APAIE 2020

How can higher education better engage the Indigenous communities which abound throughout the Americas, Asia and the Pacific? The history of their access to education and their relationships with colonial, governing and mainstream societies is diverse and often has roots mired in marginalisation and subjugation. Similarly, newcomer communities, immigrants, minority populations, temporary foreign workers, and international students need access to culturally appropriate and quality education, and as these communities grow in size and diversity, their needs must be anticipated and addressed.

Submissions under this theme will focus on Internationalisation and internationalisation in higher education, in the classroom and in the larger community. Internationalisation encourages organisation and individual behavioural change towards culturally neutrality. It promotes the ability to understand and interact effectively and appropriately in a variety of cultural contexts, supporting cross-cultural dialogue, and challenging self-segregation. It attempts to move past tolerance and the passive acceptance of diversity and towards promoting engagement and dialogue with appropriate and effective interactions.

Submissions under this theme will reflect the growing needs and opportunities to diversify the student experience and the potential for innovation in experiential learning, different and evolving models of student mobility, the use of technology and hybrid forms of instruction, new models of cooperation between partners, internationalization at home, and the nascent potential for shared student experience that bridges the Pacific.

The Asia Pacific and the Americas are diverse in terms of nations, cultures, regions, associations, allegiances and blocs, histories and traditions, languages, levels of development, religions, and education systems diverse in substance and quality. As do nations in the Americas. Submissions are welcome that envisage new and innovative opportunities within and among these regions for refreshed or new initiatives, the creation of new education hubs, new forms of transnational and multilateral engagement, generative critiques of policy, next generation partnerships and explorations of best practices that will enable new and innovative models of academic collaboration.

Throughout history, societies have educated youth to prepare them for success, to reach their full potential as productive members of the economy and to become responsible, principled citizens. But in the face of rapid technological, economic and societal change, and given the evolving nature of employment, educators must prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist, in knowledge and service economies that use technologies not yet envisaged. Education can no longer be just about “knowing,” but must focus on learning how to learn, on lifelong learning and developing soft skills such as communication, creative thinking and flexibility, global competence and the ability to discern, aggregate and synthesise information in ways we cannot yet imagine. But education will lose its path if its only purpose is to prepare workers for the economy. Education must also focus on a well-rounded and value-laden education, covering culture and cultures, language, and a connection to heritage. We invite submissions that take up the challenge of educating students in this new era and balance the needs of economy and society.

The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) was established in Seoul, South Korea in 2004 by a Founding Committee consisting of thirteen university representatives from across the Asia Pacific region, and has since expanded to become a thriving association. APAIE aims to encourage greater cooperation between institutions, to enrich and support international programmes, activities and exchanges, and to promote the value of international education across the region and beyond. In doing so, APAIE devotes itself to the principles of mutual respect, diversity and collective progress.

The APAIE Conference and Exhibition brings together international education policy-makers, practitioners and experts from across the globe to the Asia-Pacific region to network, improve professional skills and learn about new developments in international education. The APAIE Conference and Exhibition debuted in 2006 with 400 delegates. It now attracts 2,000 delegates and over 200 exhibitors. The growing attendance each year at the Conference reflects the burgeoning interest in the region and recognition of the Asia Pacific’s important role in international education.

For more information, please see APAIE’s website: https://apaie2020.org/

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