TRACER STUDY

Introduction This introduction section includes brief introduction of the Asian Institute of Technology with its three schools and two satellite centers, a chronology of tracer studies in AIT, and tracer study of AIT graduates with Norwegian scholarship. 1.1Asian Institute of Technology

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), as an autonomous, international, postgraduate institution was established in 1959 to help meet the growing need for advanced education in Asia. Three schools, and the AIT Center in Vietnam, provide advanced education, training and research in the areas of engineering; environment and development; and management, to meet the needs of private and public sectors. For more than five decades, AIT has been an active partner in the promotion of technological change and development in the Asia-Pacific region. AIT today has graduated more than 16,000 graduates from more than 80 countries, and currently has an enrollment of over 1,800 full time students tutored by an international team of faculty and staff drawn from all over the world. English is the medium of instruction and written work, as well as the official administrative language. The brief introduction of the three schools and two satellite centers is presented hereunder.1.1.1School of Environment, Resources and Development

The School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) is committed to play a leadership role in the provision of excellent academic, research and outreach programme that are relevant to the region. Through its academic programmes and outreach units, SERD, AITs largest school, has been working towards capacity building and human resources development in the areas of environment and resources management, poverty alleviation and socio-economic/gender development. SERD mission is to respond to regional needs by mobilizing and enhancing capacities for socially, economically and environmentally sound development in partnership with the public and private sectors. The school follows an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the technological, natural and social sciences. The academic programs of SERD are designed to be responsive to the regional needs in poverty Reduction, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development. They are categorized into three academic thrusts, namely: Bioresources, Environment and Energy and development studies, and comprising of the following fields of study:1. Agricultural Systems and Engineering

2. Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management

3. Food Engineering and Bioprocess Technology4. Energy

5. Environmental Engineering and Management

6. Pulp and Paper Technology

7. Gender and Development Studies

8. Natural Resources Management

9. Regional and Rural Development Planning

10. Urban Environmental Management.

1.1.2School of Engineering and TechnologySchool of Engineering and Technology (SET) is the synergistic integration in November 2005 of the two former Schools, namely, the School of Civil Engineering (SCE) and the School of Advanced Technologies (SAT). Historically, these two schools came into existence only in January 1993 when the Institute reorganized the need to reform its academic structure from smaller-sized units called "Divisions" to larger bodies named "Schools". The School of Civil Engineering (SCE) represents the legacy of AIT when it was established with a single field of study in Hydraulics Engineering. Subsequently, other civil engineering fields of study were launched to assist the recovery from the ravages of the Second World War. SCE emphasized on a learning process that combines theoretical problem-solving and real life application of engineering principles. Its research orientation was outward-looking, addressing the actual and anticipated needs of the built environment. The School of Advanced Technologies (SAT) consisted of fields of study that were launched in response to the needs of the regional industrialization in the second and third decades of AIT's existence. The School was committed to being international, multidisciplinary centers of excellence in Information, Communications, Industrial Systems, and Space Technologies through education, research and outreach.

SET amalgamating SCE and SAT is striving to create synergies between the activities of the two former schools to build up world-class multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary education, research and outreach activities across the boundaries of traditional fields of knowledge. More interdisciplinary programs are being launched so faculty members can work effectively across the disciplinary walls. The new school is enhancing its academic portfolio by emphatically injecting the "5I" features namely internationality, innovation, integration, information technology and industrial partnership. SET is comprised of the three broad groups and several fields of studies which are listed hereunder. The Civil and Infrastructure Engineering group includes the following field of studies:

1. Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure Management (CEIM)

2. Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (GTE)

3. Geosystem Exploration and Petroleum GeoEngineering (GEPG)

4. Structural Engineering (STE)

5. Transportation Engineering (TRE)

6. Water Engineering and Management (WEM) The Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) group is comprised of the following field of studies:

1. Mechatronics (MEC)

2. Microelectronics (MIC)

3. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME)

