Congratulations to Mr. Arcade Kewsawang and Mrs. Kanlayanee Supadit, STOU librarians, for receiving an honorable mention for academic presentation at the PULINET 2022 virtual conference, organized by Maejo University during 5-7 January 2022. Mr. Arcade and Mrs. Kanlayanee presented the poster titled “Lesson Learned from The Actual Experience – Local Stories” in the Organizational Management category.
The PULINET 2022 was held under the theme “New Generation Libraries: Toward House of Access” and academic presentations were divided into 3 categories including 1) Information Management, 2) Organizational Management, and 3) Information Services.
On 25-26 August and 2 September 2021, over 40 staff and students from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University volunteered at Central Plaza Chaeng Wattana, one of the COVID-19 vaccination sites of Nonthaburi province, where around 5,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were given to the people in the community.
Vaccination is the hope for the community and the country to set our steps back into ‘normal’ life. COVID-19 has made life pre-pandemic a dream. With the vaccination plans rolling, seeing family and friends, making travel plans, or working at the office will be possible again.
STOU as a part of the community has answered to the call from the Nonthaburi Provincial Health and Pak Kret 2 Hospital to send volunteers operating at the vaccination sites. The STOU volunteers have worked together with the Province for around 4 months.
We hope we can be a small part that helps alleviate the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and make normal life possible again.
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) launched the application “STOU SISA” on 3 August 2021, to provide convenient and quick student services, available for IOS and Android.
SISA stands for Student Info Service Application. STOU SISA app provides student services including viewing school records, academic results, and enrollment with mobile payment. It also caters information about teaching and learning, examination venues and examination results.
STOU SIA dfferent menusStudy RecordsOn-screen notificationsIn-App news announcement
Associate Professor Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, Distinguished Member of the University Council, STOU Acting President said: “STOU has been continuously implementing the university reform plan. We focus on the development of distance education technology, the modern teaching and learning management, to be ready to provide quality services in this fast-changing society.”
“Now that the STOU SISA app is launched, all the students will get access to a faster and more convenient services. The Application connects all students’ information regarding their studies and examinations. The system will facilitate all our 88,000 students both in the country and abroad, providing access to important student services 24/7.”
Associate Professor Dr. Theppasak Boonyarataphan, Acting Vice-President for Strategy, Planning, Digital Technology and Innovation, added: “The main challenge of developing the STOU SISA app is that students must receive the correct information. The app should cut down the process and time in contacting the university. They should be able to check the information conveniently and quickly by themselves through the application.”
“STOU SISA contains the student’s personal information, event calendar, enrollment information, educational record, examination schedule, examination result, materials delivery status, course assignment, tutorial, training and professional experience programs schedule, and general university news. Most importantly, students can pay for the registration fee via the STOU SISA app, which is a new dimension for the student services of STOU. STOU SISA is now available for download both for iOS and Android.”
Associate Professor Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat added: “The application will continue to develop to increase its efficiency. More information in various fields will be utilized to provide a wider range of student services. Hopefully, we’ll bring in AI technology soon.”
“STOU has delivered quality education for over 40 years. Our next goal is to become a full-fledged digital university while maintaining the quality as a leader in distance education.”
STOU-PUP OUS 4th Joint Multidisciplinary Online Research Colloquium: The Internationalization of education and research management for Ph.D. in Information Science
Despite the critical COVID-19 crisis, the Ph.D. Information Science program of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) did not stop the internationalization scheme for our students, alumni, lecturers, and academic network.
On 14 July 2021, the STOU School of Liberal Arts co-organized the STOU-PUP OUS 4th Joint Multidisciplinary Online Research Colloquium with Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University System (PUP OUS). The event has been held consecutively for 4 years under the MOU between the two institutions. Led by Prof. Emeritus Dr. Chutima Sacchanand, this year colloquium is held virtually via Microsoft Team. There were over 190 participants from STOU and PUP OUS. STOU also conducted additional activities carried out in Thai language to add more productivity to the event.
The STOU-PUP OUS 4th Joint Multidisciplinary Online Research Colloquium 2021 is themed “Optimizing Research Engagement and Virtual Classroom Experience in Open and Distance Learning.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of STOU presided over the Opening Ceremony and gave a welcome speech. Dr. Manuel M. Muhi, President of PUP OUS, then gave the Introductory Remarks. Asst. Prof. Vasan Rattanapoka, Dean of the STOU School of Liberal Arts also joined the Opening Ceremony and attended several sessions in the colloquium.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamolrat IntaratatDr. Anna Ruby P. Gapasin
The program started out with a lecture by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamolrat Intaratat, Director of the Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management (CCDKM) from the STOU School of Communication Arts. This was followed by a lecture by Dr. Anna Ruby P. Gapasin, PUP OUS Vice-President for Research, Extension, and Development. The program continued with the presentations of the academic work by the Ph.D. students and the graduates of STOU and PUP OUS. There were 107 presenters joining the virtual colloquium from Thailand, the Philippines and Japan.
