Earning through Learning

Aijaz Asghar Arain

Hyderabad Sindh

Abstract

Amid the advances of science and technology where people seem to be able
to get to know one another through cyberspace, we witness increased
mobility of people within and across the region. At the same time, people
need to learn how to survive comfortably and meaningfully in the
multicultural environments.

Despite the greater flow of staff and student in almost every region, from
bilateral to multilateral programs like ERASMUS, University Mobility in Asia
and the Pacific (UMAP), and ASEAN University Network (AUN), the new
requirements arising from the globalization heighten the need for quality
international education. Academic exchanges could serve as one of the best
ways to acquire real-life experiences for people to be more aware of their role
as a global workers/ global citizens whose competence and ethics are
essential attributes for a world of harmony.

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946 and implemented in Thailand

since 1950, will be cited as a case example of how its embedded value and
management have promoted stronger academic and cultural wealth with
greater sense of sharing and giving.

The importance of self-assessment is required to ensure success of exchange

programs. Furthermore, a big bold step is suggested to include students’
participation in general education subjects, especially in courses relating to
social responsibilities, moral and ethical values. The added dimension will
promote real-life experiences for all to gradually build their global
competence, live happy with physical and psychological comfort, and have
greater understanding of and care for others, bringing about harmony of the
communities, wherever they may be, so as to have increased responsibilities
as genuine caring global citizens.

Caring People for a Caring World!

Globalization and Technology: Effect on International Education

The phenomenon of globalization has made an effect on education in one way

or another. National boundaries are no longer obstacles since people are able
to seek knowledge and acquire experiences through various technologies
readily available in many parts of the world.
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In this flattening world, we also see more physical mobility of professionals
and laborers alike in a greater number and faster pace across and around the
world, heightening the importance given to ‘brains’ as base for competition
and cooperation we have never witnessed before.

Our new generation, therefore, needs to develop their full potential in order to
stay competitive in the global market and be able to reap the benefits of
globalization. To move on smoothly in a more competitive world, we in the
academic circle, must therefore be more open, welcoming diversity of our
education, cultures and contexts.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the notion of “international education”
in the sense of sending students to foreign institutions of higher education as
part of their home degree program, appeared high on the agenda of many
countries, pushing forward for credit transfer and eventual recognition of
degrees of institutions within and across the region. A larger scale of mobility
in form of more structured exchange programs has been further promoted
among the top priorities in higher education policies of the 1990s until
present.

Learning from Direct Experience : What Has Been Accomplished

To create an international environment in teaching and learning process of

universities which is instrumental to the internationalization of higher
education, several outstanding exchange programs initiated during the past
decade are Erasmus Program, the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and the
University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP). Despite some different
goals, all have a core exchange component that opens up more paths for staff
and students to move around and across the Asia- Pacific region.

SOCRATES/ERASMUS Program

In Europe, an important European Union (EU)-founded program is the

longstanding mobility promotion of higher education students, teachers and
institutions under Erasmus since 1987 (now known as Socrates/Erasmus).

It offers study abroad grants for students to learn in another European

country for a period of between 3 and 12 months. Besides the objectives of
provision of first-hand experiences about students’ host countries and
awareness in intercultural understanding, the program clearly indicates job
prospects after they have acquired international competence from
participation in the program.

The Program has constituted as a central theme of the Bologna process to

national reform in higher education in the EU’s Member States.

University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP)

University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) was founded in 1993.
Presently, it consists of 30 eligible member countries/ territories of the Asia-
Pacific region. The secretariat is now under the administration of Thailand’s
Commission on Higher Education, Ministry of Education.

The grouping enhances the exchange mobility of students and staff. In order
to promote greater student mobility within the region, it has implemented its
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credit transfer efforts, known as UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme (UCTS), which
was modeled after the European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS).

UMAP has strived to enhance the exchange mobility of students and faculties
of universities, encouraging them to better utilize educational resources while
benefiting from diverse contexts within the region.

ASEAN University Network (AUN)

ASEAN University Network, with its secretariat in Thailand, is an example of

the successful network which brings together universities in the ASEAN
countries to share and learn from one another, not only about education but
also culture and traditions. The Network, comprising 17 universities from the
10 countries, presents a unique opportunity for ASEAN citizens to reflect on
deepest values of cultures and traditions at the national and ASEAN levels. I
always believe that learning other cultures is a means to create better
understanding and will lead to a sustainable of networking in education.

AUN has continued to grow since its establishment in 1995 and become one
of the most active networks in fostering human resource development. It has
placed high emphasis on building understanding and solidarity among ASEAN
citizens through such activities as youth cultural forum, young speakers
contest, student and faculty exchange, and ASEAN Studies.

The efforts have enabled those involved to create and expand their own
comfort zone to cover people of other ASEAN countries and cultures.

This comfort zone offers a large platform for them to feel more comfortable to
express their thoughts and render cooperation, knowing that both they and
their regional partners could be very much themselves while being
encouraged to open up to appreciate other cultures. Eventually, educational
cooperation with these integrated cultural dimensions will enable the ASEAN
citizens to realize the ‘true ASEANness’.

International Education: Benefits beyond Expectations

All the efforts made by various exchange programs have ignited cooperation
in education that brings about increased mobility for student and staff both
intra- and inter-regions. Many exchanges have mentioned the merits of
foreign language acquisition and cultures while others have boasted of their
credit transfer and employment aspects.

We are now convinced that international education experience not only helps
broaden students’ cultural sensitivity, but serves to improve global awareness
and build networks/ connections essential for conducting or leading global
business.

However, when having a closer look at the speed of change in our world, it is
now necessary to take a big bold step to explore deeper levels of knowledge
and experiences we wish to gain to do good for our people and the world,
beyond physical advancements to life with contentment and peace.

In the following section, the philosophy of the Fulbright Program will be

cited as a case example of an exchange with a clear purpose along this
line.
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Inception of the Fulbright Program

“The essence of intercultural education is the acquisition of empathy—the

ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that
others may see something that we have failed to see, or may see it more
accurately.”

The Fulbright Program, initiated by J. William Fulbright in 1946 has been

pioneer in educational exchange that goes beyond academic cooperation to
include cultural dimensions. Embedded in the Program is the firm belief that
only through academic contacts to create understanding of each other’s
culture could genuine sense of respect and trust be nurtured and sustained

It all began with J. William Fulbright when he went through his personal
exchange as a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford University in 1925. Growing up and
staying in Arkansas all along, he was culturally shocked. He said in his book,
‘The Price of Empire’, that ‘Oxford was a new and strange world for me, as
well as a great cultural shock.’ He then tried to understand what it meant by
‘a gentlemen’ and what to do to become accepted in the English university
community, both socially and intellectually. The direct exposure in the
environment led him to join in various clubs and societies while beginning to
read seriously.

His real-life experiences during his three-year student life at Oxford University
and the chance to extensively explore Europe had rooted Senator Fulbright’s
belief in the significance of educational exchange to shape one’s views and
understanding of other peoples and their cultures for the advancement of
world peace and international community.

Senator Fulbright brought with him this inspiration when he became a

Democrat Senator from Arkansas. During his first year as a Senator, he
proposed to the U.S. Congress an international educational exchange
program, to be funded in part by World War II reparations and foreign loan
repayments to the U.S. The program passed the Congress and was signed
into law by President Truman on August 1, 1946. It should be noted that later
in 1961, the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate passed the 1961 Fulbright-
Hays Act. (Senator Fulbright and Ohio Representative Wayne Hays proposed
the draft act to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress respectively.)

In 1949, Senator Fulbright became a member of the Senate Foreign Relations

Committee. From 1959-1974 he served as chairman, the longest serving
chairman of that committee in history. His real-life experiences from an
exchange program and overseas travels influenced, in no small measures, his
perceptions and understanding of his own and other countries.

There is now a Fulbright Program in 150 countries, offering annually

approximately 5,000 grants to students and scholars worldwide.

Implementation of the Fulbright Program in Thailand

The Fulbright Program in Thailand is administered by the Thailand-U.S.

Educational Foundation (TUSEF), established in 1950 jointly by Thailand’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Secretary of State.

One of the unique features of the administration is its bi-national nature of

the implementation. Since the emphasis is on the building of mutual
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understanding of the peoples of Thailand and the U.S., the Thailand-U.S.
Educational Foundation (TUSEF) is a joint cooperation between the two
countries. TUSEF’s Board of Directors (seven directors from each country) and
all selection committees comprise both Thai and American representatives
from relevant sectors. This bi-nationalism has protected the Program against
political and cultural bias and could potentially increase better understanding
of all involved, in addition to the grantees themselves.

Real-life Experiences : Case Example of the Thailand’s Fulbright

Programs

During the past five decades, greater people mobility has heightened the
importance of exchanges to prepare future generations for their more mobile
world. The meaning of ‘real-life experiences’ could also be interpreted
differently in a broader term. It is not limited to what is provided beyond
classroom settings and some hands-on experiences in relevant industry or
business sector before students graduate.

