Sources:Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) at http://www.usm.my/index.php/en/admin/news-article-english/2151-crossing-borders-bridging-minds
PENANG,
14 April 2014 – Career success depends on graduates with an ability to
understand and work effectively with others of different cultures and
backgrounds, Professor Dr. David W. Chapman said in his talk Crossing
Borders and Bridging Minds in Higher Education.
The
public talk, the first in a series on higher education organised by the
National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), was delivered at
the University Conference Hall by Chapman who is a Distinguished
International Professor and Birkmaier Professor of Educational
Leadership, Policy and Development at the University of Minnesota. He is
also a Fullbright visiting professor to IPPTN.
He
said that universities have to create opportunities within their
curriculum that connect their students and faculty members to their
peers in other countries and other cultures.
Such
opportunities are in the form of partnerships and collaborations that
Malaysian universities have created with universities in other parts of
the world.
“Many countries want to strengthen their higher education system as a means to national economic development,” he said.
On
the other hand, international organisations such as the Asian
Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development,
World Bank, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture
Organisation need to disburse and seek strategies that can be used to
strengthen the quality of instruction and research in universities.
Chapman
pointed out that international university partnerships have grown in
popularity with more than 1,000 cross-border university partnerships
among universities with Asia alone.
He
added that it is often assumed that if weaker universities work with
stronger universities, they will be able to raise the quality of their
universities.
This
subsequently led to surveys and modified focus group discussions with
universities and government administrators across Asia to garner their
views.
“It
was found that they feared that the greatest benefits of
university-to-university collaboration can also be the greatest risks
because, while there are opportunities for quality improvement, there is
also a risk of low quality instruction.
On
the question of whether cross border partnerships can actually help
universities, Chapman said that the prevalent view of those questioned
is that the benefits outweigh the cost of collaboration but none of
those questioned can agree on what models of collaboration work best.
It
was found that research collaboration is mostly limited to top tier
universities and that there is some scepticism about the motives of
collaboration, mostly concerning about the profit orientation of
partners and universities often sought partners of equal standing.
Earlier,
the Organising Chairman Professor Dr. Wan Fauzy Wan Ismail highlighted
that IPPTN aimed to promote knowledge dissemination, share issues,
solutions involving higher education in local and international
institutions of higher learning, and collaboration and specialisation in
higher education policy.
Professor
Dato’ Dr Susie See Ching Mey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry &
Community Network) said on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti
Sains Malaysia (USM) Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman that globalisation
has opened up opportunities for countries to share their experiences and
learn from one another.
She
added that in keeping touch with globalisation and the borderless
world, USM is committed to enhance and produce graduates who are not
just intellectuals, knowledgeable in technical and professional skills
but also meet the needs of the global society.
Also
present at the talk were Professor Dr. Ahmad Nurulazam Md Zain, USM
IPPTN director; and Professor Dato’ Dr Norzaini Azman, an associate
research Fellow from the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia.
- Text: Yong Check Yoon/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md Isa
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