AUN News

AUN-QA finished the month of November conducting programme assessments to two prestigious universities of Viet Nam. For the 305th PA, the AUN-QA team provided assessment at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education and had the opportunity to visit the university onsite. Following this was the 307th PA being an online/remote site visit and was the first time AUN-QA has ever provided assessment for Dalat University.

Through the perspectives of the Ministry of Education in Brunei Darussalam, the AUN-QA Secretariat was able to learn firsthand experiences and information regarding the significance of holding the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance Training Course for Accomplishing Programme Assessment, Version 4.0 (AUN-QA Tier 1 Training) and its linkage to the future of Brunei’s Vision 2035.

The University of Potsdam, ASEAN-QA, and AUN Secretariat cooperated together to bring the first onsite Training on Internal Quality Assurance (TrainIQA) Workshop ever since the pandemic occurred. QA Officers and senior higher education managers who are in charge of QA at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the ASEAN region were guided by TrainIQA Trainers through the entire training methodology. This workshop also brought many ASEAN QA Officers and University Leaders together to promote the exchange of ideas and further developing networks among HEIs in the ASEAN region. At the end of the workshop, participants were able to present their projects to institutional decision makers that have the capability of shaping the future landscape of ASEAN HEIs.

Dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D. presented the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a system where Universities are ranked based on how well they promote healthiness, as well as how “green” or sustainable the entire institution is. Such a ranking system drives competition within universities and gives motivation to keep improving infrastructure quality. It also leads to cooperation because at the heart of it all, competition or not, universities are working together to see the quality of living improve for all people around the world. The best of the best Universities do not rest at only providing education to the people. They strive to provide more benefits to society beyond just teaching.

Collaboration is key. ASEAN is extremely dynamic and so are our higher education institutions; universities are equipped with different levels of infrastructures, support, and resources. This shared platform where ICHEI provides material support for the necessary conditions to achieve digital transformation while drawing upon the capacity of networks such as the AUN ensures that the resources are effectively distributed across the entire region, with no one left behind. Experts all across call for the necessity to provide the right atmosphere for a good learning environment to ensure students are interactive and engaging to achieve a truly successful digital transformation of the 21st century.

Today’s article focuses on the area of “Driving University Talents Through Technology” from the perspective of the Libraries of ASEAN University Network (AUNILO). Dr. Vernon R. Totanes, the chairman of AUNILO, has emphasised the growing importance of libraries in providing fast and detailed information on larger international platforms among the AUN Member Universities.