The teachers in various academic departments and colleges at NCUE not only carry out academic research and publish research results in different professional fields, but also create a neutral platform and safe space by organizing symposiums and outreach activities, among other programs. Besides publicizing and promoting relevant academic and professional achievements, they also invite different political stakeholders to gather at symposiums or for outreach activities to discuss various issues frankly and safely. NCUE held 8 discussion sessions on related issues in 2021, and 13 sessions in 2022, which are summarized below:

1. The College of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Special Education, organized the “2023 Special Education Forum and Paper Presentation Seminar” on June 3, 2023, with a focus on the “Practical Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).” The presentation content included real-life examples and discussions related to the CRPD, and integrated the significant amendments to the “Special Education Act,” which had not seen substantial changes in 14 years, into the presentations, reflecting current events. After a rigorous review process, six papers were selected for presentation at the seminar. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-10440,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

2. The Department of Industrial Education and Technology held the “24th Technology Vocational Education Conference on Educational Quality Management” and the “10th Engineering Science and Technology Seminar” on June 2, 2023. The goal of the seminar was to explore ways to enhance the performance and operational quality of vocational education institutions while staying up-to-date with advancements in engineering and technology. In addition to inviting talented individuals to present their research papers, the event also featured a special keynote address by Director General Yu-Hui Yang from the Department of Technology and Vocational Education, Ministry of Education. Her presentation focused on “Characteristics and Development of Vocational Education and Industry-Academia Collaboration in Talent Development”. The discussion revolved around how, in the face of the challenges of an aging population and declining birth rates, innovative cross-disciplinary approaches and the use of digital technology can drive ongoing industry transformation. In the second session, Mr. Li-Cheng Wu, Deputy Director General of the Power Supply Division of Taiwan Power Co., Ltd., delivered a lecture on “Modern Protection of Renewable Energy Grids”, which analyzed the integration of energy transformation and digital transformation from the perspective of renewable energy. He also shared insights on the safety model risk assessment in grid construction and the necessity of protection systems. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-22129,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

3. The Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation and the Taiwan Association of Translation and Interpretation held the “The 27th International Symposium on Translation and Interpreting Teaching” on May 6, 2023. The theme of the symposium was “In the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Reconsidering the Profession and its Training Models”. Dr. David Sawyer’s keynote address focused on the core aspects of professional interpreting and translation and emphasized that in the age dominated by neural machine translation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, traditional teaching models should incorporate technology. Dr. Jiun Huh, on the other hand, approached the topic from a market perspective and a training angle. Based on the research and surveys conducted in the Korean interpreting and translation market, she guided teachers to use technology in planning interpreter training. After a rigorous review mechanism, 6 topics were selected and 18 papers were presented at the symposium. Reference link:

https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-10012,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

4. The Department of Chinese and the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature held the 32nd Poetry Conference, an academic symposium on the theme of “The Path and Progress of Traditional Opera”, on May 5, 2023. The theme of the symposium was centered around the theme of drama throughout history, with a focus on three major sub-topics: “Classical Chinese Theater”, “Puppet Theater”, and “Modern Drama”. Scholars and enthusiasts were invited to present, discuss, and exchange ideas related to these topics. The symposium, spanning from keynote speeches to the three major sub-topics, explored various facets of the development of drama. This included different temporal and spatial dimensions of directing, staging, and appreciation. It also delved into the diverse aspects of performance venues, from traditional stages and theaters to contemporary media like film and television. Furthermore, the conference discussed the multitude of forms, ranging from live human performances to puppetry. All of these issues are worth exploring and pondering over again, and we look forward to looking at the future development of theater through this event. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-10119,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

5. The Department of Fine Arts organized two international conferences in May 2023. The first conference, titled “2023 Art x Education: Interdisciplinary Connections and Social Practices International Conference”, took place on May 5th. It featured keynote speeches by Professor Sunah Kim from Hanyang University, Professor Kevin Shieh from Georgia State University, and Professor Carl-Peter Buschkühle from Justus Liebig University Giessen. The conference included presentations of 17 papers covering themes related to cross-disciplinary connections in art education, cultural phenomena and trend observations, and the social practices of cultural arts. The second conference, “Contemporary Art/Aesthetic Education: Dialogues Between Taiwan, the United States, and South Korea”, was held on May 8th. In addition to the international conference, on May 8, 2023, Professor Sunah Kim presented a case study of the cross-disciplinary curriculum in Korea and the Outcome Mapping framework developed by the participating research team. Chi-Huei Huang of the National Academy for Educational Research introduced Taiwan’s Aesthetic Education Program, which has been running since 2019, and shared the results of the implementation of aesthetic education in Taiwan. Professor Kevin Hsieh invited the participants to reflect on the social realities and issues facing the education interface, and to guide students to reflect on the operation of power through art teaching to promote social integration and progress. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-10158,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

