〈Course Sharing〉彙整頁面 - Page 2 of 2

Reported by Yang Kai-chieh, Campus Correspondent

At the Golden Bell Awards ceremony for radio broadcasting, when the presenter announced the winner of “I’ve Liked You for a Long Time”, Sheng Bao-xin and Wang Yi-quan walked onto the stage in gowns with looks of astonishment. Standing beside them was their teacher Wu Yu-xuan (Snake) — an alumnus of the Communication Department at National Chengchi University and this year’s recipient of the Youth Program Host Award, as well as the mentor who introduced them to audio production.

This moment came only a year or two after the two students first met in Wu’s class on “Audio Self-Media Application and Creation” at NCCU. Through countless discussions and rounds of refinement, they ultimately completed the work that would be honored on the Golden Bell stage.

Wu Yu-xuan won the Youth Program Host Award for “I’ve Liked You for a Long Time” at the Golden Bell Awards, sharing this honor with his two students. (Image credit: Wu Yu-xuan)

More Than Just General Education

The story began with a general education course titled “Audio Self-Media Application and Creation.”

For Sheng Bao-xin, a student majoring in Chinese Studies, this was an unexpected journey filled with passion. She had never planned to pursue audio work, but after hearing Neck’s lecture and being moved by his enthusiasm, she decided to take the course. Meanwhile, Wang Yi-quan, who already had experience with the university’s radio station Voice of NCCU, saw the class as an opportunity to refine her production and planning skills to better match professional industry standards.

Rather than following a traditional theory-based approach, the course functioned like a pre-professional boot camp. From ideation and proposal, to recording, editing, and publication, students were required to produce a complete audio show from scratch. It was during the final project of this class that Bao-xin demonstrated her unique talent for planning, while Yi-quan excelled in precise editing — leading both to be invited to join Wu’s production team for “I’ve Liked You for a Long Time.”

Endless Weekly Meetings

Yi-quan recalls thinking at first, “There’s no way we’d ever win a Golden Bell,” but once their teacher believed in them, they committed fully. The journey toward the Golden Bell was paved with countless nights of anxiety and hard work. The show was set in a fictional youth hostel, where interactions among guests, helpers (Yi-quan and Bao-xin), and the owner (Snake) used sound to teach listeners how to produce audio programs.

Though the concept sounded romantic, its execution was intensely demanding. The team held meetings every Monday, recorded every Tuesday, and submitted work by Friday, with numerous revisions interspersed throughout. “The pressure was really intense,” Bao-xin confessed. As a producer, she often struggled to balance her own creative ideas with her teacher’s professional standards. In one episode discussion, Neck — blessed with a naturally great voice — argued that articulation was innate and couldn’t be taught, whereas Bao-xin insisted the show should include concrete practice methods for beginners. Conflicting perspectives frequently led to entire segments being rewritten, sometimes even moments before recording.

Meanwhile, Yi-quan experienced her own kind of breakdown. A single episode’s rough cut could take four to five hours, with fine-tuning seemingly endless. She laughed while saying that she once received a revision call while riding her scooter. During that time, social life, family gatherings, and sleep were all sacrificed, and they even enlisted nearly a hundred people to record opening segments and sound effects. What sustained them was no longer just the small stipend, but a sense of responsibility — because “once your hair has been washed, you have to see it through” — and a stubborn desire to prove something.

Sheng Bao-xin and Wang Yi-quan are interviewed, reflecting on their months-long journey of producing the program. Photo credit: Center for General Education

“Parents, Please Listen to Me”

Their long sonic expedition ultimately culminated in glory on the Golden Bell stage. While the award was officially for Wu as the Youth Program Host, the trophy held profound personal meaning for the two students and their families.

For a long time, Bao-xin’s parents didn’t understand her dedication to audio production: “Why did you spend so much money on equipment?” “Why do you go home and stare at the computer?” Yi-quan’s parents even worried she’d only be able to make a living “selling medicine at a radio station.” “Before we won, they didn’t even know what I was doing,” she said with a wry smile. But on the day of the awards ceremony, she brought her entire family and friends, and when her name was called, all the doubts vanished.

