Education for Further Studies, Parami University (Myanmar)

Parami University, in collaboration with Burma ethnic education partner organizations, will launch Education for Further Studies (EFS) in January 2024 as a part of the Community Higher Education Initiative (CHEI). This initiative seeks to support Myanmar youth in crisis regions to pursue their higher education aspirations. Four teachers (selected from partner institutions within OSUN, Bard MAT, AUCA MAT, and/or qualified EFL teachers from Myanmar) will facilitate the Education for Further Studies (EFS) course designed to familiarize and equip local students with skills necessary to apply to higher education programs. These teachers will be facilitating synchronous online classes to students from conflict regions in Burma where community schools operate independently of the central authorities. The synchronous 3-month online course will supplement the existing secondary and post-secondary education programs at the local level with academic skills for college pathways. As the representative faculty leading this project, I am responsible for developing the course curriculum, training teaching volunteers, and supporting both the teachers and students throughout the 3-month course.

To measure the effectiveness of the initiative, I would like to research (in collaboration with ethnic education partners and teachers) two questions:

1) Does the initiative meet student needs for furthering their own academic goals?

2) Does the initiative support students to secure a next step (e.g., applying to higher education, scholarships, or other comparable placements) in the short term after finishing the program? This action research will contribute to the quality assurance and continuous improvement of the course, since Parami University plans to replicate the course with other community partners. Research will enable the program to better understand student needs and make the course more effective for students with a wide variety of learning needs.