「"The Benchmark Project for Curriculum and Teaching at NTU" aims at transforming students into future-ready "versatilists" by "going deep" and "going broad."
101 Courses (Departmental or College-based)
Giving students an overview of their department or college, including but not limited to the highlights and strengths.
In-depth Courses (2+1 / 3+1 credits):
Emphasizing the practical sides in required courses and encouraging application-based learning.
Specialization Programs:
Restructuring required and elective courses within departments.
Reduction of Total Credits for Required Courses:
Reducing by 2 or more.
To implement these initiatives, the university proposes the "Problem-Oriented 3Rs Strategy." It starts from current problems and moves on to finding the best solutions, comprising:
The aim of the UIBP is to transcend college, departmental and disciplinary boundaries, fostering specialized interdisciplinary talents.
Students have the opportunity to combine courses from different colleges or departments (including specialization programs, interdisciplinary specializations, and other programs) based on their personal interests. This enables them to attain the learning flexibility they need and to craft a customized bachelor's degree that integrates knowledge from diverse fields. Mechanisms for interdisciplinary studies are provided for UIBP students, including:
Establishing a second mentor and core mentor group for UIBP students to guide them in interdisciplinary learning and construct a more comprehensive mentoring mechanism.
To provide diverse interdisciplinary integration courses and activities, such as offering Thesis for University Interdisciplinary Bachelor, Independent Study for University Interdisciplinary Bachelor, and related lecture events.
Establishing a dedicated space, the UIBP Space, to facilitate communication and UIBP students and professors, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
A "Interdisciplinary Co-teaching Course" refers to a course offered and instructed by at least two faculty members from different disciplines, who collaborate to design an integrated and innovative interdisciplinary course. In addition to interdisciplinary collaboration, we also promote "cross-industry" or "cross-national" collaboration, focusing mainly on "academia-industry cooperation" and "cross-national co-teaching."
Academia-industry Cooperation: In 2023, NTU D-School offered three courses related to industry and career paths for the first time. These courses include "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Action", "Innovative and Strategic Thinking Practices", and "Exploring the Humanities Careers."
Cross-national Co-teaching: During international scholars' visits, we invite them to co-teach courses with NTU faculty or to offer short-term, intensive courses at NTU.
We are encouraging academic units to collaborate and offer specialization programs. This initiative aims to foster new interdisciplinary fields, respond to the needs of the times, and prompt students to think, plan, and apply for a University-level Interdisciplinary Bachelor's Program or a College-wide Bachelor's Program.
With the goal of promoting learner-centered education, NTU launched the College Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Program (CIBP). A college seeking to establish its CIBP is required to submit a proposal and formulate its establishment directives, which shall be passed by the College Affairs Meeting, Administrative Meeting, and the Academic Affairs Meeting.
The concept of the degree is based on the Specialization Program curriculum. Each college can designate courses and specialization programs (or credit programs/interdisciplinary specializations) as compulsory courses. With a counseling mechanism in place, students can take courses from other departments within the college in a "double major" format outside of their own department. This allows NTU students to explore courses from different fields, preparing them for an unpredictable future. By the end of the first semester of the 2023 academic year, NTU has implemented the CIBP in the College of Social Sciences, College of Medicine, College of Engineering, and College of Life Sciences, with the College of Liberal Arts and College of Bioresources and Agriculture also in the planning stages. For detailed application requirements and procedures, please contact the office of the respective college.
The TBDP provides an interdisciplinary learning environment and opens up flexible course selection systems. Students define their own innovative field themes and use them as the core, complemented by modular courses offered by various departments at NTU—Specialization Program. They autonomously plan their learning paths and create their own university schedules. Through the framework of "Self-Exploration, Interdisciplinary Expertise, Off-campus Learning, and Project Execution," students are cultivated with proactive learning abilities, enabling them to address complex issues in rapidly changing society and the real world.
