Seven Years of Deep Cultivation and Refinement: I-Shou University's X+AI Education Officially Evolves to 2.0 – From Pioneer to Leader, ISU's Boundless AI Future
Since taking the lead in promoting the “X+AI” cross-disciplinary innovative curriculum in 2018, I-Shou University (ISU) has broken through the existing framework that restricts artificial intelligence exclusively to the information technology field. By integrating AI into various departments such as engineering, medicine, design, and business management, students are able to combine AI application skills with their own foundational professional expertise. “X” represents the professional core, while “AI” symbolizes the driving force for upgrading; the fusion of the two has gradually shaped a forward-looking talent cultivation model. Over the past seven years, more than 250 teachers across the university have participated in curriculum design and teaching innovation, accumulating a total of 281 courses. The enrollment rate for undergraduate programming courses has reached 100%, and the enrollment rate for advanced AI courses is approaching 50%, fully demonstrating the concrete results of the university’s systematic layout and continuous transformation in promoting AI education.
To ensure that learning truly aligns with the practical needs of the industry, ISU established the nation’s second NVIDIA supercomputer in 2020, creating an industry-grade, high-performance computing environment that provides strong support for AI teaching and research. This is combined with the Supercomputing Center, Smart Technology Innovation Center, Semiconductor Advanced Manufacturing Virtual and Physical Integration Field, Smart Design and Manufacturing Center, and Smart Medical Education Center to gradually construct a complete AI practical base and cross-disciplinary innovation platform. At ISU, students don’t just learn theories; they develop practical combat capabilities for the future.
Industry-academia collaboration is another major hallmark of ISU. The university has partnered with the ASE Group to establish a semiconductor micro-program, collaborated with the Gaojian Group to create AR/VR immersive engineering training, established a dual-mentor industry-academia strategy with the Kaohsiung Marriott Hotel for tourism and hospitality-related departments, and forged a cooperative link between the Department of Visual Arts and Design and the well-known animation company Comic. In addition, the Industry-Academia Intellectual Property Operations Center has guided over a hundred enterprises in promoting digital transformation and net-zero upgrades. Through industry-academia cooperation projects, students have the opportunity to participate in actual projects during their studies, accumulating practical experience and cultivating immediate employability upon graduation.
Starting in 2025, ISU has officially launched the “X+AI 2.0 Thematic Course Group,” upgrading talent cultivation from “Learning AI” to “Learning with AI”. The overall curriculum is planned with a four-layer structure: fundamental skills, advanced skills, application skills, and ethical skills. It focuses on three major application fields: smart manufacturing, smart medical care, and a smart sustainable environment, simultaneously promoting cross-disciplinary micro-programs to strengthen students’ cross-domain integration and practical application abilities. While deepening technical capabilities, ISU also emphasizes that “technology is for use, but ethics is the foundation”. Under the X+AI 2.0 framework, “Digital Life Ethics” is specifically designated as a core module to systematically cultivate students’ media literacy, information judgment, AI ethics, and privacy protection awareness. This ensures that students not only possess the ability to utilize technology but also understand its boundaries and responsibilities, becoming professionals who are both competent and ethical.
