2023 " Overseas learning and exploration ( 1 ) " activity

plan, Department of Water resources Engineering and

Conservation, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan

1. Activity origin
Feng Chia University (FCU) is a comprehensive university with multiple
disciplinary, including engineering, information, business, and humanities. One
of FCU’s goal in education is to move towards internationalization. In order to
implement this policy of teaching and research, the Department of Water
Resources Engineering and Conservation (DWREC) has organized
postgraduate-students activities by visiting Kyoto University in Japan for off-
campus teaching. Participating students can enhance communication skill in
foreign language, and learn through lectures, seminars, engineering site visits,
and interactive teaching/presenting with professors and students of foreign
university for efficiency and professional macro-international vision. Students
can deeply touch contemporary water conservancy projects and conservation
issues. After returning to FCU, students all expressed their profound learning
experience from this teaching activity. As a result, DWREC decided to continue
this course. However, from the year of 2020 to 2022, due to impact of the
COVID-19 epidemic, it has been impossible to go abroad for three years. Since
the epidemic slows down in 2023, DWREC planned to resume this overseas
learning activity, yet looking for a new partner.

2. Cooperative partner
Guam is a U.S.A. territory and is only about a three-hour direct flight from
Taiwan. The University of Guam is the highest university in the surrounding
Western Pacific Islands. Its Department of Civil Engineering not only cultivates
local people in Guam, but also includes engineers from nearby island countries

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such as Palau. At present, the Department of Civil Engineering of the University
of Guam (UOG) has also entered the process of ABET engineering education
accreditation, which DWREC has kept for the past 18 years. For sustainable
development, Guam attaches great importance to the conservation of its water
resources. WERI (Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western
Pacific) was established in 1975 at the University of Guam and is one of the 55
research centers enacted by the US Congress. There are in-depth research and
applications on Guam's surface water, groundwater, aquifer, hydrology,
meteorology, environmental water quality, geology, etc. (https://weri.uog.edu/) is
suitable for cooperation and exchanges with DWREC of FCU.

This program will allow participating students to enrich their professional

skills and enhance independent thinking through the opportunity of on-site
teaching at the Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering,
University of Guam (the first week) and the Water and Environmental Research
Center WERI (the second week). Through participating classes in the university
of Guam as well as student presentation in English of their individual projects
from Taiwan, their English communication skills can be improved. Combined
with the academic specialty of the UOG, participating students can broaden
professional knowledge, confirm what has been learned, and to enrich practical
problem-solving skills.

3. Course Design
The course design is mainly divided into five parts: ( 1 ) pre-departure
preparation (in FCU) , ( 2 ) special lectures (University of Guam) , ( 3 )
professional seminars , group discussions (UoG) , ( 4 ) extracurricular teaching
and site visits (UoG) and ( 5 ) experience collation/report (FCU).

(Note : In 2023 , the teaching time, teaching content and instructors will be

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 adjusted according to the final adjustment by University of Guam)
From March 26 , 2023 Itinerary content (activities and accommodation)
to 08 April 2023 Activity venue Lecture topic stay
February 17
February 24 Language communication
March 03 practice, University of
Guam, WERI overview,
March 10 18 : 30－21 : Hydraulic Lab., Feng
practice on English (none)
March 17 15 Chia University
presentation, student
March 24 grouping and division of
( Friday ) labor, pre-departure lecture
18 hours _
Taiwan Taoyuan
March 26 Airport (TPE) →
9:30 - 11:40 departure Airport
( Sunday ) Manila International
Airport (MNL)
(MNL) → Guam
March 27 Fo Guang Shan
22:30 - 04:25 International Airport check in
( Monday ) Guam Temple
(GUM)
March 28 College of Guam Water Resources
9 : 00－12 : 00 Fo Guang Shan
( Tuesday ) Engineering, ( Professor Jeffrey Y.
13:30 - 17:00 University of Guam Guam Temple
6.5 hours Cheng )
March 29
Department of Civil Catchment Simulation Fo Guang Shan
( Wednesday 9 : 00－12 : 00
Engineering, ( Professor Jeffrey Y.
) 13:30 - 17:00 University of Guam Guam Temple
Cheng )
6.5 hours
Best management
March 30 Department of Civil
9 : 00－12 : 00 practices (BMP) in Guam Fo Guang Shan
( Thursday ) Engineering,
13:30 - 17:00 ( Professor Jeffrey Y. Guam Temple
6.5 hours University of Guam
Cheng )
March 31
9 : 00－12 : 00 Island hydrogeology Fo Guang Shan
( Friday ) WERI
13:30 - 17:00 ( Dr. Yuming Wen 文玉明) Guam Temple
6.5 hours
Field Study on Freshwater Fo Guang Shan
April 01 9 : 00－12 : 00
Guam
( Saturday ) 13:30 - 17:00 resources Guam Temple

