9 February 2022

Participants share their experiences in AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online)

By
Noppanun Sookping
AUN Programme Officer;

The 1st AUN-QA Training Workshop for Accomplishing Programme Assessment Version 4.0 (AUN-QA Tier 1 Training) held virtually on 13 December 2021 – 24 January 2022 continued to offer opportunities for participants who were interested in quality assurance in the areas of higher education through the AUN-QA Framework. Following the success of the training programme, the AUN-QA asked the participants to reflect on what the training meant for them and their impression throughout the training with the AUN-QA.


Different roads leading to quality assurance

Quality assurance has always been significant in the development and solidification of academic programmes in higher education institutions. This trend has been proven by the number of participants of the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training in both the traditional offline format leading to the new online format, attracting a diverse group of people in the field of higher education from the ASEAN region. 

Among the participants who discussed with the AUN-QA about their experience throughout the training programme, Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanyawee Pratoomsuwan is an internal assessor for Mahidol University, Thailand, and has been in the quality assurance department of her department. She joined the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online) for the first time out of interest to further develop and enhance her skills using the AUN-QA framework.

For Dr. Do Phuc Huong, she participated in the training at the behest of her university, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, Viet Nam. It was in this training that she learned a lot about quality assurance through the AUN-QA Framework.

Similarly, Prof. Michel Basister participated in the Tier 1 training on behalf of University of Nueva Caceres, the Philippines. According to Prof. Michel the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online) can help his university a lot in terms of examining and improving the current quality assurance process.


Digitalizing the training experience

Due to the disruption as well as health and safety concerns under the Covid 19 circumstances, this was the first time the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training was organized virtually. With the challenge of translating the activities from the offline format to the online format, the AUN-QA invested so much time and resources in preparing for the online training course to ensure training efficiency as well as flexibility for participants under the pandemic circumstances.

The thorough preparation leading to the training course seemed to have paid off very well in the end given generally positive feedback from the participants. Dr. Do Phuc Huong commended the AUN-QA for such careful and thoughtful preparation of the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online). For her, the virtual design of the training was time and cost saving, providing much flexibility while also breaking down the barriers at all terms.

Similarly, Prof. Michel Basister highly appreciated the design of the training sessions. Despite certain challenges in using the online mode of training, Prof. Michel was able to learn a lot from synchronous and asynchronous sessions. He liked the synchronous sessions in particular as these sessions provided more insights and allowed the participants to interact and learn from one another.


Opening doors for collaborations

Upon completion of the 1st AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online), many participants expressed their appreciation and interest in the knowledge and connection resulting from the programme. This serves as a great testament of the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online) in terms of opening doors for more collaborations in terms of quality assurance as it continues on in an online format.

According to Dr. Do Phuc Huong, she appreciated the long-term connection between the coach and the participants that continues beyond the training programme.  Dr. Do Phuc Huong affirmed that the knowledge from the training will definitely be applied to her university’s study programme. 

Apart from knowledge and connection, the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training Course also served as a great opportunity to learn more about the AUN-QA activities, potentially leading to further collaborations with the AUN-QA. According to Dr. Do Phuc Huong, further engagement with the AUN-QA has already been included in Hung Yen University of Technology and Education plan for the next two years; at least four of the programmes will be sent to undergo AUN-QA Programme Assessments. Likewise, Prof. Michel Basister from University of Nueva Caceres said his university planned to do the AUN-QA Programme Assessments in the long term. 

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, the AUN-QA Tier 1 Training (Online) was another exemplary success showcasing the AUN-QA’s competency to adapt under difficult situations while also continuing its mission to promote quality assurance in the ASEAN region. The AUN-QA promises to continue in its mission as one of the leading higher education quality assurance agencies in the ASEAN region.
For more information, please visit https://aunsec.org/events/aun-qa-training-course-accomplishing-programme-assessment-version-40-online or contact the AUN-QA at [email protected].