Yuan Ze University focuses on five forces to cultivate new generation talents

        The novel coronavirus pneumonia overthrows the global daily life and catalyzes the transformation of all industries. Under the complex and changeable new normal, the talents needed by the world in the future are quite different from those in the past. This "cover story" will introduce how Yuan Ze University develops the advantages of generation Z and cultivates new generation talents to lead the future.

        According to the statistics of the United Nations, since 2019, generation Z born after 1995 has become the most populous group in the world (accounting for about 30% of the total population). This group generally raised by generation X who grew up in the shadow of the financial tsunami is good at using the Internet and has a great demand for information. Their daily life includes study, playing, communication and work with new technology.

        In the modern era of information explosion, these "Internet natives" are willing to create opportunities for online communication and are good at expressing their appreciation and criticism of things. They are no longer satisfied with the status quo and limited to the established old rules. Instead, they yearn for flexibility, variety, innovation and independence, and use their own creativity to change and pursue progress.

        The novel coronavirus pneumonia has been overthrowing the global daily life in the past year, and people have been alienated. The economy in many countries has been stagnant, and companies and stores have closed down. In the post epidemic era, the world has entered a new normal, which also tests our ability of breakthrough and innovation.

        Universities have the function and responsibility of education. Apart from teaching students professional knowledge and making them competitive in the workplace, what's more, they should have more sufficient ability and attitude to face the complex and changeable future.

        Key cultivation points of Yuan Ze University: digitalization, cross domain power, creativity, global mobility, public participation

        In this wave of epidemic, many activities have been carried out in the digital form. Many schools at home and abroad have also replaced traditional classes with digital teaching. It is not difficult to foresee that in the future, whether schools choose talents or enterprises choose talents, the world needs talents that are quite different from what we used to know. Digital education and interdisciplinary education have become the new normal.

        Since its founding, Yuan Ze University has marked its 32nd year. In view of the rise of artificial intelligence and the drastic changes of the times, YZU has initiated the compulsory programming language course for the whole university since the 106th academic year, so as to lay the foundation for e-learning, and then develop unique E-application courses as the cornerstone of e-cross domain learning according to the needs of various colleges.

        The freshmen of Yuan Ze University (including the Chinese Language Department) are required to take at least four credits of programming language courses, and teachers are encouraged to adopt the flipped class model. Students watch the recorded audio-visual materials before class, and practice on the computer during class. Teachers and assistants can focus on solving students' questions. Due to the different majors and different characteristics of students, programming language courses can be appropriately planned according to the characteristics of each department, the nature of learning and the needs of students, so as to cultivate students' skills in learning programming and application.

        1. Strengthen practical ability and encourage creativity competition

        Generation Z likes independent and free learning, but also attaches importance to interaction with peers and teachers. Therefore, Yuan Ze University integrates its internal resources, creates makerspace available to all teachers and students, provides sufficient digital tools, and cultivates students' practical ability. Unlike the traditional teaching method of "teachers speak and students listen", maker encourages students to participate in large-scale competitions at home and abroad by means of competitive learning, generates learning motivation through external competitions, stimulates healthy competition through technical exchanges, understands the key points of learning, and cultivates students' ability of problem-solving and teamwork.

        According to the survey of OECD in 2019, in the future, most of the work will be replaced by automation, and the unique creativity and critical thinking ability of human beings will become the key advantage of the future. In response to the needs of the times, Yuan Ze University has offered creative thinking, creativity practice and entrepreneurial practice courses since the 106th semester. Through creativity practice, it can lead students to think creatively, enrich the potential of campus innovation and entrepreneurship, and increase students' competitive advantage in the workplace.

