In 2003, Far Eastern University surpassed many prestigious schools in Taiwan in the number of patents it registered. With more than 1,300 patents to date, it has remained No. 1 ever since, thanks to its on-going efforts in promoting creativity in education.
FEU’s nearly 200 awards in international invention competitions are another sign of the progress it has made in spurring innovation. While many newly established private colleges struggle with declining student enrollments, FEU had no trouble filling its quota in its first independently held entrance exam this year, which many believe can be attributed to FEU’s focus on developing creativity in students.
“FEU chose to make creativity education one of its top priorities when the government first began to emphasize creativity in higher education in 2000,” Chen Yu-gang, director of FEU’s Innovation and Creativity Center, said. “Being creative does not necessarily require broad knowledge, advanced theory in any discipline or specific educational qualifications,” he said. “For example, little children are creative by nature.”
According to Chen, FEU began to nurture creative thinking in its students through a mandatory sophomore-level course in 2001, teaching concepts and techniques of creative thinking. The university has now offered a total of 76 different courses related to creativity training, with a special certificate awarded to any student who completes 20 credits of these courses, Chen said.
In addition, the ICC organizes at least four competitions annually to encourage students to engage in creative activities, according to Chen. “For instance, we have contests that only call for sketches of an invention, with a description of the parts and schematic functional operations,” he said. “This is quite different from most international competitions, which usually require finished products rather than preliminary designs on paper.”
“Our goal is to promote creativity in the most economic and convenient way for students while giving them hands-on experience in design,” he explained, adding that ideas are the mainstay of invention processes. “If one can come up with a great idea, other people can help bring it to fruition,” he said.
In class, Chen often utilizes group discussions to stimulate brainstorming. Chen said he would propose a question or topic and ask students to exchange ideas with their group members to come up with a feasible solution to later share with other classmates.
The greatest challenge comes from students’ lack of confidence, Chen said, stemming from their relative inexperience with creative thinking.
To get these students to start thinking outside the box, Chen takes them on a tour of the ICC’s display room, which houses more than 400 prototypes of patented inventions. “Initially, we purchased 200 patented items to show students what kind of design can be considered an invention; over the years, we have gradually added another 200 patented works designed by our own faculty and students,” he said.
Pointing to a pair of platform shoes that have unconventional soles with toes higher than the heels, Chen said the shoes, designed to help stretch the calf muscles, are a great example of how simple an invention can be. “This helps students realize there are no rules for designs and inventions,” he said.
“As soon as their confidence is boosted, their creativity can be unleashed,” he said. “Then, the rest just comes naturally.”
Chen’s past work experience in the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute familiarized him with the invention process and requirements for filing patent applications, and he has brought this experience to FEU, where he encourages students to apply for patents on their designs.
He said FEU pays NT$20,000 (US$625) to NT$25,000 per case to off-campus patent agencies for their help in facilitating patent applications on behalf of FEU students and faculty. “Patent agencies help us search existing patents to decide if a specific invention is still eligible to be registered,” he said. “FEU also gives a cash prize of NT$3,000 to students for each patent they successfully file.”
Two of FEU’s most notable inventions include a back-to-back tandem bike that gives both riders a good view of the road and scenery, and a table tennis ball collector, which the operator rolls over the floor to efficiently pick up scattered balls.
As the owner of more than 200 patents himself, Chen said the key to invention is to develop a keen sense of observation in daily life. “If you can spot an inconvenience around you and find a new solution to it, that can be an invention,” he said. “An invention could be something to make a daily function more energy efficient, cost effective or ergonomic. Ideas are everywhere.”
The ICC’s statistics show that FEU has transferred the technology for 719 patented designs to commercial partners, bringing in NT$19.23 million in revenues so far.
More importantly, FEU’s emphasis on creativity education has kindled a passion for invention in many students, including Zhuang Ting-jie, who registered 61 patents during his undergraduate and graduate studies at FEU.
“I became so fascinated that I would search for interesting inventions online whenever I had some spare time,” he said. “That way, when I later discovered a problem around me, I would try to tackle it by using related ideas I had seen before,” he said, adding that he often found the inspiration for inventions from local news reports.
According to Zhuang, school support was crucial as he struggled to turn his design concepts into patentable inventions. “I would always discuss new ideas with my teachers and fellow classmates,” he said. “Group discussions helped me avoid blind spots that often occur in the invention process.”
Zhuang’s many inventions reveal a deep concern for others. They include a walking cane for senior citizens that emits a high frequency sound to scare off stray dogs, and a motorcycle light alarm which is automatically activated when the rider loses control and overturns. The idea for this design, Zhuang said, came to him after he heard about a motorcycle accident involving one of his schoolmates.
Tsai Dong-lin, another alumnus, may also have benefited from FEU’s creative thinking. With 46 patents to his name, he scored twice as high as any other applicant in a special admissions program to Kun Shan University’s Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering. (THN)
Write to Audrey Wang at audrey@mail.gio.gov.tw