NCUE actively pursues the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) policy objectives through organizing relevant educational activities for external participants. In this summary, we present 11 selected examples of related initiatives promoted in 2023, which are itemized as follows:

1. In terms of implementing sustainable development and lifelong learning, School of Continuing Education organizes educational activities and courses annually. These programs allowed our faculty, students, community members, and the general public to participate based on their individual continuing education and learning needs. The lifelong learning courses offered in 2023 are described as follows:

(1) Language Learning Courses: Various language learning courses were offered, including English, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian. These courses allow community residents to cultivate second language skills based on their learning interests. In 2023, a total of 31 classes were organized, with 867 hours of instruction. A total of 347 participants completed the courses, acquiring second language skills.

(2) Chinese Language Seasonal Programs: Our university was approved by the Ministry of Education as an overseas recruitment institution for Chinese language studies. We offer Chinese language courses annually, providing opportunities for foreign nationals worldwide to learn Chinese through in-person or online methods. In 2023, the Chinese language seasonal programs were divided into Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter sessions, as well as online Chinese group classes and individual classes. A total of 182 participants completed the courses. For more information about these courses, please refer to our official website: https://lcch.ncue.edu.tw/curriculum_season?lang=zh-TW

(3) Community Senior University: To provide continuing education opportunities for senior community members, NCUE has been operating the Changhua County Senior Citizens' University since 1995. This program encourages residents of the county aged 55 and above to return to campus for learning. In 2023, two terms were offered, each lasting 16 weeks. A total of 27 classes were established, covering a diverse range of subjects including Japanese, English, calligraphy, Chinese painting, art, and smartphone application classes. A total of 798 participants completed these courses.

(4) Professional Development for Secondary School Teachers: In alignment with the Ministry of Education's requirements and the needs of secondary school teachers for continuing education, we offered courses for in-service teachers to develop second specialties and enhance their skills, helping them improve their professional teaching abilities. In 2023, we offered a total of 62 courses across various fields, including Hokkien language, information technology, living technology, bilingual education, scouting education, and special education. The total training hours reached 2,844, with 1,651 participants attending these courses.

(5) Training Program for School Management Competencies for Principals and Directors of Primary and Secondary Schools: NCUE is the only secondary school teacher training institution in central Taiwan. To fulfill social responsibility, since 2020, NCUE has been organizing an annual "Training Program for School Management Competencies for Principals and Directors of Primary and Secondary Schools." Each course lasts for four months. To date, NCUE has cultivated 68 high-level administrative leaders for primary and secondary schools.

(6) Cultivation of Industrial and Commercial Talent in Changhua County: NCUE is located in Changhua County. To assist local enterprises in nurturing talent and enabling them to keep pace with the times and achieve sustainable operations, we have been collaborating with the Changhua County Government and private enterprise groups since 2016. NCUE annually organizes training programs for second-generation successors and female leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These programs aim to equip participants with skills in management, innovative operations, digital marketing, communication, and negotiation. In 2023, NCUE focused on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) corporate sustainability as the main theme, designing a series of courses to assist SMEs in implementing ESG practices. Since its inception, this training initiative has successfully graduated 379 participants.

(7) Professional Development Courses for Employed Individuals: NCUE plans vocational training courses based on the needs of community residents and local industries to enhance their professional competencies in the workplace. In 2023, NCUE offered a total of 102 classes, with a total training duration of 2,552 hours, assisting 2,012 participants in improving their knowledge and skills.

(8) Community Extension Education Courses: NCUE regularly offers various types of extension education courses covering business operations, information technology, business management, marketing, handicraft creation, and more. These courses allow community members to continue their personal growth based on their learning interests. In 2023, we organized 58 classes with a total of 1,700 course hours, attracting 1,310 participants to enroll.

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education

2. The "Changhua Science Fun" event, co-organized by NCUE, Changhua City Office, and the Yuan T. Lee Science Education for All Foundation, was held on June 3, 2023, at the Huyu Train Garage Park. Through the design of scientific activities, the event aimed to guide students in exploration and research, helping them understand scientific phenomena present in daily life and cultivating their interest in learning science.

Nearly a thousand parents and children attended the event, enjoying the 30 science experiment booths set up throughout the park. The "Changhua Science Fun" activity allowed everyone to discover and experience interesting science through hands-on operations. This approach helps make science more accessible and relatable to everyday life, laying a foundation for scientific understanding at a grassroots level. It provided all participants, whether members of the public or students, with diverse experiences in science.

Campus Headlines: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-22082,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw

SDG Relevance: Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities

3. NCUE's Science Education Center implements a science education guidance plan, organizing mid-term and final achievement sharing seminars for science education special projects in elementary and secondary schools in central Taiwan. Additionally, to encourage elementary and secondary school teachers to apply for special projects and enhance their project writing skills, workshops on writing science education special project proposals are held.

These initiatives aimed to increase the interest, motivation, and confidence in science learning among students in rural areas, providing them with fair competitive opportunities. The goal was to balance the development of science education in remote elementary and secondary schools, reduce the gap in learning opportunities for students, and strive to equalize children's right to education, ensuring that every child has a fair chance to learn.

