Exchange of Innovation Ideas – Study Tour Tai Nawi visits Feng Chia University

Study Tour Tai Nawi is organized by the study association from industrial design at University of Twente. The purpose of the study tour is to research the similarities and differences in education and culture in design between the Netherlands and the greater China region. The group visits academic institutions and industries in the design field in three regions, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. On May 13th, the participants visited Feng Chia University due to their great interest in “Innovation Project” at the International School of Technology and Management (ISTM).

• Professor Loewy and IMBA students hosted the event on the day of the visit. With advanced concepts and interactive teaching methods, Professor Loewy’s Innovation Project course is one of the most popular courses at ISTM. It is a mandatory course for both the undergraduate and graduate programs. For professor Loewy, design is a combination of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in a product that takes care of esthetics and functionality. He believes designers must ‘live in the future’, create meaningful products for the future and lead people into the future. The participants of Tai Nawi were very impressed by the innovative concepts and teaching methods adopted by Professor Loewy. “The visit to Feng Chia University is a worthwhile experience,” said a student in the study tour. “Taiwan is pioneering in design education and I learn a lot about design in Taiwan. I see a lot of Japanese-styled design in Taiwan and is impressed by the cultural open-mindedness of Taiwanese culture.”
• The participants in Tai Nawi were curious about how Taiwanese student interact with their peers and they were surprised when they learned that Taiwanese students tend to tolerate team members who do not make the effort so as not to damage relationships. In Netherlands, students usually ask  team members who don’t contribute to leave the team directly and it does not cause trouble in relationships. “Dutch students are more direct,” said an IMBA student. “They are very expressive of their opinions. In comparison, Taiwanese students are shy. They express their opinions only when they are asked to.”
• The event ended at four-thirty in the afternoon. “It is a very interesting experience to be able to interact with students from another country,” said an IMBA student. “I hope there will many more activities and events like this one. It is eye-opening and a great opportunity to share the good in Taiwan.”
• IMBA is a one-year master’s program at ISTM. All courses are taught in English. It is in the forefront of business management education. The diversity in the design of the curriculums assist students to develop practical business and management skills, making them competitive in the job market. In addition, IMBA students have the option of taking another year to complete the ZLC-FCU Dual-Degree Master’s Program in Logistics and Entrepreneurship.