Second-Order Change Without First-Order Change 75
for two days per week, and six hours per day. Exams are taken at the end
of each month. Under this system, the institute is able to save costs by
employing lecturers only for about a one-month period after which they
return home (Interview, 10 April 2014).
An analysis of the scheduling of classes shows that some lecturers
invited to teach a subject in the BBA programme (for example, Basic
Mathematics) are normally also invited to teach another subject (for
example, Calculus for Business 1). Thus during the 22 to 30 days of the
lecturer’s stay in Thailand, he has to teach at least 16 days from 9.00 a.m.
to 4.00 p.m. One lecturer interviewed mentions that some lecturers invited
for the BBA programme will also teach in the MBA or PhD programmes,
mainly to save on the costs of accommodation and airfares (Interview,
10 April 2014). This arrangement means that lecturers have to teach on
both weekdays and weekends because the MBA and PhD courses are
taught on Saturdays and Sundays for six hours each day. The practice of
employing Western lecturers to teach several courses over an intensive
working period of one month shows that the methods of managing the
programme are largely determined by costs considerations.
In addition to the high costs of hiring foreign academics, there is also
the problem of quality control. The programmes’ costs considerations
prevented the establishment of an effective procedure to select high-quality
and committed lecturers. The lack of a proper selection and employment
system makes it difficult to find committed lecturers who are willing to
stay for an extended period of time. The majority of foreign lecturers only
come to Thailand for a short period. As a result, intensive classes are given
for a few weekends and compromise the quality of education. The quality
also differs substantially amongst foreign academics. While some require
extensive reading, others barely cover the essentials. Different strategy
is needed to attract foreign lecturers to stay in the country for a longer
time frame in order to acclimatize with the academic environment and
the need of students.
Since applicants were attracted by the short-term benefits rather
than academic benefits, there were many who submit false educational
qualifications and teaching experiences. Some foreigners only have
working experience in the private sector or with training companies and
so they falsify their academic credentials. Meanwhile poor commitment
from many lecturers is also an issue. A strong commitment to academic
excellence is rare among foreign lecturers because they are not hired based