In response to the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Excellence Program, TKU set up the Specialized Skills and Service Learning Program. The program aims to help students apply the theoretical knowledge they learn in class and grasp the importance of giving back to the community. It is also a way of nurturing students’ “soft power”, as Dr. Gwo-hsing Yu, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, states. And as of this year, teachers who offer a course under the program will be eligible for a number of incentives, including a reduction in the required weekly teaching hours, the provision of a teaching assistant, and cash bonuses of between NT $10,000 and $20,000.