SOME 29 delegates from various Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) universities converged in a workshop to craft guidelines for food security and climate change micro-credentials implementation in Chon Buri Province, Thailand on Oct. 15, 2024.
These universities include the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Central Luzon State University (CLSU), and Visayas State University (VSU) in the Philippines; Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and Universitas Brawijaya (UB) in Indonesia; Maejo University (MJU) and Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand; and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The workshop "Developing Guidelines for the Monitoring, Review, and Evaluation of Micro-Credentials" jointly led by UPM and UMS is part of the Postgraduate Micro-Credentials in Food Security and Climate Change (PMC FSCC) project which runs until 2026, and started in 2023.
With KU handling the logistics as the project leader, actively participated in the workshop was the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the secretariat of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).
The project is funded by the European Commission through the ERASMUS+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) program. ERASMUS+ CBHE provides short-term courses through micro-credentials to address food security and climate change challenges.
Leveraging technological innovations, the project will deliver online learning modules tailored to these pressing issues, according to SEARCA.
During the workshop, Assoc. Prof. Wan Marzuki Bin Wan Jaafar, PhD, dean of the UPM Faculty of Educational Studies, welcomed the participants and facilitated the proceedings. Assoc. Prof. Buncha Chinnasri, PhD, PMC FSCC project leader, presented updates on recent activities and milestones.
The deputy director of the UPM Center for Academic Development and Leadership Excellence, Assoc. Prof. Masnida Binti Hussin, PhD, shared the survey results among participating universities, offering insights into current micro-credential practices.
Prakash Murgeppa Bhuyar, PhD, assistant dean of the MJU International College, commended UPM and UMS for their preparatory work, which helped streamline the workshop's collaborative efforts.
Also during the workshop, SEARCA said participants were divided into working groups for a more efficient discussion and feedback on the draft guidelines and other concerns while UPM and UMS responded to the participants' feedback, refining the draft guidelines further.
Lim Thien Sang, PhD, UMS Flexible Education Center director, also led a session on the proposed implementation strategy.
SEARCA noted that after incorporating outcomes from two upcoming activities which are the Workshop on Quality Assurance Guidelines on October 20 to 29 in Bali, Indonesia, and Micro-Credential Module Development, the developed guidelines for monitoring, review and evaluation of micro-credentials will undergo final adjustments.
On behalf of SEARCA and the UC, Nur Azura Binti Adam, PhD, SEARCA deputy director for programs, thanked project partners for their active engagement.
Emphasizing SEARCA's support for the project's sustainability, Adam reaffirmed the center's commitment to advancing the goals of the PMC FSCC.
Meanwhile, meeting separately to discuss the upcoming International Conference on Micro-credentials for Food Security and Climate Change on Feb. 11 and 12, 2025 in Thailand were project members from CLSU, IPB, KU and SEARCA.