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On 24-25 November 2024, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, welcomed a delegation from Shanghai Open University (SOU), China. Led by Prof. Junjiang Lou, Vice Chairman of the University Council, Shanghai Open University executives attended the MOU Signing Ceremony between the two universities and visited STOU headquarters and our regional center in Phet Buri.

The MOU Signing Ceremony was held at the Executive Meeting Room of the Administration Building in STOU Headquarters in Nonthaburi. The event was honored by the presence of Vice-Presidents, Deans, and Directors of both universities. Signed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa and Prof. Junjiang Lou, the MOU focuses on cooperation in digital technology and educational innovation to enhance STOU’s strategy and meet the university’s Vision: “STOU strives to be a world-leading open university utilizing technology and educational innovation to provide lifelong education for all.

After the ceremony, the delegates attended a knowledge-sharing session where STOU lecturers gave concise presentations about current technology and innovations employed at STOU. Assoc. Prof. Warisa Romsaiyud from the School of Science and Technology spoke on “STOU-ASFER: Automatic Student Facial Expression Recognition Model.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanathnuth Chatpakkarattana gave a presentation on “Development of Digital Learning Environment.” Asst. Prof. Dt. Pantipa Amorinrit and Dr. Wachira Prammawong presented their work on “AI and Digital Education Innovations for Teacher Development.” Dr. Patthanan Bootchuy talked about the “Design of Online Courses.”

The guests enjoyed a campus tour at the King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambhai Barni Documentation Center and the Educational Broadcasting Production Center (EBPC). They also visited STOU Phet Buri to observe regional operations on the following day.

On 26 October 2023, Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting President for Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs, and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs represented the university at the Signing Ceremony of the MOU between Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).

The MOU Signing Ceremony between STOU and UiTM was held at UiTM headquarters in Selangor, Malaysia. The MOU was signed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, STOU Acting President, and Professor Ts. Dr. Haryani Haron, UiTM Assistant Vice Chancellor. It was witnessed by Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting President for Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs and Norizan Anwar, Senior Lecturer of the College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics.

The two parties discussed collaboration between the STOU School of Liberal Arts and UiTM College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics, and looked into the possibility of expanding collaboration into Student Community Service. The delegates also shared knowledge regarding UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.

This MOU signing marked the continuation of cooperation with Malaysia’s leading university in digital technology and educational innovation, to enhance the quality of education, personnel, and research that meet the university’s strategy to be “a world’s leading open university utilizing technology and educational innovation to provide lifelong education for all.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Acting President, together with Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sungworn Ngudkratoke, Director of the Institute for Research and Development, Asst. Prof. Dr. Poom Juasiripukdee, Dean of the School of Science and Technology, and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs joined the International Conference of Digital Business, Society and Economy (ICDBSE2023) at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during 24-25 October 2023.

Additionally, faculty members from STOU presented the papers at the conference under the theme “Explore the Possibilities in a Connected World,” including the following.

Sub-theme: Digital Business

• “The Impact of FINTECH on the Performance of Financial Institutions in Malaysia and Thailand” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pithak Srisuksai, School of Economics

Sub-theme: Digital Society

• “Current Trends in Southeast Asian Digital Society: Reflections and Perceptions from Thailand and Malaysia” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sita Yiemkuntitavorn, School of Educational Studies
• “Cyber-Physical System Architecture for Collaborative Learning in Industrial Technology” by Assistant Professor Dr. Khajitpan Makaratat Kritpolviman, School of Science and Technology
• “Modified E-Learning Dynamics Matrix for Student Learning Process Assessment” by

ICDBSE 2023 was co-organized by APU (Malaysia), STOU (Thailand), Chitkara University (India), and The bbw Hochschule-University of Applied Sciences (Germany).

Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs attended the International Conference on Promoting Lifelong Learning in Higher Education: From Institutional Strategies to Practical Implementation,” convened by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Shanghai Open University on 18-22 October 2023 in Shanghai, China.

The conference aims to harness the potential of HEIs to foster sustainable societies through lifelong learning, empowering them to effectively address the diverse needs of learners and meet the dynamic demands of the modern workforce and sustainability of development. Comprised of Plenary Session, Presidents’ Forum, and Round table Meeting, it placed particular emphasis on the vital role of HEIs in advancing a culture of lifelong learning including reskilling and upskilling, cultivating future skills, offering flexible learning pathways, using learning technologies, promoting sustainable development and establishing robust partnerships with the private sector and community organizations.

The conference gathered over 260 participants from 35 countries, including university leaders, policymakers, experts, scholars and researchers.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, STOU’s OU5 coordinator, and researchers, joined the OU5 Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, during 30 October – 4 November 2023.

The OU5 refers to five open universities that use distance education in the ASEAN region. The OU5 member universities include Hanoi Open University (HOU), Open University Malaysia (OUM), University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Universitas Terbuka (UT), and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. The OU5 Meeting is organized twice annually to stage the discussions among Presidents, coordinators, and researchers.

This year’s research topics include the following.

1. Technology Trends in Education: Nano Learning, Authentic Online Assessment, Gamification, Blockchain and Others (and How AI Will Impact These Technologies)
2. Open University Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future: A Design in View of Fulfillment of SDG 11
3. Roles of ASEAN Open Universities in Enhancing Entrepreneurship and Global Presence
4. Roles of Open Universities in STEM Education (Way Forward with a Focus on the State of Gender Equality in ASEAN)
5. Student-Lecturer Ratio as a Parameter of Quality in OFDL Context (What Are the Factors that Determine the Quality of Open Universities?)

The OU5 member universities took this opportunity to sign the Addendum to the ASEAN Studies MOA on 1 November 2023.

During the meeting, Hanoi Open University celebrated its 30^th Anniversary, so the delegates from STOU had the opportunity to join in their celebration ceremony at HOU headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs, and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs participated in the Sixth Kunming Forum on Education Cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia – The Cooperation and Exchange Forum of Lancang-Mekong Open Education” convened by Yunnan Open University in Kunming, Yunnan, China, on 12 October 2023.

During the conference, Dr. Manit joined the panel discussion on “New Mechanism of Lancang-Mekong Education Cooperation.” Dr. Gan gave a speech on the Digital Transformation of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

The delegates also discussed and exchanged views on the theme of “sharing open education for lifelong ubiquitous learning” and concluded an MOU. The participating institutions included Yunnan Open University of China, IIC University of Technology of Cambodia, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University of Thailand, Siam University of Thailand, Lampang Rajabhat University of Thailand, National University of Laos, University of Foreign Languages, Yangon of Burma, The Maldives National University of Maldives, and Bangladesh Open University of Bangladesh.

The delegates visited the Chenggong Campus of Yunnan Open University where they had the opportunity to discuss possible collaborations.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) led the administration delegates to join the 36^th Asian Association of Open Universities Annual Conference (AAOU 2023) which was held under the theme “The Future of Open Universities in the Age of Digitalized Higher Education.” The conference was held in Istanbul, Turkiye, by Anadolu University. During 28-30 September 2023.

The delegates included (1) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Narathip Sriram, Acting Vice-President for Education and Learning Support, (2) Asst. Prof. Dr. Phanompatt Smitananda, Acting Vice-President for Human Resources, Research, and General Administration, (3) Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs, and (4) Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs.

The aim of the AAOU 2023 is to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss a broad range of topics related to open and distance learning. Sub-themes and topics are as follows:

• Re-considering the roles of open universities
• The effects of Covid-19 period on open and distance learning practices
• Management of ODL
• Innovative delivery modes
• Online assessment and evaluation
• New pedagogical approaches
• Learner support systems
• Increasing access and quality in ODL

In the Closing Ceremony of the AAOU Secretariat meeting, there was a tribute to Prof. Wichit Srisa-an, who was the first President of AAOU, on the occasion of his passing.