Prof. Jun-hong Yang from the Department of Electronic Engineering and Prof. Jinbo Shi from the Department of Electrical Engineering led a total of 10 students from 3 departments to the Philippines to participate in the annual summer International PBL competition held by the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R). The project-based learning continues the foundation of solar technology in 2022 and sets the theme of the five-day activity as "Smart Farming 2023" to create a cross-border, cross-school and cross-cultural software and hardware system integrated learning experience with smart agriculture.

【A group photo of the 2023 iPBL teachers and students of USJ-R, STUST, and Osaka Institute of Technology】

Beginning in 2019, STUST’s iPBL activities included not only teachers and students of the school, but also those from Osaka Institute of Technology in Japan and the USJ-R in the Philippines, providing closer exchanges between teachers and students of the three universities. Jovelyn Cuizon, Dean of the School of Information Technology, USJ-R, said that this year, Fujitsu Corporation of the Philippines sponsored the solar panels, sensors, and microcontrollers needed for the event, and established a network room to provide the fields needed for smart agriculture. Through field tests, the trainees felt more attentive to the activity planning, and it also allowed the company to fulfill its social and environmental responsibilities.

【Fujitsu Corporation of the Philippines sponsored the smart agriculture network room and materials for the event.】

A total of 45 members participated in this international PBL. USJ-R from the Philippines especially arranged 10 students to teach assistants from the English Department to provide 10 hours of pre-travel English language course teaching for students from STUST and Osaka Institute of Technology, introducing the local culture, food, and attractions of the Philippines. The three universities jointly issued certificates to the English teaching assistants as an encouragement.

【STUST, Osaka Institute of Technology in Japan, and USJ-R, Philippines jointly issued certificates to USJ-R English teaching assistants.】

Prof. Jun-hong Yang of the Department of Electronic Engineering at STUST, said that there were 5 groups in the iPBL activity. Each mixed group included students from the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. The smart agriculture topics were divided into circuit assembly and wiring, microcontroller programming, and cloud data visualization and display, and other functions. In this cross-border cooperation environment, members of each team must work together and solve special engineering problems with their brains and hands. This is not only a test of professional knowledge and skills, but also a challenge to teamwork and communication skills. As students come from different countries, they must use English as their main communication language to overcome language barriers and ensure successful completion of tasks. More importantly, this activity provides students with the opportunity to experience the fun and challenges of international cooperation. Being in an international learning environment can help students broaden their horizons, improve their international competitiveness, and lay a solid foundation for their future careers.

【A group photo of students from STUST who went to Cebu to participate in the Taiwan-Japan-Philippines transnational inter-school thematic training camp】

President Cheng-wen Wu of STUST said that top universities focus on research, development, analysis, and design, while STUST often starts from practical capabilities. The "barrel-type new engineering teaching experimental method" of the Departments of Electronic Engineering, Chemical Materials, Electrical Machinery, and Mechanical Engineering are the best in the country, standing out from among more than 150 engineering departments of colleges and universities nationwide. STUST was recommended by the "Ministry of Education's New Engineering Education Experiment and Construction Plan" in the second phase (2023 to 2027). It is the only school that has been granted four projects. Eight members of this year’s iPBL are from a special class funded by the Ministry of Education. The details of the project cannot be understood without practical operations. They all require practical training to cope with future industrial developments. In order to meet the demand for talents, President Wu has also further established a connection among STUST, National Yang-Ming National Chiao Tung University, and Wistron Tech to develop industries with science and technology universities, research universities and global industries, while simultaneously addressing practical, academic and industrial needs to cultivate future industrial talents.