Rather, it could refer to the provision of opportunities to have a direct

exposure to a different environment. This is of particular importance in
today’s world when more opportunities to work with foreign partners in one’s
own country or in another country become more prevalent, creating a louder
call for ‘global workers’ and ‘global citizens’.

The United States is one of the countries potentially offering a world trend
where diversity will become a part and parcel of the society in many sectors.
The country has moved from being a ‘Melting pot’ where immigrants
assimilate/blend in well with the mainstream, to become a ‘Salad bowl’, in
which immigrants retain their cultural roots and adjust to the new
environments they are in.

The benefits gained from diversity cannot be overemphasized. People who

have an opportunity to be in the U.S. for a period of time, will be able to
accomplish their academic mission, and have an added advantage of being
exposed to a ‘mini future environment’ that could soon turn to be what they
would be familiar with in their own country.

Noting such a widened opportunity on real-life experiences for all concerned,

TUSEF’s main mission becomes more contributive by following Senator
Fulbright’s belief of the real value of the Program, and to urge Thai grantees
to reap experiences from life in a highly diverse setting that could, sooner or
later, become part of their daily lives in the near future. For American
grantees, they are able to learn of gaps between countries in terms of
development and preparations for changes. They should be able to
understand better why Thailand should choose its directions to cope with its
challenges.

Both Thai and American grantees should not only be able to learn to respect
and appreciate each other’s culture in a favorable way, but also stand ready
to offer their help to one another and others around them when needed.

Should they seek employment in a multi-cultural environment whether in

their own or another country, it is likely that their previous experiences will
increase their confidence in making adjustments and in working comfortably.
Their stock of knowledge, experiences and networks could help them become
quality ‘global workers’ with a greater sense of ‘global citizens’, who have the
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tendency to understand and appreciate another culture with much less
difficulty. It is our hope that Thais and American Fulbrighters will then be able
to stand out as models of ‘desirable global citizens’ and become more
instrumental in further promoting mutual understanding to cement the
longstanding friendly relations.

To achieve this ambitious mission, the grant administration cannot possibly

confine itself to routine work of selection, placement and patterned
evaluation. Rather, each step of administration needs to be carefully planned
and implemented, aligning them with the philosophy and the world pace as
mentioned earlier.

Opportunities for Mind Opening

As intercultural dimension is an integral part in the Fulbright Program, the

selection of ‘best’ candidates are those who are ready to represent their own
country and ready to learn about others. Once they have become Fulbright
grantees, a number of activities are offered to ensure that they will have
direct exposure of another country beyond their specific areas of interest or
expertise.

In order for Fulbright grantees to gain real-life experiences out of their

Fulbright programs, a number of activities have been provided for both Thais
and Americans.

Key concepts underlying all the activities are the true value of the Fulbright
programs, receptivity and adaptability to multi-cultural environments, and
sense of sharing and caring.

A high priority is given to encourage participation of grantees and alumni in

community service or voluntary work, contributing their time, efforts, or
expertise to help others without any demand for monetary returns.

Whenever possible, more opportunities are offered for them to be exposed to

other environments than what they are familiar with, nurturing their greater
sense of sharing and caring to those who have not got similar opportunities
provided by the Fulbright Program. All these exercises bring about heightened
honor and pride as Fulbrighters.

Besides regular activities, therefore, TUSEF and its partners have offered
opportunities for grantees and alumni alike to have a ‘learning by doing’
experience through various venues e.g. direct contacts with students/
scholars from different universities, English camps, homestays, news or
articles for TUSEF newsletters and website, etc.

Self-assessment: Knowing What They Have Learned about Their Own

Self and Others

One of the crucial components in all exchange programs is the assessment.

This exercise will enable the grantees to determine what has been learned
and shared, what needs to be improved or adjusted, and what to expect and
what to do to continue the Fulbright spirit. TUSEF certainly needs to do more
on this dimension.

According to Deardorff, sending students abroad to study/ exchange is not

enough. ‘There needs to be assessment measures in place to understand
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what works well and what doesn’t when preparing students for the global
workforce.’ In all academic exchanges, therefore, preparations and
assessments must be an integral part of the programs in order for the
activities to be meaningful.

Formal and informal assessments of academic achievement and intercultural

competence should be conducted throughout the process. The Forum on
Study Abroad has provided ‘Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad’,
which could be one of the best tools for universities to consider so that
existing and new exchange programs could become more systematic while
nurturing the real essence of face-to-face interactions that go beyond
academic advancements to implement the programs based upon ethics and
integrity as well as understanding about contexts and cultures.

