Two members from Ratchasuda College of Mahidol University in Thailand, Sumalee Dechongkit, Ph.D., Director of Ratchasuda College and Pronpun Somboon, visited PEN-International and NTID during the week of October 9 - 15, 2007.
Areas of Interest
The primary purpose of the visit was to introduce the newly appointed Director of Ratchasuada College, Dr. Sumalee Dechongkit, to NTID and PEN-International. Dr. Dechongkit ad some specific areas of interest for possible collaboration with NTID including:
- Training of 2-3 faculty members in instructional development to improve the quality of courses offered at the college.
- Assistance with the development of a new Masters Level curriculum related to Instructional Technology.
- Obtaining information about student leadership and empowerment.
- Collaborative research on the effectiveness of instructional technology.
NTID and RIT Faculty and Staff Meetings
After an introduction to RIT, NTID and PEN-International, the visitors from Thailand toured the RIT campus including NTID facilities. They met with Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz, Vice President and Dean of NTID for a welcome and overview of NTID programs. After a presentation on instructional technology and design by PEN Associate Director, E. William Clymer, they met with Mr. Jonathan Millis of Educational Design Resources, Dr. John Cox, Chairperson of NTID's department of Arts & Imaging Studies, Mr. John Macko, Director of NTID's Center on Employment, and Ms. Susan Ackerman, Director of the RIT Office for Students with Disabilities. To become more familiar with smart classroom teaching and design, they also met with Mr. Jeff Porter, chairperson of the NTID Learning Consortium. To conclude their visit, a meeting was held with James DeCaro and E. William Clymer of PEN-International to formulate a working plan to assist Ratchasuda College in meeting its goals.
As a follow-up to their visit to NTID, Ms. Pronpun Somboon presented a lecture regarding the delegation's visit to lecturers at Ratchasuda College on 24 October 2007.
