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Walailak University celebrates over 90 percent of its academic staff achieving HEA fellowships. The webinar was held to mark the occasion. Well-known academics from the United Kingdom and Australia attended the webinar.

Panelists and participants discussed different ways by which UKPSF was implemented in prestigious universities. Ian Hall, Advance HE’s Head of International Membership; Professor Pam Parker, the Director of the Department for Learning Enhancement and Development at City, University of London, UK; and Professor Abby Cathcart, the Director of the QUT Academy of Learning and Teaching at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia, shared what changed after the UKPSF had been adopted.

Ian Hall mentioned that there are now more than 160,000 UKPSF Fellows around the world, and some 40,000 are outside the UK. Currently, Advance HE is revising the new version of UKPSF which is due to be published in early 2023.

Similar to a culture of teaching at Walailak University, Professor Pam said that the implementation of UKPSF has encouraged conversations about teaching practice among lecturers at University of London; giving them opportunities to reflect on their teaching practice.

At the University of Queensland, the implementation of UKPSF has impacts on their students: students describe positive impact on their learning, and indigenous students see themselves reflected and valued in academia.

On this occasion, Professor Dr. Wijit Srisa-an, the former chairman of Walailak University Council, in his opening speech, congratulated to all members of Walailak University for this achievement. “A lot of challenges are, of course, ahead of you. But I’d like to remind all of you that your students should be the proudest to have you as their teachers,’ said Professor Dr. Wijit.

Since the implementation of UKPSF in 2017, Walailak University has made several positive changes: number of student’s drop-out rate has been decreasing; number of freshmen application has been increasing; and teaching evaluation score has been increased. This is due to the student-centered learning which enhances students’ critical, analytical and synthetic thinking, increasing the quality of teaching and learning.

Associate Professor Dr. Surin Maisrikrod, Vice President for Global Engagement, one of the panelists, mentioned about four main pillars of Wailailak University, after the implementation of UKPSF, which consists of UKPSF Training; Revision of the Course/subject Syllabus; Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and Governance. “I believe that our staff have now fully realized the importance being professional teachers, giving highest quality education to our students and graduates,’ said Assoc. Prof. Surin

Before the end of discussion, Professor Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, President of Walailak University, shared his vision for the future of Walailak University. The University plans to increase the number of UKPSF Fellowships. “We plan to establish the Center for Teaching Excellence, and will make sure this aligns with UKPSF. So, the system that we created is really good for our students,’ said Prof. Dr. Sombat.

The webinar, which was conducted at Huataphan Chamber, Administration Building, Walailak University Hospital, on 26 December 2022, was broadcast live on Walailak Chanel Facebook Page, reaching to more than 3,000 people. It was also honored by professional teachers in Thailand higher education to share their experiences from the implementation of UKPSF: Emeritus professor Dr. Pansiri Phasuwan, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand; Assoc. Prod. Dr. Issara Pramoonsuk, Assistant to the President, Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand; and Professor Dr. Sittichai Koontongkaew, Dean of Walailak University International College of Dentistry.  

News by Settaboot Onphakdee