LESSONS FOR PRODUCTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE
GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS:
THE VIET NAM AND HAWAI`I SOCIAL WORK
EXPERIENCE
Dr. Lorraine Marais, HPU, Hawai`i
Dr. Bui Thi Xuan Mai, ULSA, VN
Instructor Paul Tuan Tran, HPU, Hawai`i
SHORT OVERVIEW OF OUTCOMES
OF PRESENTATION
• Outcome 1: Context is everything
• Outcome 2: From theory to practice
• Outcome 3: Complexity but not complicated
• Outcome 4: Remember why we are doing it: STUDENTS
• Outcome 5: Take home a outline for possible cross national
educational partnerships that are culturally competent
WORKSHOP QUESTIONS TO BE
EXPLORED IN COLLABORATION
Question 1: What is your reality in regard to contextual factors influencing
cross national educational collaborations?
Question 2: How can we use it for our benefit?
Question 3: Choose one quadrant as a group and share your experience with
the group
Question 4: Reflections on the EPPM: Insights, additions and comments
Question 5: Within your context what would your EPPM model look like? Create an
outline
SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ULSA
AND HPU SOCIAL WORK (CASE STUDY)
• Social Work as a profession: Recognition by VN government 2010 and its
implications
• HPU SWRK Student short study abroad educational trips (2010, 2011 & 2013)
• Involvement of administrative levels of both universities
• ELLTA conference first step towards faculty research collaboration
• Development of “Educational Partnership Practice Model “ (EPPM) based on
“our collaborative story”
FIVE MAIN CONTEXTUAL FACTORS
1. Country Political & Philosophical Structure
2. Socio/Economic Environment
3. Multi-cultural nature
4. Mutuality of Social Problems/Issues
5. Availability of Resources: Human and Fiscal
CONTEXTUAL FACTOR 1:
COUNTRY’S POLITICAL & PHILOSOPHICAL
STRUCTURE
• Recognition of political structure and philosophy of countries involved
in partnership:
• Viet Nam political system based on a communist philosophy
• Hawai`i political system based on a democratic philosophy
• Meaning of Cultural Competent practice within the political and
philosophical systems
• Understanding there are pro and cons of both governmental systems:
• Consciousness of both participants to view each other as equal partners especially if
your country is identified as a “Developed” nation
• One important question to ask when partnering up with other political system
than your own country:
• “Do we understand what it implies to engage with a different government system
than our own?”
COUNTRY POLITICAL STRUCTURE
(CONTINUE)
• Understanding aligned with the political and philosophical systems’
current policies and directions
• VN: SWRK as a profession in 2010 = Major national direction and
policy
• The possible political impact it can have when operationalizing the
partnership vision, mission and goals to address social issues in host
country
• The political system is closely related to the socio/economic systems
of the country
CONTEXTUAL FACTOR 2:
SOCIO AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT
• Understand the method/theory of the economic system
• Hawai’i in principle practice a market economy based on capitalism
• Viet Nam in principle practice a hybrid market economy based on
communism/capitalism relying on a central economic management system
• Understand the socio/economic variables
•
•
•
•
•
•
Physical and geographical location
Cost of living
Natural available resources
Tourism and hospitality service industries
Indigenous population
Immigrants population
CONTEXTUAL FACTOR 3:
MULTICULTURAL NATURE
• Multi cultural contextual factors:
•
•
•
•
Different ethnic cultural factors
Language
Socially diverse composition of the population
Indigenous population rights
Example:
-Hawai`i: rich cultural history of Native Hawaiian with a cross-roads of many other cultures
-Viet Nam: rich cultural history that comprise of 54 different ethnic groups
• Both nations policies on native’s right for equity are on going challenges
• Commonality allows a long term vision for the partnership to unify efforts around
common core societal issues
CONTEXTUAL FACTOR 4:
MUTUALITY OF SOCIAL
PROBLEMS/ISSUES
• Understand approaches to solving societal issues are unique to each
country
• poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, gender
discrimination, child abuse and neglect,
• Understand solutions are dependent on available resources
• Each partner solutions reflects their culture and values so no one particular
approach dominate another
• Each partner can learn from one another
• other methodologies and incorporate what works for their own practice
• thus introducing a new hybrid/methodology of best practices
• exciting time for new models to be introduce out of this partnership
CONTEXTUAL FACTOR 5:
AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES
• Recognize the availability of resources can determine the sustainability of
the partnership
• Government policies
• Allocated budget/fiscal availability from the government
• Understand how the EPPM can be applied to assess availability of resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
government and university
department
faculty
student
social media
technology
FOUR PHILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES OF
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PRACTICE
MODEL (EPPM)
• It is an equal partnership
• It allows both side to honor each other’s autonomy, cultural differences and selfdetermination right
• Multi-dimensional, multi-faceted and multi-leveled to be sustainable
• Patience and persistence are central to the relationship
• Partnership needs advocates at multiple levels: government,
university, department, faculty, and students
FROM PRACTICE TO THEORY:
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PRACTICE
MODEL (EPPM)
1
Figure 1: HPU/ULSA Educational Partnership Practice Model
1. Government
& University
3. Faculty
2. Department
4. Students
Five Contextual Factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Country Political Structure
Socio/economic environment
Multi-cultural nature
Mutuality of Social Problems
Availability of Resources
(Human and Fiscal)
1.
