PREFACE

Internationalisation of higher education in Southeast Asia is a multidimensional process that promotes the development of an integrated higher education space in the region. In this context the ASEAN University Network (AUN) plays a crucial role, providing a platform for discussions on policy development for higher education, and strengthening existing cooperation networks among universities in Southeast Asia.

In 2016, AUN and the Tuning Academy started an Erasmus+ project with the goal of achieving cross-border collaboration, sub-regionally and regionally, in curriculum development, educational standards and quality assurance; joint structural convergence, consistency of systems, as well as compatibility, recognition and transfer of degrees in order to facilitate mobility. As a result, the Tuning TA-SE project was adopted as a possible instrument for advancing the Southeast Asian cooperation process with curriculum at the heart of the initiative.

The Tuning Asia-South East (TA-SE) project uses the “Tuning methodology”, which has been successfully implemented in 130 countries since 2000. It is a university-driven project which aims to offer higher education institutions and subject areas a concrete approach to implementing competency-based and student-oriented approaches. Most importantly, Tuning has served as a forum for developing reference points at subject area level. These are relevant for making programmes of studies comparable, compatible and transparent.

According to Tuning, the change from a staff-centred approach to a student-oriented approach emphasises the fact that it is the students who have to be prepared to the greatest extent possible for their future roles in society. At this moment in the global process of reforms in higher education, it is experientially clear that it is not enough just to desire change, or even to programme it at the general level, but rather it is necessary to consider processes and tools at the institutional level.

The TA-SE project has brought together a group of experts, highly qualified in their fields, from 23 reputed higher education institutions in 7 countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). It has provided a structured way for them to work together, both on issues regarding 3 subject areas (Civil Engineering, Medicine and Teacher Education) and on aspects relevant to the entire area of higher education. Much of Tuning’s work focuses on the role of subject areas. This aspect of Tuning reflects the conviction that only those who have actual knowledge and experience in teaching and research at an advanced level can create the framework for developing new programmes and guarantee their quality, in design and delivery, in the new global context.

The TA-SE project has provided a platform for developing understanding and insight into how this can be best accomplished. In a carefully organised process of dialogue and debate, all the universities involved have reached deeper levels of understanding regarding the elements which constitute the essence of degree programmes in a national and international setting. Both common and diverse elements have been identified and formulated in wording which is commonly understood. For the last nineteen years, Tuning has proved to be an effective way of reaching international consensus while respecting –and indeed positively implementing– the rich diversity of educational traditions and the specific experience and insight of different subject areas.

In the course of its operation, the TA-SE project has developed a common language and conceptual framework. Thus, it favours dialogue between different academic traditions and facilitates mutual understanding and transparency between universities and the broader community of stakeholders –i.e. ultimately society at large. It has stimulated a process of reflection, development and innovation in higher education programmes. All of this has constituted an intense and demanding, but ultimately useful and rewarding, learning process for all involved. The TA-SE project empowered those who are responsible directly for the design and implementation of curricula. The hands-on experience gave them the know-how and confidence to roll it out for their colleagues in other degree programmes.

The three subject area groups in TA-SE (Civil Engineering, Medicine and Teacher Education), developed final documents following a similar procedure to obtain their results. Through discussion, creation of reciprocal knowledge and mapping the ways the discipline is learned and taught in the various countries, insight was gained and consensus built on what constitutes the vital core of each subject area.

This book reflects the outcomes of the work done by the Teacher Education Subject Area Group in the TA-SE project and shows in synthesis the consensus reached after intense, prolonged and lively discussions. The outcomes are presented in the standard format, introducing the methodology developed to design and to deliver degree programmes on the basis of well identified profiles and how this can be expressed in competencies and translated into learning outcomes. In general terms, we may consider that TA-SE project developed reference points for the design and implementation of degree programmes in Southeast Asia.

In the carrying out of the TA-SE project, the collaboration of numerous academics and administrative staff from Southeast Asian countries has been essential. A remarkable degree of talent, expertise, generosity, loyalty and commitment has distinguished the TA-SE project. We owe great gratitude to all the academics involved directly and indirectly in the elaboration process. They have shown tremendous commitment and imagination, finding new solutions and ways forward in an open and constructive dialogue. They have shown that Southeast Asian academics have the calibre and the vision necessary to tackle vital issues at an international level. Today’s global society requires this kind of vision and commitment.

This project would never have been possible without the dedication and wisdom of the Subject Area Coordinators (Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff, Ahmad Farhan Bin Mohd Sadullah and Richard Jugar). They have been the pillars of the project, not only carrying great responsibility but also channelling discussions and debate in a constructive and stimulating manner. They have shown their ability to build consensus and reach outcomes which will prove useful for Southeast Asian Higher Education institutions in general.

We also want to thank the four implementing universities (West Visayas State University, Sanata Dharma University, Universiti Sains Malaysia and University of Malaya), who through their academic and administrative staff have offered us their time, energy and support to help meet our goals, piloting a concrete Tuning experience.

We would like to thank the European Commission, which through its Erasmus+ Programme has offered us the support that has made this project possible.

We express our sincere gratitude to Julia González and Robert Wagenaar, who created and initiated Tuning in 2000 and whose commitment and recommendations were invaluably important during the implementation of the TA-SE project in the region. We also thank the eight European experts (Emilien Azema, Diego Lo Presti, Emma Melgarejo, Riccardo Ruffoli, Jean-François Schved, Alfredo Soeiro, Anna Maria van Trigt and Maria Yarosh), who have greatly enriched the project, both with their wealth of knowledge and insight, and new questions and ideas.

This project means dreaming –imagining ways in which current practices can be transformed and improved. But it means not only dreaming of this future, but of getting down to the work of making it a reality. In doing this, we have appreciated the help of AUN Secretariat staff (Achavadee Wiroonpetch and Korn Ratanagosoom), who contributed to the organisation and success of the General Meetings and Policy Forums.

We would also like to highlight the important contribution made at each Policy Forum and plenary session by the people who spoke about their experiences and contributed and enriched the discussions. Our special thanks go to Maida Marty, Edurne Bartolomé and Jon Paul Laka, the experts in statistics from the University of Deusto who prepared consultations, analysed the data, and presented the results.

Finally, and indispensably to running the project at the University of Deusto, we would like to acknowledge the work of Ivan Dyukarev, TA-SE project manager, and Sara Goitia, project assistant, whose energy kept things moving and got the project completed on time and within budget, whose enthusiasm kept teams motivated and on track, and whose dedication ensured that the project obtained the best result possible. All members of TA-SE project highly appreciate their indispensable work. They have shown great devotion and commitment to the Tuning Asia-South East project.

We hope and believe that the material contained in this publication will be very useful for all higher education institutions wanting to implement a competency-based and student-oriented approach, and that it will help them find and use the most suitable tools for adapting or creating higher education programmes to respond to the needs of today’s society.

Pablo Beneitone

Director of Deusto International Tuning Academy

and

Choltis Dhirathiti

Executive Director of ASEAN University Network

Bilbao and Bangkok

July 2019

 

Ena, O. T., Mukarto, F. X., Kuswandono, P., Dequilla, M. A., Belarga, A. M., Montaño, H. C., Jugar, R. R., Mohamed, A. R. B., Wahyudin, D., Sungtong, E., Emboltura, F., Said, H. B., Nyunt, N. N., Xupravati, P., Thwin, S. S. (2019). Reference points for the design and delivery of degree programmes in teacher education. In: (R. R. Jugar, & O. T. Tena, Eds.). Tuning Asia - South East. University of Deusto.