Higher Education SPROUT Project

ACHIEVEMENTS in 2019　

Title: Promoting Incorporation of SDGs in Teaching, Expertise of Education for Sustainability, Connecting with International Issues

Summary: Examine the relevance of the project and SDGs as one of the assessment criteria of the project outcomes, and connect course objectives with international sustainability issues.

Content: National Taichung University of Education (NTCU) continued the implementation of Higher Education SPROUT Project in 2019 on the foundation of its 2018 results through rolling adjustment and improvement of project objectives. To enhance graduates’ contributions to the society and nation, and help resolve the current critical issues, NTCU began examination of the relevance of the project and SDGs as one of the assessment criteria of the project outcomes, and connected course objectives with international sustainability issues. The annual outcomes of the project are listed below:

Dimension 1: Innovation of Teaching and Enhancement of Quality (Take Teaching as Core)

Students:

(1)Executed “Key Competence Evaluation” to include Chinese and English proficiencies in graduation requirements; promoted programming course, which 68.24% of the students have now taken.

(2)Integrated “Overall Performance at School.” All departments implemented capstone course, and utilized customized guidance to improve learning. Students achieved passing rate of 72.09% after Midterm Warning Guidance.

(3)Implemented “Continued Follow-Up after Graduation.” 100% of new graduates completed the survey, and 65% of alumni completed the survey. Employer completion rate of the survey was 22%.

Faculty:

(1)Continued organizing “Faculty Member Development Workshop” targeting two major themes of innovation of teaching materials and methods and inclusion of technology. A total of 52 sessions were held, which were attended by a total of 1,566 participants.

(2)Included industry experts and students in faculty members’ teaching practice groups, subsidizing a total of 12 “Faculty Members’ Groups of Interdisciplinary Teaching Practices.”

(3)Increased the teaching hours of industry experts to 1/3 of the semester, and invited mentors to participate in course planning and after-class counselling.

Curriculum: 

(1)5 courses utilized “MOE Adaptive Learning” website to develop innovative contents.

(2)19 courses introduced “Innovative Units, Course Modules, or Workshop Activities.”

(3)Offered 13 “Maker, PBL, or Practical Courses.”

(4)Offered 4 “Domestic Off-campus Programs” and 1 “Short-term Study Abroad Program.”

Dimension 2: Enhancement of Higher Education Publicness (Make Resources more Public)

(1)Promote Institutional information transparency. Completed 5 university issues analysis reports in the areas of faculty, students, administration and support, and strategic planning, and 12 related charts and graphs of the issues. Completed 40% establishment of the “Institutional Data Warehouse System.”

(2)Encouraged financially or culturally disadvantaged students to achieve self-realization through part-time jobs. A total of 31 disadvantaged students joined “Campus Security Team” and “Student Dormitory Committee.”

(3)Proactively recruit financially or culturally disadvantaged students. Freshman enrollment rate was 7%, whereas 58% of disadvantaged students applied for various scholarships or aids.

Dimension 3: Fulfilment of Social Responsibility (Fulfil Social Responsibility)

(1)Integrated interdepartmental and interdisciplinary resources to establish interdepartmental humanities and arts PhD program, and began constructing knowledge system of “Taichung Studies,” incorporating outcomes into compulsory courses.

(2)Supported local development through expertise of education. Promoted special education counselling and helped 32 people. Established “Native Languages Resource Net” to offer the public free learning, producing 3 teaching videos and 24 test questions in database.

(3)Promoted sustainability issues through the university’s expertise, organizing 5 seminars on SDGs. Cooperated with enterprises for Gaomei Wetlands beach-cleaning activity and promoted objectives of general courses in correspondence with SDGs.

Dimension 4: Development of University Features (Develop University Features)

(1)Realized glocalization and organized international exchange events, including “Cultural Activities: Taichung City Tour” and “The Spectacular Taiwan Culture Winter Camp,” which attracted 146 participants.

(2)In response to the reform of the 12-year compulsory education, NTCU developed competence-oriented teacher education courses, and has introduced 14 units of teaching plan in accordance with the new curriculum guidelines.

(3)Promoted NTCU’s important cultural asset “Lin Chih-Chu Memorial,” organizing 18 group tours, exhibition, seminars and trainings. 

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HIGHLIGHTS in 2019　

Title: Regional Co-Prosperity, Teacher-Student Progress, 120 Years of Local Development and International Connection

Summary:Teacher-student partnership for progress and development. Incubate students’ practice-oriented key competencies. Help old town area of Taichung to revitalize through glocalization, and build a university city of sustainable development.

