TKU President Chang Horng-jinh called on the faculty to try their best to help upgrade the “reading atmosphere”.

In order to accomplish this goal, President Chang instructed that teachers should try to give quizzes or tests during the class and give more homework so as to completely occupy students’ time.

Chang visited TKU’s sister universities in Japan in mid-October and said that only those teachers who conduct their teaching with a strict manner, shall receive students’ warm welcome.

He pointed out that TKU has always been thinking the issue on “how to upgrade the reading atmosphere” and has set up an ad hoc committee chaired by Dr. Feng Chao-kang, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

He cited a new president of Harvard University as an example that people asked him “how to upgrade the reading atmosphere” when assuming his duties. He replied smilingly that this problem has already existed for more than one thousand years without having a resolution. How can I resolve it immediately? Therefore, President Chang required that the faculty help consider the resolution.

He mentioned the University of California as an example: the UC students are given tests every week and have to write reading reports every one or two weeks, even make an oral report at the class. He said that he found a Japanese university student who has always been immersing himself in homework. In comparison with Japan, a part of TKU professors only assign a little homework and rarely give quizzes at class. As a result, students do not study hard after the class. Due to the lack or incomplete preparation before the examinations, the only choice the student may take is cheating, President Chang said.

He went on saying, “Those who are strictly conducting teaching will be popular with their students. The reason is very simple because students will gain much more.” In Japan, he pointed out, a popular university must be equipped with the following characteristics: 1) whether students are permitted to select courses cross over other universities; 2) whether the university maintains student exchange programs with foreign universities; 3) whether students can work together with teachers on the academic research; and 4) whether the school authorities will or not force the teacher to make up the lost lesson if the teacher is absent from the class.

President Chang hoped that TKU faculty and students will strengthen the mutual academic study, help one another look for the data in the library and search for the needed data through Internet. “We should take this measure to help raise students’ reading interest so as to upgrade the “reading atmosphere,” Chang added.