SDG Relevance: Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities

4. Professor Wen Mei-Chun from the Graduate Institute of Science Education implements the project "Everyday Science for All—STEM Teacher Community Professional Growth, Inquiry and Practical Curriculum Development, Implementation and Promotion in the Post-Pandemic Era". This project organized teacher workshops, mathematics and science inquiry teaching activities, and "Science is Around You" science camps.

The content includes:

(1) Mosquito-insect making and curriculum promotion combining science and reading domains.

(2) Bioacoustics curriculum promotion integrating biology and physics.

(3) Electricity and control - Analysis of technology lightsaber combination curriculum modules.

(4) Generative AI: Experience and teaching practices.

(5) Hands-on mini desk and chair making.

(6) Creating eco-friendly card holders through environmental ethics and resource reuse practices.

Through experience sharing by curriculum experts, science and engineering experts, and in-service teachers, educators collaboratively prepare lessons and promote interdisciplinary inquiry curricula. Some sessions also included remote learning channels to supplement and overcome the limitations of physical teaching.

In addition to actively organizing workshops to assist teachers at all levels in enhancing their skills, the project also invited teacher communities to participate. Project experts entered these communities to jointly plan curriculum designs.

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education

5. The Environmental Education Center's "Beautiful and Treasured Clams in Fangyuan and Dacheng: Sustainable Industry and Environment Project of Changhua’s Two Cities Amid Climate Change":

This course was designed for our university students, community members, and professionals in the fishery and aquaculture industries. The curriculum focused on related professional knowledge in fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism, as well as strategies and operations for marine biodiversity conservation.

For more information, please visit the project's Facebook fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/NCUEUSR/

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Sustainable Cities and Communities

6. The Special Education Center undertook commissioned and subsidized projects from the Ministry of Education. Internally, it provides support for students with disabilities at our university in areas such as learning assistance, life assistance, school adaptation, and transition services. Externally, it offers special education consultation services to schools in the guidance area and community members, organizes special education knowledge workshops, conducts on-site visits for special education in higher education institutions, performs special education assessments for colleges, and publishes special education publications.

Regarding internal counseling for students with disabilities, in 2023, the center provided relevant support services to 72 students with disabilities at NCUE. This included 1,581 instances of academic learning assistance, 147 instances of life assistance, 169 instances of career and transition services, and 189 instances of counseling services.

To enhance the special education knowledge of special education teachers, administrative staff, and related counseling personnel at various educational stages in the guidance area, the center annually surveys the needs of frontline staff. Combining these needs with the Ministry of Education's special education policies and future development directions, the center planed and organized professional knowledge activities including required courses, elective courses, advanced courses, and thematic case studies for special education counseling personnel. In 2023, 6 basic special education knowledge workshops, 13 advanced knowledge workshops, 1 advanced course, and 2 thematic case studies were held, totaling 22 special education professional knowledge activities.

For community members, students, teachers at various educational stages, and related counseling personnel, the center provides consultation services through a hotline to address issues in teaching, parenting, and student counseling practices. It also conducted on-site visits to schools in the guidance area to understand the implementation of special education work. The center regularly published special education journals to assist in the professional growth of special education teachers and related staff. It also planed and organized transition coordination meetings for students with disabilities in higher education institutions, actively understanding the current status, limitations, and resource needs of transition counseling activities in various schools. In 2023, 84 instances of special education consultation services were completed, 4 on-site guidance visits were conducted, 2 issues of the Special Education Garden Journal were published, and 1 special education work review meeting for the guidance area and 1 transition coordination meeting for students with disabilities in higher education were held.

Additionally, in response to the continuous increase in the number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders and autism spectrum disorders in higher education institutions over the past five years, and considering the characteristics of Changhua, Yunlin, and Nantou regions with uneven distribution of resources and weak special education-related resources, the center aims to develop support systems for students with emotional disorders and autism. This initiative assists counselors in the jurisdiction by providing services in four aspects: forming support networks through professional learning exchange communities, integrating and connecting school internal resource networks, providing on-site guidance for difficult cases, and offering immediate consultation services.

To address the needs of these two disability categories, the center invited experienced counselors from the guidance area, psychiatrists from the medical field, and professors specializing in special education to serve as a consultation committee team. This team provided strong support and assistance when counselors need it, offering different services based on the level of need for each case. In 2023, the center planned 2 special education knowledge workshops, 3 professional exchange community activities, 2 special education promotion events for emotional disorders and autism, 12 instances of telephone consultation services, 2 on-site guidance sessions for difficult cases, and 4 empowerment seminars.

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities

7. The Center for Teacher Education promotes planed to enhance teacher quality and develop distinctive features:

Since 2011, our university has been organizing the two-week "Baisha Summer School" camp every summer vacation. Teacher candidates from NCUE independently form the Baisha Summer School administrative and teaching team, personally taking on various roles such as principal, administrative executives, subject teachers, and homeroom teachers. They planed interdisciplinary curricula tailored to the school's specific needs and implement practical on-site teaching operations, guiding new junior high school students in adapting to campus life.

