Classification of Universal Higher Education in Taiwan: A Perspective of University Presidents

In recent years, higher education in Taiwan has shifted from elite to universal education. The purpose of this study was to examine how one might classify higher education institutions (HEIs) in a system of universal higher education in Taiwan. A questionnaire was administered to the presidents of colleges and universities in Taiwan. The major findings were as follows: 1) "Typology first and evaluation later" was the most widely-accepted procedure; 2) The most commonly accepted typology was "research university, teaching university, community university, and professional university"; 3) The most suitable procedure was "Universities select the typology, and evaluation is based on the evaluation items of the typology"; and 4) The universities themselves should be given the autonomy to determine the percentage of teaching, research, and service for evaluation.