TAIPEI (TVBS News) — National Tsing Hua University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University announced Monday (May 6) that they will implement a new 16-week semester system starting in September 2024, which includes an earlier start to the winter vacation.
The two universities have been trialing a flexible course system for three years, which has been approved by the school council and public hearings. The academic calendar has been submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval.
Before this, the National Taiwan University, the National Taiwan Normal University, and the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology announced in mid-March that they would start their winter vacation on Dec. 23, lasting until Feb. 14 of the following year.
Tsing Hua and Yang Ming Chiao Tung will officially implement the new system in September. Both schools will start their winter vacation early on Dec. 23 until Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2025. The spring semester will begin on Feb. 17, making the winter vacation a total of 56 days.
The 16+2 flexible system of the two schools means that formal courses last 16 weeks, with an additional two weeks where teachers can freely conduct online or physical teaching and off-campus visits. Students' academic performance has not regressed despite the reduction of two weeks of physical courses, according to the two universities.
The two schools said that the new system allows the semester to end before Christmas, enabling international students to return home for the holidays and benefiting local students who wish to study abroad, plan vacations, and align with international schedules.