New Provisions at NTHU for Encouraging Interdisciplinary Learning
2023.02.08
It seems impossible to take two courses that meet at exactly the same time, unless you are lucky enough to have a Time-Turner like the one in the movie Harry Potter. However, this has been made possible by the recent launching of the X-Class course selection provision at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan, as long as one of the courses provides perfect asynchronous online teaching.
Cross-disciplinary and diversified learning have long been one of the distinguishing features of NTHU. Soon after being appointed last year, NTHU president W. John Kao (高為元) initiated a five-fold development strategy, which includes increasing the proportion of students graduating with a dual specialization from 25% to 80%. This is to be achieved by implementing the X-Class provisions, micro-credit courses, and T-scores, thereby loosening the framework of course selection, academic credit, and grade calculation, so as to encourage independent and flexible learning.
Expanding the scope of education
“Learning should not be limited to sitting in the classroom, taking exams, and handing in homework,” said Kao, pointing out that research has found that only about 15% of learning happens in the classroom, whereas about 85% comes from research, internships, clubs, part-time jobs, sports activities, etc. Moreover, since nearly half of all occupations may disappear in the next 20 years, the era of doing exactly the same job for a lifetime is gone.
“We must expand our image of learning and focus more on developing students' ability to analyze, integrate, communicate, and lead,” Kao emphasized.
Kao said that the X-Class provisions will be launched early this year, and that the X stands for an unknown number, as in mathematics. It also has the meaning of leapfrogging, because it allows students to take two classes scheduled in the same time slot.
“For example, when students participate in a supercomputer competition, or build an electric race car, an unmanned race car, or a robot, this is clearly a form of learning,” said Kao. He explained that such activities give students a chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom and to integrate technology from other fields. They also facilitate the learning of essential skills in areas such as management, public relations, fundraising, business models, and sustainable development. Therefore, students should get academic credit for participating in international competitions, completing corporate internships, and doing volunteer work.
Resolving scheduling conflicts
Vice president for academic affairs Yung-hsien Wu (巫勇賢) explained that the X-Class provisions are being implemented especially for students with a double major or double specialization, since they are often unable to enroll in the courses they want to take due to scheduling conflicts. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic is easing, more and more NTHU courses are being filmed and put online, so that enrolled students don’t have to physically attend.
In an effort to address scheduling conflicts, the University Affairs Committee approved a proposal at the end of last year allowing students to enroll in two courses scheduled for the same time slot, and the new provisions are being implemented on a trial basis for the spring semester. Wu said that any course designated “X-Class” in the course selection system will provide asynchronous online teaching.
The X-Class provisions were proposed by Yu-pon Chen (陳聿邦) , a first-year master’s degree student of the Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science. While an undergraduate in the College of Nuclear Science, Wu ran into difficulties in his junior year when two of the courses he needed to take were scheduled for the same time, requiring him to postpone one of the courses until his senior year.
Later, Chen heard from one of his teachers that the California Institute of Technology allows students to take two courses meeting at the same time, as long as they receive permission from both instructors. Chen later found that other universities in the United States have similar provisions, including Harvard, Princeton, and the University of California, Berkeley. After discussing the idea with friends and the Student Council, he made the proposal together with the Office of Academic Affairs.
Student Council president Jacky Wang (王致凱) said that students at NTHU have a strong interest in interdisciplinary studies, but course selection can be a problem due to scheduling conflicts, adding that some students have even resorted to solving the problem by taking sequential courses in the reverse order. Perhaps one of the positive aftereffects of the pandemic is the large number of online courses currently being offered.
Micro-credit courses
Beginning in the current semester, in an effort to encourage students to take courses outside their major, NTHU is offering micro-credit courses. Wu said that while most courses are for two or three credits, micro-credit courses are for less than one credit, and include courses that meet for a total of two hours, for which students earn 0.1 academic credits. The types of learning activities that will be featured in micro-credit courses include workshops, online courses, talks by industry mentors, internships, and volunteer work.
Wu said that micro-credits will also be given for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), adding that these types of digital courses offer students numerous advantages, including scheduling flexibility and less class time.
NTHU currently offers a total of 74 MOOCs and it has recently become one of the main participants in the Ministry of Education's Digital Promotion Program. Furthermore, as part of the University System of Taiwan, NTHU is planning to offer 21 credit courses in fields such as aerospace technology, semiconductor design and fabrication, medicine, and changes in digital technology, all of which are related to the country's core strategic industries.
Increasing fairness in grading
Although NTHU encourages students to explore areas outside their major, many are still reluctant to take courses taught by teachers known for their strict standards because they are worried that they might get a poor grade, which could have a negative impact on their applications for scholarships and graduate school. Wu said that NTHU has recently implemented T-scores based on the average score and standard deviation of the entire class, and that 56% of the departments at NTHU have already conferred the Academic Achievement Award based on T-scores, which alleviates a lot of anxiety about GPA.
For example, if a student takes a difficult course and gets a grade of 70, but most of the other students in the class fail, then his or her grade, when converted to a T-score, will be quite high. By contrast, another student who takes an easy class might also get a grade of 70, but if all the other students get 90s, his converted T-score will be relatively low.
NTHU is currently implementing the X-Class provisions to make it easier for students to take courses outside their major. Left to right: Chen, Wu, Kao, and Wang.
Kao said that learning is not limited to sitting in the classroom, taking exams, and handing in homework.
Wu said that the types of learning activities that will offer micro-credits include workshops, online courses, talks by industry mentors, internships, and volunteer work.
Chen (right) and Wang together put forth the X-Class proposal.
Using the T-score grading curve, if a student takes a difficult course and gets a grade of 70, but most of the other students in the class fail, then his or her grade, when converted to a T-score, will be quite high.
Student teams competing in international competitions are now able to receive academic credit, including this team from the Department of Computer Science which recently won the championship at the World Supercomputer Student Cluster Competition (SCC).
Student teams competing in international competitions are now able to receive academic credit, including NTHU Racing Team.
Thanks to the efforts of Kao (right), student teams such as NTHU Racing Team can now receive academic credit.
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