Adaptive Teaching for Transformation: Substance Delivery of a Doctoral Literature Review Course for International HRD Students in Thailand

Abstract

Service providers on international doctoral programs aim to transform clients’ mental models through delivering new knowledge and intellectual skills in ways adapted to clients’ cultural and intellectual legacy. This paper describes tensions and dilemmas experienced in delivering an ‘authentic’ course on the literature review in Thailand in 2007-8. It analyses the substance of teaching as a professional service, course delivery and criterion-referenced effects in a specific context. It describes challenges faced by ‘embedded’ international teaching staff.

Key words : service substance, transformational learning, adaptive teaching, international doctoral programs