Yi-quan shared a touching moment: before going on stage, she asked her parents what she should say in her speech. Her father asked for only one thing: “Just say our names.” So others would believe it was truly their daughter. She did exactly that, thanking her parents loudly on stage. That brief speech was later clipped by her father — who isn’t adept with technology — and played repeatedly in their family chat group and at his workplace.

That Golden Bell became a bridge for reconciliation with their families, proving that those sleepless nights and persistence were worthwhile.

The Endless Possibilities of Sound

Now that this chapter has closed, Yi-quan still yearns for the pure companionship that radio can offer, hoping to be the voice that comforts others late at night. Bao-xin sees this experience as invaluable nourishment; she has experimented in public relations, film festivals, and other fields, with audio production now a vital part of her diverse skill set.

Looking back on their journey from a general education class to the Golden Bell stage, their advice to younger students is practical: “Start early and make full use of school resources.” Even a general education course, if embraced wholeheartedly, can become a life-changing beginning — much like the youth hostel in “I’ve Liked You for a Long Time”, where guests arrive with different stories and leave with new strength. Sheng Bao-xin and Wang Yi-quan, once guests themselves, have now packed their bags and are ready for their next destination.

Wu Yu-xuan, Sheng Bao-xin, and Wang Yi-quan pose for a commemorative photo at the Golden Bell Awards ceremony. (Photo credit: Wu Yu-xuan)

[ Center for General Education News]

On November 10, the Center for General Education of National Chengchi University held a general education lecture titled “A Winding Journey: Reflections and Practices in Cross-Interdisciplinary General Education.” The event invited Professor Hsieh Ming-Feng, recipient of the 11th National Outstanding General Education Teacher Award, to share how his interdisciplinary teaching philosophy and practical trajectory have helped bridge the classroom with the real world, while embedding the spirit of general education into professional training.

Associate Professor Hsieh Ming-Feng, College of Architecture and Design, Feng Chia University. (Photo courtesy of the Center for General Education )

General Education as the Socialization of Professional Education

Associate Professor Hsieh Ming-Feng of the College of Architecture and Design at Feng Chia University began by reflecting on his diverse background spanning music and architecture. He pointed out that contemporary higher education faces challenges such as rigid disciplinary divisions and the gap between academic learning and practical application. He warned that if universities overly cater to immediate labor market demands, they risk being reduced to mere training grounds for narrowly defined specialists.

While universities are responsible for cultivating students’ professional knowledge and skills, they must also confront the problem of excessive fragmentation of knowledge. In this context, general education—aimed at nurturing well-rounded, broadly educated individuals—becomes an ideal starting point for integrating disciplinary knowledge and breaking through established frameworks.

In response, Professor Hsieh developed a teaching model he calls “general-education-oriented socialized professional education,” creating a learning environment centered on solving real-world problems. He emphasized that general education should play a pivotal role: like a hammer that breaks down barriers between disciplines; like a window that allows glimpses beyond disciplinary walls; like a ladder that elevates one’s perspective; and like a rope that connects otherwise unrelated bodies of knowledge.

Further drawing on the ideas of American educational philosopher John Dewey, Professor Hsieh explained that what schools should do for learners is not merely to transmit knowledge, but rather “to present them with real-world problems, guide them in finding solutions, and provide opportunities for practice and verification.”

Interdisciplinary Thinking in Course Design

In terms of curriculum design, Professor Hsieh has created and taught numerous integrative interdisciplinary courses to realize cross-domain collaboration. One such course, Music and Architecture, once attracted students from as many as 19 different departments, posing significant challenges for classroom participation and engagement. Through music and architecture as entry points, the course guides students to explore how two seemingly disparate art forms can foster interdisciplinary creativity.

Professor Hsieh noted that many architects draw inspiration from music, and he encouraged students to analyze such works to understand the relationships between space and time, sound and vision. Through this process, students come to recognize that disciplinary boundaries are not fixed, but fluid and interconnected.