From July 3 to July 28, 2023, a total of 38 teacher candidates were stationed at Xizhou Junior High School and Changhua Arts High School in Changhua County. They guided transitional courses for incoming 7th-grade students, helping them experience the joy of learning and welcome their new life in junior high school.

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Furthermore, from March to May 2023, Department of Fine Arts collaborated with teachers and students from the gifted class at Nanguo Elementary School in Changhua County. They visited the Nanguo County Magistrate's Official Residence, leading 30 teacher candidates from the Fine Arts Department in community exploration and exchange.

The Nanguo County Magistrate's Official Residence is a century-old Japanese-style house that records historical memories and cultural traces from the Japanese colonial period through the post-war era to the present. Through on-site visits and interactions with local residents, cultural workers, and teachers and students from Nanguo Elementary School, faculty and students from the Fine Arts Department's gained an understanding of the unique local culture. This promoted dialogue, reflection, and professional exchange, ultimately inspiring the design of community-based curricula.

Incorporating elements of history, culture, aesthetics, and experiential learning, the project integrated the essence of aesthetic and local education into community walks and artistic experience activities. By relocating classes to the Nanguo County Magistrate's Official Residence, the old building was revitalized and repurposed. The community and streets became canvases for student creations, infusing them with new aesthetics of life.

Stepping out of the campus allowed participants to recognize the characteristics and value of civic aesthetics. Through art, they helped the community and architecture tell their unique stories. Through education, teachers and students were able to become acquainted with the land they live on.

The project aims to transform the community into a cultural space that combines history with artistic exhibitions and performances, becoming a field for future innovative educational practices. By expanding diverse art education, it achieves the meaning of "common good."

SDG Relevance: Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities

8. The Department of Biology organized the 2022 Academic Year National Competition for Mathematics, Science, and Information Technology in General Senior High Schools - Biology Final:

This event aimed to strengthen the teaching of biology in public and private senior high schools, enhance students' interest in life sciences research, encourage mutual learning among students and schools, and promote high-quality science education.

After forming an evaluation committee, the competition format was decided as follows:

(1) Written test: 1 session, 80 minutes.

(2) Experimental design and operation: 1 session, 150 minutes.

(3) Oral examination: 3 sessions (divided into 3 groups, with each student having a 15-minute oral examination).

The scope of the competition questions: Primarily based on the current senior high school curriculum materials, including some related basic scientific theory questions.

 

Figure 18: National Competition for Mathematics, Science, and Information Technology in General Senior High Schools - Biology Final

SDG Relevance: Quality Education

9. National Changhua University of Education, in collaboration with the Aspire Foundation, organized the 2023 Aspire Cup National Science HomeRun Practical Competition. The competition aimed to encourage students to engage in design thinking and project implementation, utilizing Arduino for practical design. It sought to stimulate students' creativity, integrate knowledge from different disciplines, and solve natural science problems.

The preliminary round was judged based on concept proposal submissions. Teams selected for the finals were required to bring their practical works to the venue for demonstration, presentation to the judges, and a Q&A session.

In its inaugural year, the preliminary round attracted over a thousand teachers and students from 244 teams across 18 counties and cities nationwide, as well as from Ho Chi Minh City overseas. After careful evaluation by the judging panel, 36 top teams from 9 counties and cities, ranging from Taipei to Kaohsiung, were selected for the finals. The final competition was grandly held at National Changhua University of Education on May 6.

Campus Headlines: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-10129,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities

10. The College of Science holds "Science Open Fun Day" event annually. Each department within the College of Science prepares numerous engaging scientific activities. They also invite Changhua Senior High School and Changhua Girls' Senior High School to participate and assist with the fun science activities.

For this event, various laboratories showcase their latest scientific research. Graduate students provide accessible explanations of their research, presenting results in a user-friendly and concise manner. This allows the public to better understand the infinite allure of scientific research and provides students with insights for planning their academic careers.

Additionally, there are entertaining science activities that allow participants to learn knowledge easily and enjoy science through exploration and hands-on experiences. By encouraging students from remote areas to participate in the "Science Open Fun Day," the event shares educational resources and provides high-quality science education. The event aims to bring the general public closer to science, enabling them to learn science in daily life and learn about life through science.

Campus Headlines: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-24401,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities

11. The Department of Geography at our university hosted a forum on the complexities of coastal environmental governance in Taiwan and marine education. Surrounded by the sea, Taiwan’s natural environment, resources, industries, culture, and education are all closely linked to the ocean and deeply connected to the lives of its citizens.

To facilitate the exchange of ideas and diverse dialogues, the forum focued on six major themes: climate, sediment transport, industry, culture, education, and energy. Various formats, including roundtable discussions, world cafés, and comprehensive dialogues, were employed. By centering on marine education, we aimed to create a platform for advocacy that encourages students and the general public to value marine industries, culture, and ecological protection. We hoped that this event will inspire greater engagement in the pursuit of sustainable marine environments and ecology.

Campus Headlines: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-8258,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw

SDG Relevance: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities