The Interdisciplinary Programs of the College of Humanities and Arts: Performing Arts and Marketing Cross-Domain Learning Project

        The environment of arts industry in Taiwan is undergoing a tough time which inevitably impacts the entrance and employment rates of the art-related departments at NCYU. In addition to the social issues such as low birthrate, a few trends can also play an important role in this era, such as digital technology and the aesthetics of border crossing which is inspired by multimedia. The globally popularized trend led by media dominates the whole art environment. As a result, it’s hard for an art-related department to find their own strength and characteristics if they stick to their single pedagogy and admission program which are traditional and not correspondent to others. Furthermore, the departments would also lack the insight into the industry and the capacity of seeking funds outside the campus. In the long term, they would definitely face the huge gap between the university and the industry as well as the predicament of being obsolete.

Plan and Goal
1. Based on the concept of diminishing educational mismatch, we implement teaching innovation for enhancing students’ competitiveness.
2. The curriculum emphasizes on the connection between internationalization and   localization, and is also expected to establish the characteristics of NCYU.
3. Promoting the higher education for being more public, the program will introduce the admission system with multiple entrance program.

Strategies
1. The Musical, which is a comprehensive performing form, acts as the protagonist of interdisciplinary teaching and the promotion of it; additionally, it features the concept of integrating learning and practical application, cultivating all-round artists who possess great composition and performing capacities.
2.To achieve the goal, we put flexible teaching and advanced courses into practice, and integrate the perspective of inclusive education, internationalization and creation and culturalization of local places.
3. To carry through the program of second specialty, the department encourages students to take Musical Production Program and participate in the training courses of the performance.
4. We adopt multiple entrance program for offering flexible admission and assistance to disadvantaged students.

Concrete Measures
1. We continue to put the curriculum concept of curriculum tracking and modularization into practice. We implement the “Musical Production Program” in order to activate the performance of second specialty program.
2. We set up a course named “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University” by applying the teaching concept of innovative teaching and flexible learning. In order to build an interdisciplinary learning environment, we also hire brilliant instructors in the country to set up University-Industry Cooperative Curriculum.
3. We set up interdisciplinary courses with cooperative teaching based on industrial demand, which are “Performing Art Marketing” with the Department of Marketing and Tourism Management and "Art Exhibition Practice" with the Department of Visual Arts. In this way, we guide students to connect with the industry and cultivate their self-learning and problem-solving ability by Problem-Based Learning.
4. We invite at least two instructors from Broadway in New York for short-term lectures during “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University”, in order to build international learning environment.
5. To cooperate with this featured course, we will hire foreign training project experts to decrease teacher-student ratio and strengthen students’ international competitiveness.
6. We hold performance presentation of “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University” officially for at least four national tours.
7. The bond between the university and industry will be created by internships, which decreases the educational mismatch by practical application.
8. To correspond to the current development of the industry, the department is going to recruit undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Performing Arts and set up the scholarship encouraging students to take BA-MA Program.
9.  In order to promote the higher education for being more public, the course will introduce the improved admission system:
(1) Provide additional admission quota for aboriginal students; actively publicize our program in Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Taichung, and recruit aboriginal students who have extraordinary talent in performing.
(2) Provide special entrance program.
(3) Ally with partner high schools and implementing multiple ways of selecting talented students.
10.[Medium-term goal] We expect to fulfill University Social Responsibility through USR plan conducted by the Ministry of Education and integrate regional resources. Therefore, we can have further contractual partnership with aborigines who live in Mt.Ali and the surrounding area, producing “Aboriginal Original Musical” and having worldwide tours together. For the production and tour of this program, we will apply for budget supplement from “Cultural and Creative Industries Subsidy Plan", which is promoted by the Department of Cultural and Creative Development, Ministry of Culture. We will also coordinate with New Southbound Policy of the government, leading NCYU Musical Troupe to have international tour in China and other South-East Asia countries which also belong to Austronesian culture.
11. [Long-term goal] We expect to use the strength of regional integration, combining the fund from industry and the resources of professional performing arts to create the Industry-University Creativity Platform––“NCYU Musical Troupe”. The musical troupe would be managed as a semi-professional mode of cultural and creative theater. Additionally, we’ll evaluate the condition for the possibility of building the “NCYU Musical Theater” which would be operated as NCYU Musical Troupe’s performing venue.

Anticipated Achievement
1. Implement the “Musical Production Program” in order to activate the performance of second specialty program.
2. Set up University-Industry Cooperative Curriculum, “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University” to construct an interdisciplinary learning environment.
3. Set up interdisciplinary courses with the concept of cooperative teaching, which are “Performing Art Marketing” and "Performance Workshop". And cultivate students’ self-learning and problem-solving ability by Problem-Based Learning.
4. Conduct the plan that invites (at least two) international instructors for short-term lectures during “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University”.
5. Hire foreign training project experts to decrease teacher-student ratio and strengthen students’ international competitiveness.
6. Hold the performance presentation of “International Musical Production Workshop of National Chiayi University”, including at least four national tours.
7. The bond between the university and industry will be created by internships, which decreases the educational mismatch by practical application.
8. Recruit undergraduate and graduate students who major in Performing Arts and encourage them to join the BA-MA Program.
9. Introduce the improved admission system: (1) Provide additional admission quota for aboriginal students (2) Provide special entrance program (3) Ally with partner high schools and implementing multiple ways of selecting talented students.

For more information please click here, and click here to watch our admission video.