series; Strengthening Professional Pragmatic Ability
Aside from centering on “4 Years for One Problem” courses to strength interpersonal interactions, team work, and pragmatic abilities, etc. between students, all departments in the university added a “freshmen camp” starting in the new 2020 academic year, which further enhances the students’ understanding of the “4 Years for One Problem” courses, in turn strengthening the interpersonal interactions, team work, and pragmatic abilities between students.

B. Utilize Featured Course to Enhance the Chinese Reading/Writing Ability and the Humanistic Quality of the Students
Through the establishment of the course “Chinese Creative Cultural Writing and Features” that is interlinked with local history, National Ilan University aims to increase the learning interests of the students, to spark the sensitivity of the students to his/her surroundings and to enhance the imagination of students in creative writing, which shall be accomplished by guiding students with literacy works by well-known writers and incorporating landscape scenarios and school literature. For example, literacy awards and competitions, which include “Gueishan Island Literacy Awards” and “Photo Competition,” will be hosted. Also, courses such as “Local Traditional Chinese Opera” will be opened.       

C. Five Major Groups of Student Communities Motivating Students to Self-Learn
The University actively promotes students’ self-learn community system, as well as hosts results presentations and competitions to acknowledge and award excellent communities. Through interactive discussions and experience sharing between colleagues, learning plans can thus be jointly completed, thereby strengthening self-learning ability, fostering an attitude of lifelong learning, and instilling the habit of problem-solving by oneself. The types of student communities include: LOHAS, Digital Technology, Professional Talents (competition and accreditation), Multi-Cultural and Startup Dreams. The yearly average applications is between 65~75 cases. After verification, 43~49 cases are approved, which is approximately 400 students that encompasses all 15 departments.
 

2.Develop School Features

A.Elevate R&D Energy: As of the year 2020, the work-study program of National Ilan University broke through 2.24 billion dollars, advancing the school into the “Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021” listings, receiving international recognition. Of 156 universities in Taiwan, only 38 universities are included. Internationally, National Ilan University is ranked at 1001+. Within Taiwan, NIU ranks at 15 among “Best Comprehensive Universities of Taiwan.”

B.Establish Innovation Incubation Colleges: With the integration of innovative and creative fields such as the Innovation Incubation Center, I3E Center, Drone Application Research Center, Agricultural Products Value-Adding Sample Center, and Incubation of Small Farmers to serve as the basis, students’ micro startups can be realized, which in turn promotes a maker mindset among students, ultimately initiating a campus-wide trend.      

3.Raise Accessibility of Higher Education
A. Raise the enrollment opportunity of culturally-deprived students or students with economic hardships: Provide interview aids to students with economic hardships or culturally-deprived students, as well as to raise the enrollment quota. Assist students to better understand the university and provide academic and living counseling. In compliance with the policies of the Ministry of Education, National Ilan University has raised the additional admission placement quota from 2% to 5% for fields/subjects that are more desired by the societal needs of the indigenous population. In the 2020 academic year, 14.8% of our total enrollment quota is offered to the aforementioned students.   

B.Learning and Economic Assistance for Indigenous Students: Provide indigenous students with “Part-Time Job Scholarship.” Indigenous Students Resource Center shall check up on students’ learning status on a regular basis, and ask him/her if any relevant assistance is necessary. To strength the common practices of studying among indigenous students, two sessions of lesson reviewing activity shall be conducted each semester, along with course/homework help at designated spots to offer assistance to the students. The aforementioned methods shall solve the most common problems students may have on the same subject, in turn effectively improving studying conditions while also raising the motivation for learning.         

C.School Affairs Research Assists in the Execution of School Affairs Management: Handling of Professionalizing Student Recruitment in the Year 2020, Faculty Structure Analysis, Administrative Manpower… etc., totaling 16 topics for an in-depth analysis.

4.Fulfillment of Social Responsibility
A.USR HUB and USR Realizing University Social Responsibility
Through government-industry-university collaboration, NIU has signed an USR (University Social Responsibility) Cooperation Agreement with the local government, in addition to signing a “Yilan District USR Alliance Letter of Intent” with the local colleges in the Yilan district, jointly realizing University Social Responsibility. In 2020, NIU formed the USR HUB, approved 5 cases in total, which are: “I-Wood, I would, Start with Yilan,” “Retire Locally, Moving the Elderly into an Happy Community – Facilitation of LOHAS and Talent Cultivation,” “Guidance, Promotion and Elevation of Agricultural Technology for the Yilan District,” “Yilan-Suao Soda Sparkling Springs Circular Economy Green Innovation Plan,” and “Gotta be Small – Small Farmers Development Plan.” On the other hand, two cases are USR projects, ehich are: “Tayal Tribal Industry Vitalization Project” and “Realize Mountain Spirit, Constructing Sustainable Agricultural Villages.” 

B.Digital Study Companions and Tomorrow School, Devoted Accompaniment, and Offering of Guidance for Learning to Students in Remote Areas
The digital study companionship project has recruited from NIU to form several maker teams, performing online one-on-one after-school guidance to help students in remote areas (in middle school or under) to learn, allowing students in remote areas to feel the notion of “Remote Area is No Longer a Hindrance, Devoted Accompaniment Offers a Bright Future.” In 2020, NIU participated in educational services in remote areas, which recruited 211 university companions, successfully matched up 152 individuals in total. Utilizing online one-on-one afterschool guidance method, the project centered on servicing 55 disadvantaged students (middle school or lower) in remote areas, totaling up to 330 hours of online instruction in the end. Additionally, Tomorrow School had also recruited NIU students to provide schoolwork help for the disadvantaged students. In the 2020 academic year, the county of Yilan collaborated with 11 elementary schools, servicing 382 individuals, with 97 afterschool instructors. By the end of the academic year, 60 students have finished, while approximately 50 more cases have opened.