1983年美國哈佛大學教授Gardner提出「多元智能理論」，對世界許多國家的學校教育革新產生了諸多影響。國內部份大學校院也應用多元智能理論推展通識教育。多元智能理論使我們瞭解到每位學生都具有多元的潛能，教師必須尊重學生的個別差異，肯定並賞識每位學生的不同智能表現，相信每位學生都能夠運用優勢智能來學習。運用多元智能理論創新通識課程教學，教師可以應用多元切入點作為課程發展的工具，激發學生的學習動機；運用多元智能規畫課程，提供學生多元模式的學習機會；統整多元智能和其它教學模式，增進學生對所學的深度理解；結合多元智能和資訊科技，提供學生自我指導學習的平台。運用多元智能理論創新通識課程評量，教師必須超越紙筆測驗、記憶性知識評量的限制，提供學生機會透過各種不同的智能系統，展現他們對所學知識和技巧的理解。最後，本文主張教育的目的在開展人的潛能。通識教育作為大學教育的一環，亦應以開展學生的多元潛能為其主要目標，使所有學生在學校都能夠獲得成功的經驗，俾能將所學應用到生活及未來的工作中，成為對社會有貢獻的公民。

The Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT), introduced by Howard Gardner in his book Frames of Mind (1983), has influenced school reform in many countries. There were some universities and colleges applied the MIT in improving general education in Taiwan. Through MIT, we understand that every student has multiple potentials. The teachers have to respect individual differences of students, recognize student’s variety of intelligences performance, and believe every student can learn with his strength intelligences. For applying MIT to innovate general education curriculum instruction, the teachers can use multiple entry points as the tools of curriculum development to enhance students’ learning motivation, use MI to develop curricula to provide various learning opportunities, integrate MI and other teaching models to arrive at a more in-depth understanding of academic content knowledge, combine MI and technology to provide the platform for student’s self-directed learning. For applying MIT to innovate general education assessment, the teachers must go beyond the paper-and-pencil tests and recited knowledge assessments, to provide students different opportunities through various intelligences systems to demonstrate the understanding of academic content knowledge and skills. Finally, the author asserted that the goal of education is to develop human potentials, so the general education should develop students' multiple potentials. We must provide an educational system that enables all university students to acquire successful experiences in school, and enables them to apply the learning knowledge and skills into real life and future work, and enables them to become contributive citizens.