Ministry of Education (MOE) requires colleges and universities to start courses of service learning between 96th and 98th academic year. Office of Student Affairs has proposed primary plans to be discussed by related divisions coordinated by Vice President for Administrative Affairs on 5th July.

In order to promote college students’ participations in social service and learning, enhance citizens’ morality, and cultivate students’ core career-competence, MOE sent official documents to all colleges and universities requiring them to start courses of service learning from 96th academic year. Dean of Office of Student Affairs, Chiang Ding-an, reported on the primary plans in the meeting of school affairs on 1st of June: computer-related departments may choose one course for service learning; in addition to in-class teaching, students, under Extracurricular Activities Guidance Section’s supervision, will be required to do 15 to 18 hours’ voluntary service of software application and hardware maintenance in elementary and high schools. Students of Department of Public Administration may do service of law counseling in the neighborhood.

According to Chiang Ding-an, courses of service education and community service learning have been practiced in Lanyang Campus. In addition to maintaining the environment of the campus and community, students go to caring houses to take care of the elder and tutor elementary students’ English. The courses will be planed to integrate more extracurricular activities; through systematic plans, supervisions, and evaluations, goals of learning will be achieved.

According to MOE, service learning can be combined with activities or curricula, and has to be included into formal courses; programs for recognizing inter-collegiate course taking have to be proposed; students’ excellent performance will be considered for receiving scholarship or applying for part-time jobs. Schools achievements in carrying out the policy will be evaluated for deciding school grants. Besides, co-hosting activities with NPO and NGO are encouraged. ( ~Han-yu Huang )