My first visit to Taiwan was in August of 2007 when my wife, Jean, and I traveled to Taipei to attend the Pacific University League Meeting as part of the the second General Assembly of the Democratic Pacific Union. I was invited by the Vice -President of Taiwan, H.E. Lu Hsiu-lien to present a discussion of e-Learning as part of a plenary panel on the ePacific.
Prior to our arrival, we did not know what to expect when we came to Taiwan. Most of the media focus in the United States was on local issues and the Middle East, with very little concentration on Asia. Our first impressions upon arrival were correct and lasting. Those impressions were created by the warm, welcoming people who we met throughout our stay, whether associated with the conference or as individuals in daily life. We were continually made to feel welcomed and valued. After a few days in Taipei, we had a much better understanding of events in Taiwan impacting those in our own country. The conference had impressive speakers on pressing world topics such as climate change and sustainable development in the Pacific, green energy strategies, disaster prevention and the response to disasters. Topics of common interest in higher education were discussed in depth. In my opinion, the most important topics discussed were the co-operation of higher education in the Pacific Rim and the growth of the region, prospects of an improved society through higher education, and higher education and science partnerships.
The focus for me at his conference dealt with the partnerships that could be formed in higher education. Presidents from universities and colleges in Canada, The Philippines, Tawian, Peru, and Chile, among others, discussed the impact of bridging the work of the universities with the field of science and how that could help developing countries. Some of the issues discussed within the partnerships were how the colleges could meet the ”educational demands derived from deep social inequalities of our country.” How could the colleges improve institutional performance of all its services? These questions were raised specifically by Vice-President Lu. They were thoughtful and pointed questions that should be asked by all elected officials of their respective colleges and universities, especially those that receive assistance from governmental agencies.
Another issue raised by a faculty member was how quality of instruction could be maintained in colleges and universities. In the United States that issue is addressed through the higher education accrediting agencies. In Taiwan, there are approximately 160 colleges and universities which provide a great deal of access to the citizens of Taiwan. The future issue will be to insure the quality and standards of instruction in all institutions while providing the desired education ambitions of the citizens of Taiwan. A possible suggestion would be to look at setting up a Pacific Rim accrediting agency in order to insure the colleges within the Pacific Rim work together and agree on joint standards. It would be a challenge to 160 colleges within a country let alone a region!
I believe one of the solutions will be through e-Learning. E-Learninig was a term used in the late 1990’s to describe the use of technology to deliver learning and training programs. I will use the same definition when referring to e-Learning. It could be the Internet, software programs, multi-media, distance learning, ipods, CD’s, DVD’s, etc used in instruction of programs or courses. The courses could be designed for college credit or simply for training certain groups of employees or other entities. The value of e-Learning will be in the access to the general population, the ability to update and upgrade with a minimum of cost, the standardization of course material, the introduction of multi-media in the instruction, and the ability to structure learning outcomes with specific course objectives.
As more and more students want access to higher education around the world, it will be cost prohibitive to structure learning institutions in a model of the 20th century and before. New, more adaptive methodologies need to be employed. We have not scratched the surface of the value of e-Leaning as one of the tools that can meet the new criteria for higher education in the 21st century.
What is the present status of e-Learning in Taiwan? According to the National Science and Technology Program office for e-Learning in Taiwan for the years 2005 to 2006, the “Internet has become an essential tool for life and work of modern citizens across the globe.” Since 2003, Taiwan has integrated e-Learniing into national projects and many efforts have been made to promote e-Learning. Taiwan has promoted the use of digital methods in developing the e-Learning Network Science Park. It has encouraged the use of e-Leaniing in government agencies, universities and academic journals, and in business and industry.
