News
Open Session 5 – 3 September 2026
On September 3, 2026, right after the Fifth REAL General Meeting, REAL Open Session no 5 was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This was the sixth time the REAL project was presented to key actors from beyond the consortium, aiming to expand the project impacts to other HEIs across the country.
Three types of stakeholders were invited: representatives from higher education institutions based in Vientiane other than NUOL, NUOL faculty members representing programs who are working on expanding REAL methods to their academic programs, and undergraduate students.
Project aims, expected outcomes and achievements of REAL project so far, as well as revised national curriculum standards have been presented to different stakeholders to demonstrate how the project aims align with the national curriculum standard, and contribute to the national reform efforts to improve quality of education.
Afterwards, the Open Session participants discussed how other HEIs could improve their programmes in line with the new national curriculum standards and how the REAL consortium partners could support this process. Faculty members also discussed the new standards and requested greater flexibility in curriculum design to ensure the effective implementation of OBE practices and the integration of Line 3 work into the PCDs of departments and HEIs. Meanwhile, students expressed their perspectives on and expectations of academic programmes and departments, highlighting the support they need to be ready for the world of work after graduation.
The Project was represented by the REAL programme team members – Asst. Prof. Dr. Latsanyphone Soulignavong (NUOL), Asst. Prof. Thavone Phommaseng (SU), Asst. Prof. Khonesavanh Norasane (SKU), and Asst. Prof. Anna Banyavongsa (CU), as well as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaisone Phengsopha, DG of HE, MOES, Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham, Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, MOES; Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, CU Rector, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sithixay Xayavong, SKU Acting-Rector; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vongpasith Chanthakhoun, SU Vice-Rector; and Dr. Soubin Sisavath, REAL Institutional Coordinator of NUOL.
Fifth General Meeting - Vientiane, 31 August – 2 September 2026
The 17 REAL Program Teams had the fifth three-day working meeting on 31 August – 2 September 2026. Hosted by NUOL, REAL Fifth General Meeting focused on:
(1) Line 1: Sharing the findings of the second large scale consultation conducted by the teams – this time to identify ways to better articulate the added value of higher education. Based on the responses from current students, university employees in charge of recruiting students, alumni, employers, as well as the upper secondary school actors (authorities, teachers and learners), the REAL project participants agreed on the ready-to-use materials the project will create in order to try to attract more students to bachelor programs;
(2) Line 2: reviewing the first attempts to map Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) to Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs); training on revising assessment plans for CLOs; peer-review of CLOs revised/formulated between General Meeting 4 and General Meeting 5; discussion of the findings from the Diary/Logbook student workload calibration tool; and a training to prepare the application of Focus Group Discussion tool to further install the culture of student workload monitoring;
(3) Line 3: Topic 5- “How to help students acquire effective learning strategies and become lifelong learners?”; the progress made by REAL Program Teams on Topics 4- “How to help students embrace Outcomes-Based Education?” and 3- “How to assess what is most relevant?”, and work that will need to be done to prepare ready-to-use workshop kits for REAL Topics 1- “How to engage students in learning & help them deal with failure?” and 2- “How to incorporate principles of active learning in your course design and delivery?”.
The National REAL Task Force (NRTF) representatives from MOES and the four REAL Universities had two separate working session on Day 3 – focused on project impact and dissemination beyond the REAL Programs and REAL Higher Education Institutions, and REAL Sustainability Plan. After this, the NRTF members joined the REAL Program Teams during the Closing Plenary to hear about the progress achieved in the three project working lines: Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Studies (Line 1), Ensuring Feasibility of Higher Education Programs (Line 2) and Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching (Line 3).
Ms Nilinthone Sachlohkam, Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, MOES, also presented the draft revised National Curriculum Standards to the REAL experts, seeking their feedback and comments which can inform the next step of national level OBE-policy development.