Assessments could be conducted along the lines guided by the standards,

reviewing the overall exposure benefited by grantees, from possible change
in attitude and personality to improvement of program management, content
and expectations of home and host institutions, with aspects on ethics and
integrity in every step of management and exchanges emphasized.

One Big Bold Step!

The world is getting so very complicated that quite a few could be blind with
money and material obsessions. The real essence coming out of the exchange
programs should be regarded of high priority. Quality exchange programs
need to guide students and scholars to take a positive route to become more
global ready. This could refer to those who are already actively involved in
1
service learning through short or long-term study abroad programs definitely
have staged a solid start.

Universities and faculty members should take a vital role in encouraging

students to explore and realize the potential interconnections between
competition and cooperation, between intellectual perspectives and social
responsibilities, and between physical/intellectual wealth and essence of life.

It is time to take a more innovative approach, building on the existing well-

managed/ structured programs. Serious consideration should be given to
opportunities for exchange students to participate in general education/liberal
education subjects, especially in relation to social responsibilities, moral and
ethical values. They should be offered actual hands-on experiences in
community service, forums to share ‘return on heart and hand
investments’, and follow-up activities for continuity in their valuable
contribution.

By so doing, these real-life experiences heighten people-to-people

interactions and connections with more personal touch for all to appreciate
and treasure. Furthermore, they can potentially shape further favorable
behaviors, leading to appropriate desirable decisions and actions, while
enabling them to cope wisely with both expected and unexpected
complicated ethical challenges, wherever they are.

1
Service learning according to Howard, 1998, p. 21, drawn from Smith-Pariolas’
article in Journal of Studies in International Education, Spring, 06, means, ‘students’
community service experiences….function as a critical learning complement to the
academic goals of the course…(and) are pivotal to the students’ academic learning as
class lectures and library research.’
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Success: It Takes Time

Real-life experiences to be drawn out of Study/Education Abroad programs

require management with clearly defined philosophy that has to be made
understood to all involved. Structured management with flexibility according
to contexts and situations of each institution will promote agility of the
programs to improve or change well in time of need.

Enhancing mobility of staff and students should be regarded as an

opportunity for them to acquire international competence for their future
professions as part of the global workforce. Our present and future
generations have to be made aware that the one same world could only be a
better place to live for all if each and every one is held responsible as global
citizens.

A clearly stated objective that needs to be an integral part of exchange

programs therefore concerns aspects of global responsibility for world
harmony. Consequently, the ways we implement our exchanges would have
to be more systematically managed to include proper preparations; various
activities to promote learning about countries, cultures, and common values;
and assessment to ensure the achievement of desired aims and goals.

Making sure that an exchange meets its stated objective in a particular

program is not an easy task to manage, especially when aiming high to
include academic, cultural, and ethical dimensions. Moreover, noting that
offering real-life experience opportunities might not see favorable returns
immediately, both short and long-term plans with integrated assessment
exercises and committed funding have to be made, so that the program will
tune into the real needs of students, institutions, country and the changing
globe.

Final Positive Note

Senator Fulbright pointed out, ‘The exchange program is not a panacea but
an avenue of hope-possibly our best hope and conceivably our only hope-for
the survival and further progress of humanity.’

They must be the models of global citizens who stand out as ‘most ready’ and
‘most comfortable’ in a mobile world and multi-cultural work environments
and communities.

They must be able to live happily with a deep sense of social responsibility.

They must be global citizens with a sharp sense of sharing and caring.

‘Caring People for a Caring World!’

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The author wishes to acknowledge with thanks and appreciation wonderful assistance
of Khun Lakhana Dockiao from the Bureau of International Cooperation Bureau,
Commission on Higher Education, for providing relevant information and advice.

Reference

ASEAN University Network. http://www.aun.chula.ac.th

Bremer, Darlene. Global Workers. International Educator, Vol. 15, No. 3,

May-June, 06, pg. 40-45.

Deardorff, Darla K. and Hunter, William. Educating Global-Ready

Graduates.
International Educator, Vol. 15, No. 3, May-June, 06, pg.72-83.

ERASMUS Program. http://www.esn.org/students/erasmus.php

Forum on Education Abroad. www.forumea.org.

Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2005, USA.

Fulbright, J. William. The Price of Empire. Pantheon Books, USA, 1989.

Smith-Pariola, Jennie; and Goke-Pariola, Abiodun. Expanding the

Parameters of Service Learning: A Case Study. Journal of Studies in
International Education, Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2006.

University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific. http://www.umap.org

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