Educational Philosophy:
The National Taiwan University of Sport's Indigenous Competitive Sports Program is committed to cultivating sports professionals with an Indigenous cultural background. This program emphasizes the integration of traditional Indigenous culture and modern sports science, promoting the preservation and transmission of Indigenous culture while enhancing students' professional skills and holistic development.
Department Planning and Development:
The Indigenous Competitive Sports Program for Indigenous students is designed around four stages: "curriculum," "certification," "internship," and "employment." The curriculum is supplemented with strategic alliances, securing external resources to enhance course content. It also involves industry-academia collaboration to provide professional certifications and arrange industry internships, achieving the goal of "employment upon graduation." The program's development focuses on four major areas:
Indigenous Cultural Knowledge Area:
This area includes courses on Indigenous culture and traditional sports, elder storytelling lecture series, and guest speakers. Students participate in village visits and hands-on internships within Indigenous communities to apply what they’ve learned.
Wilderness Education Area:
This includes modules on Indigenous cultural knowledge, experiential and adventure leadership, and mountaineering guide courses, training students to become professionals in wilderness education activities, environmental risk management, and forest protection.
Water Activities Area:
Students learn skills such as diving, water rescue, and canoeing, integrating traditional Indigenous culture with water activities. This area focuses on developing professional instructors for water-based sports.
Competitive Sports Area:
The program nurtures sports professionals with an Indigenous cultural background. It emphasizes combining traditional Indigenous culture with modern sports science, promoting the preservation and transmission of Indigenous culture. Special competitive training classes designed for Indigenous students focus on improving their athletic skills while incorporating Indigenous cultural features. The program identifies key areas for competitive training (such as the National Indigenous Games), including traditional events like archery, tug-of-war, wrestling, and wood-cutting competitions.
Indigenous Cultural Knowledge Talent:
By integrating with Indigenous communities, the program encourages students to participate in both community and tribal culture. This helps meet their cultural learning needs and fosters connections between the students and their communities. The curriculum promotes understanding and recognition of their roots, cultivating talents for cultural preservation, administrative roles, and sustainable cultural development. These talents can lead to careers in Indigenous education, tourism, arts programs, and community cultural development.
Wilderness Education Professionals:
The wilderness education curriculum is divided into areas such as mountaineering skills, search and rescue training, mountain teaching methods, adventure education, competitive climbing, and ecological conservation. These areas interconnect to offer courses in hiking, conservation/interpretation, ecological research, and jungle trekking.
Water Activity Professionals:
Given Taiwan's geographical position, which offers abundant opportunities for snorkeling and diving, the program trains professionals for careers in water-based tourism. In line with the national "Salute to the Sea" policy, the program combines professional diving courses with Indigenous marine cultural knowledge, preparing students for careers in the diving and water sports industry. The courses train coaches in swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, lifesaving, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). The program also includes professional certification and employment internships in related industries during the third and fourth years of university.
Competitive Sports Talent:
The university’s School of Sports Science includes three departments and one research institute: the Institute of Coaching Science, the Department of Track and Field Athletics, the Department of Combat Sports, and the Department of Ball Sports, along with the Indigenous Competitive Sports Program. The school's mission is to "enhance competitive sports and challenge physical limits," aiming to cultivate international-level athletes, professional coaches, physical education teachers, and sports science researchers. The Indigenous Competitive Sports Program integrates scientific training mechanisms from various departments to improve the athletic performance and physical qualities of Indigenous students, aiming for outstanding results in international competitions.