【Article by College of Education 】

To further deepen the strategic partnership with Charles University in the Czech Republic, the College of Education invited a delegation of four scholars and one doctoral student from Charles University’s Faculty of Education on October 1 for a luncheon exchange and lecture seminar. The visiting scholars included Dr. Tomáš Klinka, Vice-Dean for International Affairs, Dr. Karel Vojíř, Dr. Vít Šťastný, and Dr. Barbora Stralczynská. The event opened with welcoming remarks from Dean Joy Yueh-Luen Hu, while Associate Dean Trista Juhsin Fu hosted the panel discussion. Numerous faculty members, including Prof. Mei-Shiu Chiu, Prof. Chun-Ju Chuang, Prof. Min-Ren Yan, and Prof. Huang-Yao Hong, along with master’s and doctoral students, actively participated. The discussions spanned teacher education, educational research, early childhood and primary education, academic writing, and digital learning in the age of artificial intelligence,fostering vibrant dialogue and opening a fresh chapter of bilateral collaboration.

In her opening address, Dean Hu emphasized that international exchange represents not merely visits between institutions, but a valuable opportunity to learn from distinct educational systems, identify shared concerns, and explore future possibilities together. She highlighted three key strategic directions currently emphasized by NCCU. The first is AI in Education: The focus is not simply whether to adopt AI, but how to deploy it responsibly and meaningfully to support teaching, learning, teacher training, assessment, and educational administration. The second is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Amid rapid technological disruptions in education, it is vital to uphold the human dimension of learning, empowering students to build resilience, self-awareness, empathy, positive interpersonal relationships, and constructive responses to uncertainty and change beyond technical skills. And the Third is English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI): EMI extends beyond language instruction to encompass teaching quality, intercultural communication, and students' global self-confidence.

Dean Hu expressed hope that both sides will deepen cooperation through joint research, comparative studies between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, faculty and student exchanges, conferences, and workshops—especially encouraging early-career scholars and graduate students to participate so this visit marks the beginning of an enduring, multi-year partnership.

The Czech scholars' presentations began with Dr. Klinka's introduction to Charles University and its Faculty of Education. Situated in the heart of Prague with nearly 700 years of history, Charles University stands as the oldest university in Central Europe and takes immense pride in its academic freedom. Following the university-level Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that established NCCU as an official strategic partner, this visit aims to advance faculty-level collaborations. Founded in 1946, the Faculty of Education is the largest of its kind in the Czech Republic, offering both pre-service and in-service teacher education; notably, primary and secondary school teachers in the Czech Republic are required to hold a master’s degree. Dr. Klinka shared that the faculty is currently designing a next-generation curriculum centered on a core competency framework for novice teachers and has established a university-affiliated "clinical school" integrating teaching practice with research observation, which began student enrollment this month. He stated, "Now is an excellent time to initiate collaboration with us."

Dr. Karel Vojíř, Head of the Department of Biology and Environmental Studies, shared that his department is the sole institution in the Czech Republic preparing biology teachers across all educational levels, training approximately half of the nation's secondary biology educators. Instructionally, the department integrates school practicums, digital technologies (including AI), and hands-on laboratory and field-based active learning. It is deeply committed to translating research findings into classroom practice, embodying the university's "third role" in society. In terms of research, the team focuses on scientific literacy and inquiry-based science education, having developed standardized instruments to assess inquiry and biological observation skills, applied eye-tracking technology to analyze visual patterns during problem-solving, and engaged in textbook research and environmental literacy education integrating knowledge, reasoning, values, and action. Accompanying doctoral student Filip also shared his ongoing research on biological observation competencies.

Dr. Vít Šťastný from the Institute for Research and Development of Education explained that the institute's primary mission is conducting research and cultivating doctoral talent. It currently hosts 17 doctoral students from countries including China, Vietnam, the United States, and Russia, fostering a dynamic international environment. The institute focuses on macro-level research themes, including educational policy and inequality, comparative analyses utilizing large-scale international assessments (such as PISA, TIMSS, and TALIS), educational evaluation and measurement, and the teaching profession. Dr. Šťastný’s primary research centers on shadow education (cram schooling), and he will soon launch a cross-national research initiative on rural education. He proposed concrete cooperative avenues such as joint research, co-authored publications, faculty and doctoral student exchange visits, and guest lectures, while encouraging faculty and students to submit manuscripts to Orbis Scholae, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by Charles University without author fees.

