大學教育目標為何？大學應如何幫助正值人生可塑期的年輕人成長與發展？大學如何詮釋、提升和傳遞文化價值？當前是知識經濟的時代，需要有專業、有創意、有視野、能與國際接軌的人才投入社會的各行各業中，此亦是高等教育人才培育的目的。因此，大學教育所需面對的問題是：如何因應各大學的發展目標與特色，以及回應社會需求等現實條件所產生的個別差異，規劃並建置合適的大學教育目標與課程？本文的基本觀點是，大學之建立與發展，應以培育當代世界公民的素養為核心理念，而不應僅是某種職涯上的專業能力訓練機構。故作為全校性、跨學門基礎教育的通識教育課程，應作為發揮此理念的實踐途徑。國立臺東大學以發展成為一所「具有特色的優質教學型大學」為教育目標，因此，教學品質的提升乃是辦學的第一要務，再與區域文化及自然資源環境整合，建立學校特色。通識教育以培養學生成為一個具備公誠愛嚴情操、術德兼備、博雅涵養的現代公民為理念，並以作為大學基礎與核心教育為定位，以廣博涵養建構宏觀視野，強化通識與專業課程之融通。自102學年起開始推動通識教育學程與組織的改革，建構新的通識課程架構，並預計於103學年正式實施。新制通識課程架構將透過「語文能力課程」的強化、「跨領域核心課程」奠基與「博雅課程」的拓展，以及「大學探索體驗潛在課程」的參與，建構「作為進入公共領域閘門入口」的大學通識教育，鼓勵社會參與及實踐，以培養學生在堅實的專業技術能力外，仍然擁有溝通學習、批判思考、塑造品格、尊重他人、關懷生命、創造美善、迎向全球化的能力，使其有自覺地培育自身成為具有公民素養的大學知識份子。

What are the goals of University education? How can university education help young students grow? How can the university education interpret, promote, and pass on the cultural value? In this new era of knowledge economy, we need more professional human resources with creativity and vision to involve in all kinds of business. That is the mission of cultivating talented young students in higher education. Therefore, the university education needs to face the challenge of how to compete with the development goals and characteristics from all universities and meet the needs of individual differences in society and plan and build the suitable goals and curriculum for university education. The educational goal of Taitung University is to develop a high quality teaching university with characteristics. Therefore, the first priority is to promote the teaching quality. The next is to integrate the regional culture and natural resources. The ideal of general education is to cultivate students to become modern citizenship with decency, good morals, and talents, and to become the foundation of university education. In the year of 2013, Taitung University has begun to promote the general education curriculum and the reform of organization. The new general education curriculum has been well-designed and been implemented in 2014. The new general education curriculum will strengthen the ＂language proficiency course＂, establish the ＂interdisciplinary core curriculum＂, develop the ＂liberal arts curriculum＂, explore the ＂university experiential education curriculum”, and construct the gate of ＂public affairs＂ in university education. The new curriculum will also encourage university students to participate in social activities, enhance the solid technical expertise, learn better skills of communication and critical thinking, and foster better characters of respect for others, caring for life, and goodness in order to enhance the globalization ability in university and become intellectual persons with civic literacy.