Page 17 - Training of the Trainers: Integrating One Health Core Competencies for Teaching Future One Health Workforce

and gaps within their courses, as well as to appraise how well their current courses are

aligned with the domains of Thailand’s OHCC. Since this part is mainly aimed for
curriculum mapping in Thailand’s context, we would start with a brief information on Thai

Qualifications Framework (TQF) for higher educations, followed by a description of the
curriculum mapping process, and an example of integration of One Health domains into

existing course, respectively.

1. TQF for Higher Education
1.1 Overview and Levels of Qualifications

Thailand’s TQF for higher education has been designed to support implementation of
the educational guidelines set out in the National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999), and its

amendment in B.E. 2545 (2002). The system was aimed to ensure consistency in both

standards and awarded degree titles for higher education’s qualifications and to make clear
their equivalence to those given by institutions in other parts of the world. The TQF provides

appropriate points of comparison in academic standards for institutions in their quality
assurance processes. It can also help prospective employers in understanding the skills and

capabilities of graduates they may employ. In addition to knowledge and professional skills,
educational programs developed within the TQF framework also emphasize transfer and

application of cognitive skills, entrepreneurship, familiarity with and support for national

culture, traditions, ethics, as well as other expected requirements for graduates. The
qualifications framework comprises six levels, while each one describes an expected

increasing intellectual demand and complexity of learning as students progress toward higher
academic degrees. The six levels in the framework are: Advanced Diploma (three years),

Bachelor, Graduate Diploma, Master, Higher Graduate Diploma, and Doctor levels.

The framework also comprises two general tracks representing different orientations

in programs: academic and professional. Programs in academic track generally focus on
research and transmission of knowledge, while programs in professional track emphasizes

more on a practical work-related skills. However, the two tracks are not mutually exclusive.

Academic programs were expected to develop abilities that would be necessary in
employment. Professional programs were also needed to involve thorough understanding of

research and theoretical knowledge in their field and related areas. In other words, the two
types of programs would be composed of both academic and pragmatic knowledge, yet with

different emphasis.

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