The REAL General Meeting 5 was opened by the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaysone Phengsopha, Director General of DHE, MOES; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sinthavone Daravong, President of NUOL. Helen Conefrey, Attaché Education and Social Sector, Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR, also gave an opening remark. DHE, MOES, was further represented by the Officer of Academic Affairs Division and Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR, Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth; while the EU Delegation to Lao PDR was further represented by Mrs Saymano Sanoubane. The Closing Plenary counted with presence of the CU Rector, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone; SKU Acting-Rector Assoc. Prof.Dr. Sithixay Xayavong; SU Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vongpasith Chanthakhoun; and NUOL Deputy Director of Cabinet and International Cooperation, Mr. Amkheng Phenglasy.
General Meeting 5 working sessions of REAL Program Teams were facilitated by Latsanyphone Soulignavong (NUOL), Somchay Makesavanh (SU), Bamphen Keomounkhoun (CU), Sisoury Phommaseng (SU), Marigel Garcia Lozano (UP), Somphien Mahaphon (CU), Khonesavanh Norasane (SKU), Napha Khothphouthone (SKU), Onsee Khamphouvong (NUOL), and Pablo Beneitone (AEET).
Internal dissemination activities at Lao Universities in April – August 2026
Over the period of April – August 2026, the four Lao partner universities organised the fourth round of Building Up the Structural Reform sessions, as well as “Using Learning Outcomes to Ensure Feasibility” seminars, which brought together students, academics and university authorities.
In parallel, the 17 REAL Program Teams conducted faculty development workshops focusing on “How to incorporate principles of active learning in your course design and delivery?” (the second topic addressed in the REAL ‘Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching’ line of work).
The Building Up the Structural Reform sessions brought together 220 key actors, 125 of them from outside the project teams. The seminars on Learning Outcomes equipped 95+ persons from beyond the project working teams with understanding of how learning outcomes can be used to ensure feasibility of Higher Education programs. The workshops on active learning provided 150+ lecturers with concrete examples of active learning techniques and ideas they can use with their students.
Open Session 4 – 27 March 2026
On March 27, 2026, right after the Fourth REAL General Meeting, REAL Open Session no 4 was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This was the fourth time the REAL project was presented to key actors from beyond the consortium.
Four types of stakeholders were invited: representatives of Higher Education Institutions based in Vientiane (beyond NUOL), alumni, employers, NUOL last-year undergraduate students and NUOL faculty members working on successful implementation of internship experiences for undergraduate students. Project aims, expected outcomes and achievements so far have been presented, as well as ways for different stakeholders beyond the consortium to engage with the REAL project activities and contribute to the national reform efforts.
After that, the Open Session participants discussed challenges and success stories linked to implementation of high-quality internships for Lao undergraduate students. Inputs collected will contribute to the development of the REAL Deliverables 2.3 “Strategies for engaging different stakeholders in jointly improving the relevance and ensuring the added value of HE studies in Laos” & 2.4 “Guidelines for engaging different stakeholders in jointly improving the relevance and ensuring the added value of HE studies in Laos”
The project was represented by the REAL programme team members – Latsanyphone Soulignavong (NUOL), Thavone Phommaseng (SU), Kongmy Nongboudtalath (SKU) and Thipphavanh Khanthaphone (CU), as well as the National REAL Task Force members – Dr. Ammany Norrinl, Deputy Director General HE, MOES; Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham, Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, MOES; Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth, Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, & Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR; Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, CU Rector; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phetsamone Khattiyavong, SKU Vice-Rector for Administration; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vongpasith Chanthakhoun, SU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs; and Mr. Amkheng Phenglasy, NUOL Deputy Director of Cabinet and International Cooperation.
