Higher Education SPROUT Project

        This year, National United University (NUU) adopted several approaches to actively facilitate the reform of teaching and learning. One is the Flexible Pay for Exceptional Teaching Personnel Guidelines for encouraging outstanding teachers who are dedicated to teaching and talent cultivation. Diverse courses, workshops, and competitions that stimulate students’ learning interests and strengthen their basic language skills were arranged, aiming to enhance students’ Chinese, English, and programming language skills. Furthermore, the Big Data Intelligence Analysis Program and the Ju Keng Food and Agriculture Industrial Technology Program were established to provide students with more diversified options for developing their interdisciplinary professional knowledge. In addition, the Freshmen Competence Growth Camp was promoted for the first time and separately held in 10 departments. Through short-term and intensive learning projects and actual practice, freshmen explored knowledge of professional fields under guidance, and the events were well-received. A programming base and smart film studio were also constructed to offer teachers and students a high-quality teaching and learning environment and reinforce students’ professional abilities through practical training. Compared with 2018, NUU initiated two extra interdisciplinary and industrial credit programs this year; undergraduate students taking basic digital courses and programming language courses increased by 3.1%, and an additional 323 students participated in off campus internships.

        To enhance the research energy of i²GO Tech, NUU proactively encourages teachers to conduct interdisciplinary research with such a focus. In 2019, NUU received grants for eight projects, established two hospital–academia collaborative applications, and established two university features research centers (add the Long-Term Care Development and Digital Service Research Center in 2019) to integrate resources, implement interdisciplinary programs, and convene result presentations for medical industrial research. Moreover, NUU established two smart laboratories for research, development, and teaching as well as the international master’s program of translational medicine for integrating courses of intellectual techniques and applications, with five students being enrolled in 2019. To expand international academic exchanges, NUU enhanced its internationalization through all types of international seminars and competitions, overseas exchanges for teachers and students, sister school visits, distance-teaching platforms, overseas teaching programs, and foreign language camps. To combine, promote, and develop local and characteristic cultures, NUU compiled indigenous and Hakka teaching materials, initiated courses concerning Hakka industrial culture and innovation, developed a Chinese-language tourism app, arranged indigenous expert consultations and training with a teaching platform, and held Hakka craft and creative exhibitions.

        To fulfill social responsibility and promote social mobility, NUU has accepted more disadvantaged students through special recruitment and individual admission; provided such students with learning guidance; and convened bilateral teacher–student forums, competence consultations, and workshops for enhancing students’ mentality and self-learning effectiveness. Corporate fundraising was proactively implemented to provide disadvantaged students with financial aid, free them from financial difficulties, and enable them to focus on their studies. NUU also collected the demands of 18 administrative districts, authorized 14 cases under the Taiwan Experience Education Program accordingly, offered on-site teacher and student services, and organized a student volunteer support mechanism for the disadvantaged. The effectiveness of promoting sustainable smart campus facilities, water-saving behavior, and renewable energies was favorable. To optimize the service quality of campus facilities, an application model was designed in the library for increasing teaching effectiveness; in addition, an e-book education and training project and sleepover activity were held for local junior high and elementary school students to utilize library resources, which enabled NUU to strengthen local connections and employ resources in Miaoli for local demands. The Office of Institutional Research established a platform for the long-term tracking of learning processes and effectiveness, analyzed students’ learning effectiveness and school affairs governance, and further convened seminars and workshops, with the expectation of improving teaching quality. In 2019, the accountability council was founded to enhance and examine the effectiveness of school governance.

        In 2019, NUU had the following focuses for fulfilling its social responsibility: (1) To adhere to the spirit of local care, increase communication and interaction between new immigrants and Taiwanese, and enhance basic education for second-generation immigrants, the NUU Chinese Language Center held seven Chinese workshops for new immigrants and after-school programs for second-generation immigrants with the Miaonan New Immigration Family Service Center, with 91 new immigrants from four countries (Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and China) participating in the events. (2) In response to Taiwan’s aging society, NUU considered it one of the major focuses of social responsibility development and invited Hsieh Chi-Kuo, a folk artisan and winner of the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award, to pass down traditional folk artistry to rural students in Mingde Elementary School as well as his experience and wisdom to the next generation, anticipating the promotion of older adults’ value in social inheritance and services. (3) Given the concerns of the conservation of endangered animals, NUU organized two maker workshops on leopard cat conservation. Students employed computer graphic technologies, laser cutting machines, and metal art techniques to design their own works of leopard cats, which raised concerns for leopard cats and cultivated the maker spirit of local students.