2023–2024 Achievements
2023–2024 Higher Education Sprout Subproject 1-6 (College of Management)
A-STAR for Future: Agile Employability — Implementation Outcomes
Professional Development Scholarships for the Agile Employability Development Program
▶ Purpose: Established in the first semester of Academic Year 2023 to encourage students to participate actively in learning, develop diverse competencies, prepare for the workplace, and strengthen their employability.
▶ Governing Regulations: National Chung Cheng University Regulations Governing Professional Development Scholarships for the Agile Employability Development Program (PDF)
▶ Eligibility and Award Categories: Currently enrolled students who undertake industry internships, participate in individual or team competitions, or obtain professional certifications.
▶ Scholarship Distribution: NT$190,350 in the first semester of AY 2023; NT$279,502 in the second semester of AY 2023; and NT$349,600 in the first semester of AY 2024. Total disbursed: NT$819,452.
▶ Student Applications: Applications submitted since the first semester of Academic Year 2023 are shown below.
Detailed Chart Description: These charts show student scholarship applications in three categories—internships, competitions, and professional certifications—from the first semester of AY 2023 through the first semester of AY 2024, including cumulative applications by college.
First semester of AY 2023: 111 applications (46 internships, 20 competitions, and 45 certifications). Second semester of AY 2023: 55 applications (14 internships, 8 competitions, and 33 certifications). First semester of AY 2024: 92 applications (41 internships, 16 competitions, and 35 certifications). Total: 258 applications.
Applications by college (internships / competitions / certifications): College of Management: 35 / 23 / 67; College of Liberal Arts: 3 / 7 / 7; College of Science: 0 / 0 / 2; College of Social Sciences: 54 / 9 / 18; College of Engineering: 5 / 1 / 15; College of Law: 0 / 3 / 2; College of Education: 2 / 0 / 0; Tzu Chiang Interdisciplinary Program: 2 / 1 / 2.
The College of Management recorded the highest number of certification applications, while the College of Social Sciences recorded the highest number of internship applications. The first semester of AY 2023 had the highest total number of applications, at 111.
Faculty Grants for Offering Agile Employability Development Courses
▶ Purpose: Established in the second semester of Academic Year 2023 to help students develop core competencies and skills and strengthen their employability in a rapidly changing workplace.
▶ Governing Regulations: National Chung Cheng University Guidelines for Faculty Grants for Offering Agile Employability Development Courses (PDF)
▶ Course Formats: Integrated courses, employment-related practical courses, and micro-courses. Course content must be related to employability and may include instructional materials, lectures on employability-related knowledge, hands-on practice, and employability case studies.
▶ Course Classification: As determined by the faculty course grant review committee:
- Level 1: Courses focusing on career readiness and employability, including practical activities and arrangements for students to undertake industry internships.
- Level 2: Courses meeting Level 3 requirements with additional hands-on practical components.
- Level 3: Courses primarily designed to develop students’ career readiness and employability.
▶ Number of Funded Courses: 20 courses in the second semester of AY 2023 and 12 courses in the first semester of AY 2024, for a total of 32 courses.
▶ Implementation Outcomes and Grant Applications: The figures below describe the course implementation process and the number of faculty grant applications.
Detailed Chart Description: The charts illustrate the implementation process for Agile Employability Development Courses under Subproject 1-6 and compare the numbers of faculty applications by college in the second semester of AY 2023 and the first semester of AY 2024.
Implementation process: (1) Complete UCAN pre- and post-course assessments; (2) complete the student competency self-assessment questionnaire after the Subproject 1-6 course; and (3) organize a learning outcomes presentation and submit supporting outcomes and documentation.
Second semester of AY 2023: College of Management 6; College of Social Sciences 6; College of Law 0; College of Liberal Arts 2; College of Education 4; College of Engineering 2; College of Science 0; Tzu Chiang Interdisciplinary Program 0; Center for General Education 0. Total: 20.
First semester of AY 2024: College of Management 5; College of Social Sciences 2; College of Law 0; College of Liberal Arts 2; College of Education 0; College of Engineering 0; College of Science 0; Tzu Chiang Interdisciplinary Program 0; Center for General Education 3. Total: 12.
In the second semester of AY 2023, the College of Management and College of Social Sciences each had the most applications, at six. In the first semester of AY 2024, the College of Management led with five, followed by the Center for General Education with three.
Featured College Projects
▶ Purpose: To enhance students’ career readiness, transition into the workplace, self-directed learning, and interdisciplinary learning competencies.
