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.

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Subproject 1: Highlights of implementing innovation in teaching and improving teaching quality

Highlight 1: Strengthening students’ ability to apply media technology and establishing the NUU Professional Drone Pilot Team

        To facilitate diversity in students’ learning, broaden their vision, and cultivate talents in drone application technology, NUU initiated its drone training program for the first time this year, in cooperation with the Miaoli Unmanned Aircraft Systems Innovation and Development Association, which guided teachers and students in acquiring knowledge about the current development of the drone industry, the basic principles of flight and flight safety awareness, and the regulations of the Civil Aeronautics Administration; they were also guided in skill practice such as machine assembly and simulated flight training. Through training in both knowledge and skills as well as the construction of the professional capabilities of teachers and students, the NUU Professional Drone Pilot Team was formed.

Figure 1-1 Students assembling drones and flying them outdoors during the training program

Highlight 2: Creating a high-quality learning environment and enhancing students’ professional skills

For reinforcing students’ practical operating and problem-solving abilities, NUU organized training camps (i.e., the Robot Application Camp, PLC Electric Vehicle Motor Control Camp, KENCAD Power Distribution Design and Computer Aided Design Camp, Front-End Basic Programming Training Session, and Java Basic Practice Training Program) to extend standard curriculum topics, improve students’ practical operating ability, and enable them to respond to different requirements after they enter the workplace in the future. Furthermore, NUU proactively optimized the teaching environment and established a programming base and smart film studio, with the expectation of increasing teaching quality and providing students with an environment more conducive to learning and hands-on practice.

Figure 1-2 Photographs of students strengthening their practical operation ability at training camps

Highlight 3: Promoting the Freshmen Competence Growth Camp and inspiring freshmen to explore and learn throughout their college life

        This year, NUU launched the Freshmen Competence Growth Camp, which consisted of diverse training programs such as Smart Machinery and Life; App and C Programming Language Design and Application and the Practice of Electrical Instruments; Imagination of Future Architectural Life; Components, Circuits, and Systems; and the AI Dialogue Robot Workshop. Teachers and seniors guided freshmen in engaging in department tours, experiments, handcraft activities, and game challenges, to enable them to understand what their department offers, encourage their interaction with teachers and senior, and cultivate their identification with the department.

Figure 1-3 Freshmen exploring various disciplines through experiments, activities, and teamwork

Subproject 2: Highlights of developing school characteristics

Highlight 1: Establishing university research centers and enhancing the research energy of i²GO Tech

    NUU established the Smart Green Energy Research Center, the Long-Term Care Development and Digital Service Research Center, and smart laboratories to reinforce cross-disciplinary cooperation. In 2019, NUU convened the Results Presentation for Medical–Industrial Research and invited research partners, namely Taipei City Hospital, Da Chien Hospital, and Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, to present their research results concerning eight different fields, including smart life, the automation industry, heart sound recognition, and elderly care, with 200 people in attendance. In 2017, NUU opened the international master program of translational medicine to integrate the resources of the i²GO Tech program and enrolled five students in 2019. Teachers from National Health Research Institutes and NUU colleges of science, engineering, and electrical engineering and computer science were employed to conduct translational medicine-related research and organize tours and visits for our teachers and students, which informed them of the application aspects of medical engineering and the major focus of the program. Moreover, to ensure the legality and legitimacy of academic research, enhance teachers’ and students’ ability to identify behaviors that comply with or violate research ethics, and improve their understanding of the reasons for establishing ethical standards, NUU prevented teachers and students from violating relevant regulations through case discussions and forums.

Highlight 2: Attracting outstanding talents to give lectures at NUU, encouraging bilateral cooperation with sister universities, and strengthening the international talent cultivation mechanism

    To increase international competitiveness, NUU proactively convened international academic seminars. In 2019, the 3rd NIT-NUU Bilateral Academic Conference was held, with the main topic being sustainable development in fields including mechanical engineering, energy engineering, information engineering, management, civil engineering, and environmental safety. Thirteen sessions were held and 80 articles were published. The academic strength of both NIT and NUU were stimulated through the dialogue and discussion of different fields. Furthermore, to enhance students’ awareness of the internationalized society, NUU invited experts from home and abroad to give lectures on international affairs, and broadened teachers’ and students’ global vision by arranging overseas teaching programs, new southbound education fairs, seminars, and competitions. NUU proceeded in constructing an internationalized campus, organized various foreign language camps, proactively trained students in the Global Youth Volunteer Group, enhanced students’ foreign language and expression abilities, employed professional lecturers from inside and outside the university to instruct all types of volunteer training courses and workshops, and supported the reception of international cooperation affairs on campus to equip students with basic abilities for overseas exchange. Our sister school was further invited to NUU to promote bilateral interaction, and remote language teaching was implemented to teach students from our sister school basic Chinese before their exchange, internship, and enrollment in NUU, which facilitated their adaptation to their life in Taiwan and cultivated their learning competences.