Another university-wide required freshman general education course, Dialogue between Science and the Humanities, addresses the historical divide between scientific and humanistic disciplines dating back to ancient Greece. Structured around four stages—“Initiation, Divide, Crossing, and Integration”—the course guides students to rethink how these two domains might once again work hand in hand.

Additionally, the environmental sustainability course Smart Green Taiwan, which has been offered at Feng Chia University for 15 semesters, emphasizes food-related issues, problem-based learning, project-based learning, and hands-on practice. Students work in interdisciplinary teams to select their own research topics and present their outcomes in three-minute short videos uploaded to YouTube, enabling “boundary-less sharing.” In this way, the broader public can also engage with the sustainability issues addressed in the course.

Learning by Doing: Turning Ideas into Reality

In practice, Professor Hsieh integrates external projects into his courses, leading students into real-world contexts to realize the principle of “learning by doing,” while further embedding general education values into professional courses.

For example, the Participatory Design course series aims to address three major shortcomings of traditional architectural training: students’ limited understanding of project sites, insufficient technical experience, and few opportunities to interact with actual users. To tackle these issues, Professor Hsieh led students into a traditional Chinese medicine community in Taichung, where they transformed a vacant lot into a community vegetable garden. Students brought physical models to discuss ideas with local residents, personally turning concepts into reality and learning how to negotiate between ideals and real-world constraints.

In another example, through collaboration on an Atayal indigenous house reconstruction project, graduate students were divided into a “documentary group” and a “house curriculum teaching group.” Students were not only learners, but also curriculum designers and active participants, responsible for teaching local elementary school students about traditional indigenous house culture. Through firsthand involvement, students realized that the course offered cultural knowledge unattainable within a conventional classroom, and they began to reflect on the disappearance of their own ethnic cultures.

Both cases embody Professor Hsieh’s “reverse learning” approach of “learning while doing, doing before teaching,” forging a concrete link between theory and the real world.

Professor Hsieh shared many inspiring course examples with NCCU faculty and students. (Photo courtesy of the Center for General Education)

At the lecture, Professor Hsieh Ming-Feng presented numerous compelling course examples that showcased his distinctive approach to curriculum design and his teaching strategies that integrate interdisciplinary learning with both general and professional education. He emphasized that the integration of knowledge and its practical application constitutes the core value of university general education. This spirit, he argued, should be brought into professional classrooms, allowing humanistic values to resonate with technical systems and opening up new possibilities. This philosophy and practice aptly illustrate why he was honored with the Outstanding General Education Teacher Award.

[Center for General Education News]

The Center for General Education at National Chengchi University (NCCU), in collaboration with the Colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), successfully launched the intensive summer general education course Flying Heroes. The program, part of the Taiwan–Hong Kong Joint College initiative, brought together students from both institutions to engage in cross-cultural learning and in-depth exploration of Taiwan’s immigrant communities.

Student presentation. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Ya-Ping Wang)

Taiwan–Hong Kong Student Teamwork to Understand Taiwan’s New Immigrants

Over the course of two weeks, mixed student teams conducted fieldwork in Southeast Asian enclaves across Taipei. The course design was inspired by the “Little Flying Heroes Workshop” organized by Brilliant Time: Southeast Asian Bookstore. Through site visits, expert lectures, and hands-on workshops, participants expanded their perspectives, gained insights into the lives of new immigrants, and documented Taiwan’s evolving multicultural society.

This year, the program further incorporated the NCCU USR Grocery Project, guiding students to the Zhongzhen Community in Longgang, Taoyuan, as well as the Taoyuan Youth Bureau Startup Hub. Professor Ya-Ping Wang of NCCU’s Department of Ethnology noted that these activities not only enabled Hong Kong students to step beyond Taipei and New Taipei but also challenged their stamina. She humorously described the program’s pace as being “like drinking espresso.”

Students at the presentation event. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Ya-Ping Wang)

Despite the intensive schedule, the final student presentations impressed both faculty and peers. Their reports highlighted exceptional creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving capacity. Professor Wang reflected: “Listening to the students’ reports, I was deeply moved by their creativity and endless potential for action.”