The learning process is supported by guidance from teachers and learning coaches, among other support systems, to assist students in gradually completing their innovative field themes. Learning coaches, from a peer perspective, help students advance projects and navigate challenges encountered during the learning process. The program brings together interdisciplinary faculty and students from diverse backgrounds to stimulate new perspectives through courses and various forms of communication, opening up possibilities for more interdisciplinary collaborations, creating a learning community, and weaving a unique network specific to the TBDP.
"Exploration credits" is a policy that aims at encouraging students to explore interdisciplinary learning without being deterred by concerns about their grades.
For freshmen and sophomores taking courses outside their major, they have the option to request their grades be converted to "pass" or have the record canceled based on the original course grades. Implemented in 2023, this policy enables students to take courses outside their major, to experiment, and to pursue self-directed interdisciplinary learning without worrying about their grades.
"Exploration credits" is a policy that aims at encouraging students to explore interdisciplinary learning without being deterred by concerns about their grades.
For freshmen and sophomores taking courses outside their major, they have the option to request their grades be converted to "pass" or have the record canceled based on the original course grades. Implemented in 2023, this policy enables students to take courses outside their major, to experiment, and to pursue self-directed interdisciplinary learning without worrying about their grades.
Specialization Programs are designed to "strengthen the foundation"and "foster interdisciplinary innovation."
Initially, the focus is on curriculum restructuring. The academic units are encouraged to clarify their development focus and distinctive areas, and to establish specialization programs. These programs emphasize clear curriculum alignments and the interconnectedness between courses, enabling students to explore and engage in interdisciplinary learning with a focused direction. Recently, NTU proceeds with the "Specialization Programs 2.0", which includes the following strategies:
Optimizing Capstone Courses: Each specialization program should include a "capstone course" to integrate, conclude, and reflect on all the courses learned within the specialization program. The capstone course also serves as a foundation for future research or careers.
Accepting Students' Proposals: The Office of Academic Affairs collects students' proposals for new specialization programs and forwards them to the academic units for review and consideration.
Connecting Specialization Programs: Shared courses among different specialization programs can serve as connection points to link two or more programs together. This allows students to gain a comprehensive understanding of their department's offerings at an earlier stage by recognizing the connections between courses and programs.
The aim of the "Field-based Active Learning Project" is to cultivate students' active learning, self-exploration, and altruistic spirit. Participants are also expected to expand their learning dimensions in multiple ways after completing this project.
Staged Projects and Extended Practices: Students define their own learning themes, refine skills in inquiry-based learning, and apply altruistic learning outcomes to create positive impacts. For more extensive projects or those requiring field validation, the implementation period can be extended (often in summer breaks). Students can continue to deepen their learning or explore careers, such as transitioning to various learning programs, practical fields, internships, or relevant proposal competitions.
Course Proposal Development and Implementation: A reexamination of all the problem-/project-based courses available at the university will be conducted. Granted funding support will be provided to instructors, so students can keep working on the proposals they make at the end of these courses and put them into action. This will enhance the self-directed learning culture on campus.
Students who propose their own "Exploratory Learning Project" can engage in interdisciplinary learning without the need for a leave of absence.
Students are encouraged to propose learning plans for up to four semesters and immerse themselves in either a domestic or international setting, while retaining their student status at the university.
The project grants 2 credits per semester.
Guidance and support are available from mentors, industry experts, and other resources.
NTU aims at becoming a "Digital Campus" with rich digital learning content and optimized learning and teaching environment.
The university focuses on breaking free from traditional classroom settings and integrating technology into teaching, and then develops an excellent and customized digital learning environment. To achieve the goal, strategies are proposed as follows:
NTU COOL Optimization (Digital Teaching Platform):
- Improving stability and cybersecurity.
- Optimizing functions on teaching and administration.
- Optimizing digital teaching tools.
- Exploring possible uses of generative AI in teaching.
Expanding the VR Teaching Center to become an XR Teaching Center:
- Building dedicated spaces for XR activities
- Planning visits to overseas universities with exemplary XR Teaching Centers.
- Cultivating students capable of making XR curriculums.
- Collaborating with leading XR technology companies.
- Holding showcases of our XR teaching achievements.
