Professor Maurizio Toscano from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education visited National Chengchi University (NCCU) on April 22 and April 29, where he delivered two keynote lectures at the College of Education. During his visit, Professor Toscano also engaged in academic exchanges with faculty and students from the Colleges of Education, International Affairs, Humanities, and Social Sciences. He met with several university administrators and faculty members to explore possibilities for future collaboration in teaching, research, and interdisciplinary integration.
Professor Toscano is a senior lecturer in science education at the University of Melbourne, with an academic background spanning astrophysics, aesthetics, and the philosophy of education. His two lectures in Taiwan, titled “Measuring What Matters” and “Science and the Meaning Beyond the Data,” questioned the overreliance on data and evidence in educational research and called on the academic community to reconsider the deeper nature and values of education.
In the first lecture, Professor Toscano cited philosopher Stephen Toulmin and education scholar Gert Biesta, noting that what we often accept as “evidence” is actually built upon a series of unexamined assumptions. He argued that quantitative data should serve as a tool to access deeper educational values, rather than as an end in itself.
In his second lecture, he took a philosophical approach to distinguish between the acts of “assessment” and “judgement,” prompting reflection on whether educational research should be seen as a form of scientific inquiry or a humanistic and artistic practice. “The essence of education lies in the creation of meaning,” he said, “not merely in the reproduction of data.”
Both lectures were held in Room 313 of the Jing-Tang Building at the College of Education and were also accessible online. Faculty and students from various colleges attended enthusiastically, with lively discussion throughout. After the talks, Professor Toscano joined further conversations with NCCU administrators and faculty to explore how international collaboration and academic exchange could advance the university’s teaching and research efforts.
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