The Internationalization of education and research management for Ph.D. in Information Science
Despite the critical COVID-19 crisis, the Ph.D. Information Science program of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) did not stop the internationalization scheme for our students, alumni, lecturers, and academic network.
On 14 July 2021, the STOU School of Liberal Arts co-organized the STOU-PUP OUS 4th Joint Multidisciplinary Online Research Colloquium with Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University System (PUP OUS). The event has been held consecutively for 4 years under the MOU between the two institutions. Led by Prof. Emeritus Dr. Chutima Sacchanand, this year colloquium is held virtually via Microsoft Team. There were over 190 participants from STOU and PUP OUS. STOU also conducted additional activities carried out in Thai language to add more productivity to the event.
The STOU-PUP OUS 4th Joint Multidisciplinary Online Research Colloquium 2021 themed “Optimizing Research Engagement and Virtual Classroom Experience in Open and Distance Learning.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of STOU presided over the Opening Ceremony and gave a welcome speech. Dr. Manuel M. Muhi, President of PUP OUS, then gave the Introductory Remarks. Asst. Prof. Vasan Rattanapoka, Dean of the STOU School of Liberal Arts also joined the Opening Ceremony and attended several sessions in the colloquium.
The program started out with a lecture by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamolrat Intaratat, Director of the Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management (CCDKM) from the STOU School of Communication Arts. This was followed by a lecture by Dr. Anna Ruby P. Gapasin, PUP OUS Vice-President for Research, Extension, and Development. The program continued with the presentations of the academic work by the Ph.D. students and the graduates of STOU and PUP OUS. There were 107 presenters joining the virtual colloquium from Thailand, the Philippines and Japan.
This year, STOU conducted the pre-colloquium workshops on “Effective Presentation in English” continuously before the event to equip the presenters with the skill to make presentations in English, which is not their mother language. on 31 July 2021, a post-colloquium discussion was held to review the lessons learned from the virtual colloquium.
The event not only benefited the current Ph.D. students, but also the alumni. There were also lecturers, international guest professors joining the activities. This made the colloquium reach out to more audiences. The virtual platform also made it convenient for the participants. The activities have successfully created a research atmosphere in open learning and distance learning. The assessment showed that the participants were satisfied with all the sessions carried out.
Additionally, the event was beneficial to the internationalization of education and research management for the Ph.D. in Information Science program and the School of Liberal Arts. It also played a part in the university’s academic outreach mission.