Highlight 3: Developing and passing down education of local features and cultures, promoting professional and innovative cross-disciplinary curriculums, and increasing industrial competitiveness

    To advocate for local features as well as indigenous and Hakka cultures, NUU focused on teaching and entered the fields with the assistance of a Chinese tourism app, consulted and interviewed seniors in indigenous communities, arranged expert consultations and teacher training conferences, compiled demonstrative indigenous teaching materials, and invited indigenous artisans to be instructors. NUU gathered diverse opinions for the indigenous program and made the courses, educational goals, and students’ core competences more practical and complete to establish the characteristics of the indigenous program and cultivate indigenous talents. In addition, to conserve Hakka culture, NUU promoted courses concerning local Hakka features and compiled Hakka cultural teaching materials (i.e., Learning Hakka Proverbs Through News and Hakka Conversation for Tourism–Introductory). Using news as media and adopting different approaches to guarantee students learn Hakka more thoroughly, NUU invited members of the Hakka Television Station and our teachers to jointly compile the materials to pass down the Hakka language and cultural spirit, extend students’ learning, and further promote tourism and the inheritance of Hakka culture. Several Hakka artistry and creativity events were also held for integrating the Hakka cultural and creative industries in Miaoli, encouraging students’ creativity and actual practice through connection with local cultures, establishing a foundation for students to generate innovative ideas, converting Hakka imagery into action, stimulating students’ motivation to explore, and raising the possibility of innovation in the traditional Hakka cultural industries.

Subproject 3: Highlights of increasing the publicity of higher education

Highlight 1: NUU in Request of Miaoli—Proactively assisting the 18administrative districtsin Miaoli based on the demands of each case

        NUU compiled the demands of each case in the 18 administrative districts in Miaoli and proactively implemented improvement plans. In 2019, NUU conducted 14 cases under the Taiwan Experience Education Program and proceeded in discovering and resolving local concerns and also aiding the local disadvantaged students, employing the resources of NUU in Miaoli.

Figure 3-1 Diagram depicting the demands of the 18 administrative districts, the corresponding implementation of the 14 cases under the Taiwan Experience Education Program, and teacher and student on-site services

Highlight 2: Providing teacher and student on-site services and establishing a student volunteer support group for the disadvantaged

        To improve NUU’s publicity in the local region, a series of camp activities were held, such as the Young Makers Winter Camp, Wednesday Mini-University, and Sleep with Books Tonight library sleepover. The aim was to open school resources and attract students from rural elementary and secondary schools to participate in NUU camp activities through the efforts of the United Volunteer Group. NUU also offered community services, tutoring, and supports for industries, combining university professional courses with resource sharing and guided students in applying their expertise, which enabled NUU to strengthen local connections and employ resources in Miaoli to meet local demands.

Highlight 3: Enhancing tutoring and employment consultations and implementing financial assistance for disadvantaged students

        NUU proactively provided financial assistance to ensure disadvantaged students received education without burden; established the NUU Sharing Box, a friendly, featured, and mutually assisting space, to increase the interaction between students; periodically organized themed activities for disadvantaged students; and provided them with financial assistance and opportunities for learning, developing interests, and offering service feedback.

Subproject 4: Highlights of fulfilling the university’s social responsibility

Highlight 1: Organizing a parent education series event for new immigrants and assisting new immigrants in blending into local life in Miaoli

Figure 4-1 Chinese Language Center issuing certificates to participants at the end of the parent education event

Highlight 2: Winner of the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award visiting rural regions to promote Hakka folk artistry, buh-maa jenn

       Given Taiwan’s aging society, NUU regarded it as a major focus of its social responsibility development, and thus stimulated the development of senior placemaking. To provide human resources to older adults, continue to advocate for their value in social inheritance and services, enable them to contribute their expertise to society, and allow them to pass down traditional folk artistry, relevant experience, and wisdom to the next generation, NUU invited Hsieh Chi-Kuo, winner of the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award, to present traditional Hakka folk artistry to the students of Mingde Elementary School in Touwu, Miaoli. Thus, the experience and wisdom of older adults were utilized to pass down traditional Hakka folk artistry and create a new concept of senior citizen employment and services.

Figure 4-2 Photograph of the buh-maa jenn performance on Mingde Elementary School’s anniversary day (November 9), which was held after several weeks of practice; the image depicts Chen and Liu, the principal and head of office of the school, Hsieh Chi-Kuo (the instructor), teachers, and students

Highlight 3: Paying attention to conservation concerns in Miaoli—Leopard cats

       Miaoli is the main habitat for leopard cats. In response to the conservation of endangered animals, NUU promoted leopard cat conservation through a series of workshops. Students designed their own leopard cat lamps using computer graphics technology and laser cutting machines, raising hope for leopard cats. They also carved leopard cats on metals through metal artistry to remind people to care for leopard cats constantly and ensure them a peaceful life in Miaoli.

Figure 4-3 Maker workshops—The Metal Artisan: Miaoli Cat

Figure 4-4 Maker workshops—Laser engraving: Lighting Up Leopard Cats