Exchange of Higher Education Teaching and Learning Practices Between UK and Thailand: A Case Study of RailExchange Courses

Abstract

The RailExchange project has been developed in collaboration between two universities, one UK-based and one Thailand-based, to work on educational ideas for rail to benefit the rail industry in Thailand. At the same time, a new rail Master programme has been designed with a strong input from the rail industry in terms of technical and interpersonal skills necessary for a formation of a successful rail graduate. The new programme has been established at the Thai university and aligned with Thai and international higher education frameworks (AUN-QA and TQF). As part of the activities listed in the exchange project, the lecturers from the UK have been invited to conduct short experimental classes to teach on three different subjects, which are part of the new rail Master’s curriculum. The paper presents feedback received from participants of the three courses in terms of learning activities, academic activities and personal experience. The analyses of the feedback reveal that the UK visiting lecturers helped in broadening the perspective of the Thai academics and students in terms of educational content and active learning style, such as a hands-on approach and applied learning style with real-life scenarios and student-led learning. The English language was used to deliver the experimental classes to Thai participants, who represented academia and industry, and for majority of the participants, it was not a barrier in actively participating in a course. Feedback received highlighted differences between the UK and Thai approaches to higher education learning, but also suggested improvements, listed in recommendations, which should be taken into account in the delivery of the Master programme in rail in the near future.