TKU will have major changes in implementing new general courses! Except reducing compulsory courses and let students have more flexibility in choosing courses they like, TKU will divide general courses into 4 categories: Basic Courses, Characteristic Core Courses, College Core Courses and University General Courses. Academic Vice President and General Education Curriculum Committee Chair Kan-nan Chen requires that every college design curricula based on future employment. Thus they can help students with their employment after graduation.

Kan-nan Chen continues that TKU has been practicing the educational theory of Triple Objectives and Five Disciplines of Education, including offering practical core courses for many years. The reform is to follow tidal current, meet societal needs and prepare students for the future. Through the reform of general core courses and innovation of teaching, TKU will cultivate professional talents with basic abilities, high qualifications and potentials to face challenges in the 21st century

The basic courses include 4 categories such as “Chinese Language Skills,” “Information Education,” etc. In order to highlight the characteristic core curricula based on the triple objectives—globalization, information-oriented education and future-oriented education, TKU has already offered “Global Vision,” “Future Studies” and will offer “Study and Development,” “Study Adjustment and Management,” “Skills of Thinking” “Motivation and Pressure Management,” etc. Thus TKU can help freshmen quickly understand and adjust themselves for the new university life, cultivate their abilities of self-management in studies and professional development, and train them to plan for their own study directions.

College core courses include 7 categories such as “Literature Classics,” “Natural Sciences,” etc. Every college chooses 4 categories as compulsory courses, and the rest of the categories for students to select according to their interests. TKU will plan maps of general core courses for students to explore in a broader scope. General Education and Core Curriculum Director Kuo-hua Chen expects that through the reform of general core courses, combining departmental special academic courses, TKU can provide students with curriculum blueprints with future career and employment directions. Take Civil Engineering students for example, combining compulsory course “Structure Mechanics” with general education core course “Artistic Creation and Display” students can plan to become an engineer after graduation. As for the university general courses, all students can select any of them freely. Kan-nan Chen points out that TKU has completed the general curriculum reform with faculty’s assistance in three years. Kuo-hua Chen says that during the reform, President Flora C.I. Chang subscribed the Chinese Association for General Education Journal as useful reference for related persons to consider in planning. Thus the originally supplemental general education curricula added the values that complement the specialized academic curricula. After the reform of the general education curricula, compulsory courses are reduced, and students have more freedom to select courses in which they are interested.

Chinese sophomore Xian-rui Xiao says that after the reform, the new categories of curricula are clearer and easier for students to understand. Compulsory courses are reduced and students have more freedom to select courses they like. “That’s great!” ( ~Dean X. Wang )