This year, STOU conducted the pre-colloquium workshops on “Effective Presentation in English” continuously before the event to equip the presenters with the skill to make presentations in English, which is not their mother language. on 31 July 2021, a post-colloquium discussion was held to review the lessons learned from the virtual colloquium.
The event not only benefited the current Ph.D. students, but also the alumni. There were also lecturers, and international guest professors joining the activities. This made the colloquium reach out to more audiences. The virtual platform also made it convenient for the participants. The activities have successfully created a research atmosphere in open learning and distance learning. The assessment showed that the participants were satisfied with all the sessions carried out.
Additionally, the event was beneficial to the internationalization of education and research management for the Ph.D. in Information Science program and the School of Liberal Arts. It also played a part in the university’s academic outreach mission.
Comments from participants
“Excellent! Congratulations!” “Congratulations to the organizers! Excellent work!” “Great event” “Congratulations and thank you for sharing us this colloquium.” “Great job. I love it!” “Superb partnership.” “Thank you for this wonderful and informative collaboration. :)” “Very informative!! excellent!” “Well-organized. Very engaging. Like everything”
There is a dramatic shift sweeping through the education system. Learners of the 21st century are highly relational and demand quick access to new knowledge. More than that, they are capable of engaging in learning at a whole new level. With the world literally at their fingertips, today’s students need teachers and administrators to re-envision the role of technology in the classroom.
One of the challenges for the teachers is the making of teaching materials. There are a variety of ICT-based tools for materials development. SEAMOLEC is aware of the phenomenon and aims to support the needs of the new paradigm that happens in teaching and learning in the 21st century. SEAMOLEC proposed the “Digital Learning Material Development” initiative to be jointly conducted with other educational institutions.
On 1-2 July 2021, SEAMOLEC and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University jointly conducted the Digital Learning Material Development program, focusing on Whiteboard Animation creation with Explee.
Whiteboard Animation is a moving image that is formed from a set of image objects arranged in an orderly manner following the flow of motion that has been determined at each time count increment that occurs.
By using animated drawing presentation media, it is expected that the teacher can give different delivery and experience to students. Submission of material that was previously still conventional, became interesting learning by presenting changes in order to improve teaching materials in order to be able to suit the needs of students today using animation.
The workshop allowed the participants to be able to develop material concept map and make storyboard for teaching and learning, understand the concept of whiteboard animation, know whiteboard animation application tools, and finally develop thematic whiteboard animation-based digital teaching materials.
The School of Nursing, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, organized a workshop titled “Transforming Practice (from Clinical Setting to the Community): The Future of Nursing” on 26 June 2021. The training featured a special lecture by Asst. Prof. Dr. Rita Cui-Ramos, Senior Lecturer from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).
The workshop was joined by both students and graduates of the Master’s degree program in Nursing. The participants enjoyed the exchange of ideas and experiences on the transformation of the practice from the clinical facility to the community. They also discussed the information communication and digital technology used in nursing practice. The School of Nursing has also benefited from the workshop. The workshop helped gathering informative ideas and concepts for the improvement of the Nursing courses, to keep up with the social changes, and to answer to the vision of the Ministry of Public Health.
On 28 May 2021, the STOU Institute of Research and Development (IRD) signed the Memorandum of Agreement on Academic Collaboration with the Department of Corrections. The MOA aims to promote research studies in corrections in order to enhance the academic cooperation between the two institutions, as well as to promote the research and development of standardized correctional work in the treatment of inmates. Associate Professor Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, distinguished member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, together with Associate Professor Dr. Sungworn Ngadgratoke, Director of the STOU IRD has signed the memorandum of agreement on behalf of the university.
The SEAMEO Congress 2021 for Education, Science and Culture, gathered regional and global leaders and experts virtually on April 28-29, 2021. Honorable speakers invited by the Ministry of Education of Thailand and Malaysia and SEAMEO, as well as academia invited through selection of submitted abstracts, presented papers and initiated discussions under the overarching theme of “Transforming Southeast Asian Education, Science and Culture in the Digital Age”.
SEAMEO CONGRESS 2021 provided a platform for conversations on innovations, breakthroughs and best practices in Education, Science and Culture to achieve SDG4 2030 into and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Congress also examined sustainable development platforms, networking and strategic collaboration among education actors and stakeholders in Southeast Asia and beyond for enhancing the quality of learning and ensuring wider access and relevance of education in the region.
The Congress featured diverse topics that supported the transformation of Education, Science and Culture that could effectively contribute towards the promotion of human development at the community, country, regional and at the global levels. SEAMEO Congress 2021 had 6 plenary sessions and 13 parallel sub-sessions, each with paper presentations and discussions corresponding to one of the 9 sub-themes chosen for the congress – 1. Reimagining People Transformation Toward SDGs; 2. Building back better: Actions for Digital Transformation in AI Era; 3. Transforming Education in the Post-COVID 19 Era; 4. Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and the New Normal: Balancing Reforms for Achieving the SDGs; 5. Southeast Asian Education and Future’s Agenda; 6. Transforming Education System and for Quality and Excellence; 7. Building A Future for the Alpha Generation; 8. Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Reform and Innovation; 9. STEM Education Design for Improving the Quality of the Workplace. More than 15,000 participants from 65 countries with diverse backgrounds in education attended the 2-day event. More than 104 speakers from 22 countries presented at the SEAMEO CONGRESS 2021.
