Wisdom of Asia is a virtual mobility program organized by International Relations Division, Mahidol University, and developed from the ASEAN+3 Mobility Program in which Mahidol University cooperates with several universities in ASEAN and ASEAN+3 countries. The program gives Mahidol University students the opportunity to travel to other ASEAN countries to learn more about the host nation’s history,culture, and language for a 2 – 4 week period during the summer break (June –August) each year, and earn 2 elective credits for the “Comparative Cultures”elective course.
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, all physical mobility activities have been put on hold. We would like to provide an alternative program to allow our students to integrate with students from other countries, and have therefore re-developed the ASEAN+3 Mobility Program into the form of a virtual learning program titled“Wisdom of Asia”.
Through the Program, participants from co-host universities will learn, share their experiences, and work together via online platforms for a period of 2 weeks with the guidance from faculty advisors. At the end of the program, participants will demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating and sharing a group presentation.With international exchange being a major part of this virtual mobility program structure, we hope to offer all participants new experiences and new perspectives through understanding and learning from one another.
This year will be the first virtual implementation of this program, and so we plan to have 3 leading universities from China, Indonesia and Japan acting as co-hosts, ensuring that all participants will be able to gain varied and useful experience and skills.
Through the Wisdom of Asia virtual mobility program, participants will gain an understanding of key topics through recorded lectures conducted by professional instructors, and they will be able to discuss their opinion sand exchange experiences during live classes. Following these classes,participants will be placed into groups composed of students from each university, to enable interaction between students from different nationalities. In these groups,participants will research their chosen topics and work on their final group report via various digital platforms.Each group will also be given time to discuss the progress of their final group report and presentation with their assigned advisor.
At the end of the program, each group of participants is expected to present their project,which they have been working on during the previous 2 weeks, to the program advisor,commentators and other participants. This presentation aims to allow participants to have a platform to share their perspectives and the conclusions they have come to through their own discussions.
During the program, participants will also have a chance to learn and understand other participants’cultures through a range of cultural activities.
4 co-host universities from 4 ASEAN and ASEAN+3 countries will collaborate on this program. There will be 40 student participants in total, 10 students from each co-host university, and 4 advisors, 1 from each co-host university.The program will consist of lectures, cultural activities and group studies, all delivered through any suitable online platforms. The instructors from the 4 co-hosts universities will take turns giving lectures and conducting activities on relevant topics under 5 themes, as follows:
1. Connecting Borders through the Virtual World
An introduction to each co-host university’s country and campus which could help participants recognize and understand Thailand, China, Indonesia and Japan and their identities. This theme will encourage the participants to acquire flexibility and open-mindedness with regard to cultural differences and different ways of life and philosophies.
2. Modernized Traditional Wellness and Health Care
This theme will introduce the wisdom of traditional medicine of each country, which has been carried into the present as national and global heritage, and is still highly regarded as alternative medicine. The topic can be related to medicine or medical treatment or to ways of thinking or ways of living that can support good health, cure physical or mental health issues,or promote a healthy lifestyle and wellness in daily life.
Related subjects / keywords: Traditional Medicine /Traditional Medical Treatment / Folk Medicine / Local Herbs /Traditional Wisdom / Traditional Therapy Herbal Medicine /Alternative Medicine / Traditional Diagnosis / Traditional Products / Traditional Practices
Example: Jamu drinks, Acupuncture, Guasa Therapy, Kampo,etc
3. Sustainable Management
This theme will approach global environmental issues from the perspective of national wisdom and tradition philosophies and ideologies or ways of life that enhance our ability to successfully maintain the quality of life on our planet.
Related subjects / keywords:
Sustainable Development /Sustainable Management / Sustainable Products / Eco-living /Green Management / Environmental Management / GreenBusiness / Triple Bottom Line
4. Design Thinking: Past and Future Perspectives
This theme will enhance one of the skills most wanted by employers; “Design Thinking”, by learning how to solve problems creatively and strategically from the perspective of older generations. This will help participants to review processes and learn techniques to understand mankind’s motivations from the past and extrapolate to create new ideas and innovation for the future.
Related subjects / keywords: Design Thinking /Innovation / Innovative Thinking / Problem Solving
5. Cultural Workshop
This theme will allow participants to understand cultural aspects of each country. Immersion in another culture is a great way forparticipants to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others, learn to appreciate other cultures and ideas, and becomemore open to compromise.
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International Relations Division, Mahidol University | Tel: 66 (0) 2849-6235 | Fax: 66 (0) 2849-6237 | Contact us: opinter@mahidol.ac.th