(pp.077-083) Q. Parvez ‘Internationalising University of Western Sydney: agriculture and environmental education’, World Sustainable Development Outlook, 2008
QAIYUM PARVEZ, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
DOI: 10.47556/B.OUTLOOK2008.6.8
Abstract: This paper outlines internationalisation of the education that abreast training programs of the University of Western Sydney (UWS) encompassing areas from ‘paddock to plate’. Along side with its formal Undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs different approaches of education through training programs have been discussed that are conducted through the non-formal and formal educational methodologies. During the past 12 years (1996 – 2007) through its international training and study tour programs UWS conducted 147 international short training and study tour programs for 2,521 participants from 15 different countries from the Asia-Pacific regions in the areas of broad based agriculture and environment. This initiative helped participants especially from the developing countries in capacity building, developing leadership skill to analyse situation holistically in the real world situation. The paper also discussed internationalising education through student exchange programs at the postgraduate levels using example of EU-Australia post graduate student exchange pilot project. Global climate change and its effect on our livelihood nowadays, becoming a great concern, and internationalisation and globalisation of education especially climate dependent education like broad base agriculture and environment has a significant role to play. Our goal is to prepare the farming community and the extension professionals to prepare themselves for accepting the change in livelihood resulting from global economy and climate change. And international training programs have lot to contribute in facing the challenges.
Keywords: International training, Student exchange program, Internationalizing Extension, Climate change, Capacity building, System thinking