Content: National Taichung University of Education (NTCU) continued the implementation of Higher Education SPROUT Project in 2019, adopting guidelines and objectives of “Action Innovation” for institutional affairs, “Realization of Changes” for academic affairs, and “Joy and Care” for student affairs, and organizing seminars, workshops, field trips, exchange and practical activities. The university also offered innovative courses to optimize teaching models, introducing emerging technology and knowledge. By changing teaching contents and methods, NTCU aimed to enhance teaching quality, motivate students to learn, and facilitate effective acquisition of knowledge, further enhancing students’ professional knowledge and skills.  The highlights of the project are listed below:

 1. Innovation of Teaching and Enhancement of Quality:

In 2019, NTCU adjusted the curriculum structures of all 17 departments, promoted course modulization and introduced interdisciplinary learning courses and programs. NTCU targeted departmental expertise and occupational competencies to plan the overall curriculum in aim to incubate students’ key competencies, including: interdisciplinary learning, innovative entrepreneurship, logical thinking, Chinese reading and writing, foreign language proficiency, diverse cultural cultivation and life education. Also, NTCU organized non-official courses, including workshops, camps, and seminars, to expand students’ scope of learning. All departments invited professional experts for synchronous teaching, enhancing students’ practical skills and competencies. Furthermore, to promote innovative teaching, the university utilized “MOE Adaptive Learning” website to develop innovative contents, and continued to develop innovative teaching plans and materials; through campus reconstruction of “on-campus internship factory/gallery,” NTCU fused various practical courses to offer students a space to showcase their achievements. Also, through subsidizing “interdisciplinary teaching practices groups,” NTCU enhanced the teaching and research capacities of the university.

2. Development of University Features:

In terms of teacher education, the university developed competence-oriented teaching, producing teaching plans in compliance with the new curriculum guidelines. In the area of international exchange, NTCU launched international student recruitment and application system in 2019 to attract more international students, simplifying and streamlining the enrollment process of international students. Also, the university organized Cultural Activities: Taichung City Tour, and overseas enterprise internship, to promote globalization. Moreover, Lin Chih-Chu Memorial organized “Chih-Chu Seminar” to realize education of aesthetics with the theme “Aesthetics and Life of Humanities,” and established website for digital tours. NTCU also offered courses of “Taichung Studies,” incorporating university social responsibility realization plan and local connection to achieve the university’s development goal of becoming the “university city” in central Taiwan.

3. Enhancement of Higher Education Publicness:

To enhance information transparency, NTCU established the “Institutional Data Warehouse System” and continued to conduct inventory on institutional affairs data. Through data sharing, NTCU aimed to facilitate effective forecasts and analyses of various issues and rapid integration of information. As for institutional affairs research, NTCU organized academic exchange in 2019 to generate synergy through sharing.

To support financially and culturally disadvantaged students, NTCU offered integrated assistance from enrollment to employment guidance, diversifying admission channels, providing economic support during their time in school, and establishing comprehensive guidance mechanism for life in dormitory and learning. The university further established professional certification guidance mechanism and offered on-campus internship opportunities, in order to enhance social engagement and help disadvantaged students to enhance employment competitiveness. Also, combining the resources of the Indigenous Students Resource Center, NTCU established a diverse and friendly cultural environment on campus. To protect the rights of faculty members, NTCU not only has established reasonable full-time and adjunct faculty members’ employment evaluation mechanism and analyzed and assessed course requirements of all departments, but also simplified HR procedures to effectively improve the structure of the university’s teaching staff.

4. Fulfilment of Social Responsibility:

Building on the foundation of 2018, NTCU continued to develop university social responsibilities in 2019. For example: Sharing with the public the digital teaching resources of “Native Languages Resource Net”, and connecting with the regional “Smart Cloud Teaching Mobile Guided Tour System” to offer users optimized interface; NTCU also aimed to build the Central Region Inclusive Education Guidance Service Center into the leading teaching center for special domains in central Taiwan, offering rich teaching resources and experience to realize the development goals of local services and community symbiosis and co-prosperity.

Established in 1899, NTCU just celebrated its 120th anniversary last year. Based on its rich cultural foundation and teacher incubation and education roots, the university strived to position itself as a professional specialty university that focused on education. Through the continuation of the Higher Education SPROUT Project in 2019, NTCU realized goals of “Action Innovation” for institutional affairs, “Realization of Changes” for academic affairs, and “Joy and Care” for student affairs, and strived to develop university features and strengthen the foundation for the university to develop into the “university city” in central Taiwan.