With the rapid changes in the industry, it has become increasingly crucial for students to acquire the willingness to learn, interpersonal communication skills, and problem-solving abilities so that students are able to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Thunghai University received a subsidy for organizing the project Thrive 2.0., which focused on helping students shaping a sense of self-worth and an ideal self-image. The project was sponsored by the “Career Development Program of the Youth Department Administration” in 2019. Ms. Lin, the principal investigator of the project, planned and implemented the “Practical Preparation for Job Pursuits-SiAPL ( Service innovation, Active Project, Learning program) “ which strives for students to cultivate the abilities for self-explorations, self-efficacy improvement, interpersonal communication skill improvement, and the application of digital technology.
The “SiAPL” project was guided by more than twenty teachers and industry mentors. There were forty-two Taiwanese and forty-one overseas students that participated in the project. They went to six primary schools in the Zhongliao Townships in Nantou County to teach children there the concepts of finance and work in an engaging manner. The students also taught children English and baking. By designing and implementing various courses, the students were able to educate children in rural areas innovatively to encourage them to learn.
The students in the program learned to be more active, improve their problem-solving skills and discover their potential by self-exploration through “autonomous learning” and “group leaning”. On the other hand, students who participated in the program were trained to gather and construct knowledge through discussion and cooperation with one another to find the most valuable solutions.