In a recent publication on e-Learning in Taiwan, The United States Department of Commerce states the following:
“The e-Learning market in Taiwan is growing steadily as the government continues to invest in this industry. Over the next five years, the Taiwan government is planning to invest around $606 million (US) to develop Taiwan’s digital content market, in hopes that by 2011, the total production value of Taiwan’s digital content industry will reach US $18billion.Much of the project is related to developing the e-Learner market, with special focus in helping local companies partner with foreign companies with advanced technologies in e-Learning.” They also point out that the e-Learning industry in Taiwan has reached a level of US $284 million and the compound growth rate is as high as 57%, which is higher than the world average of 26.65 and is also higher than the United States.
While in Taiwan I had the good fortune to visit one Taiwan’s leading companies in e-Learning development and technology, Institute for Information Industry (III). The Institute for Information Industry began as collaboration between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and several private enterprises inspiring to pool resources for assisting Taiwan’s industrial development of information and communications technology. III serves as a consultant to the government of Taiwan on the development of information and communications technology (ICT), provides research and development of software, develops standards for the interoperability for Twain’s ICT industry, helps in the development of ICT applications and promotes the bridging of the digital divide.
Dr. Li-chieh Lin, Director of Digital Education Institute of III gave my wife and me a tour of their Taipei facilities and showed us the work they were doing at the facility. We were impressed by the programs developed in partnership with some of the universities and the students in computer animation and their software products in digital development. Dr Lin explained to us the importance of some of their projects in the future development of Twain’s ICT industry. He talked about his e-Taiwan project which is broken down into five major categories: broadband Internet access, digital integration, e-commerece, e-government, and digital technology –enhanced transportation systems. III has a broad range of expertise in hardware, software, e-commerce, data communications, and knowledge of the industry. After a visit to their headquarters, it is apparent industries in Taiwan are major players in the world market of information and communications technology.
In addition to visiting a business in the private sector, we were fortunate enough to have been given a tour of Tamkang University in northern Taipei . Upon arriving at the campus we were immediately struck by the beauty of the location and the pristine appearance of the campus. We were greeted most graciously by the Vice President of the University and several of the Deans of Science. We were impressed by the number of students, programs, and buildings at the university. We visited their magnificent library and their distance learning center which was state of the art. We saw software programs being developed in the art of calligraphy of mandarin characters.
According to the United States Department of Commerce.” In recent years, the development of synchronous and non-synchronous e-Learning in higher education has grown rapidly. At present more than 60 institutions have implemented e-Learning programs as part of their for-credit course work. Universities in Taiwan have been involved in the development of e-Learning for a long time and the depth of the applications has been steadily expanding“ Taiwan, in their National e-Learning plan, hopes to extend the plan to high schools and primary schools to develop e-Learning in their curricula. According to III, Taiwan has the ability to develop e-Learning products for math and science, medicine, and information technology.
Other areas that have pointed out in the developing Taiwan industry of e-Learning are game-based learning, simulations, innovative instructional models, and skill analysis techniques. These technologies are in greater demand as more large corporations are using the e-Learning tools to train their employees. Current demand for e-Learning materials can be used in Taiwan as well as in most of Southeast Asia. With their knowledge and expertise and the tools of e-Learning, Taiwan companies can provide a gateway for world markets that wish to enter the China and Southeast Asia markets.
The future of e-Learning in Taiwan and the rest of the industry will be shaped by many factors. One will be standardized competencies to assure businesses and others that content taught will be consistent wherever the instruction material is used. Another will be the alignment of outcomes for specific institutions and agencies that require specific skill sets in the instructional process. Economies of scale will be another factor in developing software and production of learning material. It is apparent that market forces and the costs of development will dictate which material and methodology will survive in the marketplace. However, there is always the unpredictable factor called disruptive technology that can change market forces in a very short span of time. It is the yet to be invented technology which will replace current technology making access greater, faster, and cheaper for the learner. This is what makes e-Learning so exciting - you are always on the frontier of new methods in education. Learning should always be dynamic, never static.
I would like to thank the people we met in Taiwan for the wonderful visit and for introducing us to the new technology, culture and foods of Taiwan. We will have many fond memories of how gracious and hospitable the people of Taiwan were to us. We hope to return one day soon.