5. TECHNOLOGY
5. SOCIAL MEDIA
Components of the model
DISCUSSION OF EPPM
QUADRANT 1: GOVERNMENT AND
UNIVERSITY ROLE
• Vietnamese Government’s Role
Enacted national policy for the training of 60,000 social workers by 2020.
• Three general educational goals:
1) strengthen resource capacity for Universities which includes the
educational level of faculty
2) mobilizing international support to improve and develop educational
program and curriculum
3) develop language and contextual text books and training materials with
support from the international communities
QUADRANT 1: GOVERNMENT AND
UNIVERSITY ROLE
To achieve those goals the government developed national policies
concentrating on:
1) Providing funds for educational initiatives
2) Developing collaboration with international organizations, and
universities
3) Providing funding for people/faculty to study abroad or
4) Engaging in exchange programs with professors from cross
national universities such as HPU
5) Exchange or invite experts from other universities to come to
Viet Nam to teach or to do research
QUADRANT 1: GOVERNMENT AND
UNIVERSITY ROLE
Hawai`i Pacific University (HPU)
• Vision of the university strategic plan is to become an international
renowned university serving mostly Hawai`i, the Pacific and South
East Asia.
• Overall in the social work profession, international educational
collaboration is highly valued and a target for advocacy
QUADRANT 1: GOVERNMENT AND
UNIVERSITY ROLE
University of Labor and Social Affairs (ULSA)
Implementation policy strategies in international collaboration:
 Developing international collaboration to learn and to share recourses
 Sending lecturers for masters and PhD degrees
 Developing curriculum for bachelor and master as well as PhD of SW
 Developing curricula in order aligned with international standards but relevant to
Vietnam context
 Improving field practicum for students in SW education
QUADRANT 1: GOVERNMENT AND
UNIVERSITY ROLE (CONTINUE)
ULSA
 Training supervisors for the agencies so that they can be involved in supervising
students in the field
 Exchange lecture and students
 Collaboration in research
 Collaboration in developing text books, educational material and research
articles
 Collaborating in presentations at conference and conducting workshops
QUADRANT 2: DEPARTMENT AND
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK ROLES
(INTERNAL & EXTERNAL)
The logistics and operationalization of involving multiple departments
 Example of HPU:
 School of Social Work at HPU
 HPU study abroad office
 University higher administration
 Example of ULSA:
 ULSA social work department
 ULSA higher administration
QUADRANT 3: INDIVIDUAL
FACULTY & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
• Integration of study abroad with regular faculty required work load:
• If faculty wanted to conduct a study abroad trip with students then they have to ensure
that the trip is part of a required course rather than an additional responsibility
• Social Work faculty at HPU has the opportunity to teach an elective
course that covers a study abroad trip
• Usually it is one faculty that is the teacher on record of the course
• Other faculty going on the trip needs to negotiate to either receive a
course release or conduct it as a “service” commitment
QUADRANT 4: STUDENT
INVOLVEMENT
• As study abroad members
•
•
•
•
personal development
professional development
learners and teachers
providing community service “giving back”
• As coordinators assisting faculty in study abroad trip
• developing skills as administrators
• Personal and professional development
QUADRANT 5: ROLE & IMPORTANCE
OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
• Role of Facebook as social international networking mechanism
• SKYPE for arrangements and logistics
• Creation of multiple Facebook pages on social work events in various
countries
• Connecting local social services across international boundary
TEN MAIN LESSONS
1. You need an advocate to ensure sustainability and continuation
2. Commitment for the long term: persistence and patience
3. Finding internal and external resources to support partnership
4. Develop strategic plan for both long term and short term that have
measureable outcomes
5. Finding creative solutions to minimize distance and language
barriers
TEN MAIN LESSONS (CONTINUE)
6.
Application of cultural sensitivity and competence
7. Realistic about the priority of the initiatives & faculty’s willingness to commit
to it
8. Include past and current students
9. Have follow up plan if initial participant(s) is no longer point of contact
10. When the road gets rough remember why we are doing it
FOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE
COLLABORATIONS
1. Short and long term planning is central
2. “Sell” your partnership to both internal and external
3. Advocate for inclusions on a university wide level
4. Commit to continuous learning for students, programs and faculty
while integrating the partnership in the educational programs and
curriculum
LET’S PRACTICE!!!
DISCUSSION, Q & A
MAHALO