{"id":4204,"date":"2025-08-04T08:10:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T00:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/?p=4204"},"modified":"2025-09-19T08:15:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T00:15:44","slug":"letters-from-the-nycu-president-vol-8-does-knowledge-expire-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/letters-from-the-nycu-president-vol-8-does-knowledge-expire-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters from the NYCU President Vol. 8: Does Knowledge Expire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\u6821\u9577\u624b\u672d\u7b2c\u516b\u7bc7\uff0d\u300c\u77e5\u8b58\u300d\u6703\u904e\u671f\u55ce\uff1f\"\n\nA professor engaging with AI to collaboratively envision and create future research directions.<\/span><\/i>\n\nIn my previous letter, I asked: <\/span>How long does the \u201cknowledge\u201d we learn in class remain relevant?<\/b> There was a time when a university education was believed to provide sufficient knowledge for an entire professional career. However, in today\u2019s rapidly changing world, the pace of knowledge renewal has far exceeded our imagination. Learning no longer ends at graduation\u2014it has become a lifelong journey of continuous growth and adaptation.<\/span>\n\nWhen I was studying medicine, the knowledge we acquired in the classrooms could remain valid for 20 years or even longer. At that time, mastering brain surgery or coronary bypass surgery almost guaranteed a stable and prosperous career for a surgeon. Yet today, technology has disrupted and transformed nearly every aspect of the field.<\/span>\n\nMany traditional neurosurgical procedures have now been replaced by radiation therapy or minimally invasive techniques. Conditions that once required opening the skull can now be treated precisely using technologies like the Gamma Knife. Similarly, the once-celebrated coronary bypass surgeries have primarily been replaced by simpler, faster-recovery procedures such as cardiac stent implantation.<\/span>\n\nThis phenomenon is not limited to medicine\u2014AI technology is rapidly reshaping every field. Skills that software engineers once spent years mastering now require updates every six months. Some even say, “AI today evolves by season, not by year.”<\/span>\n\n \n\nThe challenge facing education today is clear: the effective lifespan of knowledge has shrunk from 20 years to just 2 years\u2014or even less. As a result, the cultivation of future talents will depend not on what they have learned in school, but on their ability to continue learning after graduation.<\/span>\n

Future Learning is Peer Learning<\/b><\/h3>\nToday\u2019s learners must develop resilience in facing the unknown and the ability to continuously evolve. Knowledge can not only become outdated\u2014it can also become an obstacle, anchoring us to old ways of thinking. I often remind colleagues and students <\/span>not to let what they know, or their past successes, become a legacy burden<\/b>.<\/span>\n\nNow that AI can generate papers and code, offering standardized solutions to most problems, we must ask: Do humans still need to learn? And how should we learn?<\/span>\n\nI believe that future learning is not about \u201cgoing faster alone\u201d but about \u201cgoing farther together.\u201d Teachers are no longer the sole source of knowledge; they are guides and co-learners. Students are not merely competitors; they are collaborators. Moreover, our \u201clearning community\u201d must expand: AI is no longer just a tool\u2014it can be a learning partner, inspiring us and co-creating alongside us.<\/span>\n

AI is Also Our Learning Partner<\/b><\/h3>\nI once heard a senior professor share his experience using ChatGPT. He fed it his entire body of research\u2014decades of work\u2014and asked GPT to help summarize his key research themes and development trajectory. GPT responded with a clear and comprehensive framework and even suggested several new research directions he had never previously considered.<\/span>\n\nThe professor\u2019s eyes lit up. That day, he laughed and said, \u201cGPT knows me better than I know myself.\u201d Yet instead of feeling replaced, he viewed this interaction as an unexpected \u201cdialogue across minds,\u201d allowing him to reflect on his past work and open new possibilities for future research.<\/span>\n\nThis is one possibility for AI as a co-learner: engaging in dialogue with AI to expand our horizons. In the future, effective learning will require the ability to ask meaningful questions, critically analyze information, collaborate across disciplines, and use AI wisely. Only through these skills can we unleash our fullest creative potential.<\/span>\n\nLearning will no longer be confined to \u201chuman-to-human\u201d interactions; it will extend to \u201chuman-to-human, human-to-machine, and machine-to-machine\u201d co-learning and co-creation. This dynamic will be essential for fostering deep learning and cultivating innovative thinking.<\/span>\n\nAt NYCU, we are progressively promoting the concepts of <\/span>Peer Learning<\/b> and <\/span>Co-Learning Spaces, where<\/b> students engage in discussion, debate, and challenge each other\u2019s ideas. With the assistance of AI in analysis and content generation, we are not only deepening understanding but also accelerating the breadth, depth, speed, and creativity of learning.<\/span>\n\nSuch transformative capabilities cannot be achieved through solitary effort alone.<\/span>\n

Knowledge Has an Expiry Date; Learning Does Not<\/b><\/h3>\nTo foster and practice lifelong learning, we established the <\/span>Tribute Academy<\/b> in 2024. This academy does not grant degrees; instead, it restores learning to its core essence\u2014<\/span>exploration, sharing, participation, and contribution<\/b>.<\/span>\n\nThe name \u201cTribute Academy\u201d is inspired by the ancient \u201ctribute examination\u201d system, symbolizing respect and dedication to knowledge. At the Academy, mid-to-late career individuals return to campus to learn and co-create alongside young students. They transform the wisdom and experience accumulated over their careers into new knowledge, integrating with courses on the latest advancements in technology, humanities, and health. This process sustains their passion for learning and embodies the spirit of \u201clearning for life, contributing for life.\u201d<\/span>\n\nWe envision the Tribute Academy as a space where learning knows no age limits. Here, learners combine their experiences with societal needs, continuing to make an impact. It is not merely a learning environment\u2014it is a platform for generational exchange, cross-disciplinary exploration, and a new model of social engagement.<\/span>\n\nAs the pace of knowledge renewal accelerates, learning itself must become endless. The most essential skill of the future will not be how much knowledge you can memorize, but your habit and capacity for lifelong exploration.<\/span>\n\nI often say, \u201c<\/span>The knowledge we learn today may be obsolete in five years, but the learning methods we master today will last a lifetime.<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/span>\n\nThis is the true core of learning\u2014not merely preparing for exams or accumulating static knowledge, but cultivating the ability to renew and reinvent ourselves continuously. While we may not be able to predict the future of careers, we can prepare ourselves with the mindset that we are ready to start anew at any moment. Those with this ability will never be left behind, no matter how the world evolves.<\/span>\n\nWhat schools can offer is not a backpack filled with static knowledge, but a key that unlocks the world of knowledge. This key might be the ability to think critically, to learn across disciplines, or simply the courage to keep learning and embrace change.<\/span>\n\nIndeed, knowledge may expire, but learning never does. May we all continue to nurture the ability to learn, adapting to the ever-changing tides of knowledge.<\/span>\n

President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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(Content narrated by President Chi-Hung Lin, interviewed by Yen-Sheng Chen from Office of International Promotion and Outreach, and written by Yen-Chien Lai.)<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A professor engaging with AI to collaboratively envision and create future research directions. In my previous letter, I asked: How long does the \u201cknowledge\u201d we learn in class remain relevant? There was a time when a university education was believed to provide sufficient knowledge for an entire professional career. However, in today\u2019s rapidly changing world,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-letters-from-the-nycu-president"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4211,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4204\/revisions\/4211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oipo.nycu.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}