THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GRADUATE CURRICULUM REVIEW PROCESS TO ALIGN WITH THE FORMS OF SUAN SUNANDHA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY ACCORDING TO OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION (OBE) PRINCIPLEs

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a form and criteria for reviewing graduate curriculum documents to align with the principles of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and the standards of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU). It serves as a guideline for personnel responsible for graduate program management. The population in this study consisted of 45 graduate program officers at the master's and doctoral levels. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation.  The majority of respondents were female (35 individuals or 71.43%) and male (10 individuals or 28.57%). Most were between the ages of 36 and 40 (12 individuals or 26.66%), followed by those aged 26–30 (10 individuals or 22.22%) and 31–35 years (10 individuals or 22.22%). Regarding educational background, the majority held a bachelor's degree (25 individuals or 55.55%), followed by those with a master's degree (20 individuals or 44.45%). The highest level of understanding about the graduate curriculum review process was that the curriculum document must be approved by the University Council before student recruitment can begin (mean = 3.87). This was followed by knowledge of Section 3: Curriculum Structure, Courses, and Credits, which includes 1) Academic Management System, 2) Curriculum Implementation, and 3) Curriculum and Instructors (mean = 3.86). Furthermore, once approved by the University Council, the curriculum document must be entered into the CHE Curriculum Online System (CHECO), with a mean score of 3.51. These findings are consistent with recent studies on creativity and divergent thinking (Runco & Acar, 2019; Plucker et al., 2020), regarding "elaborative thinking" — an element of creativity. It was found that as children grow older, they tend to exhibit more thoughtful and careful thinking. Age is a factor that contributes to differences in thinking and behavior. Older individuals tend to respond differently to communication compared to younger individuals, and younger individuals’ Responses to communication tend to change as individuals age, reflecting developmental, cognitive, and social factors (Ng & Bradac, 2022; Williams & Nussbaum, 2021).