Exchange report - incoming teachers
Home university: Burapha University
Study programme: Biomedical Laboratory Science
Exchange programme: Linnaeus-Palme
Semester: Autumn semester 2016/2017
Duration: 28
Name: Uraiwan Intamaso
Email address: uintamaso@yahoo.com

Accommendation

The accommodation provide useful information prior to my visit such as the map, how to access the building, get and drop the key and other advice concerning housing such as how to use stove and over etc. However, I do not have any advice about cost of living or keeping costs down. I also know about useful links about housing from the manager. I think accommodation is located in good and safe environment. The room was very clean and close to standard. 

Language and Culture

I conducted teaching in English. There were no language barriers for me. However, some Swedish students did not prefer to speak English even though they can speak good English. I experienced meeting the Swedish culture for example Swedish kids are raised to be independent. Whatever they are asked to do something parents need to give them reasons and they have rights to deny if they really did not want to do. In Thailand if kids deny to do something asked from parents. They would get punishment or blamed from parents. 

Leisure time

I was arranged for social activities by being a guest for dinner and I also visited the Abba Museum with my staff colleagues from Karolinska Institutet. I also went to visit the Vasa Museum, the Nobel Museum and the Drottningholm Palace with my colleague. I know useful links for leisure activities from Taste of Sweden on Facebook by Thai people who lives in Sweden. 

Miscellaneous

An overall teacher exchange program was very good. Teachers from both sides can gain experience in teaching students from a different country and culture. Moreover, Thai teachers who are fair in English can get more benefit in practicing speaking English. After completion of the exchanges they will be more confident in speaking English and eager to set up a curriculum for foreign students in the future.


My advice for future Exchanges is to prepare access card/ key, internet access etc Before the arrival, since we had to arrange this our first day at Karolinska Institutet by making an appointment with the one who was in charge. 

Other activities

I attended a seminar (2 hours), group meeting (3 hours), research activities (6 hours) and visit Science for Life Laboratory (3 hours) as well as meeting with directors for discussing how to improve the program (3 hours). I am going to collaborate in research about developing a DNA vaccine against hepatitis C virus in the near future. 

Preparation

I got to know the opportunity to go on teacher exchange because because I have known one of Karolinska Institutet's staff and informally invited him to be a visiting professor in my course at my university. After that we try to continue our collaboration to teacher exchange. Before go on teacher exchange,  I prepared my visit by studying materials provided from KI's teacher and prepared slides for teaching in advance. Besides, I also attended in English course three years ago in UK for a month to improve my English. However, I do not know any useful links. I got information and materials only from the director and teachers who are in charge of the program. 

Reflections

I have been influenced by the teacher exchange as a teacher. I brought back my experience from Karolinska Institutet to improve my teaching at my university in some courses, such as genetic engineering, by asking students to plan all experiments in advance and to get some instructions from teachers before attending the course. Besides, I focused more on practicing students to compare advantage and disadvantages between the two methods. I think it was a good way to practice students to have more critical thinking. The less good was the teachers had to prepare laboratory work by themselves at Karolinska Institutet. 

Teaching

I attended in Immunology II course for teaching the lecture on the topic of Failure of the Body’s Defense and laboratory as well as journal club. When compared to the topic between Karolinska Institutet and my university, the topic I taught at Karolinska Institutet was integrated from 3 separated topics I taught in my university. I think the integrated topic was more beneficial to students because students can link all contents as a whole and helped them to understand better. However the teaching method was not so different because it was a lecture-based teaching.

 

Teacher/student relationships at Karolinska Institutet were more distant than that at my university. Thai students normally have more respect to teachers and have close relationship to teachers. They are more friendly to foreign teachers but with poor English speaking skill while Karolinska Institutet's students were the opposite. Thai students are required to attend classes no less than 80% otherwise they are not allowed to pass the course. At Karolinska Institutet there is no such requirement, thus students are free to miss the class. In addition, some students at Karolinska Institutet have more critical thinking skill than Thai students.

Teaching hours

I have been teaching the following hours in the immunology course for 10 hours per week;

amount of teaching a lecture for 3 hours (7.23% of total hours)

amount of seminars 4 hours (9.64% of total hours)

amount of lab teaching for 34.5 hours (83.13% of total hours)