Taking Education Beyond Campus: Walailak University’s Educational Outreach for Schools and Communities

24Sep 2026 by Suphanida Duangchinda

Sustainability and Stewardship

Walailak University promotes access to education and learning opportunities for the public through Education outreach activities beyond campus in local schools and communities. The University undertakes both programmed activities that are implemented continuously as part of ongoing programmes and ad-hoc activities that respond to the specific needs of target groups. These educational outreach activities include lectures, training workshops, demonstrations, consultations, field-based learning, and voluntary student-run activities.

Educational Outreach in Local Schools

Walailak University undertakes a wide range of educational outreach activities in local schools, focusing on developing the skills and potential of children and young people while supporting teachers and schools in improving the quality of learning.

One ongoing programme is the Early Childhood Education Equity Project (ECEEP), implemented by lecturers from the School of Education, Walailak University, in collaboration with early childhood development centres under Thaiburi Subdistrict Administrative Organization. The project has been continuously implemented for five years, from 2020 to 2025. It aims to improve the quality of early childhood education through the development of model learning centres based on the HighScope approach, teacher training and follow-up, home visits, systematic assessment of children’s development using the standard DSPM tool, and the development of learning materials to promote Executive Functions (EF). The project also provides a School Lab/Sandbox where pre-service early childhood education students can gain professional experience through real-world learning environments. The activities demonstrate collaboration among the University, teachers, local authorities, and parents. Children’s development is monitored across five areas: gross motor (GM), fine motor and cognitive development (FM), receptive language (RL), expressive language (EL), and personal-social development (PS). The project also includes a Social Return on Investment (SROI) assessment to examine its social value.

The HighScope approach, teacher training and follow-up, home visits

DSPM

Capacity Building & Community Engagement

School Lab

The University also conducts an English language enhancement activity for students at Chumchon Mai School, implemented by lecturers together with first-year English-major students. This educational outreach activity connects university learning with a local school and community. It consists of supplementary English lessons, the Reading Buddies activity in which university students support younger pupils’ reading skills, library improvement, and book donations to expand the school’s learning resources. Students receive support in developing English skills in pronunciation, reading, writing, vocabulary, listening, and speaking. At the same time, university students apply their classroom knowledge in a real school setting and develop teamwork, leadership, responsibility, and problem-solving skills. The activity received an Outstanding Award from the Upper Southern Higher Education Development Network under the U-School project for improving education quality and local development through higher education institutions serving as mentors.

In addition, the University has developed knowledge packages and learning materials using English storytelling to support learning experiences for young children. These materials are designed for use in schools and educational settings and cover topics such as body parts and tooth brushing, traffic lights, lions and wolves, as well as English songs for developing young children’s learning skills. These resources extend knowledge and learning opportunities from the University to children in local educational settings.

As part of its ad-hoc activities, the University conducts an environmental STEM learning activity linking education with current climate change issues. Lecturers from the School of Science work with schools and the international GLOBE network to provide teachers and students with practical learning experiences. Students and teachers receive training and conduct field-based environmental data collection on topics including PM2.5, CO, temperature, rainfall, water quality, mosquito breeding sites, soil moisture, and the urban heat island phenomenon. They also learn to use GLOBE Observer and scientific instruments and to analyse environmental data.

A total of 8 schools, 59 teachers, and 380 students participated in the activities and jointly developed 15 environmental research projects. A project by Pathumanukul School, Nakhon Si Thammarat, received the 1st IVSS Asia Pacific Region award for research on water quality and phytoplankton during a red tide event in the Thong Kham Bay area, Tha Sala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. This demonstrates how educational outreach activities beyond campus can provide students with opportunities to engage in scientific investigation and communicate research findings in an authentic learning context.

The University also conducts an educational activity on rabies prevention for school students. The Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College provides knowledge through performances and demonstrations conducted by veterinary students at Kanlayani Si Thammarat School, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The activity helps students understand rabies prevention, appropriate animal care, and correct actions following a dog bite. It is an example of taking university knowledge beyond campus and delivering age-appropriate educational outreach directly to young people in a local school.

Educational Outreach in Local Communities

In addition to local schools, Walailak University extends educational outreach activities beyond campus to local communities through training, consultation, knowledge exchange, and skills development that respond to community needs.

A key example is the Development of Swine Production and Farm Management System to Create Career Security project, which has worked continuously with local farmers from before 2020 through 2025. The project develops knowledge and skills across the swine production value chain, including farmer group formation, selection and development of quality breeding stock, production of quality boar semen, feed formulation, farm management using Biosecurity systems, and the use of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) as an alternative protein source. The programme also extends learning to downstream activities, including pork processing and the development of community products.

The project provides training, knowledge exchange, and opportunities for farmers to access University facilities to support learning and production development. Results show an average participant satisfaction rate of 92.01%, while participating farmers reduced swine feed costs by 10%. The project also conducted an SROI assessment, which resulted in an SROI value of 55.39, based on economic and social benefits generated over a 12-month period.

Another example is the “Simple Law: Know Your Rights, Stay Ahead” activity, which brings legal knowledge to older people at the Health Rehabilitation and Capacity Development Centre for Older Persons and the Community Learning Centre at Thung Tha Lat, under the Social Welfare Division of Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality. The activity uses lectures, educational performances, and consultations to communicate legal knowledge relevant to everyday life, including inheritance law, borrowing money, debt guarantees, and marriage equality law.

University students also work directly with older people in the community, listening to their concerns, providing consultations, and explaining the procedures for preparing legally enforceable wills. This activity demonstrates student-run educational outreach, through which students apply academic knowledge in real community settings while creating accessible learning opportunities for community members.

Extending Learning Through Continuous and Responsive Outreach

These activities demonstrate Walailak University’s commitment to taking education beyond campus and extending learning opportunities to local schools and communities. Programmed activities support continuous development through training, follow-up, assessment, and long-term capacity building, while ad-hoc activities respond to specific educational needs of schools and communities, including STEM and climate change education, rabies prevention, and legal education.

Together, these Education outreach activities beyond campus facilitate knowledge transfer, skills development, experiential learning, problem-solving, and partnership building among the University, schools, students, teachers, local authorities, farmers, and community members. The activities are supported by evidence, including participation data, developmental assessments, research projects, awards, satisfaction assessments, and SROI results.

Evidence of these educational outreach activities and their outcomes is also made public through news reports and activity information published on the official websites of the University’s schools, colleges, and academic and administrative units. This public evidence demonstrates the University’s continuing efforts to extend educational opportunities beyond campus and make university knowledge accessible to local schools and communities.

Related links:

https://cas.wu.ac.th/archives/25425

https://cas.wu.ac.th/archives/27649

https://cas.wu.ac.th/archives/30580

https://cas.wu.ac.th/archives/30661

https://cas.wu.ac.th/archives/31601

https://cse.wu.ac.th/?p=24948

https://cse.wu.ac.th/?page_id=15503

https://ces.wu.ac.th/registrar/project/lifelong/home.asp?m=2

https://blog.wu.ac.th/archives/264

https://blog.wu.ac.th/

https://thaimooc.org/taxonomy/publisher/wu