Higher Education SPROUT Project

With the combined effort of the faculty and students, the NCCU Higher Education Sprout Project has already achieved outstanding results. The four main themes of the university’s second stage plan are as follows and the major achievements of the university’s plan are also described:

[Diverse learning: Created the staff allocation system, removed the double minor requirements, joining the University System of Taiwan]

NCCU has established a faculty and student allocation system based on diverse learning, reaching a new milestone in higher education governance. NCCU has also removed limitations for minor departments and lowered the requirements for double majors. In February 2021, NCCU will officially join the University System of Taiwan. The system allows students to utilize domestic exchange programs and study in inter-universities courses and minor departments. This will increase opportunities for students to study engineering, science, and medicine. For diverse learning courses, including international, inter-universities and inter-disciplines courses, subsidies have been planned for 124 courses and 312 teachers are participating.

[International link: Lo Chia-luen International Sinology Chair, global Chinese language teaching, Austronesian Forum]

NCCU is the leading university in internationalization. The university enrolls over 2,300 international students from 80 different countries every year, accounting for 15% of the total number of students. In 2019, 657 students traveled to 45 different countries to participate in exchange programs in 267 different world-class universities, while 714 international students from 35 countries and 173 different universities were welcomed into NCCU. NCCU is ranked number one in Taiwan for the Overseas Exchange indicator of the 2021 QS Asian University Rankings. NCCU will continue to promote the “International Link for Chinese Culture: International Sinology and Chinese Language” and “Global and Regional Developments: Experiences in Taiwan and Asia”. The Lo Chia-luen International Sinology Chair, after academicians Yu Ying-shih and David Der-wei Wang, has invited academician Du Zheng-sheng to be the second chair. Scholarships have been established to subsidies visits from students in Harvard, UCLA, and other well-known institutions. The recent East Asian history and culture international credited program is promoting international sinology alongside Hiroshima University. Additionally, NCCU organized the Southeast Asia Sinology Summit. Regarding Chinese language teaching, the university has invited Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies, Williams College, Cornelius Kubler. The MIT x CLC x Chinese Language Massive Open Online Course has been co-created by NCCU and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Following the overseas research conducted in Ifugao, NCCU has organized Austronesian forums in 13 countries.

[e-Learning: Digital courses, information technology college]

Since before the pandemic, the university had already started implementing fully digital courses. After the pandemic started, NCCU expanded its digital, interactive courses (e-learning program) and has subsidized 18 courses with a total of 681 students. Furthermore, the university established the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education Center and Information Technology College to improve the university’s information technology and e-learning.

[Social responsibilities: Environmental and cultural sustainability, social enterprises, academia-industry collaboration, local connections]

NCCU places great importance on environmental sustainability. The university uses the 50 + 1 Social Enterprise to support local farmers, and will organize healthy cafeterias and implement agricultural education. In addition to supporting the two Ministry of Education USR initiatives, “Revitalizing Ankang, Bettering Wenshan Together” and “Improvements to Rural K-12 Humanities and Art and Technological Literacy”, the 3 USR hubs that promote local innovations are “Incubating Social Enterprises Through the Taipei Tea Road”, “Community Project for City Adjacent Mountains”, and “Indigenous Culture and Industries”, and NCCU will collaborate with the China University of Technology, Huafan University, and other schools to create local connections in the greater Wenshan area. The planning for international service and volunteers will be based on the Southeast Asia and Austronesia projects. Moreover, the planning of the “Indigenous People Course” and “Austronesia International Credited Program” is especially focused on cultural sustainability, with an emphasis on the promotion of indigenous language and culture.