Institutional Cooperation in Research and Teaching: A DLSU Experience

1
Institutional Cooperation in Research and
Teaching A DLSU Experience

• by
• ALVIN B. CULABA. PhD
• Professor and Director, Center for Engineering
  and Sustainable
• Development Research (CESDR) and Programme
  Manager of
• EU Asia Link Sustainable Technology Project
• De La Salle University Manila
• EHEF Manila 2008, 22 February, Shangri-la Makati

2
Outline of Presentation

• How the cooperation started
• Cooperation challenges
• The Asia-Link Project on Sustainable Technology
  at DLSU
• Benefits and shortfalls of Cooperation
• Final remarks

3
How the cooperation started

• Ph.D. completion at the University of Portsmouth,
  UK in June 1996
• (A. Culaba as student and Professor MRI Purvis
  as mentor)
• Prof. Purvis as Visiting Professor at
  DLSU-Manila, Philippines under the DOST
  (Philippines) Grant
• Period First Term of SY 1997-98

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The first 3 years 1998-2001

• Higher Education Links Programme of The British
  Council Philippines
• Project title
• Environmental Systems Management
• Programme in the Philippines
• Co-proponents
• University of Portsmouth (UOP), UK and
• De La Salle University (DLSU), Manila,
  Philippines

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The first 3 years 1998-2001

• Duration
• Three (3) years from April 1998 to March 2001
• Components of activities
• Postgraduate course development and delivery on
  Environmental Management
• Collaborative research and publication
• Exchange of faculty
• DLSU faculty to UOP for research
• UOP faculty to DLSU for teaching and research
  supervision
• 2 per year from each institution

6
The first 3 years 1998-2001

• Milestones
• Offered a one-term graduate course on
  environmental systems management
• (First term of SY 1999-2000)
• Course syllabus was developed and delivered
  jointly by academics from UOP and DLSU on
  Saturdays
• Attended by 20 DLSU graduate students and more
  than 40 industry participants
• Topics covered current environmental issues,
  techniques and methodologies
• Meetings and RTDs with industry and government

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Environmental Systems Management Graduate Course
at DLSU
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Industry Research Fora, Workshopsand
Consultations
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The first 3 years 1998-2001

• Milestones
• Collaborative research activities
• 2 completed PhDs at UOP
• Paper publications in ISI journals and conference
  proceedings
• Established the first DLSU international refereed
  journal in engineering (Inhinyeriya evolved
  now into a Journal of Research in Science,
  Computing and Engineering)
• Involved mobility of 6 faculty and 1
  administrator from DLSU 6 UOP academics

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The next 3 years 2001-2004

• Extension for another three years based on a
  successful Project
• From April 2001 to March 2004
• Cover the same activities, except that a major
  proposal for funding had to be prepared to
  sustain the Project

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The next 3 years 2001-2004

• Milestones
• In June 2001, a full MSc course in the area of
  environmental engineering and management was
  offered at DLSU
• Course content and syllabi were developed jointly
  by DLSU and UOP academics
• Research and publications
• 5 PhDs (including a sandwich programme)
• 15 masteral theses
• 22 publications
• Involved mobility of 8 DLSU faculty and 6 UOP
  academics

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The next 3 years 2001-2004

• Milestones
• By June 2001, a full MSc course in the area of
  environmental engineering and management was
  offered at DLSU
• Research and publications
• Sandwich research programme
• 5 PhDs
• 15 masteral theses
• 22 publications
• Extension of Link to University of San Carlos and
  the University of Southern Philippines, both in
  Cebu City
• Involved mobility of 12 academics and 1
  administrator conferences exhibitions

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Planning meeting at University of San Carlos,
Talamban, Cebu City
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Lecture at University of Southern Philippines,
Lahug, Cebu City
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The next 3 years 2001-2004

• Milestones
• Organized and participated in international
  conferences (UOP visitors as plenary speakers)
• Participated in ST exhibitions (with UOP as
  resource persons)
• Extended linkage with Coventry University and
  other Asian higher education institutions (ie,
  Malaysia, Japan, Singapore)
• Appointed Honorary Professors of DLSU

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2005 International Conference on HNICEM, Century
Park Hotel, Manila
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(No Transcript)
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Prof. Purvis as Plenary Speaker
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ASIA LINK PROGRAMMEOpen Learning Provision for
Postgraduate and Industrial Training in
Sustainable TechnologyContract No.
ASIE/2005/109-629
Five (5) Institutional Partners Project
Duration 36 months Start Date 1 January
2006 Completion Date 31 Dec 2008
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Project Management Team
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Project Goals and Objectives

• Develop 3 open learning units (energy
  engineering, clean technology and life cycle
  assessment, Environmental management systems)
• Embed units in partner postgraduate programs
• Develop units as stand alone short courses for
  industries
• To establish the Center for Sustainable
  Development

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Strategic Objectives

• Strengthen mutual understanding of sustainable
  development problems in Europe and Asia
• Upgrade skills of partners in the assembly and
  delivery of open learning units
• Disseminate knowledge on sustainable technologies
  to a wide catchment of students both inside and
  outside the partner institutions
• Generate new areas of pedagogic and business
  activities in sustainable development in Europe
• and Asia

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Means to Achieve Strategic Objectives

• Develop and test three open learning units in
  subjects of Energy Engineering, Clean Technology
  and Environmental Management.
• Embed the open learning units into existing or
  proposed MSc programmes
• Offer the open learning units in short courses to
  industry

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Means to Achieve Strategic Objectives

• Investigate the viability and means to assemble
  International MSc in Sustainable Technology
• Support a Centre for Sustainable Development for
  computerised education and business activity at
• De La Salle University, Manila

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Communication Platform
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The Challenges in Cooperation

• Mobility costs to the UK
• Limited to the budget
• Academic calendars
• Availability of UOP academics
• Scheduling
• Educational systems
• Cultural differences
• Sustainability of Cooperation

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Cross accreditation issues

• QA system of each partner institution
• Commonalities
• Differences
• The possibility of a common logical framework for
  crediting units for an open learning postgraduate
  program

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Cross accreditation observations

• For some (UTM, DLSU, and XU) credit means the
  number of contact hours per week
• Some (UoP, UTM and KTH) specify learning hours
• UoP and UTM have about the same learning hour per
  unit, i.e., 150160 hours but differ in the total
  learning hours for the program
• KTH has more than twice as much learning hours as
  UoP for a postgraduate program

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Cross accreditation observations

• The QA process (internal and External
  assessments) is common but the government and
  institutional requirements different
• Hence, it is not possible to adopt a common
  system for crediting units but the existing
  credit systems can be harmonized, as long as,
  other components of quality assurance are
  ensured.

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Benefits of Cooperation

• Knowledge transfer
• Access to expertise
• Raising of standards of local research and
  instruction
• Expansion of network and international linkages
• Cultural exchange

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Shortfalls of Cooperation

• Different interests or relevance of problems
  being addressed
• Different educational systems, quality and
  standards
• European programs are market-driven
• Adoption to changes and innovation
• High costs of European programs

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Final Remarks

• Develops from a personal to an institutional
  level of cooperation
• Institutions should be ready to adopt each others
  needs and requirements
• Require funding to support future collaboration
  for sustainability
• Capitalize on ICT to maintain communication and
  deliver some activities

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Acknowledgements

• The British Council Philippines
• The European Commission
• The Sustainable Technology Project Partner
  Institutions UOP, KTH, UTM,
• XU, and DLSU
• The DLSU Center for Engineering and Sustainable
  Development Research

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www.cesdr.dlsu.edu.ph
THANK YOU