The aim of the "International Study Group" is to cultivate students into well-rounded talents with cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration abilities.
By matching students from our university with students from foreign universities, groups are formed with diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, enabling in-depth learning through peer exchange.
During group collaboration, various skills are nurtured in our students, such as communication, leadership, organization, expression, and problem-solving.
This program prepares participants for international mobility by fostering attitudes such as cultural respect and empathetic listening. These traits help students adapt to rapid-changing international trends and enhance their understanding of diverse cultural contexts.
A "Clerkship Course" aims to help freshmen and sophomore students develop anunderstanding of the industry and assist them in early career planning.
The university offers two courses, in the near future, we plan to invite more colleges in NTU to offer more clerkship courses such as "Summer Enterprise Exploration" and "Talk with C-level Executives". These courses aim to engage alumni and professional networks from diverse industries, thereby enriching students' exposure to different sectors.
"Career Discovery: Summer Enterprise Exploration": Through course introduction sessions and gatherings at the beginning of the semester, students begin to develop an understanding of the industry. Students deepen their understanding through industrial visits, where they can engage in discussions with industry experts and participate in shadowing experiences.
"Talks with Masters: A Cruise through Future Careers": A course featuring a series of lectures delivered by industry experts in four major fields—Humanities and Social Innovation, Biotechnology, Mechanical Technology, and AI and Living Technology. These lectures offer diverse perspectives on careers, allowing students to gain insights into various professional paths. Students are expected to be inspired by the industry experts' life lessons and career development experiences, and proactively plan their own careers.
"Internships" aim to help students develop an understanding of the industry and assist them in early career planning.
What we offer for the students are:
"Get Ready for Your Career," An Internship Preparatory Course: This course aims to equip students with essential employability skills and a basic understanding of how workplaces function before they embark on internships.
Interdisciplinary Internship - Mentorship Program: Companies from various sectors offer internship opportunities to NTU students from all fields of study. Executives serve as mentors, facilitating students' collaboration with talents from different domains. Through this NTU-industry joint effort, we cultivate students' interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving skills.
NTU AR (Alumni Return and Recharge) is a service designed for alumni to return to school, providing them with the opportunity to audit high-quality physical and online courses. The inclusion of alumni creates an intergenerational learning environment—it not only brings new stimuli to the classrooms but also fosters a strong network between alumni, current students, and the university.
"NTU AR" will be launched twice a year, in the first and second halves, encouraging recent graduates to return to school and recharge.
A variety of physical and interdisciplinary online courses will be offered for alumni and individuals who are interested to enroll in.
The mission of the Academic Advising Office (AAO) is to support NTU students in crafting personalized academic and career paths aligned with their individual goals through professional, one-on-one guidance.
The AAO establishes an integrated advising network, offering a range of comprehensive services, including:
Academic Advisor Meeting: Offers personalized guidance and group sessions to help students design their unique learning paths, broadening their perspectives.
Peer Mentor Consultation: Provides students with valuable first-hand experiences and opportunities to connect with future learning partners through dedicated student mentors, fostering peer support.
Professional Mentor Consultation: Equips students with the latest industry and academic insights to support career and study preparation from a network of faculty and industry experts.
The Trilogy
The Trilogy consists of collaborative online international learning (COIL), going-out (NTU students studying abroad), and coming-in (hosting international students). COIL can enrich students’ experience of learning and collaborating with international peers. The follow-up study abroad activities can provide NTU students as well as their international peers with immersive global learning experiences.
Learning beyond the classroom
‘Learning beyond the classroom’ features faculty-led credit-bearing activities during summer and winter vacations, that encourage students to step out of the classroom and into the world. These activities allow students to apply what they have learned in class to observing and exploring real-world phenomena and issues, thereby achieving deeper learning objectives.
International Study Group
International Study Group encourages students of different cultural backgrounds to deepen their learning through cross-cultural exchanges and communication. It aims to cultivate students’ competencies including communication and leadership, organizing and expression, and problem-solving skills to become well-rounded global talents.
