Taiwan’s Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) has worked with local enterprises to use smart technology to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all as part of the Smart City Taiwan project.

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, online teaching and learning have become the norm for students and teachers around the world.

Recognising the role technology plays in the virtual classroom, Smart City Taiwan was designed to accelerate the development of smart learning technologies as a means to address systemic challenges related to the inequality and divergence of education.

Smart City Taiwan encompasses four projects covering three key areas: Webduino, an intelligent IoT platform that allows students interested in programming to start learning sooner and with more convenience; the VoiceTube and LiveABC English education platforms; and NUWA Robotics for early childhood education. 

“Given Covid-19’s major disruption to education globally, technology for virtual learning is the most significant application and effective solution to the revival of education,” said a representative of the Smart City Taiwan project office. “With government support, Taiwanese enterprises can challenge more possibilities, pursue more creative ideas, and actively build comprehensive and sound systems for the future.”

Developed by Kingkit Technology, Webduino makes programming more accessible. Students can develop a simple programming system through an easy-to-understand and easy-to-operate drag-and-drop interface and immediately see the outcomes, cultivating a sense of accomplishment while familiarising themselves with programming concepts.

With globalisation connecting the world, English is an essential future skill. VoiceTube turns English education videos into textbooks so students can learn using their preferred senses with either audio or visuals. In addition, the platform analyses big data to enhance the effectiveness of learning with personalised courses suited to each student’s individual needs.

Meanwhile,LiveABCleverages augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to break the boundaries of the traditional classroom and has been rolled out in several elementary schools across the country. LiveABC enables students to experience different English language learning scenarios any time, in any setting, with AR. At the same time, it uses VR to simulate real-life conversations, allowing students to incorporate English into their daily lives in an engaging and effective way.

Taiwan is also exploring the use of robotics to meet social and developmental needs in early childhood education. NUWA Robotics has created humanoid robots with multiple gamification applications that assist preschool children with learning in those crucial foundational years. By combining a library of educational resources with AI analysis of a child’s learning history, NUWA robots provide diversified learning experiences adapted to each child’s unique learning style, all while offering a sense of companionship to children.

As online learning becomes the new normal, IDB plans to continue working with local companies to ensure they are prepared for the future. By using technology, Taiwan hopes to continue to improve the quality, practicality and capabilities of knowledge sharing in educational practices.

The IDB has been running the Smart City Taiwan project since 2018. Smart City Taiwan aims to use all types of smart technologies such as IoT, big data and AI to integrate local, industry and civilian needs. The project speeds up collaboration and integration between cities and towns to drive local and country innovation. To date, Smart City Taiwan has deployed 224 projects covering six major aspects including agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation, tourism and governance.