ASIA: How Taiwan attracts international students

Taiwanese students have strong academic training, while international students bring different learning experiences from their home countries. This has led to increasing measures and incentives to attract students from abroad. Indeed, internationalisation has been recognised as a key element for the development of higher education in Taiwan.

University students in Taiwan, like their counterparts elsewhere in Asia, are not immune to the culture and social bondage of the time. Most of them would have gone through keen competition in middle and high schools. University experiences in living and learning pose new challenges to these students, and only those armed with strong potential and incentives will excel in higher education.

It is important for all universities in Taiwan to have a systematic approach to 'internationalising' their students. There are different approaches, both in the curriculum and outside the curriculum.

Seminars for students are mixed with lectures by international scholars, while subjects dealing with international affairs have been significantly enhanced in the past few years.

Courses taught in English and in other secondary languages have been added. For example, up to 10% to 20% of the courses are now offered in English to students who take elective courses in many universities in Taiwan. Several programmes are taught entirely in English. This reflects more diversity in the content and scope of education offered to the student body.

In addition, more and more extra-curricular activities, as well as those based in the classroom or laboratory, have been designed to offer students experiences in another country.

Many universities now encourage students to attend courses and practical learning in other countries for at least part of the programme, and the take-up is encouraging.

Very high percentages of students spend three to six months in their undergraduate years pursuing international studies, while the figures are much higher for graduate students. Indeed, several graduate programmes require students to spend 25% of the period of graduate studies overseas for research.

These developments have been incorporated with recognition of credits involved, as well as dual-degree programmes, which give students degrees from both the sending university and the host institution overseas.

Many universities in Taiwan have progressed in this direction to facilitate the education of students from Taiwan and from other countries. International students coming to Taiwan have also benefited from mutual recognition of credits and degrees, which lowers barriers to transnational higher education.

It is likely that there will be more sister or cluster universities between Taiwan and other countries that establish close partnerships and joint programmes to pave broader ways for students to seek higher education. A few universities in Taiwan have developed associations for international students, which further guarantee the rights and improve the experiences of international students.

Besides autonomy earned by these Taiwanese universities, several government programmes have demonstrated strong support for undergraduate and graduate students to help make exchange learning in other countries possible.

Meanwhile, exchange students from other countries are also encouraged to study in Taiwan's universities. Overseas training and learning can last from one to three months, usually as part of an ongoing programme that ensures the existing partnership continues.

The results of such exchanges are usually highly positive, and if the outcomes result in scientific publications or interesting research outcomes, exchange students usually receive other encouragement and even financial incentives.

Such successful experiences usually pave the way for the students involved to pursue more advanced studies, with multi-institutional learning following their studies in specific universities.

One of the most exciting aspects of the programme is the shared learning experience of students from different countries.

The proportion of international students in Taiwan has increased significantly in the past few years. This is due to the high incentives of many universities in Taiwan to open their doors and lower thresholds for incoming international students.

Such approaches facilitate broader values and diversified problem-solving, as well as harmonised approaches that provide students with various options to tackle new issues.

Students from Taiwan usually have strong academic training in basic sciences, while international students in Taiwan bring different learning experiences from their home countries that arm them with diversity in culture and a different educational background.

The diversity brought to and the hospitality in Taiwan usually generates new skills of communication and culture that benefit students in Taiwan and those from abroad.

With the development of this mix of international students, there is greater interest among many leading universities in Taiwan in inviting visiting staff and professors from other countries. These international scholars are usually provided with equivalent or competitive compensation for international travelling and local accommodation, as well as with flexible working hours and teaching periods, which fit their original appointment.

International scholars have autonomy in delivering lectures, seminars and other education environments on and off campus. The impact of the total involvement of international scholars is tremendous, adding to the high level of international education that many of the campuses in Taiwan now provide.

Besides these developments, many universities offer good incentives for international scholars to undertake short visits, including acting as speakers in international conferences, workshops and practical training, and serving in research committees. Many international conferences are organised and held in leading universities.

In summary, internationalisation has been recognised as a key element for modern development in higher education in Taiwan. As higher education in Taiwan follows and catches up with the rest of the world, international education in universities is a must-have and is deep in the processes of evolving on campuses.

The commitment and dedication of all these universities will certainly contribute to the further internationalisation of the student body in the years to come.

* Professor Peter Chang is International Dean at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan.

* This commentary was written for QS WorldClass SHOWCASE and is reproduced with permission. Click here to view the SHOWCASE e-book.