Deepening Transnational Academic Linkages — Indonesia’s Universitas Pelita Harapan Visits NTNU College of Education
To explore educational transformation under the waves of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), a delegation from the Graduate School of Education at Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in Indonesia visited the College of Education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) on June 16. Both institutions engaged in a comprehensive and in-depth benchmarking seminar and dialogue, focusing on three key dimensions: curriculum, research and publication, and program management.
The delegation was led by Dr. Niko Sudibjo, S.Psi., M.A., Dean of the Graduate Faculty of Education. Members included Dr. Ir. Samuel Lukas (Doctoral Program Chair), Dr. Budi Wibawanta (Teacher Professional Education Chair), HG Retno Harsanti, Ph.D. (Cand.), and administrative officers. The NTNU host team consisted of Dr. Huei-Mei Liu (Dean of the College of Education), Dr. Guo-Li Chiou (Associate Dean), Dr. Li-Yun Wang (Professor of Education), Dr. Shinmin Wang (Chair of Child and Family Science), and Dr. Zhi-Hong Chen (Associate Dean of the School of Learning Informatics), who engaged in a high-level academic dialogue.
Benchmarking a Global Top-30 Leader in Education
Dr. Huei-Mei Liu, Dean of NTNU's College of Education, stated that the college has consistently maintained a top-tier global position, ranking within the top 30 worldwide and top 10 in Asia in the QS World University Rankings by Subject recent years. It enjoys high international renown in frontier fields such as educational psychology, assessment, and learning sciences. In the face of the AI era, the college actively promotes cross-disciplinary technological integration and possesses a powerful cultivation system for graduate elites.
Dr. Niko Sudibjo, Dean of UPH GSE, noted that UPH is affiliated with Indonesia's renowned Pelita Harapan Education Foundation (PHEF), which encompasses 57 K-12 schools. UPH's Teacher College is one of the largest Christian teacher education institutions in Indonesia, training nearly 1,000 students. UPH GSE recently launched a new Doctoral Program focusing on Educational Technology & AI-enhanced Personalized Learning. The core objective of this trip is to benchmark against NTNU to draw on its mature experiences in doctoral curriculum frameworks, high-quality publication outcomes, and quality assurance for timely degree completion, thereby establishing a doctoral cultivation path meeting international standards.
Three Tiers of Dialogue: AI and High-Quality Research Pathways
During the meeting, representatives engaged in highly constructive discussions centered on three core levels:
- Curriculum Level (Macro): The two sides explored how to effectively integrate AI and adaptive learning into the curriculum based on solid curriculum theory, aligning programs with international standards to enhance global graduate competitiveness.
- Research & Publication Level (Meso): The UPH team consulted NTNU on building a systematic research roadmap for graduate students, guiding and motivating them toward high-quality scholarly output in reputable international journals (such as SSCI, etc.) to expand their international academic impact.
- Program Management Level (Micro): The two institutions exchanged experiences regarding Quality Assurance (QA) systems, including research support structures and effective monitoring mechanisms to ensure that doctoral research is completed on time and to a high standard.
The meeting concluded with a warm exchange of souvenirs and a group photo. Guided by NTNU Student Ambassadors, the UPH delegation toured the historic landmarks of NTNU, experiencing firsthand the deep humanistic heritage of Taiwan's prestigious education hub. This visit writes a brilliant chapter for NTNU in deepening its academic strategic deployment in the New Southbound region.