Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology continues to enhance the effectiveness and quality of internationalization. In cooperation with the sister schools abroad, it has also held a grand summer camp in this summer. The "2018 Australian Ancient Capital English Summer Camp" of the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology is the key activity of the Ministry of Education's first " Taiwan Experience Education Program for Excellent Young Students from New Southbound and Advanced Countries" (hereinafter referred to as TEEP@AsiaPlus). The Ministry of Education first launched the TEEP pilot program in 2015. Only 8 universities in the country received grants from the program. Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology is the only university of science and technology selected by the program. Along with National Taiwan University, STUST was selected as one of the two best performing universities in the first year. TEEP@AsiaPlus is an extension of TEEP's three-year plan. In 2018, there were 120 applications from public and private universities, but only half of them received the grants. The English teaching internship program of STUST received the highest amount of grant among all the universities of Science and Technology. In four consecutive years, STUST has received a variety of grants from the Ministry of Education. It is a model university in running the TEEP program. This year TEEP would continue to work, extend international perspectives for local students, and implement English teaching internships and international cultural practice exchanges.

The TEEP@AsiaPlus program at STUST will work together with "English as the second official language" project of Taiwan City, promoting the bilingual city policy, allowing Taiwan to connect with the world, and bringing the world into Taiwan. This year, there will be 42 foreign students from the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Ireland, and Poland; they have been recruited to internships to make Tainan City a historical and local cultural attraction, a national museum, a literature museum, and a famous local food and snacks.

【West Sydney University Intern students performed in the Opening Show】

Adhere to the spirit and purpose of TEEP program, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Western Sydney University continues their cooperation this year. 20 students from Western Sydney University will lead the English Summer Camp, under the guidance of the team advisors Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Stoilescu. They will create a full English-style teaching environment on the campus during the summer vacation, and there will be 90 local students in Tainan to participate this profound cultural exchange. The local students will enhance their international vision and English strength during the 8-day intensive course, while the Australian students will have an in-depth understanding of Tainan's regional history and Chinese culture. Through their experience with the monuments and cuisine, as well as their interactions with the local students and students of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, they will learn more about Taiwanese culture and the beauty of Taiwan. In the future, there will be opportunities for them to stay in Taiwan for a long time. Given all these, the event will create a situation that offers a comprehensive benefit to the not only English-speaking countries, but also Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan City Government, and the Ministry of Education.

In order to give these students from afar a great impression about Taiwan and Tainan, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology recently held a grand opening ceremony for the Summer Camp at the International Conference Hall. The guests included the principals of 6 internship partners school, administrative directors of STUST, and the primary school students and their parents participating in the summer camp. At the opening ceremony, the performance team of Chinese Music Club of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology was invited to have a show. Their music created a great the atmosphere for the whole ceremony, show the beauty of oriental music. In his welcoming speech, President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology emphasized that this event would enable everyone to gather together, helping to enhance the international vision and English proficiency of the local student and bring foreign students experience about the traditions of Chinese culture and local customs. The culture and food would bring him a deep impression about Tainan and Taiwan, establishing transnational friendships and emotions and laying a good foundation for their future long-term stay in Taiwan to study, to teach, or to work here. With the important mission of promoting English as the second official language and the pursuit of becoming a bilingual city in Tainan City, TEEP@AsiaPlus project activities should play a positive role in promoting the international development of Tainan City. Internationalization combines the resources of the central and local governments to establish a model for promoting international cooperation. President Deng-Maw Lu also encouraged all the participants to fully communicate with each and learn better English during the three-week activities, hoping that they could be fully rewarded in all aspects and before they return home.

【Present Deng-Maw Lu (fourth from left), Australian team advisors Dr. Gilbert (fourth from right) and Dr. Stoilescu (third from left), and principals of the partner primary schools in Tainan City】

In addition to the English summer camp organized by Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and the team of teachers and students of West Sydney University, another highlight of the project is the recruitment of outstanding foreign students to the internship partner schools for in-depth English teaching internships. Thanks to efforts over the past four years of TEEP's program, the number of foreign students has increased a lot. In 2016, when the first trial was conducted, 3 foreign interns were sent to various partner schools for internships. The total number of months of their internships reached 11 months. They worked in 6 partner schools and were highly recognized by all those elementary schools and high schools. In the second half of 2018, the TEEP@AsiaPlus of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology will have more foreign students come to apply for the program individually. It will extend the effect of English teaching practice from the summer vacation to the whole school year, reaching out from Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology to more elementary and high schools in Tainan City.

【President Deng-Maw Lu (center in the first row), students in the TEEP Program, and the school directors】

As President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology said, the TEEP program, which is the abbreviation of the Taiwan Experience Education Program, has its original intention is to invite outstanding foreign students to Taiwan to experience the local culture through short-term stays.. Over the past four years, there have been more than 100 foreign students coming to Taiwan through this program. In the future, it is hoped that more outstanding foreign students can realize the ideal of international internship through the TEEP program of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, so that more Taiwanese primary and secondary school students can have the an opportunity to connect with the world through this group of outstanding foreign students. In addition to opening up an international perspective from the local students, the program can make the world see more about Taiwan.

【All the participants in the 2018 TEEP Summer Camp in the opening ceremony】