Credit, grade transfer 'made easy'

THE ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS), a one-stop agency to assist in transferring credits and grades within the ASEAN region, is hoped to be evaluated and standardised by 2013, according to the Executive Director from the ASEAN Universities Network (AUN) in an interview yesterday morning.

Associate Professor Dr Nantana Gajaseni said that the system has been initiated since 2009 among AUN member universities with the solid aim to promote student mobility within ASEAN.

This is through the establishment of a one-stop integrated web-based online system that students could use to connect to other AUN member universities.

She said that in the past, students were not as interested in joining ASEAN programmes and prefer universities based in western countries.

"By registering for the ACTS, we change their perspective into thinking that it is better to enhance (their education) within the leading universities based in the ASEAN region," she said.

The ACTS will be a first step in regional mobility, she said, adding that in the past, students may feel reluctant to exchange within the region because there was no support in the credit transfer and grade system.

"It seems that if we establish the ACTS system, it would support the exchange of students throughout the ASEAN region," she said.

Meanwhile, also interviewed following the opening of the Fourth Asean University Network (AUN) Asean Credit Transfer System (ACTS) Steering Committee meeting was UBD Director of International and Public Relations Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean.

She stated that although no standardised ACTS has been established in universities at the moment, she believes the meeting will provide answers on how to implement the idea.

She also said that Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) plans to send more students in the next GenNEXT Discovery Year.

"Last year, we sent about 55 per cent of students for the DY, so hopefully this year we will be sending about 70 per cent," she said.

She hopes that through the AUN ACTS meeting, an even closer partnership will be forged to make way for student exchanges within AUN-member universities.

"One very important tool to help facilitate the student exchange is the credit transfer system, which only exists among the AUN member institutions, " she said.

She said that this credit transfer system would need to acknowledge the student workload, the study hours and community involvement.

If other institutions acknowledge the ACTS, through the acknowledgment of hours, and convert these hours within their respective institutions, it would make it easier for UBD to send and receive students from other partner institutions.

The Brunei Times