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On 2 October 2023, 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, visited Anadolu University, Turkiye, to meet with Prof. Dr. Fuat Erdal, Rector of Anadolu University. The goal of the visit was to exchange knowledge on university management.

The delegates had the opportunity to listen to a lecture on Educational Management from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ucar and Asst. Prof. Dr. Erdem Erdogdu, Vice Deans from the Faculty of Open Education. They also discussed cooperation on faculty and knowledge exchange between the two universities with Asst. Prof. Dr. Ertugrul Gokcekuyu, Director of the Office for International Affairs.

The STOU administrators ended their study trip at Anadolu University with a tour of the studios and the R&D Department for Learning Technologies. Located in the center of Eskisehir, Turkey, Anadolu University was founded in 1958 as Eskişehir Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences. Transformation was made in 1982, and distance education has been offered since then. The university is recognized as the third largest university in the world with over one million students in the distance education system, providing educational opportunities in over 30 countries around the world.

5 October 2023 – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs of STOU welcomed Dr. Jinwon Ahn, Professor and Executive Director of Handong Institute for International Development Cooperation, Dr. Hyunmo Sung, Professor from Handong Global University, Ms. Eunhye Lee, and Ms. Seona Jo, researchers of Handong Institute for International Development Cooperation. The representatives from the two universities shared experiences regarding Handong Global University’s UNESCO UNITWIN Projects, STOU’s education and management methods employed to pass through challenges, separations and difficulties caused by COVID-19, and also discussed possible future collaboration between STOU and HGU.

Dr. Gan made welcome remarks stating that it was a good opportunity for the two institutions to exchange knowledge and strengthen relations as both are members of the UNESCO UNITWIN cooperation framework.

Prof. Ahn spoke of encouraging new generations to realize the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and presented various innovations in HGU’s distance learning.

Dr. Sung introduced HGU’s MicroLearnable, a platform which supports distance learning worldwide. It is designed to be used with low-spec computers, making distance learning accessible to people in developing countries as well. Currently, there are a number of students taking courses in producing mobile applications through MicroLearnable from 11 universities in 6 countries. Moreover, Asst. Prof. Dr. Pantipa Amornrit and Dr. Patthanan Bootchuy from the Office of Educational Technology, Asst. Prof. Dr. Kunchon Jeotee from the Office of Registration, Records and Evaluation, and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of International Affairs, joined the meeting and discussed learning and examination management during the COVID-19 outbreak at STOU.

25 September 2023 – H.E. Abderrahim Rahhaly, Moroccan Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand welcomed Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) and the team from STOU to discuss possible academic cooperation at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Bangkok.

The meeting resulted from the official visit to STOU of H.E. Abderrahim Rahhaly in June earlier this year. The administrators and faculty members who joined the meeting included:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation and International Affairs;
• Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson, Acting Director of the Department of International Affairs;
• Asst. Prof. Dr. Pudinan Adithipyangkul, Deputy Dean of the School of Economics;
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supawadee Theerathammakorn, Deputy Dean of the School of Science and Technology;
• Asst. Prof. Dr. Narat Rattanacharoen,            Lecturer from the School of Agriculture and Cooperative;
• Asst. Prof. Dr. Junya Singkham, Lecturer from the School of Agriculture and Cooperative; and
• Dr. Sutida Maneeanakekul, Lecturer from the School of Agriculture and Cooperative

Ambassador Abderrahim Rahhaly gave advice on academic cooperation with universities and organizations related to various fields, emphasizing the importance of sustainability development goals, which is in line with the cooperation proposal from STOU. It is also agreed that the Embassy will provide assistance in coordinating between STOU and universities in Morocco.

On 12-15 September 2023, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, attended the 26^th SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Center (SEAMOLEC) Executive Board meeting as a representative of Thailand, in Jakarta, Indonesia. During the meeting, a regional policy on the topic “Empowering Education Digital Transformation through Open and Distance Learning” was discussed among representatives from the 10 countries in the ASEAN region. Dr. Manit took this opportunity to make a study tour to Universitas Terbuka (UT) which has long-standing cooperation with STOU.

22 August 2023 – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President, together with 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 paid a visit to SEAMEO Secretariat to extend their congratulations to the newly appointed Director and engage in discussions aimed at encouraging collaborative efforts between the two institutions.

The delegation from STOU was warmly received by Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, who recently assumed the position of Director at the SEAMEO Secretariat, together with Mr. John Arnold Sasi Siena, Deputy Director, Mr. Emiljohn Columna Sentillas, Policy and Planning Specialist, and Dr. Kamaleswaran Jayarajah, Research, Evaluation, and Assessment Specialist. During the cordial meeting, both parties expressed their enthusiasm for the potential collaborations.

The discussions revolved around the exploration of various collaboration avenues, including the organization of an upcoming international conference, the co-development of short courses, and the cooperative activities under the ICDE Global Advocacy Campaign. As the meeting concluded, both parties expressed their commitment to further discussions in the near future.