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Associate Professor Dr. Surin Maisrikrod, Vice President for Global Engagement and Teaching and Learning Development at Walailak University was the guest speaker at a UK-based AdvanceHE’s inaugural Webinar Series that aims to bring together universities in the Asian region that have adopted or are interested in adopting the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). 

The Webinar hosted by Becky Smith, SFHEA, Key Global Associate at AdvanceHE, on 5th October 2023 at 2pm Thai local time, was attended by more than two dozens of representatives from universities in India, Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Dr Surin highlighted the reform agenda on teaching and learning at Walailak University since the assumption of the University’s presidency by Professor Sombat Thamrongthanyawong in mid-2016, pointing out that by and large Thai universities had neglected professional development in teaching and learning for academics. “In a way, we were running against the current, and indeed, there was no well-developed teaching and learning framework or organizations that we can rely or make use of in Thailand”. 

That led to Walailak University’s relationship with AdvanceHE, which has organized a Certificate Program to train academics in teaching pedagogies and methods for WU academics, assessed WU academics’ HEA fellowship applications, provided numerous resources on teaching and learning, including access to workshops, seminars and conferences. 

Over 90 per cent of academics at Walailak University hold HEA fellowships, the largest number in Thailand and countries in Southeast Asia. The university utilizes a network of its staff who have already been certified to encourage and mentor their peers in obtaining certificates and recognition, as well as using the UKPSF as the foundation for creating course syllabi.

According to Dr Surin, evidence has indicated that the emphasis on professionalized teaching has played an important part in raising the reputational profile for Walailak University. Against the national trends, for example, Walailak Univeristy has seen increases in both the number of applications for admission from university-bound high school students and enrolment in the past three years or so. “The overall GPA of high school leavers who apply for admission to WU has also gone up to 3.4. So we have both a larger quantity and higher quality in terms of our new students,” noted VP Surin.

“It means that university-bound high school students and their parents must have stronger trust and confidence in us”, said Dr Surin, adding that WU has also now been recognized by Times Higher Education as a world-class university, whose world ranking has improved from 1501+ to 1201+ globally and joint 6th in the country this year”.  Walailak University has been assessed by THE for the second time this year.

Dr Surin observed that there has been an uplift in self-esteem among academics who have been awarded HEA fellowships, an international recognition for their teaching professionalism. “Through our relationship with AdvanceHE, we feel that we are part of an international community of universities that treat teaching and learning seriously”, said Dr. Surin.

Other areas of improvement since the implementation of the reform scheme has included an increase in the evaluation score of teaching by students to over four out of five for over 93 percent of its teaching staff and a decrease in the dropout rate among first-year students:from nearly 30 percent before the reform to less than two percent in 2020, and further down to just 0.04 percent in 2023. “The secret here lies in our lecturers’ close attention to individual students, making more possible by small-class teaching. This is indeed consistent with key aspects of the UKPSF”.

“Apart from focusing on research, apart from working very hard on social engagements; we work really hard on high standard teaching and learning; I’d say teaching and learning is now pretty much part of daily conversation among academics at WU”, noted Dr Surin.

At present, there are over 175,000 fellows around the world, with around 1,800 in Southeast Asia: 1,373 in Thailand, 325 in Malaysia, 64 in Singapore, 27 in the Philippines, 10 in Indonesia, 3 in Brunei Darussalam, and 1 in Myanmar.





News by Settaboot Onphakdee, Division of Corporate Communication