This course underscores NCCU’s commitment to fostering global perspectives, intercultural exchange, and the development of civic-minded, action-oriented learners.

Message board from students of both universities. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Ya-Ping Wang)

Student presentation slides (Photo courtesy of Prof. Ya-Ping Wang)

[Center for General Education News]

Walking into Commerce Building Room 304, one finds a bright and relaxed space. Students sit together, chatting while operating band-weaving machines, discussing pattern designs, and admiring each other’s work.

This special course was initiated by first-year students through the Self-Directed Learning Program and guided by Prof. Wang Ya-Ping from the Department of Ethnology.

Bringing together students from different colleges, the course involved hands-on weaving practice, appreciation of textile aesthetics, participation in workshops in Wulai, and deeper learning about Atayal weaving techniques and cultural narratives.

Atayal Weaving Culture

For the Atayal people, tninun (life) originates from the ancestral spirits’ tminun (weaving). This course went beyond skills acquisition, encouraging students to explore the cultural meanings and historical contexts embedded in weaving.

Students from diverse backgrounds joined the class, expanding their understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity through weaving. Over the semester, many began as complete beginners and ultimately completed two woven works. For them, weaving became more than beautiful patterns—it turned into a journey of self-reflection and discovery.

Photo: Students with their finished works. (Center for the General Education )

From Weaving to Self-Understanding

“Weaving is a process of facing myself,” one student shared. “Sometimes I felt frustrated and wanted to start over, but those moments tested my ability to adjust and persist.”

Another student described weaving emotions into fabric: “Blue symbolizes courage, pink represents the love around me, and the white in the middle is myself.”

Each stitch became a record of feelings, each woven band a trace of months of growth—making every piece a unique expression of self.

The students’ reflections conveyed sincerity and joy. Thanks to their and the instructor’s active participation, the classroom atmosphere was warm and relaxed, a heartwarming scene in the busy weeks before finals—and a cherished memory woven into their university journey. The General Education Center encourages students to apply for self-directed learning, explore areas of interest, and invite friends to create a unique and meaningful college life together.

(Photo: Students became proficient in operating weaving machines after a semester of practice. Source: Center for General Education)

For details about the Self-Directed Learning Program application, please click “Self-Directed Learning” or contact Ms. Chang at the Center for General Education (ext. 63871).

[Campus News | Reported by Hsu, Chiao-Hsin]

Self-Directed Learning Final Presentation: Bridge Exhibition Game

On the evening of January 4, the semester-end Bridge Exhibition Match took place in Yunxiu Hall. Four players gathered around each table, carefully considering their strategies and focusing on the unfolding plays. This event was held as the final competition for the self-directed learning project “Advanced Applications of Probability and Logic in Card Games” and invited members of the NCCU Bridge Club to join in. The goal was to allow students to apply classroom knowledge in practice while exchanging skills with peers.

The match adopted the contract bridge rules recognized by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and was played in a team format. Each team had four players seated at two tables, with one pair sitting North–South and the other East–West. Bridge consists of two stages: bidding and play. During the bidding stage, players decide on the contract and trump suit based on their hands; during play, they take turns playing cards over 13 tricks to complete each round.

Students applied classroom knowledge to sharpen their bridge skills. (Source: Office of Academic Affairs)

Learning by Doing: The Spirit of Self-Directed Learning

To help students learn by doing, course instructor Prof. Chen Yuan-Tsung explained that classes were structured with concept reviews, followed by practice rounds, and then post-game discussions. “Many students had no prior experience with bridge, but after a semester of practice, they showed remarkable improvement,” he noted. Although the first two weeks were challenging due to the complexity of bridge, consistent guidance, peer support, and practice helped students gradually improve both their understanding and skills.

Bridge is not only a mental sport but also a test of teamwork. Players must calculate probabilities and solutions while working seamlessly with their partners. Lee Yi, a junior from the Department of Advertising, shared that she and her teammates often discussed strategies after matches to resolve uncertainties. Over time, she became more familiar with her partners’ thinking, allowing smoother cooperation during gameplay.

