Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the results of rewarding universities’ distinguished projects, and TKU is granted eighty-four million dollars, a brilliant achievement among the 58 universities on the list that includes normal, physical education and technology universities and colleges within an expanded yearly budget of five billion dollars.

Owing to the popularity of advanced education, since 94th academic year, MOE has initiated the classificatory system of universities to rectify the trend of overestimating research and underestimating teaching, and has approved 13 universities to receive the grant of one billion dollars in total in order to enhance the quality of teaching in universities. The grant is raised to 5 billion from 95th to 97th academic year. This year 28 general universities, normal and physical education colleges and universities and 30 technology colleges and universities pass the evaluation for receiving grant from MOE.

In order to carry out this project, TKU organized a team last year with President Chang as the coordinator and Vice President for Academic Affairs Chao-kang Feng. The project includes sub-projects: “establishing center for learning and teaching,” “constructing harmonious campus culture,” “enhancing international competitiveness,” “energizing general education,” and “solidifying the ‘cyber-campus’ of digital education,” which are respectively in the charge of Shyu Hsin-yih (Director of Center for Learning and Teaching), Chiang Ding-an (Dean of Student Affairs), Chao-kang Feng (Vice President for Academic Affairs), Hsieh Chao-tzung (Director of Center of General Education and Core Curriculum), and Kuo Chin-hwa (Section Chief of Distance Education Development Section). As a first-level unit, the newly-instituted Center for Learning and Teaching plays an essential part in this project. The Center is divided into Teacher Professional Development Section, Student Learning Support Section, Educational Evaluation Section, and, to enhance the effects of teaching and learning.

According to Vice President Feng, “breakthrough, innovation, distinction” (breakthrough of TKU’s current basis, innovation of teaching methodology and styles of learning, distinction of students’ future performance and achievement) are the core spirits of TKU’s project of distinguished teaching with the emphasis on students’ total education and teachers’ professional enhancement. Feng wishes that such a project make possible a learning community of high morale, creativity and innovation. (~ Han-yu Huang )