Speakers also included leading policy makers, education leaders, researchers, teachers and youth with more than 60 paper presenters from the region and beyond. As similar as face-to-face conferences, in this event participants could also visit 50 virtual booths provided by the SEAMEO partners, as well as 50 e-Poster presentation booths. Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) joined the SEAMEO Congress 2021 as a SEAMEO Partner. There were 3 speakers, 2 presenters and a number of interested personnel joining the virtual sessions. STOU also organized virtual booths showcasing the university operations in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Somporn Puttapithakporn, Acting Vice-President for Education and Learning Support joined the event as a speaker in Parallel Session 3 “Transforming Higher Education in the Digital Era” on Thursday 29 April 2021 at 10.15-11.30 hrs.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Walisa Romsaiyud and Asst. Prof. Dr. Pimpaka Prasertsilp from the School of Science and Technology shared their research studies in Parallel Session 4 “School Improvement to Strengthen STEM Education” on Thursday 29 April 2021 at 11.30-12.30 hrs.
Dr. Adirek Vajrapatkul from the School of Economics presented his research work in Session B “Teaching Innovation and Research in TVET” on Wednesday 28 April 2021 at 17.45-19.00 hrs.
Dr. Worrawit Nakpan from the School of Health Science presented his research work in Session E “Research at classroom and school levels” on Wednesday 28 April 2021 at 17.45-19.00 hrs.
On 31 March 2021, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and Prof. Wang Ju-Ming, Vice-President for Academic Affairs of National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, signed an MOU in a virtual MOU signing ceremony via Microsoft Teams.
STOU, in cooperation with the Thailand Cyber University Project or TCU, under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand Professional Qualification Institute, and Institute of Community Colleges, have been developing online courses on caring for the elderly through the Thai MOOC for public learning in order to meet the needs of aging society in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Thai MOOC has worked with NCKU in the exchange of open online courses to provide for Thai learners. NCKU is a leading university in Taiwan, offering a variety of teaching and learning programs and being particularly renowned for its medical expertise. Therefore, the two agreed courses, which are “Child Care Course” and “Elderly Caregivers Course”, have been developing and producing high-quality online courses. In order to encourage other possible cooperative efforts, a formal cooperation agreement between NCKU and STOU has been established.
Dr. Anothai, stated in the report that: “the MOU signing between the two universities this afternoon will become a solid foundation for our academic cooperation, so that our joint efforts and cooperation will be enhanced further, and our education cooperation will not only deepen but also broaden.”
The MOU provides a framework for the two universities to undertake joints activity concerning academic and technical staff exchange, joint research on e-Learning and ICT, cooperative research activities promotion and training research material on e-Learning and ICT exchange.
The signing ceremony was joined by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Somporn Puttapithakporn, Acting Vice-President for Education and Learning Support, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anothai Ngamvichaikit, Acting Vice-President for Research and Innovation, and STOU administrators, as well as Assoc. Prof. Shin, Jyh-Wei, NCKU Director of Center for Continuing Education, and Dr. Huang, Chi-Jung, NCKU Project Assistant Research Fellow.
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University organized a training program “SMART Principles” 1st batch during 16-18 March 2021 to improve the quality of teaching and learning support personnel standards in the university’s distance learning system to meet national and international levels.
The STOU Distance Education Staff Development Academy (DESDA) organized the 1st batch of “STOU Model for Academic Recognition of Teaching: SMART Principles” at the main conference hall of Pittayaphat Building at the STOU main campus in Nonthaburi. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pranee Sungkatavat, STOU Acting President presided over the opening and orientation of the program on 16 March 2021. There were 29 lecturers and supporting staff who participated. Prof. Dr. Wichit Srisa-an, the Chairman of the University Council, as the UKPSF Principal Fellow, gave a speech and a lecture on “the Orientation of the Overview of the Programme for the Awareness of the Roles and Responsibilities of STOU lecturers and Support Staff.”
“The SMART Principles” is the standards framework that STOU co-developed with Advance Higher Education (Advance HE), United Kingdom. Advance HE awards four different categories of Fellowship, Associate Fellowship (AFHEA), Fellowship (FHEA), Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) and Principal Fellowship (PFHEA), as recognition of expertise. Participants who passed the SMART Principles will be awarded Associate Fellowship (AFHEA). STOU has been supporting our staff to pursue the award. So far, there are 1 Principal Fellow, 8 Senior Fellows and 6 Senior Fellows. All the fellows from STOU and other universities in Thailand have joined the SMART Principles as Personal Mentors (PMs).
