When modern technology combines with humanistic thinking, how much warmth can it bring to society? From July 1 to 5, the Center for General Education of Taiwan Tech launched the innovative interdisciplinary mobile learning camp, “STREAM Immersive Summer School”. This program combines “general education” perspectives with various tech teams from Taiwan Tech. 15 Taiwan Tech professors led 36 undergraduate and graduate students from various departments and connected with local organizations to create a compelling journey through “local south side”, “technology and humanities” and “social practice”, offering a unique summer experience to high school students from 10 different vocational schools.

Taiwan Tech's South Side College STREAM Immersive Summer School offers a unique “city-style” experience for students during the summer vacation.

The theme of this summer school, “City-Style”, features a series of “STREAM” courses crafted by the Center for General Education's teaching team. The program includes 11 activities that blend sustainability concepts and interdisciplinary skills with local engagement. Students conduct field research at five Chengnan learning sites—Jiaho New Village, Treasure Hill, Toad Hill, Fanglan Mountain, and Huaxin Street. They then explore technology in Taiwan Tech labs through “3D printing”, “green energy”, “educational game design”, “electronic picture books” and “m-Bot”. Finally, participants brainstorm and discuss, combining local humanistic insights with technological applications to develop potential solutions for social issues step by step from 0 to 1.

Professor Mei-Fang Shih from the Center for General Education led students to explore Huaxin Street, delving into local culture through its distinctive cuisine.

Director Sy-Ying Lee of Taiwan Tech's Center for General Education stated, “Through various learning sites, we maintain a respectful and positive attitude towards local engagement, conducting field research to explore how we can contribute to the places we grow in. In other words, after experiencing the “city-style” and “adult style”, we reflect on the purpose of higher education and its practical applications.

This journey encourages students to transcend disciplinary boundaries and consider our societal environment from a humanistic perspective. It prompts reflection on our responsibilities as members of society, recognizing that each individual plays a crucial role in advancing social progress and using professional knowledge to address social issues, thus fostering social innovative thinking.

Guan-Ting Guo from Taipei Municipal Chengyuan High School shared participating in the summer school, “I really enjoyed this camp. Although it’s a university of science and technology, after joining this camp, I realized the value of social humanities here. Human connections are essential, and it reassured me that choosing the humanities was the right decision”. Meanwhile, Shao-Hsin Kang from Taipei City Municipal Zhongzheng Senior High School noted, “I met many people from different regions in the north, central and south, and schools during the summer camp, and everyone had unique perspectives.”

Students entered the labs of Taiwan Tech to explore technology hands-on, creating their own projects and applying them in their proposals.

After a series of summer school sessions, the students’ final presentations amazed the teachers. Zhi-Chen Guo, Operations Director at CraCrate INC., who guided educational game design, remarked, “The students identified environmental and human needs and proposed solutions that weren't just quick fixes but integrated the entire issue. Are they really high school students? It's truly remarkable!”

Assistant Professor Meng-Yao Gao from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Taiwan Tech, who mentored green energy projects, said, “Seeing the students' proposals made me understand how our learning can contribute to sustainable development, waste reuse, and solving local problems. It was truly touching.”

The summer school provided growth opportunities for everyone involved. Taiwan Tech students also experienced “learning by doing” through organizing the camp. Collaborating with science and technology teams allowed them to step beyond their own fields, acquire new knowledge, and apply it, showcasing the STREAM program’s interdisciplinary approach to integrating technology with the humanities. Taiwan Tech students served as exceptional teaching assistants, guiding participants through lessons, technology learning, and group discussions, and leading students step by step to come up with proposals and complete the final proposal for publication.

Yu-Lin Zhang, a sophomore from the Department of Information Management at Taiwan Tech, participated in this summer school. He said, “I'm very happy to have met and worked with many teachers and partners from different fields and accomplished something together through this summer school. There were both laughter and tears, making it a wonderful experience.”

In their proposal presentations, students combined humanistic thinking with technological applications, producing impressive results.

In a series of “legacy and practice” activities, professors guided university students, and then they led high school vocational students, taking root in higher education through innovative teaching methods. This “local connection” process, involving university collaboration with local organizations, allowed students to explore and reflect on how to use their strengths to contribute to society and achieve mutual benefits.

Taiwan Tech students served as teaching assistants, guiding participants in exploring technology and discussing proposals.

Taiwan Tech's South Side College STREAM Immersive Summer School looks forward to continuing its integration of humanities and technology, expanding university-local collaborations, and partnering to create meaningful, socially impactful learning experiences.

Professors guided university students, who then led high school vocational participants, so higher education energy can be taken root downwards through innovative teaching methods.