Challenges for Thai qualifications framework in distance education and ASEAN context Chantana Thongprayoon, Associate Professor School of Communication Arts Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework What is TQF? The Thai Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (TQF: HEd) is a requirement for every educational institution to compete globally with other educational institutions. It helps to support implementation of the educational guidelines set out in the National Education Act and to ensure consistency in standards and award titles for higher education qualifications. It makes clear the equivalence of academic awards with those granted by higher education institutions in other parts of the world. The Framework is useful to provide appropriate points of comparison in academic standards for institutions in their planning and internal quality assurance processes. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 2

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Domains of Learning Outcomes The TQF: HEd describes five domains of learning outcomes: 1. Ethical and Moral Development; 2. Knowledge; 3. Cognitive Skills; 4. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility; 5. Analytical and Communication Skills. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 3

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Challenges of learning Learning should be seen as a qualitative change in a person’s way of seeing, experiencing, understanding, conceptualizing something in the real world---rather than as a quantitative change in the amount of knowledge someone possesses (Ramsden cited in Weimer 2002: 11). September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 4

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Challenges of learning here focuses on Weimer’s concept of the five key changes to practice for learner-center teaching. Learner-center teaching with five key changes to instructional practice: 1. The Balance of Power 2. The Function of Content 3. The Role of the Teacher 4. The Responsibility for Learning 5. Evaluation Purpose and Processes. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 5

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Higher education students should be able to 1) gain deep understanding of concepts 2) critique concepts 3) conduct that critique in front of others 4) perform independent inquiry 5) self-reflect 6) engage in open dialogue. (Barnett 1990 cited in Palloff and Pratt 2009: 18). September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 6

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework ASEAN Background ASEAN stands for The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Association was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (also known as the Bangkok Declaration). September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 7

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The ASEAN Community is set on three pillars: political and security cooperation (APSC), economic cooperation (AEC), and socio- cultural cooperation (ASCC). The integration of ensuring durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region. The ASEAN Summits organized to advance the integration expected by September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 8

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Research Objective To gather the opinions of multiple stakeholders – students, instructors and tentative employers on the validity and efficiency of the Thai Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (TQF: HEd) in the ASEAN context September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 9

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Methodology This was a survey research. The samples consisted of 30 undergraduate students enrolled in the Journalism course at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) in Thailand, five instructors, and five tentative employers. Data was collected during focus group discussions and face-to-face interviews that took place from October 2012 to July Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and descriptive analysis. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 10

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The opinions of participants were measured through a Likert scale: 5 = mostly agree; 4 = agree; 3 = neutral; 2 = disagree; 1 = mostly disagree. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 11

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The interpretation of the mean scores were: = mostly agree; = agree; = neutral; = disagree; = mostly disagree. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 12

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Results: Students and the tentative employers valued highest on the Ethical and Moral Development Instructors valued highest on the Knowledge, followed by the Ethical and Moral Development. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 13

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Table1 Students’ Opinions on the TQF: HEd Domains of Learning September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 14 TQF: HEdMeanMeaningRanking 1. Ethical and Moral Development4.83mostly agree1 2. Knowledge4.13agree4 3. Cognitive Skills4.34 agree 3 4. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility4.75 agree 2 5. Analytical and Communication Skills3.69agree5

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Table 2 Instructors’ Opinions on the TQF: HEd’s Domains of Learning September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 15 TQF: HEdMeanMeaningRanking 1. Ethical and Moral Development4.24agree2 2. Knowledge4.35agree1 3. Cognitive Skills4.15 agree 3 4. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility 3.85 agree 4 5. Analytical and Communication Skills3.67agree5

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Table 3 Tentative Employers’ Opinions on the TQF’s Domains of Learning September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 16 TQF: HEdMeanMeaningRanking 1.Ethical and Moral Development4.92mostly agree 1 2. Knowledge4.35much agree3 3. Cognitive Skills4.50 much agree 2 4. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility4.15 much agree 4 5. Analytical and Communication Skills3.93much agree5

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Discussion The discussion follows the cognitive constructivism approach that aims to assist students in assimilating new information to existing knowledge, and enabling them to make the appropriate modifications to their existing framework to accommodate the information. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 17

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The cognitive approach developed by Jean Piaget and William Perry focused on the inside of the learner’s head, which concerns the mental processes more than the observable behavior which is the behaviorism’s focus. According to cognitive view, knowledge is actively constructed by the learner rather than passively absorbed. So learning is a process of active discovery. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 18

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The instructors’ role is not to drill knowledge into students through their repetition, but to facilitate by providing necessary resources and to guide the assimilation of the new knowledge to the former ones. Teachers should take into account the knowledge that the learner possess when deciding the curriculum. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 19

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework One of the challenges of the learning outcomes for distance education institutions are the competency the students acquired from their learning. The acquisition should be seen as a qualitative change in an individual’s way of seeing, experiencing, understanding, conceptualizing something in the real world--rather than as a quantitative change in the amount of knowledge (Ramsden cited in Weimer 2002: 11). September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 20

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The concerns for the institution management are facing challenges within the stakeholders’ benefit. For ASEAN context, a distance education institution in Thailand like STOU has to follow the TQF: HEd while preparing itself to encounter the ASEAN community to provide appropriate points of comparison in academic standards for institutions in their planning and internal quality assurance processes. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 21

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework For distance education context, students should be the focus of the institution management since they are the main stakeholder of the institution’s mission. For learning and teaching strategy, it is recommended to use the learner-center approach. The key changes to instructional practice for learner-center teaching are relevant to the STOU mission. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 22

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework For STOU, the main academic content that is sent to the students are text books that should be able to promote the students’ learning and facilitate the higher-order thinking skills so that they can develop the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. The content should be designed to let the students encounter unfamiliar problems, uncertainties, questions, or dilemmas. According to Brown (2014: ), the learning should be active that facilitates the students’ self- monitoring, open-minded, and flexible attitudes that were positively correlated with greater course achievement. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 23

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The result is correlated with Weimer’s concepts. Information management skills are important as information acquisition skills. Learners must be able to access information, find resources, organize them, and perhaps most important, evaluate the ocean of information that now exists in the electronic era. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 24

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework The changes are accomplished through active learning strategies that allow students experience with the content. The competencies involve an explicit understanding of complicated learning skills like the ability to be methodical and systematic, to have well-developed information-seeking and retrieval skills, and to have the ability to be flexible and creative. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 25

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Students need to leave college knowing content and knowing how to learn more. As for the instructors, they should balance their power to the students. They should encourage the students to actively construct their own knowledge rather than passively receiving information transmitted to them from teachers and textbooks. From a constructivist perspective, knowledge cannot simply be given to students. Students must construct their own meanings. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 26

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework For the employers’ point, their concerns are the ethical and moral development, cognitive skills, and knowledge, respectively. This means that they valued the ethical and moral issues more than the other domains. Therefore another issue that STOU should take into consideration is this aspect. Nowadays there are a lot of clever and hand-on people, but it is not easy to find the ones who are moral oriented. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 27

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework For distance education context, students are the prime focus of the institution management since they are the main stakeholder of the institution’s mission. As a result, STOU is challenging the expectation balance of all stakeholders, especially the students, the instructors, and the employers so that the mission of the institution is succeeded as well as reaching the students and the employers’ satisfaction. September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 28

Challenges for Thai qualifications framework Thank you Discussion Questions Chantana Thongprayoon, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University September 9, 2015Chantana Thongprayoon_STOU 29