Higher Education SPROUT Project

Ⅰ. Excellence in Teaching and Achievements in International Collaboration

1. Teacher Recruitment: In the 2023 academic year, 146 candidates passed the official teacher selection process, marking a new high.


2. Encouraging Autonomous and Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Students participating in cross-disciplinary learning increased from 480 in 2022 to 644 in 2024, with NT$265,000 awarded in incentives. Additionally, 42 students were rewarded for completing 59 MOOC courses by October 2024. The university launched a campus-wide digital application system for innovative courses, which saw over 66,400 visits by October. One hundred thirty-nine innovative courses were offered in 2024, with 3,763 students enrolled.


3. Exploring Local Culture with Chiayi Tours Microcredit Courses: By 2024, 21 routes had been developed. To deepen local engagement and promote regional revitalization, the course was upgraded to a 2.0 version focusing on industries, adding four new courses integrating local culture and industries.


4. Outstanding Performance in Competitions: The Coffee Research Club collaborated with the Chiayi Coffee Festival, earning second and fourth place in the National Pour-Over Coffee Competition. Department of Applied Physics students won bronze at the National Science Debate Competition with their "Ping-pong Rocket" project. For their research, financial technology students were awarded Best Paper at the ICIM 2024 International Conference.


5. International Collaboration and Campus Globalization: Partnered with sister schools in Thailand and Japan to host the 3rd Trilateral Symposium on SDGs. The Music Department's wind ensemble became the first Taiwanese group invited to the WASBE World Conference in South Korea, receiving high international acclaim. International teaching courses were also conducted, featuring scholars from Harvard University and the University of Texas, broadening global perspectives for faculty and students.

II. Promoting Social Responsibility and Cultural Development

1. Establishing the Chiayi City and Six Universities Sustainable Practice Platform: Collaborated with the Chiayi City Government to drive local sustainable development initiatives.


2. Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship: In 2024, supported two student teams in participating in the U-Start Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. One of the team received a first-phase subsidy of NT$500,000, showcasing outstanding entrepreneurial capabilities.


3. Community Service in Elder Care: Student teams conducted courses at eldercare centers, completing 14 sessions between 2023 and 2024. These efforts involved 89 student participants and benefited 220 elderly individuals.


4. Fostering Local Art Education: Held 11 concerts from 2023 to July 2024, attracting over 1,700 attendees, including faculty, students, and the public. Additionally, I performed a symphony at the 37th Taiwan-Korea Tourism Exchange Conference, enhancing international cultural exchange through the arts.

1. Promoting Agri-Food Education: Conducted 44 agri-food education activities with 106 participants from the university and 2,234 participants from external communities, offering children hands-on agricultural experiences and knowledge dissemination on food and agriculture.


2. The Department of Food Science secured two new patents. Hosted seven industry briefings with corporate partners and facilitated internships for 18 students.


3. Establishing a Smart Medicinal Herb Cultivation Base: Built an AIoT-driven base, collecting 25 herbal samples and developing a molecular database.


4. The university's science outreach team participated in the Chiayi Science 168 Education Expo, science trains, and other events, engaging over 4,000 participants to promote science literacy.


5. Undergraduate Research Excellence: In 2024, 159 student research proposals were submitted to the under the National Science Committee College Student Research Scholarship, with 66 approved—a 41.51% success rate, the highest in the past five years. Total approved funding reached NT$3.5 million.

IV. Data-Driven University Development and Diverse Support: Advancing Educational Equity

1. Optimizing Institutional Research (IR) Platform: By October 2024, completed 182 IR analysis charts and updated data for ten key topics. The first Gender Representation Report for the 2023 Academic Year was released, highlighting the effectiveness of fostering a gender-friendly campus.


2. Enhanced Financial Aid through Safe Learning Scholarships: Provided scholarships to 1,720 students in 2024, totaling NT$12.11 million, a significant increase in recipients compared to the previous year.


3. Indigenous student activity participation increased to 9.56% in 2024, a 0.6% rise from the previous year. Held ten Indigenous cultural promotion courses between 2023 and 2024, attracting 403 participants and deepening awareness and appreciation of Indigenous culture among faculty, staff, and students.