National Ping Tung University of Education used to have three colleges, the College of Education, College Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and the College of Science, and Departments in the College Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and the College of Science had been changed into be non-teacher training programs in year 2005. However, at this time our country faces the strong global competition we need to provide a broader learning opportunity for our citizens to enhance the national development as well as the common good. In order to strengthen the quality of human resources of our country and so as our competitiveness, we establish a fourth college, “College of Lifelong Learning and Research.” The college has been approved by the Ministry of Ministry in June of 2007, and students begin to enroll in September of year 2008.

The purposes of the College Lifelong Learning and Research is to provide master degree training programs for in-service teachers, professionalized programs for community residents and e-learning opportunities to people who have difficulties to come to school. We hope that we’ll no longer limit ourselves in a traditional way of an educational institute, but found a broader base for the learning of multi-cultures, multi- expertise.

The organization of the college includes a “teacher learning center” of master degree programs for in-service teachers, as well as a “community learning center” that embraces community learning, and a “digital learning center” overcome the constraints of time and space for learning.

1.Teacher Learning Center

　Presently, the teacher learning center has 4 master programs that have been approved by the Ministry of Education, which include “master program on pedagogical supervision,” “master program on instruction of Chinese language,” “master program on ecological and recreation education,” and “master program on digital learning.” These programs begin to start in the September 2008, while the “master program on art and humanism – instruction of performing arts” will start later on.

　The object of these programs, as a whole, will be to cultivate talents based on “light, warmth, power, beauty and comprehensive effect.” We like to realize our vision of “globalize the indigenous, and localize the global.” We aim to expand the international vision of teachers and enhance the technological endowments of digital design so as to appreciate diversified culture, give high regard to ecological and recreational education, and learn about bilingual language. Furthermore, performing arts should be exploited, while pedagogical supervision is resorted to integrate and uplift teachers’ quality.

2.E-learning Center

“E-learning Center” is responsible for digital teaching material, hardware and software technical support for research and development of distance instruction. The primary mission is in the support of teaching, including site teaching and synchronized or non-synchronized long-distance teaching, but it also may give classes without awarding the degree.

3. Community Learning Center