Nominated by Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Education, Professor Wei Jiang, the vice president of The Research Center for Science, Technology and Education Policy (RCSTEP), together with secretary Li Wen, answered the invitation of ASEF to attend the 3rd Asia-Europe Education Workshop. It was a two-day seminar, held in Chiengmai, Thailand on 25th, 26th, September.Doctor Xu Haixia from National Center for Education Development Research (NCEDR) also join the workshop.
The workshop was held by ASEF, and assisted by Siam University. It went with the topic: ‘Beyond the Academic Yardstick: the Societal Excellence of Education’. Thirty participants, including experts of higher education, government officers, industrial staff and college graduates, discussed the problems in terms of higher education.The topics ranged from how education formed the social cohesion, how individuals and community took part in higher education, to how sustainable societal development originated from cooperation of universities, companies and communities.
Participants in this workshop got full communication, attribute to collecting suggestion and smaller groups. Besides lectures and Q&A part, several new instruments were applied:experts who failed to personally attend the meeting got in touch and shared experience by skype.During the free discussion period, participants were classified into five sub-groups, which were governments, industries, social associations, universities and graduates respectively, to bring up feasible solutions and responsibility boundary for each group in eight minutes.Ms Edwige ROZIER, the officer of education department of ASEF, mentioned it was an attempt to new form of the workshop.All previous meetings followed the routine in which part of the participants bore the responsibility of give lectures, while others became audience all the way.The lengthy lectures could hardly attract people, Ms. Edwige ROZIER said, and situation turned to be much better since scenario simulation was applied in group discussion where everyone took active part in the discussion.
Zhejiang University hoped to establish connection with the ASEF officers in this trip, and to get familiar with the process of hosting the workshop.Zhejiang University was prepared to bid for hosting a workshop, namely‘The Road Map of collaboration strategy of Asia-Europe University’, which has been introduced to ASEF. Professor Wei Jiang briefly pictured the current situation where Zhejiang University was engaged in the internationalization. He sent the message that Zhejiang University was willing to set up long-term and stable cooperative partnership with ASEF, IAUP and other institutions, and to build up collaborative platformsthrough holding strategy forum and launching research.Moreover, Professor Wei Jiang exchanged ideas and suggestions with Ms. Edwige ROZIER and Mr. Joel BASSIG, the executive of ASEF, and submitted the draft.The education department of ASEF was supportive to this application, and would propose after discussion.