6. The College of Education, in collaboration with the Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Counseling, organized the Forward-Looking Trends in Education Forum “Career Development and Transition: Context and Services” on April 19, 2023: Dr. David Strauser of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shared his research findings in the field of career development for individuals with disabilities. Dr. David Strauser emphasized the importance of career development for an individual and introduced his “IW2M” theoretical model, based on his research and practical experience. He explained the challenges that individuals with disabilities may face in their career development process and highlighted areas where practitioners can focus their efforts to help individuals with disabilities achieve more independence and autonomy. Reference link:

https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-9878,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

7. The College of Education and the Department of Guidance and Counseling organized the Forward-Looking Trends in Education Forum “Humanistic Counseling and Cultural Healing: Local Psychological Perspectives” on March 15, 2023: Professor An-Bang Yu, former associate research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, was invited to be the keynote speaker. Professor Yu engaged with the audience in a relaxed yet professional manner. He delved into Western intellectual history and expressions through examples from music and film, and then applied a “contextual transformation” to return to Eastern philosophy within local culture. His presentation encouraged the audience to contemplate, question, and explore the interactions between ancient and modern, Eastern and Western influences, creating a vibrant philosophical garden where distractions fade away, and everything is immersed in profound life experiences. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-9849,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

8. The College of Engineering and the College of Technology of NCUE have long been committed to the development of smart energy applications in the areas of energy creation, energy conservation, energy storage, and system integration, and the Baoshan Campus is the only smart microgrid demonstration campus in the country. To this end, the “Smart Microgrid Technology Forum” was held on March 2, 2023, to share the innovative technologies of smart microgrids, which can be used as an important reference for the industry, government, and academia to build microgrids, and to strengthen the operational resilience of distribution grids with a high proportion of renewable energy to ensure a stable power supply. The microgrid test site built by NCUE is envisaged to further cooperate with the industry to conduct actual field tests to accelerate product validation work. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-9449,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

9. On March 6, 2023, the College of Education organized the Forward-Looking Trends in Education Forum, “The Counseling Profession and Ethics in Japan”: Professor Reiko Yoshikawa of Tokai University was invited to be the keynote speaker, and shared the development of the counseling profession in Japan, the important figures and their influence, as well as ethical norms in Japan, and shared her personal learning and working experience. Finally, Professor Chih-Hung Wang of the Department of Guidance and Counseling and Business Administration served as a fellow panelist, responding to the theme of the lecture, and presenting the development of counseling in Taiwan, which enriched the diversity of the theme. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-9520,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

10. The K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education commissioned NCUE to hold the “Exploration of Effective Models for Senior High School Student Learning Guidance and School Class Learning Group Curriculum Planning Seminar” on October 13, 2022. This seminar aimed to bring together participants from educational administration, academic research, frontline teachers, and national parent representatives to engage in in-depth discussions on various issues concerning senior high schools. The focus was on challenges presented by the 12-year basic education program and the learning portfolio of senior high school students. In the morning session, education researchers, principals of senior high schools, and representatives of parent organizations presented recommendations and reports on the current state of implementation of the 12-year basic education, and the development of the learning portfolio, independent learning, and curriculum maps; and in the afternoon session, the National Parent Education Volunteer Association made a presentation on the current state of the promotion of the learning portfolio and the effectiveness of its promotion throughout the nation. Reference link:

https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-8422,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

11. The Department of Guidance and Counseling of NCUE and National Sun Yat-sen University, and the Chinese Indigenous Social Science Association jointly held the “5th Seminar on the Localization of Social Sciences and the 6th Seminar on Local Counseling Psychology” from October 1 to October 2, 2022: With the theme of “Reflection on the Socio-cultural Phenomena about WEIRD Psychology”, the seminar aimed to explore the localization of social sciences and to promote the development of related academics through interdisciplinary dialogues. The two-day international conference featured about 20 lectures and forums in English and Chinese, and was attended by more than 200 participants online and offline, as well as many renowned international scholars. Reference link:

https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-8998,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

12. On December 23, 2022, the College of Education and the Department of Special Education jointly organized a forum on “Soft Power in Special Education”, which invited Mr. Hsun-Min Wang, Section Chief of the K-12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education, as the keynote speaker to share the recent reforms and future development trends of special education in Taiwan with future special education teachers. Mr. Wang kicked off with the topic of “International Development of Special Education” and extended it to include concepts such as CRPD and integrated education, while also leading participants to understand the considerations and intentions behind each educational decision from a more comprehensive perspective. After analyzing the characteristics of different stages of education and class types, participants were led to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses. Also, the importance for special education teachers was emphasized to maintain a “lifelong learning” attitude when facing different kinds of subject content. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-9148,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.

13. The Department of Geography organized the “Complex Taiwan Coastal Environmental Governance and Marine Education Forum” on September 24, 2022: with the theme of “Complexity of Coastal Environmental Governance and Marine Education: Climate, Environment, and Development.” During the forum, participants exchanged views and engaged in diversified dialogues on the six major aspects of climate, littoral drifting, industry, culture, education, and energy through the round-table forums, the World Cafe, and the comprehensive discussions. The event was intended to help students and the general public to increase awareness of the importance of the marine industry, culture, and ecological protection, and to motivate them to participate more actively in the marine environment and ecological sustainability. Reference link: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-8258,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw.