Happiness Exchange

Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, Chief Happiness Coach of Living Better visited the School of Human Resource Development (SHRD) at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) on 30 April 2015, Bangkok to exchange happiness practices with the authors of "102 Happy Workplaces" in Thailand. The book describes the best practices in happiness at 102 organisations in Thailand.

42nd AUN-QA Assessment at Universitas Gadjah Mada

The 42nd AUN-QA Assessment for programme level at Universitas Gadjah Mada was held from 19 - 21 May 2015 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.Three study programmes, namely; Industrial Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, and Economics were assessed. The assessment of the Economics study programme was led by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin (AUN-QA Expert, Singapore) with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evangeline P. Bautista from Ateneo De Manila University, The Philippines.

Review of AUN-QA Model at Programme Level

A meeting to review the AUN-QA model at programme level was held on 15 and 16 May 2015 at AUN Secretariat, Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was attended by the members of the AUN-QA Council, Senior Assessors and AUN-QA Experts. Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, AUN-QA expert (Singapore) is one of the members of the review task force.

The revised AUN-QA model at programme level is expected to be more system and process focus and quality enhancement will be part of the model. Biggs, J (2001) defines quality enhancement as the internal mechanisms that an institution puts in place to continually review and improve practice. The revised model is expected to be implemented in 1 to 2 years time.

8th AUN-QA Workshop for Accomplishing Programme Assessment

The 8th AUN-QA Workshop for Accomplishing Programme Assessment was organised by AUN Secretariat from 27 - 30 April 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 4-day course aims to introduce the AUN-QA system and enhance quality assurance practices. It is held for professionals who are in charge of quality assurance in higher education. The content of the workshop focuses on AUN-QA model at programme level and it encompasses:

• Introduction to quality assurance in higher education
• AUN-QA model and criteria at programme level
• AUN-QA quality assessment process
• PDCA Approach to self-assessment
• Self-assessment report (SAR) writing
• Change Management

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, AUN-QA Expert together with Dr. Arnie from De La Salle University. The workshop was attended by 35 participants from Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Below are what some participants said about the workshop:

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Johnson and Arnie for doing such a terrific job. Not only explaining about AUN-QA criteria but both of you have given us concepts and insights that will be very useful for us all throughout our quality journey. Also I would like to thank all the program staff for taking good care of us and capturing good memorable moments in pictures. Last but not least, thank you to AUN for hosting such a nice event and all participants for sharing your ideas and thoughts."

"Thank you very much for the challenging but very enlightening and insightful training we had. We appreciate the 4-day experience not only in its substance but also in its style. Congratulations to you, Arnie and the AUN-QA staff for the well-delivered activity."

"I did enjoy your training and also learned a great deal which I am sure will be of great benefit to my work."

"Thank you very much for your explanation and activities in AUN-QA workshop. It's very useful for me and my university for improving QA system at programme level."

Certified Quality Manager 29th Intake - Training and Development Module

The Certified Quality Manager (CQM) course is hosted by the Singapore Quality Institute (SQI) and Mr Johnson Ong Chee Bin is the appointed trainer for the Training and Development Module. The module for the 29th Intake was held on 18 April 2015 at SQI. The module covers the following topics:

• Introduction to Training and Development
• Training and Development Process
• National Model for Training and Development
• Factors affecting the Future of Training and Development

AUN-QA Chief Quality Officers' Meeting 2015

The AUN-QA Chief Quality Officers' Meeting 2015 was organised by ASEAN University Network and hosted by Vietnam National University-Hanoi on 30 & 31 March 2015 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The meeting was attended by 51 chief quality officers and experts from 9 ASEAN countries. The meeting formulated the strategic plan for 2015 to 2018 and discussed key issues faced by the members. The next CQOs' Meeting 2016 will be hosted by Universitas Indonesia in Indonesia.

4th Happiness DNA Public Workshop

"The 4th Happiness DNA" public workshop was held on 19 and 20 March 2015 which coincides with the International Day of Happiness. The workshop was facilitated by Chief Happiness Coach, Mr Johnson Ong Chee Bin.

The 2-day workshop is based on the principles of positive psychology, and physical, mental and emotional therapies and techniques. It is taught in a unique change methodology where participants go through a process of creating self-awareness, finding one’s life purpose, making changes, acting upon them, reflecting the lessons learned, and taking conscious effort to progress in fulfilling one’s life purpose.

After completing the workshop, participants will be able to understand the science and facts of happiness, cultivate the happiness DNA and apply the concept to cultivate and sustain happiness.

Below are what some participants said about the workshop.

"Interesting course with a lot of videos, activities, examples to show and explain."

"Learning about the internal and external happiness. How happiness benefit people and oneself."