Finally, Dr. Barbora Stralczynská from the Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education noted that Czech primary educators undergo a five-year master's training program, with her department serving over a thousand students. The department focuses on families and communities, preschool-to-primary transitions, play-based learning, curriculum and literacy, as well as inclusion, equity, and participation. Practicing teachers from schools and kindergartens act as clinical mentors, co-teaching alongside university faculty to bridge theory and practice. She also introduced a cross-border play-based learning project involving Norway, Austria, and Greece, a multi-decade longitudinal study of European early childhood educators spanning 33 nations since 1997, and international programs in civic and democratic education. Dr. Stralczynská extended an invitation to NCCU faculty and students to engage with their newly established Early Childhood Education Research Center, and welcomed students for coursework, clinical internships, or doctoral research visits.

During the open panel discussion, NCCU professors recalled pleasant past experiences in Prague and expressed keen interest in leading student delegations to Charles University, engaging in academic conferences, and inviting the visiting Czech scholars to submit papers to the upcoming academic conference in December. Graduate students engaged actively with insightful questions. Addressing the global challenge of teacher shortages, the Czech scholars explained that their country currently faces a shortage of several
thousand teachers. In response, career changers with master's degrees are permitted to teach while completing a three-semester teacher training curriculum; the government has raised teacher salaries; and the faculty has expanded admissions. However, the fundamental hurdle lies in societal perceptions of the teaching profession, prompting the faculty to actively leverage social media to enhance public engagement with education. NCCU faculty echoed that Taiwan encounters comparable shortages, identifying strategies for teacher recruitment and retention among career-changers as a fertile area for joint comparative inquiry.

Regarding how teacher education can balance local context with global perspectives, Dr. Klinka pointed out that education is inherently local and must directly serve students, families, and cultural contexts. However, because educational challenges across regions share similar structural characteristics, institutions can adapt and contextualize each other's strategies. Scholars referenced East Asia's "lesson study" approach as an example: Czech teachers often consider classroom instruction a private professional domain, contrasting sharply with their morning visit to the Affiliated High School of NCCU, where classrooms feature observation windows, illustrating the need to respect cultural nuance when transferring educational practices.

Graduate students also consulted Dr. Šťastný on developing academic writing skills in an era of AI assistance. Citing the concept of "cognitive surrender" from recent literature, Dr. Šťastný cautioned that simply copying and pasting generative AI outputs leaves writers unable to explain their underlying rationale; scholars must take personal responsibility for their work, standing ready to articulate and defend every assertion. Nonetheless, he acknowledged AI’s value in streamlining literature reviews and reducing linguistic barriers for non-native English speakers, reiterating that the critical skill lies in learning to co-exist constructively with AI.

In addition, faculty members inquired about classroom technology integration in the Czech Republic. The Czech scholars noted that post-pandemic public discourse favors "less technology, better education." Dr. Stralczynská noted that digital competencies are integrated into the Czech nine-year basic education national curriculum, with attention shifting from operational skills toward healthy technology habits and their impact on social-emotional development and human interaction. Given the substantial pedagogical autonomy granted to Czech educators, guiding teachers to adopt technology meaningfully and responsibly remains a top priority. NCCU professors responded that Taiwan likewise monitors the effects of screen technology on student attention and mental well-being. Recent observations indicate that some students rely excessively on AI for emotional companionship, creating an alternative "Artificial Intimacy" with hidden psychosocial risks that warrant vigilance, directly reinforcing Dean Hu's focus on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

Concluding the panel, the Czech scholars reaffirmed that NCCU is an officially designated strategic partner of Charles University—a distinction carrying significant institutional weight—and encouraged faculty and students to capitalize on reciprocal exchange opportunities. In her closing remarks, Associate Dean Fu thanked the delegation for an inspiring and informative afternoon, noting that bilateral collaboration has successfully expanded from the institutional tier down to the faculty level.

Earlier that morning, prior to the academic symposium, the delegation visited the Affiliated High School of NCCU (AHSNCCU). Warmly hosted by Principal Chien-Hui Lin, Director Hui-Chiu Chen, Yang, Teacher Chi-Ming Yang, and  student ambassadors, the scholars gained insights into AHSNCCU’s distinctive educational vision, innovative curricula, and thoughtfully designed learning spaces, while comparing secondary education and admission systems between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. The delegation concluded their visit with a guided tour of the Dah Hsian Seetoo Library, rounding off a rich intercontinental educational dialogue and laying a solid foundation for both universities to wrtie a new chapter in education collaboratively.