NTU sets up online open course portal targeting Southeast Asian countries

An online open course portal targeting Southeast Asia was launched recently by Taipei City-based National Taiwan University with the aim of bolstering academic exchanges and people-to-people ties with the region.

According to NTU, the portal was set up in line with the government’s New Southbound Policy. Designed for overseas Chinese in countries covered by the initiative, it will also spotlight Taiwan’s high-quality tertiary education environment, the university added.

Established in collaboration with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, the portal features select Chinese-language online courses from platforms such as NTU Massive Open Online Courses, NTU OpenCourseWare, and NTU Speech. The contents cover a wide array of disciplines like artificial intelligence, Asia-Pacific culture, big data analysis, business and management, Chinese classics, computer programming, economics and social studies.

Highlights include a course on Taiwan and Southeast Asian arts by NTU Graduate Institute of Art History professor Takashi Sakai; a speech on the economy of Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states by professor Yang Chih-hai of National Central University in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City; and a lecture on Pacific island peoples and cultures by NTU Department of Anthropology professor Tung Yuan-Chao.

NTU said it will continue adding new offerings to the portal, including Mandarin learning and other courses delivered in English, so as to foster communication, understanding and the free exchange of knowledge with institutions and people across the region.

A key component of President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the New Southbound Policy seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism, and trade ties with the 10 ASEAN member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. (SFC-E) (Taiwan Today)