The fields in the Information and Communications group are: 1. Computer Science (CS)

2. Information Management (IM)

3. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (RS-GIS)

4. Telecommunications (TC)

1.1.3School of Management

The School of Management (SOM) has academic programs which are of international standard and are adapted to the needs and challenges of the economies in an increasingly competitive region. SOM offers MBA, PhD, Executive MBA and DBA Programs. All academic programs are conducted in English. The MBA Program encourages participative learning and use a variety of interactive learning methodologies. Programs are designed for students to learn latest management concepts, techniques and tools, but more importantly, to develop skills and attitude of listening and understanding others, holistic thinking, collective decision making, leading by example, communicating, negotiating, and being sensitive to societal concerns. SOM provides exceptional individuals with a supportive environment in which they can develop their skills and aptitudes, helping them to reach their professional goals and to serve the interests of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The curriculum is necessarily interdisciplinary, integrating as it consists elements from engineering, economics, social psychology and management fields. It is structured in such a way as to include the integrated components of the school required courses, electives or focus courses, and/or an MBA Project or Research Study.

There are three distinct Executive MBA Programs - EMBA in Bangkok, EMBA - Human Resources Management (EMBA-HRM) and International EMBA (iEMBA) in Vietnam. The three EMBA programs have different segmentation and cater to management context of each segment. All the EMBA programs are of equal value and quality aiming at different target groups. SOM offers two distinct doctoral programs - PhD and DBA. The PhD program focuses on research work embedded in theories from social sciences and humanities, and prepares students for teaching and research-related jobs. DBA is a professional doctorate program, where the research is rooted in the context of professional practice making a significant contribution to management practice, policy or strategy. The two programs have different segmentation and cater to research context of each segment. Both programs are of equal value and quality aiming at different target groups. Both involve the development of substantial standard research work.1.1.4 AIT Satellite Center in Vietnam and IndonesiaIt was in 1993 when AIT Center in Vietnam (AITCV) was established in Hanoi, Vietnam then it has been gaining appreciation and supports. Now it is well-structured in operation and is widely recognized. Flexibility and continuous search for innovation and creativity characterize AITCV. It serves as a bridge between the University, Society and Industry. And this forms the essence of our vision: to be an international gateway for technology transfer supporting national development, education and outreach activities to achieve the best efficiency, responsiveness and quality. AITCV activities can be classified by 3 main kinds:1. Academic programs, including Two-stage Masters, Executive Master, Professional Masters; International Masters of Advanced Studies, and Doctoral programs (DBA),2. Short-term training courses specialized in many fields, including Management and Business, Environment and Development, Language and Training, Advanced Technologies, etc. and,3. Consultancy services.It was in mid 2006 when AIT Center in Indonesia (AIT-CI) was established as a collaborative institution for Human Resource Development located in Bangdung, Indonesia to facilitate and work on research and development, consultancy, professional trainings and higher education program according to Indonesian regulations. AIT-CI was established based on collaboration between Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Thailand and The Government of Indonesia (GOI) represented by Ministry of Public Works (MPW) Indonesia. AIT-CIhas clearly mentioned its vision to be the best education institution in providing the best human resources in regional and international level. AIT-CI carries out short term mission, namely (1) Spreading out of science and technology which has been developed by AIT to support development in Indonesia, especially in the field of construction industries, (2) Increasing quality of human resources in Indonesia through professional trainings and higher education programs such as certificate and diploma programs leading to master's and doctoral programs, (3) Increasing regional partnership and collaboration in the field of science and technology, information management, research and development, training and education. AIT-CI has already started the dual master degree program on transportation engineering and management. This program is tailor made to meet the need of capacity building for the Directorate General of Highway. It is in collaboration with the Gadjah Mada University (GMU), Yogyakarta and this program offers two degrees: a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) from GMU and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) from AIT.

