Management Practices of Cooperative Education Programs of International Colleges and Universities in Thailand

Abstract

A Cooperative Education Program is a planned approach to integrating academic learning with real-world experience. Students can offer a significant contribution to the organizations they work for while they are on the job. This study assessed and analyzed the management practices of cooperative education programs offered in Thailand's four (4) international colleges and universities in the areas of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE). This further looked into the challenges that hindered their management practices. It utilized the descriptive-survey research design. A researcher-made survey questionnaire was administered to three groups of respondents - the students enrolled in the cooperative education programs (interns), the cooperative education program implementers (academic supervisors) under the faculty of business administration, and the cooperating agency supervisors where the interns were deployed.

The study used the descriptive survey to describe the extent of management practices for cooperative education programs offered by international colleges and universities in Thailand, the challenges faced in putting this program into practice, and the differences in responses from the respondent groups. Additionally, the investigation in this research was conducted using a quantitative approach. This study covered the higher education institutions in Thailand, specifically the private international colleges and universities that are members of the Office of the Higher Education Commission’s (OHEC) International Quality Assurance Network (IQAN) with business-related courses. The respondents from the three categories are the following: 1) all students (interns) currently enrolled in cooperative education programs during the study’s period (School Year 2020–2021); 2) all academic supervisors who handled cooperative education programs during the same period in various departments within the faculty of business administration; and 3) cooperating agency supervisors where the interns were placed. The primary data collection technique for the study was a questionnaire that the researcher created, largely based on the  Office of the Higher Education Commission’s (OHEC) Manual of Internal Quality Assurance for Higher Education Institutions. The survey was conducted using Google Forms due to limitations on the floating questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed and interpreted according to the study’s objectives. The weighted mean was used to analyze the data relative to the extent of management practices. Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) was used to establish the significant difference in the perceptions of the interns, academic supervisors, and cooperating agency supervisors. The challenges were determined through frequency counts and ranking, in which the indicators with the highest frequency count under each area were considered challenges by the researcher.

Extent of management practices of cooperative education programs of international colleges and universities in Thailand

Using the areas under the ADDIE model, this study determined the extent of management practices of cooperative education programs of international colleges in Thailand. The respondents rated all the indicators highly managed, with a grand mean of 4.20.

The overall mean of the extent of management practices under design as rated by all key players is 4.15 or Highly Managed. Indicators with a high overall mean are the following: “conduct oral presentation of internship activities after the actual cooperative education program,” “constantly guide and counsel interns via institutional Learning Management System (LMS), line group, individual chat, and telephonic audio and video conversation; and “utilize the LMS as a platform for writing regular reports.” The use of the LMS (online platform) was required to ensure the continuity of the internship program due to COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.

All the indicators under the development area are assessed as Highly Managed, with an overall mean of 3.96. The top three indicators are: “Systematic and consistent coaching and mentoring of the interns in writing individual internship reports via LMS,” “provide guidance and counseling services to interns throughout cooperative education program,” and “immediately convey training needs of the interns to the academic supervisor for proper action/s.”

All respondents rated all indicators under implementation as Highly Managed, with a 4.13 overall grand mean. Among the top three indicators were “conduct pre-cooperative program lecture activities such as job interview, job application, and accomplishing reportorial requirements,” “write intern’s full program report,” and “assign final grades.”

The overall mean for all the indicators is 4.08, or Highly Managed.  This means that all respondents are comfortable with the current evaluation practices for all internship institutions. While respondents were at ease with their current evaluation. Statistical Difference in the Perception of Interns, Academic Supervisors, and Cooperating Agency Supervisors

Applying the Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) to establish the significant difference in the perceptions of the interns, academic supervisors, and cooperating agency supervisors reveals that all indicators have 0.000 p-values, which are all less significant than the level of 0.05. The null hypothesis that there is no statistical difference in the perception of the interns, academic supervisors, and cooperating agency supervisors in the extent of management practices of cooperative education along the identified areas is disproved as a result.

The research found that the extent of the practice of the cooperative education programs, along with analysis and development, was rated High; Design was rated from slightly managed to very highly managed; Implementation and Evaluation were rated from highly managed to very highly managed. Significant differences were found between the groups’ perceptions of the extent of practice in the different areas. They also experienced challenges in implementing the management practices along ADDIE.  The study's results served as a basis for evolving a training development plan to enhance further the management of cooperative education programs of the universities and colleges in Thailand.