Samsung Electronics Helps Inject New Vitality into Taiwanese Education through Promotion of STE-A-M Education

Thorough an Offline-to-Online (O2O) approach, Samsung launches new online courses for children in Taiwan, and enhance incorporation of aesthetic learning into STEM education

Samsung Electronics Taiwan announced today that it is expanding its STAR UP education program. The initiative seeks to incorporate art into STEM education, through the adoption of Offline-to-Online (O2O) modes for the education curriculum. As first phase for the expansion, Samsung will be creating six online multimedia courses in cooperation with leading educational platform CommonWealth Education Media and Publishing Co., Ltd, and related experts. The aim will be to utilize technology and co-learning concepts, and the O2O model, to allow the sharing of rich resources among a greater number of learners, and overcome barriers in traditional classroom settings.

From STEM to STE-A-M: Incorporating Aesthetic Learning in Technology-Intensive STEM Curricula

Launched in 2017, the STAR UP program aims to inject new educational concepts throughout Taiwan with a focus on aesthetic(美感) education and ‘for-living’ philosophy. It promotes STE-A-M (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education that integrates the aesthetic into the traditional STEM focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Since 2014, Samsung Electronics Taiwan has established 15 SMART Schools, and in 2017, further expanded the reach to 3 hospitals.

“Samsung is committed to meaningfully contributing to local education in Taiwan through our unique efforts in education-related citizenship which aim to provide more holistic, accessible, and ultimately impactful learning,” said Jungjoo Lee, President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan. “Through our on- and off-line SMART Schools, and the simultaneous infusion of innovative hardware and software resources, we aim to help educators expand beyond conventional approaches in broadening the horizons of Taiwan’s children.”

New STAR UP Online Courses Focus on Cultivation of Personal Skills

The new STAR UP online multimedia courses are centered around six core focuses to help children cultivate skills related to managing emotions and interpersonal skills; philosophy and critical thinking; and technology and autonomous learning. Other skills include aesthetics and perception; interdisciplinary and problem-solving skills; and life and character. The online courses, hosted by educational experts, will begin being offered from the second quarter of 2018.

“The utilization of new online technologies facilitates the realization of personalized learning and creates opportunities of multidimensional development for children with different backgrounds, abilities, interests, and characteristics,” said Amy Ho, CEO at CommonWealth Education. “We believe that cooperation with Samsung Electronics Taiwan will inject new vitality into Taiwanese education, ensuring that every child derives maximum benefits from education.”

In addition to the new online courses, Samsung Electronics Taiwan plans to continue its cooperation with various education-related partners in Taiwan, through activities including physical workshops and seminars, to inject more resources into enhancing Taiwanese education.

• From left to right: Wang Shufen (writer), Jungjoo Lee (Vice President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan), Amy Ho (CEO, CommonWealth Education), and Chen Chongwen (creative director, Good Design Institute)

• Jungjoo Lee (Vice President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan) and Amy Ho (CEO, CommonWealth Education) pose at an event to announce the two entities’ collaboration for 6 online courses

• Exhibition highlight at the Samsung SMART School, CommonWealth collaboration announcement