1.2Trace Studies in AIT

The tracer study of AIT graduates has been one of the important research activities in AIT. The first tracer study was done in 1971. The periodic tracing of AIT alumni focuses on updating the alumni directory and gathering certain information required for the improvement of AIT curriculum, teaching, research, extension, and networking. As of January, 2009, altogether 14 AIT Alumni tracer studies, including this one, Tracer Study of AIT Graduates with Norwegian Scholarship (2005 to mid 2008) have been conducted. These all are listed hereunder in chronological order:

1. Enquiry into the Whereabouts of AIT Graduates (unpublished survey, 1971).

2. Questionnaire to the AIT Graduates (unpublished survey, 1973).

3. Alumni Tracer Study and Employer Survey (covering the years of graduation from 1961 until 1976; published in 1978).

4. Revised Tracer Study on Alumni from 1976 -1979 and Alumni Directory 1961 - 1979 (published in 1980).

5. Tracer Study and Directory of Alumni for the Period 1961 - 1981 (published in 1982).

6. Tracer Study 1961 - 1984 Alumni (published in 1985).

7. AIT Alumni 1961 - 1987 Tracer Study (published in 1990).

8. 1990 Alumni Tracer Study (published in 1991)

9. AIT Alumni 1961 - 1990 Employer Study. Interim Report on Preliminary Findings (published in 1992).

10. AIT Women Graduates Tracer Study, 1961 - 1990 (Asian Women and Technological Careers, 1992).

11. AIT Alumni Tracer Study (published 1993).

12. Tracer Study of AIT Alumnae and Alumni with German Scholarship or Fellowship, 1972 - 1999 (published in 2002).

13. Tracer Study: Urban Environmental Management Graduates, 1998 - 2005 (published in 2006).

14. Tracer Study of AIT Graduates with Norwegian Scholarship, 2005 - May 2008 (published in 2009).

1.3Tracer Study of AIT Graduates with Norwegian Scholarship

Alumni tracer studies are the most important vehicle to build strong bonds between the Alma Mater and the ever-increasing graduates. This is feasible through two perspectives. From one perspective, the alumni are the rich source of feedback for improvements in the course curriculum, teaching, research, extension, and networking. On the other, the tracer study helps to measure the extent of professional and academic careers pursued by the graduates after gaining knowledge and skill through academic institutions like Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).As of mid-2008, AIT produced 15,981 alumni with 11,983 males and 3,998 females from 82 countries and territories. Starting from 1971 to date altogether 14 tracer studies of AIT graduates have been done in different formats and with different foci. The latest one was conducted in 2008/09 for the AIT graduates with Norwegian Scholarship (2003 May 2008), which is most comprehensive and more scientific since both the parametric and non-parametric statistical tools are used in data analysis and interpretation. The total target population was 82 (29 male AIT graduates and 53 female AIT graduates) belonging to 9 countries of South and Southeast Asia who have graduated from AIT during 2005 to May 2008. Since female AIT graduates are far more than male graduates, the gender analyses are made considering one of the most important aspects of this tracer study.

1.3.1Objectives 1. To find out the effectiveness and relevance of AIT degree as a resource and credential for employment/job placement upon graduation from AIT; employment opportunities for graduates for both men and women.2. To find out the relevance of AIT courses/curricula and research to the current job function and professional development in respective fields, and furthering academic/scientific pursuits.3. To find out the professional status and ranks of the AIT graduates in their respective employments.4. To assess the level of networking among AIT graduates and recommendations to strengthen the existing network among them.5. To assess the gender awareness of AIT graduates in their respective professions.6. To assess the contribution of AIT graduates in the development of their home countries and of the region; including contribution to poverty alleviation and to fulfill AITs mission.1.3.2Organizational Structure of the Tracer Study

The whole report can be divided into the three major parts: pre-introduction (title page, foreword, preface, acknowledgement, executive summary, table of contents, list of abbreviations); appendices (appendix tables, coordination schema, questionnaires, list of AIT graduates with Norwegian scholarships marked with respondents and non-respondents with their addresses and contact details); and main body which is comprised of the following 12 sections:

