Introduction to the Office of Teaching Centers

National Central University (NCU) established the “Planning Committee of Teaching Centers at NCU” per Article 39 of the Organization Regulations of NCU in order to plan, research, and discuss the development of all teaching centers (including the Office of Physical Education) at NCU. The convenor of the committee is the vice president of academic affairs. In response to the suggestions given by the evaluation of the “Pilot Project of College Liberal Education Evaluation,” which targeted seven research universities and was executed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the “Committee of the Office of Teaching Centers” was officially founded on August 1, 2005, upon approval of the MOE to enhance NCU’s integrating function in the aspect of teaching. The administrative unit was finally substantialized at that time, and the name of the unit was first created by NCU. A name similar to this one in National Taiwan University and National Tsing Hua University was the “Committee of Common Education.” Advised by commissioners of the “Committee of College Liberal Education Evaluation” from the MOE in 2008, the administrative unit was renamed the “Office of Teaching Centers” (OTC) upon approval of the MOE on August 1, 2007, in order to optimize its essential functions. The OTC currently includes three teaching units: the Center of General Education, the “Language Center, and the Office of Physical Education. The main duty of the OTC is to comprehensively deliberate what other educational aspects a university needs besides professional education. Therefore, in terms of college education, the OTC is a crucial unit in addition to academic departments at a university. Besides the function of planning, the OTC also shoulders certain collegiate-level administrative responsibilities for the aforementioned teaching centers, such as establishing the Teacher Evaluation Committee and the Curriculum Committee as well as handling matters regarding those committees. The OTC currently has one director in charge of planning all its affairs and one administrator in charge of executing the affairs.