The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) has moved closer to offering a joint PhD program with the University of Portsmouth (UoP), United Kingdom, following the soft launch of the initiative online on August 6.
The 1-hour-and-50-minute program, conducted through Zoom, brought together senior officials and academics from ULAB and UoP, along with project partners and representatives involved in quality assurance and international engagement.
The event began with welcome remarks by Prof Shamsad Mortuza, vice chancellor of ULAB. Bobby Mehta, pro vice-chancellor (Global Engagement) of UoP, and Jacqueline Priego, associate dean (Global Engagement) of UoP, represented the university.
ULAB was represented by Prof Jude William R Genilo, pro vice-chancellor.
Other participants included Md Musharoff Hossain, founder president of the Federation of Bangladesh Human Resource Organizations (FBHRO), as a project partner, and Piers Wall of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), UK.
Prof Shahnaj Husne Jahan, head of the GED Department at ULAB; Jaina Hunt, UK-side liaison; and Parvez Mahmud, project director on the ULAB side, also attended the event.
Following the initial speeches, an interactive workshop on Transnational Education (TNE) was held. Participants were divided into 2 groups to discuss questions related to TNE and share their experiences and recommendations on developing the proposed joint PhD program.
At the end of the discussions, Prof Jude William R Genilo and Jacqueline Priego presented a summary of the key issues, suggestions and recommendations raised by the 2 groups.
The soft launch marks a milestone in ULAB's efforts to expand international partnerships and develop opportunities for advanced research and doctoral education.
The proposed collaboration with UoP aims to strengthen academic and research links between Bangladesh and the UK while creating opportunities for doctoral education through TNE.