Next semester, the General Education Center will offer six self-directed learning projects: University Innovators, Free Software Inkscape: Creation and Applications, Podcasting and Audio Media Creation, Applications of Probability and Logic in Card Games (Bridge), Building with Bamboo: Indigenous Architecture and Culture, and Theory and Practice of Humanities of Tea.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Lin Chi-Ping encouraged students at the event. (Source: Office of Academic Affairs)

Innovative Learning Models: Emphasizing Autonomy

Dean of Academic Affairs Lin Chi-Ping also attended the event to encourage students. He remarked that learning models can vary based on interdisciplinary combinations, and NCCU has been actively promoting self-directed learning courses in recent years. He explained that this bridge course exemplifies the approach by integrating knowledge across different fields while providing practical training. “Beyond strengthening card-playing skills, the course cultivates new ways of thinking,” he said, expressing hope that students will continue to embrace the spirit of autonomy and creativity fostered through self-directed learning.

Course instructor Prof. Chen Yuan-Tsung. (Source: Office of Academic Affairs)

Source: NCCU Official Website

[Office of Academic Affairs] Reported by Yang, Kai-Chieh

Final Presentation of “Humanities of Tea”: Local Practice of Tea Studies

The Humanities of Tea self-directed learning course, offered by the General Education Center at National Chengchi University, concluded this semester with impressive achievements. Breaking away from traditional teaching frameworks, the course encourages students to independently explore and practice. It integrates foundational knowledge of tea, humanistic concerns, and local industry resources—providing students with a unique learning experience while bringing new perspectives to the development of the local tea industry.

Balancing Theory and Practice: Exploring the Deeper Humanistic Connections of Tea

The course consists of two main parts: Introduction to Humanities of Tea and Fundamentals of Tea Studies. It covers both the knowledge and practical skills of sensory evaluation of tea, as well as the theory and practice of tea-making techniques. Using tea as a medium, the course guides students toward deeper humanistic reflection and self-exploration, while linking with disciplines such as psychology and Japanese tea ceremony aesthetics.

Students, grouped according to their interests, designed and implemented local cultural projects related to tea under the guidance of instructors and TAs. Through problem-based learning (PBL), they investigated how tea culture manifests in daily life, with projects such as the “Tea Journey” fully embodying the spirit of self-directed learning.

Active Exploration and Creativity: Viewing Tea Culture from Diverse Perspectives

Students’ initiative and creativity were fully stimulated through exploration. One student, Chao, shared why he chose this course: “I realized that tea can actually be understood from many different perspectives.” He described the course as a form of training that teaches students how to converge on valuable directions from a wide range of open-ended topics.

In the final presentation, one group compared Muzha Tieguanyin and Anxi Tieguanyin, asking: “Both are Tieguanyin teas, so why are there such clear differences in brewing methods and tea-making techniques?” They further explored the importance of tea-making methods and their impact. Another group visited the tea industry in Shenkeng with the question: “As urbanization and population outflow cause tea farming to decline, can tourism revitalize it?” They conducted fieldwork in the old street, visiting shops and interviewing local business owners to better understand the industry’s real challenges. These inquiry-driven approaches mark an important step toward self-directed problem solving.

Analyzing Tea Culture and Local Connections: Cross-Disciplinary Integration with Sustainability

Within the self-directed learning model, students demonstrated unique observations and in-depth analyses. The Beitou group re-examined Beitou’s tea heritage by linking tea history with the region’s hot spring culture. They analyzed how Japanese-style buildings, such as the Beitou Museum, embody the spirit of the tea ceremony, explored connections between Japanese tea aesthetics and the 24 solar terms, and even designed a one-day Beitou tour combining tea culture, hot springs, and a “five-senses healing” experience—showcasing cross-disciplinary application and problem-solving.

Meanwhile, the Pinglin group closely examined the region’s unique geographical environment, including how the Beishi River water conservation area affects water quality, and how soil and climate conditions benefit tea growth and flavor. They connected these observations to sustainable farming and soil-water conservation practices, noting ecological approaches such as maintaining ground cover and relying on natural predators. These diverse perspectives led to original insights on sustainability and tea production.

