Current Trends in Student Mobility & Credit Transfer
Junaidi, M.A.
Chair, AUN-ACTS Secretariat
Head, International Office Universitas Indonesia
I would like to thank Kyoto University for inviting me to this very important symposium.
Today, I will talk about the credit transfer system in ASEAN. Starting next year, we will harmonize the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and the ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS). This will be followed by the inclusion of ‘ASEAN Plus Three’ partners; namely, Japan, Korea, and China.
The challenge for students to go from one country to another for education is to get their credit recognized by the host country. This is the reason we need a mechanism called credit transfer.
We recognize three major credit transfer systems: ACTS in ASEAN; UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and Pacific) in East Asia; and UCTS (University Credit Transfer System), whereas Europe follows ECTS. All these systems are established with a different motivation and philosophy.
ACTS was first established with the purpose of introducing ASEAN students to the ASEAN integration which is due in 2015. Mobility and credit recognition enhance employment opportunities for students. Companies look for students who have international exposure, an international outlook, and the ability to work in a multicultural environment. Students who have studied abroad have a higher degree of self-confident. It is also very important for students to have proficiency in more than one language, as this enables them to function properly in a global society. In addition, students need to have an understanding about other cultures.
Most governments have student mobility and credit transfer programs in place. The AIMS program is a government-led initiative. The government pays for the scholarship and they allocate the funds. The government advises the student on where to go and which subjects they should take. The government decides which universities are eligible to participate in AIMS. Not all universities participating in the IMS program are top research universities; some universities are teaching university. The universities and the courses have been selected by the government.
Each University has their own system and changing the system leads to difficulties and challenges. ACTS avoids this complexity and complication by finding a common platform for everybody to agree upon. The credit transfer system that we agree upon with our partners should be complementary to the degree.
Our university allows the students to take 16 credits. The students can take courses from different faculties. They can also take courses from different universities in ASEAN. These 16 credits enable them to get a credit transfer. A rigid curriculum makes it difficult for the students to get the credit transfer. This is a challenge and an important point that we need to consider.
Some students wish to do research. We have to find a system where students can do research and get the credit transfer. We have to agree on the credit transfer available in the region. For instance, UCTS is mainly semester-based, and not for research; ACTS allows students to do research and still get their credit transfer; ECTS allows credit transfer even if the student does a joint degree with a partner university.
The current trend is students wish to go abroad to gain new experiences. Australian students prefer to go abroad for a shorter period. They wish to finish their study as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, the students do not know what courses they want to take. It is the responsibility of the administrators at the international student exchange office to provide the courses available in their university as well as in their partner university.
Earlier, there was a trend of students in the region going abroad for studies. Now, the trend has reversed. We would like international students to come to our country for studies. For that, we will need to deliver our courses in English. The ‘Global 30 Project’ aims towards that.
We have two credit transfer systems in the region: UCTS and AUN. The UCTS is a UMAP credit transfer system and the AIMS program uses this credit transfer. The UCTS facilitates greater mobility between UMAP countries.
ACTS was developed to facilitate mobility among the ASEAN University Network (AUN) members. The drawback is that AUN only consists of 30 leading universities in 10 ASEAN countries. AUN wants a quality program and they only admit quality assured universities.
UCTS is a formal study for a minimum of one and a maximum of two semesters. The credit for study undertaken while on exchange is to be accepted by the home university. It is applicable for both undergraduate and postgraduate program. The tuition fee should be waived by the host university.
One difference between ACTS and UCTS is that UCTS lets the university decide the grading system whereas ACTS provides a grading system mechanism for all participating universities to follow. Another difference between ACTS and UCTS is the conversion principle. UMAP and UCTS have a conversion principle whereas ACTS has a non-conversion principle. Therefore, ACTS has to make sure that the participating university is quality assured.
The motto of ACTS is ‘student first’. ACTS is a student-centered system based on learning outcomes. It is applicable for both undergraduate and postgraduate program. ACTS also has short course programs.
A very important point to note is that ACTS does not require modification of the existing credit system. The credit transfer system works to harmonize the system. The ACTS system is completely online. The students go to the website and they choose the university they wish to go to, they check the dates of submission, and check the courses available. There are more than 10,000 courses in English available in the system. ACTS is very convenient and student-friendly.
ACTS started in 2009 and currently it has more than 1600 applications in the system. In 2012, the ‘Reinventing Japan Project’ discussed the possibility of Japanese universities joining the system. In 2013, we formally accepted Japanese universities into the system. The aim is to have all ASEAN universities use ACTS by 2017.
The academic calendar is another challenge we face. ASEAN countries have two different academic calendars. All the universities will have to change to a more international academic calendar: September to December; and February to early June. This will make the credit transfer mobility compatible for the ASEAN region. The ACTS participating universities will include the ‘ASEAN Plus Three’ partners. Japan has already started and Kyoto University is already in the system.
We have received more than 1600 applicants since 2011. UBD (Universiti Brunei Darussalam) has been the university with the highest participation number of outbound students. They have send around 75 students with full scholarships. Universities in Malaysia have been the universities with the highest participation number of inbound students. The CLMV (Cambodia – Laos – Myanmar – Vietnam) countries have not been very active. Myanmar has just started opening up their higher education sector. Vietnam is also getting more active.
The number of nominated applicants was 180 in 2011; 247 in 2012; and 315 in 2013. There is a steady increase. Currently, we work on a voluntary basis. There is no obligation for the participating university to use the system. A university can have more than one system. Our university uses ECTS, UMAP, as well as ACTS.
In 2014, there are 10,896 courses on offer, but the number is constantly changing. There are courses available in English. The courses apply for graduate as well as undergraduate students. Master’s and Ph.D. students can take courses as well. If a university has a special program with their partners, they can put in the system.
The transcript of academic record of the student has information about the student, their home university, their host university, the course code, course title, the language, and the duration of the course. I sign the ‘Certificate of Completion’ of the students on behalf of the university. The certificate mentions the course, the duration, and the grading scale of ACTS. Students will get a certificate of completion once they finish the study. The Secretariat sends the students the ‘Certificate of Completion’. Some universities also have what is known as a ‘Diploma Supplement.’
To conclude, the main challenge for credit transfer in ASEAN as well as in the region is to harmonize our existing education system. We need to be flexible in understanding how we can work together. We need to deal with the issues of student exchange. We need to work together on ways to mobilize the students, administration, and finding good experienced hospitality.
We need to recognize mobility as well as diversity in higher education. The ACTS experience has shown that it is better to harmonize the system and work with the existing system rather than creating a new one.
Thank for your kind attention.
関連資料
発表資料(pdf形式) 【2.57 MB】
