Soochow Shows Harvest of Higher Education SPROUT Projects with Two-Day Seminar

On December 14^th and 15^th, 2020, SU’s administration executives and many teachers from Soochow and other schools demonstrated their fruitful outcomes of the higher education SPROUT projects, university social responsibility (USR) projects, and institutional research projects, with oral presentations or posters. The two-day seminar at Puren Hall and conference room of J.T. Tai & Co. Foundation in Waishuangsi Campus drew a total of 368 attendees with 90.73% expressing satisfaction with the event.

Soochow’s Higher Education SPROUT Projects consisted of up to 40 plans covering teaching and/or learning across the University’s six schools. In addition, the one implemented by Career Development Center promoted creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial atmosphere, while the ones carried out by Admissions Division as well as Registration and Curriculum Division focused on development strategy and distinctive curriculum teaching.

The plan by Learning Resources Division handled in-class teaching assistants and self-learning communities while the project by Teaching Development Division aimed at promoting teachers’ groups and teaching skill refinement. Moreover, the plan by Evaluation Affairs Division worked to ensure teaching quality and track students’ learning effects whereas the one by Moral and Civil Education Center provided counseling service for the financially and culturally disadvantaged students.

As for the practice of university social responsibility, Soochow showcased 12 plans, including “New Symbiosis of Old Shilin District,” “Placemaking Plan,” and “Agricultural Tourism Assistance Program in Tianzhong Township, Changhua County,” all of which carried out collaboration with the locals.

In institutional research projects, SU presented the results of 16 plans. Among them, Data Analysis Center, working with Moral and Civil Education Center, explored the relationship between disadvantaged students applying for scholarship and their GPAs. Other focuses included analysis of students’ soft and hard power, investigation into teaching assistants’ UCAN competency, and exploration on career counseling strategies in enhancing students’ competitiveness in the job market, etc.