NSYSU launched 10-year project to promote education in English (by Liberty Times Net)
From the next academic year, electrical engineering, mechanical and electro-mechanical engineering, and chemistry will be taught in English!
(By Hsiao-Yun Lin / Taipei)
National Sun Yat-sen University launched a 10-year project aimed at implementing fully English-language education. In the next academic year - the first year of the project, the Department of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Chemistry will recruit about 100 Taiwanese students for courses in English. By 2030, all Master-degree courses at the University are to be taught entirely in English, and there will be English-taught undergraduate courses and the number of international faculty members will be increased to 20%.
1/5 of the faculty will be international
During her swearing-in ceremony this year (2020), President Tsai Ing-Wen reiterated the government’s policy for developing Taiwan into a bilingual nation by 2030. The Ministry of Education expressed acknowledgement and enthusiasm for NSYSU’s project.
The progressing internationalization will attract outstanding international students
NSYSU President Ying-Yao Cheng said that Taiwan is in need of international talents to help its industry thrive worldwide and that the University is actively responding to the government’s policy to fulfill this need and thus launched the English-language education project to create an English-language environment for the students. English-taught programs will help attract outstanding international students and provide high-end professionals to the industry in Taiwan.
From the academic year 2021-2022, the Department of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Chemistry will offer undergraduate courses taught entirely in English, and so will the College of Management from the academic year 2022-2023.
NSYSU President Ying-Yao Cheng said that from February next year, all new faculty members will have to be able to teach in English and will have their related abilities examined beforehand. The number of international faculty members will be gradually expanded from the present 8% to 20% by the end of the 10-year English-language education project. President Cheng said that to successfully implement the project, the departments and institutes establishing English-language programs will be allowed to proportionally increase the number of their faculty members. A department offering an undergraduate English language program will be allowed to employ 8 more faculty members over the period of three years and gradually expand the offer of required, elective and general education courses for the students to acquire professional knowledge and English language abilities within four years of studies.
NSYSU’s institutes will have to establish at least 6 English-taught courses in the next academic year
NSYSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Chih-Peng Li explained the three stages of the 10-year English-language education project. In the first year of the three-year period (starting from February 1, 2021), the University’s institutes will have to establish at least 6 English-taught courses and its departments will start 7 English-taught courses or Bachelor-degree programs. Every year the number of required undergraduate courses taught in English at the University will have to reach an average of 60 and each department will have to offer at least 4 courses in English so as to gradually achieve the goals of the project.
Chairman of the NSYSU Department of Chemistry Jyh-Tsung Lee said that the newest professional knowledge is available mostly in English, and thus studying in English will let students learn the newest findings in their field. He said that many graduates of Chemistry will enter the semiconductor and petrochemical industry, where the knowledge of English is indispensable.
3 stages of the project:
1st stage (2021/2 – 2023):
6 lecture courses in English established at each institute
At least 7 English-taught undergraduate courses or Bachelor-degree programs
Average of 60 required undergraduate courses taught in English (at least 4 courses in English at each department)
2nd stage (2024 – 2026):
At least 60% of lecture courses in English at each institute
At least 14 English-taught undergraduate courses or Bachelor-degree programs
At least 60% of required undergraduate courses in English every year
3rd stage (2027 – 2030):
100% of lecture courses in English at each institute
English-taught courses as part of all undergraduate programs
2020-10-04 / Liberty Times Net / page 3 of the paper edition / article by Hsiao-Yun Lin Read more in Liberty Times Net (Chinese version):
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