        2. Attach importance to creative thinking and problem solving ability

        Yuan Ze University began to promote creative education many years ago. It not only held the creativity Week activities, but also encouraged departments to establish distinctive creative activities or competitions, creating a campus atmosphere of attaching importance to creativity and encouraging innovation. With the rise of maker movement, Yuan Ze University has been more active in promoting maker courses that emphasize "practice" and integrating the "capstone course" learned during the whole semester, so as to cultivate students' ability to actively explore and think about problems, as well as the team's creativity and problem-solving ability.

        In view of the fact that generation Z is used to speak on the Internet, they are not familiar with face-to-face communication and expression, and they lack the ability to argue. So in the way of story writing and narration, students' abilities of briefing, speaking and short conversation are trained to enhance their " narrative power", and students' narrative depth and breadth, thinking and critical thinking ability are continuously enhanced to cultivate their "youth topic power".

        3. Emphasize diversified development and advocate autonomous learning

        With the change of the times, education has to keep pace with the times. The idea of pursuing only one major has become out of date. Nowadays, students of College of Humanities and Social Sciences also need to learn programming and understand digital tools, and students major in science and engineering also need to have humanistic thinking and aesthetic education. The young people of generation Z are highly autonomous and have their own ideas and opinions on learning. They don't like cramming teaching method, so Yuan Ze University encourage students' diversified development, actively construct student-centered learning orientation, promote flexible credits and diversified learning mechanism, integrate general courses such as humanities and arts, nature, society and life sciences through micro courses, guide students' autonomous learning, and construct diversified thinking ability and self-practice learning ability.

        If students have good ideas and learning direction, they can also put forward a learning plan. After deliberation, they can be guided by teachers in related fields to carry out autonomous learning. It can not only create a diversified, flexible and interdisciplinary learning environment, but also stimulate students' learning motivation, and improve students' ability of independent thinking and problem solving.

        4. Participate in public affairs and take social responsibility

        Born in the age of Internet technology, generation Z students lack the experience of adventure and challenge, and also lack the sense of mission to undertake social responsibility. Through courses and associations, Yuan Ze University encourages students to go out of campus, learn to participate in public affairs, and cultivate a sense of social responsibility and civic mission. For example, students form their own "90s social service team", and use their spare time to go to primary school to offer instruction and care for children in orphanages and go to sanatoriums to care for the mentally handicapped elderly, so as to give warmth and company to the elderly. In addition, combining with the energy of higher education, YZU's "Aida information project" promotes community information education and assists the digital development of elementary and high schools. On the other hand, through the Taoyuan Cultural Corridor project, it can help young students understand local culture and history, and train local culture advocates.

        5. Bilingual degree strengthens global mobility

        In the era of globalization, various tangible or intangible boundaries are gradually disappearing. In order to guide students to understand different social cultures, accept and tolerate cross-cultural differences, understand international relations and the world situation, and learn to think from the perspective of the world, Yuan Ze University will continue to create an international learning environment. For students with excellent English ability who plans to go abroad or interested in a second foreign language, YZU will provide opportunities to study a second foreign language. We will actively recruit international students. We have cooperated with more than 200 well-known foreign schools. Recently, we have also cooperated with well-known universities in Europe, the United States and Asia to design dual degree programs. Each department will organize a team to lead students to study abroad in famous universities such as the University of Bologna in Italy, University of Rhode Island in the United States and Hosei University in Japan, so as to enhance students' global mobility.

        Facing the new normal life, experts predict that in the next decade, more than half of the jobs in the world will be replaced by automation technology, and at the same time, there will be new job opportunities. In the post epidemic era, under the new normal mode, Yuan Ze University provides rich career counseling activities through self-exploration, environmental exploration, career development, and enhancing employment soft power, so as to meet students' diverse career needs. It also plans in-depth enterprise visits to lead students to actually understand the working conditions of the workplace. In addition, Yuan Ze University students can take internships in the ten corporations of Far Eastern Group. After graduation, excellent students can work in enterprises. On the one hand, they can achieve the goal of "employment upon graduation"; on the other hand, it can reserve talents for FEG, creating win-win results for universities and enterprises.