Deepening Learning and Inspiring Cross-Disciplinary Innovation

The Humanities of Tea course was co-designed by faculty and students, emphasizing learner autonomy. Through project-based research such as the “Tea Journey,” students presented their goals, methods, processes, outcomes, and reflections, showcasing their entire learning journey.

Their research topics ranged from Muzha Tieguanyin, to Beitou tea culture and hot springs, to revitalization of the Shenkeng tea industry. Starting with fundamental questions, students faced challenges, identified real obstacles, and engaged in fieldwork and interviews. By adopting cross-disciplinary and innovative approaches, they integrated knowledge and practice, unlocking their learning potential. The course not only deepened students’ understanding of Taiwan’s tea industry and cultural heritage but also significantly enhanced their self-directed learning and comprehensive competencies.

Source: NCCU Official Website

【Office of Academic Affairs News】

“At first, I only joined the club to accompany a friend,” said Bo-Ya Tsai with a modest smile, as she began recounting her remarkable story. What started as a casual decision led her into the world of contract bridge, where talent, persistence, and countless hours of practice transformed her from a campus club member into a gold medalist at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games—and Taiwan’s most decorated female bridge player. Behind these honors lay hours of self-reflection, thousands of reviewed deals, and battles fought not only at the bridge table but also within herself.

The General Education Center encourages self-directed learning courses to invite individuals with rich self-learning experiences to share their journeys. This semester, the course “Special Topics in Self-Directed Learning: Probability and Logic in Bridge” invited Bo-Ya Tsai, gold medalist of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games Mixed Team Bridge Event, to deliver a lecture titled “From Ordinary to Extraordinary.” She shared how, through self-discipline and autonomous learning, she honed her thinking and strategy as a bridge player.

“Success doesn’t come from believing after seeing results,” she said. “It comes from seeing results because you believe.”

Starting from Ordinary: Talent Is Only the Beginning

Tsai admitted that while she showed early promise in bridge, her true growth came from persistence and effort. From studying techniques alone and finding online partners, to building a strong team, her journey was one of quiet perseverance.

“I paid my own way to attend tournaments. I’d get so nervous that my legs shook,” she recalled. “But just like in games, you start from the small bosses and build up experience.”

For Tsai, every match—win or lose—was an opportunity to grow. She learned from mistakes, often reviewing the same situation multiple times until it became second nature.

“Even if you win with a lucky mistake, you still have to review it,” she explained. “You can’t rely on luck—only by facing your own errors can you improve.”

Growth Is Not Linear—It’s a Wave

“Progress comes quickly at first, but the more you grow, the more setbacks you face,” Tsai reflected. In 2016, she competed at the Asia-Pacific Cup in Beijing, but after a disappointing performance, her family urged her to quit. For a while, her confidence wavered—but she persisted.

Through challenges including the pandemic, personal struggles, and competitive lows, Tsai never stopped improving. Each failure became fuel for growth until bridge strategy became her second instinct. She also used reverse visualization as motivation—imagining herself standing on the podium, asking:

“What kind of person wins a gold medal in bridge? What do I still lack?”

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Playing Her Winning Hand

“I never thought bridge would become an Asian Games event,” Tsai said. “We just wanted to perform well internationally.”

In 2018, bridge was officially included in the Asian Games, and the opportunity she had long prepared for finally arrived. Her team went on to win silver in 2018 and gold in 2023 in the Mixed Team event. Their achievements not only elevated Taiwan’s bridge reputation but also drew increased recognition and support from the Sports Administration.

After the talk, many students eagerly asked questions about learning strategies and motivation. Tsai patiently answered each one, showing the same dedication that defines her play. Through her story, she proved that no dream is too small—only those who prepare can seize their moment.

Her lecture inspired students to view perseverance and self-discipline as the foundations of success. The spirit of self-directed learning took root in their minds, reminding them that, like building one card upon another, persistence turns effort into excellence—and ordinary steps into extraordinary achievements.

Source: National Chengchi University News

Photos courtesy of the General Education Center, NCCU