SDG 17.4.1 Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education

(1) NCUE bases its general education curriculum on six core areas: cultural literacy, scientific literacy, practical action, original thinking, civic literacy, and a global outlook. In 2025, it offered Introduction to Marine Life Sciences, Green Energy Technology, Environmental Change and Human Civilization, Spatial Greening Design, Changhua Studies, and Water Resources and Human Civilization. It also offered approximately 17 general education lectures, with capacity for approximately 1,545 attendances. Topics included Indigenous communities, community GIS and local memory, the Bamboo Leaves in Green documentary, chemical safety and food-safety risks, and waste reduction. These activities aimed to develop understanding of sustainable energy, food safety, environmental protection, and the sustainable use of marine resources.

(2) NCUE recognizes campus activities on gender equality, suicide prevention, and self-exploration as General Education Passport lectures. Examples include Safeguarding Campus Safety: We Are All Gatekeepers for Suicide Prevention; The Power of Life—Suicide Prevention; Discussing Gender Equality through Bodily Autonomy; the Baisha Gender Film Festival screening and discussion of “Are You Okay If I Am 12?”; Bringing Relationships Closer: From Conflict to Understanding; and Colours Beyond the Frame: Gender Imagination in Art. These activities aim to expand students' knowledge and empathy. NCUE also offers lectures and activities for faculty and staff as part of a campus-wide approach to guidance. See Table 1.

(1) The NCUE Bilingual Education Research Center offers lectures, workshops, classroom observations, and teaching demonstrations for pre-service and in-service teachers. The Bilingual Digital Teaching Symposium on 25 April 2025 addressed generative AI, digital literacy, bilingual teaching experience, and classroom applications of AI. International scholars and local teachers discussed curriculum design, teaching strategies, and everyday use of English. These activities help pre-service teachers understand classroom requirements. NCUE will continue Ministry of Education-supported work to develop teachers' English proficiency and bilingual teaching skills in support of the 2030 bilingual policy. See Figures 7–10.

(2) NCUE's Language Center provides online self-directed learning and final assessments to help College of Management undergraduates meet their English-proficiency graduation requirement. It also offers IELTS and TOEIC courses for graduate students. In 2025, 37 students received support and met the requirement. The center offers introductory English, Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, Indonesian, and Vietnamese courses for students, faculty, staff, and the public, supporting language learning on campus and in the community.

SDG Alignment: SDG 4 Quality Education; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals.

(1) NCUE provides first-year class guidance. In the 2024–2025 academic year, activities focused on interpersonal interaction and responses to conflict, incorporating psychological assessments to address students' questions in a timely manner and help them understand the forms and misconceptions of interpersonal conflict. Each activity lasted one to two hours. Participants' average satisfaction score was 4.5, with individual session scores of 4.63, 4.36, 4.86, and 4.36. (Table 2)

(2) NCUE provides a systematic support program for international students. During the first semester of the 2024–2025 academic year, two activities were offered for international students, including overseas Chinese students, mainland Chinese students, and foreign students: a new-student orientation and a Safeguard series activity. These activities helped students strengthen self-care, begin with emotional awareness, build healthy interpersonal relationships, and adapt to campus life. During the second semester, NCUE offered two further activities—a singing-bowl experiential workshop and a lecture on intimate relationships—to support international students in developing self-awareness, fostering healthy intimate relationships, and enhancing their adjustment to campus life. Details are provided in Table 3 and Figures 11–14.

(3) NCUE offers group counseling activities. During the academic year, four groups were held, involving 25 participants and a cumulative 157 attendances, with an overall satisfaction score of 4.75. Details are provided in Table 4.

(4) NCUE advances gender-equality education:

(a) During the first semester of the 2024–2025 academic year, two activities were held. At the Jinde Campus, counseling psychologist Chang Chuan delivered a lecture entitled Talking about Love through Psychology—The Five Love Languages. At the Shida Campus, NCUE counselor Yan-Ren Chen led a screening and discussion of the film Aristocrats, exploring individual choice, interpersonal relationships, cultural values, social class, and gender in contemporary urban life. The activities helped participants understand the film's deeper meanings, reflect on their own circumstances, and exchange diverse perspectives. The two events attracted 49 and 37 participants, respectively, with satisfaction scores of 4.41 and 4.56. (Figures 15 and 16)

(b) During the second semester, two thematic lectures were held at the Jinde and Shida Campuses. The Jinde session, entitled Seeing the World through Her Eyes: Mapping Travel Stories through Gender, invited participants to examine gender and multicultural issues in travel and everyday life, thereby strengthening students' sensitivity to gender equality. A total of 46 people participated, and the satisfaction score was 4.38.

(c) The Shida Campus session featured Wei-Xuan Zhang, founder and CEO of Womany, speaking on Are Your Choices Truly Your Own? How Gender Shapes Our Dreams and Choices. The lecture helped participants understand how gender shapes different aspects of life and how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can be practiced in their own contexts. A total of 35 people participated, and the satisfaction score was 4.58. (Figures 17 and 18)

(5) NCUE Organized Workshops on Emotion Management and Stress Adaptation: To support university students in navigating diverse life challenges and psychological stress, NCUE organized a series of wellness initiatives during the 2024–2025 academic year. In the first semester, the university hosted a "Fluid Art Stress-Relief Workshop," employing a popular and creative medium to offer students an evaluation-free environment for relaxation amidst high-pressure academic assessments. Facilitated by an instructor with a professional psychology background, the workshop integrated self-exploration and emotional-stress literacy, guiding participants to reframe stress and gain inner support within a safe, comfortable setting. The workshop engaged 32 participants, achieving an exceptional satisfaction rating of 4.79 out of 5. In the second semester, NCUE invited floral artist Zhao-Yu Shi to conduct "Knotted Wishes: Japanese Shimenawa Handcraft Blessing Workshop," designed to help students restore mental and physical well-being through hands-on crafting. Attended by 16 students, the workshop earned a high satisfaction score of 4.78 out of 5 (Figures 17–18).

SDG Alignment: SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being; and SDG 5 Gender Equality.