Fourth General Meeting - Vientiane, 24-26 March 2026
The 17 REAL Programme Teams had the fourth three-day working meeting on 24-26 March 2026. Hosted by NUOL, REAL Fourth General Meeting focused on:
(1) Fine-tuning data collection tools for the consultation about ways to better articulate the ‘added value’ of higher education and attract more students to undergraduate programmes in Lao PDR – for Line 1;
(2) Training on sequencing Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) sequencing linked to the same Program Learning Outcome (PLO) and revising sequences of CLOs linked to the same PLO, peer-review of CLOs for courses 22-30 of each REAL program, sharing the lessons learned as a result of application Desk Estimation Student Workload Estimation tool, and a training to prepare the application of Diary/Logbook Student Workload Estimation tool – for Line 2,
(3) Line 3 Topic 4: “How to help students embrace Outcomes-Based Education”, as well as the progress made by RPTs on Topics 1 – “How to engage students in learning & help them deal with failure?”, 2 – “How to incorporate principles of active learning in your course design and delivery?” and 3 – “How to assess what is most relevant?”
The National REAL Task Force representatives from MOES and the four REAL Universities had two separate working session on Day 3 – focused on project impact and dissemination beyond the REAL Programs and REAL Higher Education Institutions, and joined the REAL Program Teams during the Closing Plenary to hear about the progress achieved in the three project working lines: Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Studies (Line 1), Ensuring Feasibility of Higher Education Programs (Line 2) and Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching (Line 3).
The REAL General Meeting 4 was opened by the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaysone Phengsopha, Director General of DHE, MOES; and Asst. Prof. Thongsouk Keomany, NUOL Vice-President, and attended by Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl, as well as Mrs Saymano Sanoubane representing the EU Delegation to Lao PRD.
The Closing Plenary counted with presence of the CU Rector, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone; SKU Vice-Rector for Administration, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phetsamone Khattiyavong; SU Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vongpasith Chanthakhoun; NUOL Deputy Director of Cabinet and International Cooperation, Mr. Amkheng Phenglasy, as well as the Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, MOES, Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham, and the Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, MOES & Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR, Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth.
General Meeting 4 working sessions of REAL Program Teams were facilitated by Anna Banyavongsa (CU), Ladomchanh Khantry (NUOL), Sisoury Phommaseng (SU), Somchith Vongphachanh (CU), Saiphou Lormaisim (SKU), Soubanh Oudonemixay (SKU), Thavone Phommaseng (SU) and Maria Yarosh (University of Groningen).
“OBE and Learning Outcomes” training session for MOES experts
On March 23, 2026, a special full-day training session on Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), Internal Quality Assurance for OBE and the role of Learning Outcomes in planning for and monitoring implementation of OBE was held with MOES experts as participants.
The session was chaired by Dr. Ammani Norlin, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Higher Education; and facilitated by Dr. Maria Yarosh and Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham. It brought together 17 representatives of different MOES divisions.
Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Conference – Session for Lao Higher Education Institutions beyond the REAL consortium
On May 29, 2026, DHE, MOES ran a second edition of the online session to share the findings and methodology used to produce the “Graduate profiles that respond to the needs of society” report. This time, the audience included representatives of seven private Lao higher education institutions: Rattana Institute of Business Administration, Sengsavanh Institute of Business, Soutsaka Institute of Technology, Logos Institute of Foreign Language, Xaysombath technology institute, the Lao-American Institute and the Souksavath Economics Management Institute; as well as still further interested lecturers from NUOL, SU, CU and SKU.
Third Round of Building Up the Structural Reform events
Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Dissemination Events (1)
During the period of 29 December 2025 – 4 February 2026 the four Lao partner universities – NUOL, SKU, SU, and CU – organised the third round of ‘Building Up the Structural Reform’ events – internal dissemination events for own academics, administrators and authorities – aimed at helping to ensure institutional buy-in and achieve institution-wide impact. The seven sessions (three at SU and one at each of the other universities) brought together over 250 persons to share, learn about and discuss the REAL project progress three lines of work, the progress established by and during General Meeting 3, as well as the next steps and tasks to be carried out by REAL Programme Teams in the next months.
It is important to highlight that 161 participants of these events came from beyond the project teams – a further big step towards reaching the institution-wide impact.
During the same period, the 17 REAL Program Teams conducted faculty development workshops on “How to engage students in learning and help them deal with failure”.
All the Lao REAL partners organised dissemination events to share the findings of the “Graduate profiles that respond to the needs of society” report and to explain the methodology used to conduct the consultation with key stakeholders. Each university hosted internal dissemination sessions, while DHE, MOES, run an online Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Conference. Over 200 persons from outside the project teams attended.
Read “Graduate profiles that respond to the needs of society” report
For higher education studies to be relevant, they need to equip students with knowledge, skills and competences required for living and working together – they must respond to the needs of the society – local and global – for which they are striving to prepare highly qualified professionals and responsible citizens.
17 REAL Programme Teams from four Lao public universities conducted multi-stakeholder consultation based on the Tuning methodology in order to find out the current and upcoming needs of the Lao society. This was the first time such a consultation was organized in Lao PDR, with some programmes establishing contact with their alumni for the first time and other programmes exploring new – more effective – ways to engage in such a dialogue with relevant stakeholders beyond academia.
The result of these data collection efforts is the joint report about the desired Graduate Profiles that Respond to the Needs of Lao Society:
– the key elements of any graduate profile that must be catered for regardless of the subject area in order to prepare students for (self-)employment and active citizenship, as well as
– the most required components of graduate profile for 9 top-priority subject areas for Lao PDR: Animal Science, Business Administration, Economics for Rural Development and Business Promotion, Electrical Engineering, English Language, Food Technology, Tourism, Transportation, and Veterinary Medicine.
Based on the data collected during the period of May-August 2025, this first public report of the REAL Erasmus+ project includes an executive summary in English and the full report in Lao.
The Lao text contains the nine subject-area specific reports, and also describes the instruments used and the lessons learned – so as to guide other programmes and Higher Education Institutions in Lao PDR through the process of designing and running similar consultations.
The full document can be consulted and/or downloaded here.
Open Session 3 – 11 December 2025
On December 11, 2025, right after the Third REAL General Meeting, REAL Open Session no 3 was conducted in Pakse, Lao PDR.
This was the third time the REAL project was presented to key actors from beyond the consortium. Three types of stakeholders were invited: alumni, employers and representatives of higher education institutions (HEIs) based in Pakse (beyond CU). Project aims, expected outcomes and achievements so far have been presented, including the findings about what intended graduate profiles must include for graduates to be well prepared for (self-) employment in Lao PDR.
After this, alumni and employers were asked to share their experience and ideas about the aspects in OBE curriculum (re)design, implementation & IQA where engagement of different stakeholders can help improve the relevance & ensure added value of HE studies.
The project was represented by the REAL programme team members – Latsanyphone Soulignavong
(NUOL), Anousith Vannaphon (SU), Phonethep Porsavatdy (SKU) and Phoumchay Vongvilay (CU), as well as the National REAL Task Force members – Dr Ammany Norrinl, Deputy Director General HE, MOES; Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, CU Rector; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sithixay Xayavong, SKU Acting Rector; Ass. Prof. Dr. Ounlar Sivanpheng, NUOL Vice President; and Dr. Somchay Phaignavong, SU Vice Rector for Administration.
Third General Meeting - Pakse, 8 – 10 December 2025
The 17 REAL Programme Teams, accompanied by EU partner experts, had the third three-day working meeting on 8-10 December 2025. Hosted by CU, REAL Third General Meeting focused on:
(1) Finalising the report on Graduate Profiles that Respond to the Needs of Lao Society and launching preparation of the national-level consultation on ways to better articulate the added value of higher education studies – for Line 1;
(2) Peer-review of Programme Learning Outcomes and Course Learning Outcomes, as well as a first awareness-raising training session on Student Workload Estimation – for Line 2,
(3) Line 3 Topic 3: “How to assess what is most relevant?”, as well as the progress made by RPTs on Topics 1 – “How to engage students in learning & help them deal with failure?” – and 2 – “How to incorporate principles of active learning in your course design and delivery?”
The National REAL Task Force representatives from MOES, including
- Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl;
- Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham;
- Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, & Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR, Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth, and
- Head of Inspection, Monitoring and Evaluation, DHE, Mr. Phoutthasone Phommalath
as well as the highest educational authorities of the four Lao public universities – NUOL, CU, SKU and SU (see below) – had their own of working sessions on Day 1 (MOES, full day) and Day 3 (complete NRTF, full morning), and joined the REAL Programme Teams during the Closing Plenary to hear about the progress achieved in the three project working lines: Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Studies (Line 1), Ensuring Feasibility of Higher Education Programmes (Line 2) and Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching (Line 3).
The REAL General Meeting 3 was opened by the CU Rector, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, and Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl.
The Closing Plenary counted with presence and interventions from the CU Rector, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone; SKU Acting Rector, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Sithixay Xayavong; NUOL Vice President, Ass. Prof. Dr. Ounlar Sivanpheng; SU Vice Rector for Administration, Dr. Somchay Phaignavong, and Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl.
REAL Institutional Coordinators – Mrs. Nonghkane Phanthanalay (CU), Ms. Phetsavanh Somsivilay (SKU), Dr. Soubin Sisavath (NUOL), and Mr. Thavone Panmanivong (SU) presented REAL Institutional Extension Plans, while Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham and Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth presented an overview of MOES work on the project.
General Meeting 3 working sessions of REAL Programme Teams were co-facilitated jointly by Lao and EU experts.
Second Round of Building Up the Structural Reform events at Lao Universities
During the period of 16 September – 16 October 2025 the four Lao partner universities – SKU, SU, NUOL, and CU – organised the second round of ‘Building Up the Structural Reform’ events – internal dissemination events for own academics, administrators and authorities – aimed at helping to ensure institutional buy-in and achieve institution-wide impact. The four sessions brought together over 160 persons to share, learn about and discuss the REAL project objectives, expected outputs and outcomes, the REAL three lines of work, the progress established during General Meeting 2, as well as the next steps and tasks to be carried out by REAL Programme Teams during the months of September – December 2025.
It is important to highlight that 68 participants of these events came from beyond the project teams – this is a first important step towards reaching the institution-wide impact.
Open Session 2 – 29 August 2025
On August 29, 2025, right after the Second REAL General Meeting, REAL Open Session no 2 was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
This was the second time the REAL project was presented to key actors from beyond the consortium. Three types of stakeholders were invited: alumni, employers and representatives of higher education institutions (HEIs) based in Vientiane (beyond NUOL). Project aims, expected outcomes and achievements so far have been presented, including the first overview of the findings about what must intended graduate profiles include for graduates to be well prepared for (self-)employment in Lao PDR. After this, two parallel discussion sessions took place.
Representatives of HEIs discussed practices they found effective in identifying society needs with the aim of ensuring relevance of intended graduate profiles and learned more about the REAL consultation methodology. Alumni and employers were invited to share their experience and ideas about how they could contribute to the task of making higher education studies in Lao PDR more relevant and preparing graduates better for (self-)employment.
REAL programme team members – Thavone Panmanivong (SU), Bamphen Keomounkhoun (CU), Soubanh Oudonemixay (SKU), and Hongkham Vongxay (NUOL) – presented the project, while National REAL Task Force members – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khoune Sackbouavong (SKU), Dr. Nouphone Manivanh (SU), Mr. Amkheng Phenglasy (NUOL), Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth (MOES) and Dr. Khamkeo Hasana (MOES) – facilitated the two discussion sessions and collected inputs that will help in the follow-up work of the project.
Second General Meeting - Vientiane, 26 – 28 August 2025
The 17 REAL Programme Teams, accompanied by EU partner experts, had the second three-day working meeting on 26-28 August 2025. Hosted by NUOL, REAL Second General Meeting focused on:
(1) Sharing and discussing the findings of the Line 1 Consultations about the Desired Graduate Profiles conducted by the 17 programmes between May and July 2025, and sharing the meta-lessons learned about ways to engage alumni and employers in a dialogue about ways to increase the relevance of higher education studies – for Line 1;
(2) Peer-review of Course Learning Outcomes and a training session on Programme Learning Outcomes – for Line 2,
(3) Line 3 Topic 1: “How to engage students in learning & help them deal with failure?” (discussing pedagogical improvements experimented with and brainstorming how other REAL programme team members can be encouraged to introduce similar enhancements in their teaching practice and what kind of professional development workshops might best meet the needs of fellow academics) and Line 3 Topic 2: “How to incorporate principles of active learning in your course design and delivery?” (sharing and discussing the ASK Students findings, putting together what research says, and planning for the next steps, including experimenting with active learning techniques most suitable for participants’ teaching contexts).
The National REAL Task Force representatives from MOES, including
- Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl;
- Acting Director General, Department of Education Quality Assurance, Mr. Panya CHANTHAVONG;
- Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham;
- Head of Inspection, Monitoring and Evaluation, DHE, Mr. Phoutthasone Phommalath, and
- Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, & Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR, Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth,
as well as the highest educational authorities of the four Lao public universities – NUOL, CU, SKU and SU (see below) – had their own of working sessions on Day 2 (full day) and Day 3 (morning), and joined the REAL Programme Teams during the Closing Plenary to hear about the progress achieved in the three project working lines: Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Studies (Line 1), Ensuring Feasibility of Higher Education Programmes (Line 2) and Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching (Line 3).
The REAL General Meeting 2 was opened by the NUOL President, Prof. Dr. Dexanourath Seneduangdeth, Director General of the Department of Higher Education, MOES, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lavanh Vongkhamsane, and the EU Ambassador to Lao PDR H.E. Mr. Mark Gallagher. The Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR was also represented by Mrs Saymano Sanoubane.
The Closing Plenary counted with presence and interventions from the NUOL Vice President for Academic Affairs, Asst. Prof. Thongsouk Keomany; CU President, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone; SKU President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khoune Sackbouavong; Dr. Nouphone Manivanh on behalf of the SU President, and Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl.
REAL Institutional Coordinators – Dr. Soubin Sisavath (NUOL), Ms. Phetsavanh Somsivilay (SKU), Mr. Thavone Panmanivong (SU), and Mrs. Nongkhane Phanthanalay (CU) presented overview of the work established at each Lao partner university during the first semester of the project, while Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth presented an overview of MOES work on the project.
General Meeting 2 working sessions of REAL Programme Teams were co-facilitated jointly by Lao and EU experts.
First Round of Building Up the Structural Reform events at Lao Universities
During the period of 30 April – 22 May 2025 the four Lao partner universities – CU, SKU, SU & NUOL – organised the first round of ‘Building Up the Structural Reform’ events – internal dissemination events for own academics, administrators and authorities – aimed at helping to ensure institutional buy-in and achieve institution-wide impact. The seven sessions (SU organised the event in four sessions), brought together over 150 persons to share, learn about and discuss the project objectives, expected outputs and outcomes, the REAL three lines of work, the progress established during General Meeting 1, as well as the next steps and tasks to be carried out by REAL Programme Teams during the months of May – August 2025.
Open Session 1 - 3 April 2025
On April 3, 2025, right after the First REAL General Meeting, REAL Open Session no 1 was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This was the first time the REAL project was presented to key actors from beyond the consortium: representatives of the fifth Lao public university – UHS, and representatives of the labour market, such as Lao Association of Travel Agents, INTHIRA Group, 108jobs, Sitthi Logistics Company, and L-JAT Airport and Terminal Service Company, whose engagement with the project activities will be crucial in the upcoming months, when the Consultation about the Desired Graduate Profiles will seek in inputs from employers and recent graduates. The presentations made by representatives of the REAL Programme Teams from the four Lao public universities – Dr. Lotchana Taysayavong (CU), Dr. Latsanyphone Soulignavong (NUOL), Thavone Panmanivong (SU), & Khonesavanh Norasane (SKU) – and REAL National Task Force members – Dr Ammany Norrinl, Deputy Director General HE, MOES; Asst. Prof. Thongsouk Keomany, NUOL Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Somchay Phaignavong, SU Vice President for Administration; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khoune Sackbouavong, SKU President; and Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, CU Acting President; – were followed by discussion with active participation of all those attending. Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR was represented by Mrs. Saymano Sanoubane.
First General Meeting - Vientiane, 31 March - 2 April 2025
The 17 REAL Programme Teams, accompanied by EU partner experts, had a three-day working meeting on March 31st-April 2nd, 2025. Hosted by NUOL, REAL First General Meeting focused on:
(1) Preparation of the Line 1 Consultation about the Desired Graduate Profiles,
(2) Learning Outcomes as essential element of Internal Quality Assurance efforts for effective OBE implementation, with the “Learning Outcomes: why and what for?” first Line 2 capacity building session, and
(3) Line 3 Topic 1: “How to engage students in learning & help them deal with failure?” (sharing and discussing the ASK Students findings, learning what research says, and planning for the next steps, including experimenting with new ways to engage students in learning even better).
The National REAL Task Force representatives from MOES, including
- Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl;
- Acting Director General, Department of Education Quality Assurance, Mr. Panya CHANTHAVONG;
- Head of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, Mrs. Nilinthone Sacklokham;
- Deputy Head of the Education Qualifications Management Division, DEQA, Ms. Monica Thipphalangsy;
- Head of Inspection, Monitoring and Evaluation, DHE, Mr. Phoutthasone Phommalath,
- Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, & Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Lao PDR, Dr. Viengdavong Luangsithideth, and
- Officer of Academic Affairs Division, DHE, Mr. Khamla Volady;
as well as the highest educational authorities of the four Lao public universities – NUOL, SU, CU & SKU (see below) – had a number of working sessions and joined the REAL Programme Teams during the Closing Plenary to hear about the progress achieved in the three project working lined: Ensuring Relevance of Higher Education Studies (Line 1), Ensuring Feasibility of Higher Education Programmes (Line 2) and Ensuring Effectiveness of Teaching (Line 3).
The REAL General Meeting 1 was opened by the NUOL Acting President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dexanourath Seneduangdeth, and Director General Department of Higher Education, MOES, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lavanh Vongkhamsane. The Closing Plenary counted with presence and interventions from the NUOL Vice President for Academic Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Thongsouk Keomany; SU Vice President for Administration, Dr. Somchay Phaignavong; SKU President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khoune Sackbouavong; CU Acting President, Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone; and Deputy Director General HE, MOES, Dr Ammany Norrinl. Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR was represented by Mrs Saymano Sanoubane. REAL Institutional Coordinators – Dr. Soubin Sisavath (NUOL), Mr. Thavone Panmanivong (SU), Ms. Phetsavanh Somsivila (SKU) and Mrs. Nonghkane Phanthanalay (CU) – and REAL Dissemination Team members from the five Lao partner institutions also contributed to the success of the first project face-to-face meeting.
February 2025 - Kick-Off Sessions
In February 2025, all the project teams were formed: REAL Programme Teams (5 in NUOL, 4 in SU, 4 in SKU & 4 in CU), REAL Institutional Units in four universities, National REAL Task Force led by MOES, REAL Steering Committee and REAL Dissemination Team.
On 11, 12, 19 and 20 February REAL Online Kick-Off Meeting sessions were conducted:
1) General project presentation,
2) Project Financial & Administrative Management,
3) First Academic Tasks Q&A session: what each REAL Programme Team needs to do BEFORE the 1st General Meeting, and
4) First Dissemination Team meeting
107 representatives of partner institutions took part in the sessions – a great start of the REAL 4-year journey!
REAL Erasmus+ project: 101177156