▶ Implementation: Subproject 1-6 invited proposals from university colleges and units. The Career Development Center, College of Liberal Arts, College of Engineering, College of Social Sciences, and College of Education submitted proposals. Following committee review, the College of Liberal Arts, College of Education, and College of Social Sciences were selected to implement projects aimed at strengthening these competencies.
Detailed Image Description: This image summarizes the activities, grant funding, and outcomes of the featured college projects implemented in 2024 by the College of Liberal Arts, College of Education, and College of Social Sciences.
College of Liberal Arts: NT$120,000 in operating expenses and NT$60,000 for equipment. Drawing on linguistic research to understand language structures, the project emphasized project-based activities, hands-on practice, and continued project development to strengthen self-directed learning. Students also participated in a legal compliance technology hackathon, where their team received the Outstanding Technology Application Award, as shown in the outcome photos.
College of Education: NT$100,000 in operating expenses and NT$50,000 for equipment. The Graduate Program in Forensic Psychology organized employability lectures, off-campus learning, practical workshops, and international academic conferences. The Interdisciplinary Credit Program in Intergenerational Co-Creation held workplace visits, talks on employing older workers, and workshops. Photos include off-campus learning, corporate visits, and a workplace exploration and art therapy workshop.
College of Social Sciences: NT$80,000 in operating expenses and NT$40,000 for equipment. Activities included interdisciplinary exploration forums, an academic conference on human resources and organizational psychology, and a human resources and industrial-organizational psychology workshop held by the Department of Psychology. The Department of Political Science offered four employability-related micro-courses and conducted a public opinion survey research and practice project. The image includes an online session of a joint workshop involving four departments.
Through lectures, workshops, off-campus learning, company visits, competitions, and hands-on courses, these projects strengthened students’ self-directed learning, interdisciplinary learning, and career competencies.
Annual Survey of Industry Talent Needs
▶ Survey Title: Survey on the Professional Knowledge and Competencies Essential for University Students.
▶ Purpose: Launched in 2024 to understand workplace expectations for new graduates and improve curriculum design across colleges.
▶ Respondents: Alumni who graduated from undergraduate programs across the university’s colleges.
▶ Survey Period: September 3–October 10, 2024.
▶ Survey Results: A total of 1,127 alumni questionnaires were collected, of which 1,099 were valid. Respondents were 33 years old on average, and most had more than 10 years of work experience.
▶ Key Findings: Alumni most strongly recommended increasing internship courses, followed by courses on AI applications and practical skills. They identified selecting and using AI tools, writing effective prompts or instructions, and communication and coordination as essential abilities for new graduates in the AI era.
Detailed Chart Description: The figure presents alumni perceptions of new graduates’ skill gaps, priority competencies across colleges, courses that should be added, and essential skills in the AI era.
1. Ranking of skills new graduates lack: The surveyed skills were effective communication, problem-solving, stress tolerance, logical thinking, interpersonal influence, and agility. The numbers of respondents ranking each skill from first through fifth were:
| Competency | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective communication | 246 | 146 | 156 | 125 | 100 |
| Problem-solving | 128 | 165 | 155 | 144 | 120 |
| Stress tolerance | 105 | 119 | 115 | 109 | 111 |
| Logical thinking | 63 | 116 | 122 | 106 | 108 |
| Interpersonal influence | 58 | 76 | 88 | 104 | 109 |
| Agility | 55 | 81 | 89 | 83 | 120 |
Effective communication was most often ranked as the greatest skill gap, with problem-solving and stress tolerance also identified frequently.
2. Most-needed competencies by college: The chart compares the Colleges of Management, Social Sciences, Engineering, Law, Science, Education, and Liberal Arts. It covers effective communication, basic digital skills, problem-solving, logical thinking, stress tolerance, data analysis, and emotional management. All colleges emphasized communication, problem-solving, logical thinking, and digital capabilities, with varying priorities.
3. Courses alumni believe should be added: Internships appeared most prominently in the word cloud. Other areas included AI applications, hands-on skills, communication, problem-solving, logical thinking, data analysis, international collaboration, self-directed learning, interpersonal relations and management, legal knowledge, career planning, and English.
4. Essential competencies in the AI era: Prominent items included writing effective prompts, selecting and applying AI tools, communication and coordination, and evaluating AI-generated results. Other competencies included data collection and analysis, empathy, innovative thinking, continuous learning, digital design and programming, and big data analysis and applications.
Overall, alumni emphasized not only professional knowledge and digital skills but also internship experience, effective communication, problem-solving, and effective use of AI tools.
