KDIS holds unique project-based, hybrid learning program for senior Thai officials

The 4th Industrial Revolution has begun, posing challenges which require constant innovation and adapting to newer technologies. This new era has also ushered in changes in the way we interact, create policies, and share knowledge in an increasingly interconnected multicultural world.

Such innovations were on top of the agenda as the KDI School, through its Capacity Building Center (CBC), hosted senior-level Thai government officials for its training on “Digital Public Sector for Sustainable Development” last March 2017.

A total of 150 Thai government officials, composed of Chiefs, Directors and Senior Experts coming from no less than 25 ministries and agencies including the Office of the Prime Minister, not only had a chance to visit Korea and learn about its development experience but also took part in a training workshop unlike any other.

This Civil Service Senior Executive Leadership Development Program was aimed at providing knowledge sharing between Korea and Thailand as the latter is set to begin implementation of the Thai 4.0 project. It was thus fitting that these senior officers undergo a leadership development workshop in tune with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

For the first time ever, the CBC merged project-based learning (PBL) and hybrid-learning program, which utilizes a more personalized approach to training with the aid of digital technology and modules, and applied them to a foreign audience of such stature.

The CBC has already used such methods, separately, in the past but this was the first time both were used in such scale. Simply put, PBL is a more student-centered method of learning, wherein participants familiarize themselves with the subject matter by solving an open-ended problem presented to them. Through the use of an Action Plan, participants are acquainted with the overall contents of the program.

Another unique feature of this program was the use of the e-learning platform, as part of the hybrid learning approach to the workshop which was divided into three stages: pre-training, invitational training, and post-training.

At the pre-training step, a month prior to their visit to Korea, the participants were already given access to e-learning contents available online. This would give them an opportunity to have a preview of the materials and learn more about their particular areas of interest through the e-Knowledge Sharing Program (e-KSP) modules before, during, and eventually after their invitational training.

At the invitational training stage, participants were divided into two batches of 75 members each and flew in to Korea, where for almost a week, they had a chance to review their pre-training materials and actually put them into practical use during Q&A sessions, debates, and live presentations.

Throughout their stay in Korea, the participants were lent table PCs so that they can access the training materials at the tip of their fingertips. Field visits to the Gyunggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, Incheon Free Economic Zone Commission, Seoul Big Data Center, among others, made the experience truly meaningful online as well as offline.

Finally, at the post-training stage after they have returned to their home country, participants were still able to access the e-learning contents through the website and have a chance to network with their instructors.

One major achievement of this workshop was being able to overcome the language barrier even as participants were encouraged to interact and make their presentations in their own mother tongue. The CBC provided interpreters for them to communicate freely and effectively with the lecturers. They were also given opportunity to provide instant feedback through surveys that were conducted throughout the program.

In addition, the training workshop featured lecturers not only from the KDI School but also senior Directors from the Korean Ministry of the Interior (MoI), thus providing not just theoretical or academic background information but also actual practical knowledge sharing between governments.

Through the use of this hi-tech PBL and hybrid learning approach, participants and lecturers alike were free to interact and communicate directly with each other.

With the success of this pioneering training course, the CBC is gearing up for similar programs for officers from Vietnam, July, and India later this year.

By Ranel Ram CHENG [2016 MPP, The Philippines]