by Pamela F. Resurrection and Alita T. Roxas

The College of Education (CED) and College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA)  of MSU-IIT participated in the 11th International Conference in Educational Research (ICER) in Khon Kaen University (KKU), Khon Kaen, Thailand last September 8 – 9, 2018. The ICER 2018 was held in time with the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Education of KKU and formed part of the 13th APEC-Khon Kaen International Symposium on lesson studies for the Inclusive Mathematics for Sustainability in a Digital Economy (InMSide) Project which aims to develop  capacity on curriculum development in mathematics, statistics and coding/programming for Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The MSU-IIT College of Education co-hosted the 11th ICER, together with the Education University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), State University of Surabaya (Indonesia), Central State University, Free State (South Africa), and Korea National University of Education (South Korea). Almost 100 researchers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Chile,  South Africa, and Texas, USA attended the conference. MSU-IIT VCAA, Dr. Franco G. Teves, was among the panelists on Innovations for Teaching. The College of Education was represented by Dr. Amelia T. Buan, Dr. Manuel B. Barquilla, Prof. Joy R. Magsayo, Reynaldo S. Lahoylahoy, Althea Louise C. Almeria and Jose E. G. Michael U. Lacre in the oral paper presentations and poster presentations.  Paper presenters from the College of Business Administration and Accountancy include Dr. Alita T. Roxas, Dr. Pamela F. Resurreccion, and Asst. Prof. Joana Marie C. Edera.

On September 10, 2018, CED’s  Department of Science and Mathematics Education, Chairperson,  Dr. Buan, Dr. Barquilla and Prof. Magsayo, together with VCAA, Dr. Franco G. Teves, met with the Associate Dean of KKU, Dr. Lha Pavaphootanond to explore the possibility of expanding the existing partnership with the MSU-IIT’s College of Education. KKU favorably received MSU-IIT’s proposal to expand the student exchange and visiting professorship in the graduate programs of CED. It was also agreed that both universities will study the curriculum so that CED can align their program revisions to that of KKU’s in preparation for a possible offering of twinning/dual degree programs.  

The CED faculty members and CBAA faculty members Asst. Prof. Joana Marie C. Edera, Dr. Alita T. Roxas, Director of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Pamela F. Resurreccion, CBAA Graduate Program Coordinator, together with Vice Chancellor Dr. Teves, also met with KKU’s Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Surasak Wongratanacheewin. Dr. Wongratanacheewin has extended an invitation to MSU-IIT to join in the National and International and National Graduate Research Conference hosted by KKU’s Graduate School.  Visiting professorships, KKU professors serving as external panelists of MSU-IIT students writing their dissertation and ASEAN-KKU scholarship grants to MSU-IIT faculty members in KKU’s international graduate programs were among the collaboration possibilities discussed.

The same contingent from CBAA also met with Dr. Pensri Jaroenwanit, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy at the KKU Business School. Various avenues for collaboration and partnership were initially identified, among these are student exchange, visiting professorships, and joint research projects. Dr. Jaroenwanit said that these initial forms of cooperation may evolve into more meaningful forms such as twinning programs.  

The meetings concluded with commitments to take steps in forging memorandums of agreement to realize the prospective partnership.