April 02 9 : 00－12 : 00 Fo Guang Shan

Guam Waste water treatment
( Sunday ) 13:30 - 17:00 Guam Temple
Groundwater
April 03
9 : 00－12 : 00 contamination in Guam Fo Guang Shan
( Monday ) WERI
13:30 - 17:00 ( Professor Nathan C. Guam Temple
6.5 hours
Habana )
April 04 GIS and Digital Atlas of
9 : 00－12 : 00 Fo Guang Shan
( Tuesday ) WERI Micronesia
13:30 - 17:00 Guam Temple
6.5 hours ( Dr. Yuming Wen 文玉明)

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 April 05 Agricultural activities on
( Wednesday 9 : 00－12 : 00 groundwater and surface Fo Guang Shan
WERI
) 13:30 - 17:00 water in Guam Guam Temple
6.5 hours (Dr. Barry Kim)
April 06 9 : 00－12 : 00 Northern Guam Lens Fo Guang Shan
Dr. Blaž Miklavič
( Thursday ) 13:30 - 17:00 Aquifer Tour Guam Temple
April 07 9 : 00－12 : 00 Water Quality Fo Guang Shan
Dr. Myeong-Ho Yeo
( Friday ) 13:30 - 17:00 Laboratory Guam Temple
Guam International
Airport
April 08
05:55 - 20:05 (GUM)→Taiwan Assignment (none)
( Saturday )
Taoyuan Airport
(TPE)
April 21
May 05 Hydraulic Lab., Feng Compilation / report of
18: 30 - 21: 15 (none)
( Friday ) Chia University learning experience
6 hours

There will be 39 teaching hours in UOG, plus 24 teaching hours in FCU, the
total teaching hours are 63 hours. (Teaching contents and instructors will base on
the final adjustment by UOG and the total number of teaching hours in line with
the FCU’s regulations)

4. Summary of previous experiences

The first course of "Overseas learning and exploration (1)" visiting Kyoto
University in Japan was held from 8th to 21st of May, 2017, a two-week English
course study and overseas exchange visits. 18 graduate students (including a
Vietnamese student and a mainland Chinese student) from the Department of
Water Resources Engineering and Conservation (DWREC) and a student in
Japanese language were led by Professor Shaohua Marko Hsu.

The second time of implementing the "Overseas learning and exploration

(1)" course visiting Kyoto University in Japan was held from 7th to 20th of May,
2018. 10 postgraduate students (including a Vietnamese student) from the
DWREC. A two-week English course study and overseas exchange and visit
activities was carried out by Professor Shaohua Marko Hsu.

The third time of implementing the " Overseas learning and exploration
(1)" course of visiting Kyoto University in Japan was held from 12th to 25th of
May, 2019, also led by Professor Shaohua Marko Hsu for a two-week English

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course study and overseas exchange visits. 13 students from the DWREC [2
under-graduate senior students (one of which is a four-year Mainland Chinese
student), 10 master 1st year students, 1 master 2nd year student]. In this overseas
activity, two engineers (Rongbin Liu and Weiyuan Chen) from Liming
Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd., and one engineer (Zhenyang Xiao) from Sino
Tech Engineering Society, participated together. Through the discussion with the
seniors from the industry, the effect on students observing and learning was
enhanced.

Due to the global spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) from 2020 to

2022, the "Overseas learning and exploration (1)" teaching activity course was
suspended three times from going aboard.

In 2023, DWREC would like to change the target university for overseas
teaching to the University of Guam in the United States territory for the first
time, and other feasible ways for future cooperation and exchanges between the
two parties will be planned. As the global epidemic of the coronavirus (COVID-
19) has not yet been fully controlled, subsequent destinations for off-campus
teaching and exchange will be determined in accordance with the
recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the
Ministry of Health and Welfare on whether to go or change the location or
cancellation of activities.

5. execution time
It is scheduled from March 26 to April 8, 2023, a total of 14 days; there are
also pre-departure lectures with multiple weekly course hours and experience
compilation/reporting after returning back to FCU.

6. Implementation method and quota

(1) Qualifications of participants: (1) Students from the DWREC who
choose this course according to the course selection rules.
(2) Students of PhD program will be given priority to participate if the
quota allows.
(3) Auditing students from other departments can participate if there

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 are remaining quota.
(2) Grade assessment method: (1) 30% Class attitude and question/answer.
(2) 40% final written report.
(3) 30% final oral presentation.
(3) The number of participating students (including 1 teacher) is expected
to be 10 to 15.

7. Benefit Evaluation
This course is implemented during the semester not summer or winter
vacations. It provides opportunities for graduate students from the DWREC and
PhD program to visit and study abroad. It can cultivate students' foreign
language communication skills and macroscopic international vision, understand
the pulse of world water conservancy technology and engineering solutions, and
be able to encourage participating students to recognize professionalism,
enhance learning motivation and learning achievement. According to the
opinions expressed by previous students who have participated in the past three
trips, all believes that their gain are enormous. For this reason, DWREC would
continue this operation.