Prince of Songkla University (PSU) was the proud host of the 29th Inter-University Conference at the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne International Convention Center in Hat Yai on November 1, 2012. The conference theme, deemed "New Approaches in Teaching and Learning at Tertiary Level," was presided over by the president of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning Thailand (ASAIHL), Professor Dr. Prasart Suebka, and was attended by PSU executives including President Dr. Chusak Limsakul, as well as PSU lecturers and staff, and guests from participating universities. The keynote speaker was former president of King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Dr. Krissanapong Kirtikara.
ASAIHL Thailand has held a national conference bi-annually for 29 consecutive years, and has been particularly successful at drawing increasing numbers of academicians to its conferences. The objective of this conference was to support and promote the transfer and exchange of best practices and experience about new approaches in teaching and learning at the tertiary level.
At the Hat Yai conference, there were 11 presentations on concepts for innovative teaching methods, all participating scholars vying to be selected for a country report to be delivered at the regional conference held at Far Eastern University, Philippines, from December 6 – 7, 2012.
Some of the presentations included, "The Effects of Using Karaoke Videotape of Nursing Care for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Knowledge of Nursing Students," by Dr. Jaruwan Kritpracha, PSU Faculty of Nursing; "New Approach for Teaching Soil Mechanics (Capillary) for Civil Engineering," by Dr. Somharutai Bootjan, Nakhon Phanom University; "A Distance-Calibrated, Rubber Band-Powered Toy Car: A Demonstration of Project-Based Learning in Introductory College Physics for Engineering Students," by Dr. Worawarong Rakreungdet, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Mongkurt's University of Technology Thonburi; and "Implementation of Creative Problem Solving Process to Enhance Pre-Service Teachers' Ability in Professional Practices," by Dr. Nuttaphong Kanchanachaya, PSU Faculty of Education.
Of the 11 entries, only one could be awarded the opportunity to be presented in the Philippines, and the winner was Dr. Worawarong Rakreungdet, from King Monkurt's University of Technology Thongburi, after an impressive display showcasing his students' enthusiasm with building a model car powered by rubber bands. However, all abstracts will be published in the ASAIHL Thailand journal, which is distributed to universities and libraries throughout the country.
But whether or not you won first prize, the 29th Inter-University Conference was a resounding success, re-enforcing the notion that Thai intellectuals are not only extremely intelligent, but they're exceptionally creative, too.