1 Introduction

2 Research Design

3 AIT Graduates

4 Graduates before Studying at AIT

5 Studies at AIT

6 Feedbacks on Teaching, Research and Services7 Career Decision and Employments8 Relevancies and Effectiveness

9 Development Activities and Networking10 Partnership and Suggestions11 Perspectives of Employers and Peers on AIT Graduates

12 Key Findings and RecommendationsResearch Design

The research design covered two major aspects: conceptual framework and the entire research process. The conceptual framework depicts the types and levels of research, survey organization, followed by data processing and outputs (Figure 2.1). The entire research process includes different activities to be performed in terms of survey organization, data collection, data analysis, and report writing.

Fig. 2.1: Conceptual Framework of the Tracer Study of AIT Graduates 2003 - 2008

2.1Survey Organization

Organization of the survey included activities related to preparing coordination schema (Appendix-1); questionnaires for the AIT graduates, their employers and peers; and updating the alumni addresses or the contact details. The questionnaire for the AIT graduates (2005 2008) was developed based on coordination schema (Appendix 1) which included seven sections, namely, idiographic data; earlier status (before studying at AIT); feedback on teaching, research, and services at AIT; career decision immediately after graduation from AIT; relevancy / effectiveness of AIT studies in professional career; alumni involved in developmental activities and networking; and AIT alumni suggestions for partnership with AIT. Pre-testing of the questionnaires was followed by a final version of the questionnaires.

In order to get the work done in time, the researcher was fully assisted by two full time junior researchers (Research Associate and Research Assistants), two Student Assistants, and some Focal Persons from the countries with higher number of AIT graduates (2005 mid 2008). The junior researchers mainly involved in survey organization, data collection and data entry. Focal Persons and Student Assistants helped in updating contact details of the target AIT graduates and also requesting and reminding them to return the completed questionnaires to AIT.

2.2Data Collection

The data collection is one of most important features of this tracer study. The population of this tracer study constituted by the entire AIT graduates between 2005 and mid-2008, which total 82 (M : F = 29 : 53). These graduates are from 9 countries, namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Considering a census survey, this study aimed at getting completed questionnaires from all. However, slightly more than 80 percent of the target respondents returned their completed questionnaire. Except in the situation where face to face interview was possible, all the questionnaires developed for AIT graduates (2005- 2008) were sent by post and email or requested for the online submission and from the AIT website. A few employer and peers were directly met by the researcher and enquired their impression on AIT graduates and AIT itself. Focal Persons were mobilized to ensure the receipt of questionnaires by each AIT graduate (2005 - mid 2008) presently living in his or her home country. In addition, they were requested to send reminders for filling and sending the completed questionnaires to AIT. The field visits were made to five countries, namely, Cambodia, Loa PDR, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. The intensive use of local and international telephone services were made to update contact details of the target alumni and to request them to return completed questionnaires. 2.3Data Analysis and Report Writing

The commonly used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), latest version (16) used to enter and analyze data. Before venturing into the data analysis, data updating and validating was done. As per requirements, some intervening variables were developed for cross-tabulations. Both parametric and non-parametric statistical tools were used for data analyses. The parametric tools (such as Means, Standard Deviation, Standard Error, Comparing means through t-Test and ANOVA) were used when data have the characteristics of probability and normal distribution characteristics. The non parametric tools (such as Spearmans rank correlation coefficient, Chi-square test, Correspondence analysis and Wilcoxon related sample tests) were used when data have ranking but no clear numerical interpretation. The analyzed data were presented into tabular and graphical forms when writing the reports. The entire tabular or graphical forms were discussed under different sub-titles such as Idiographic Information, Earlier Status, Studies at AIT, Feedback on the Quality Standards, Professional Career, Satisfaction with the AIT Studies, Gender Issues, Impact, Usefulness, Relevance, Networking, Suggestions for Improvement, Employers Perspective, and Peers Viewpoint.

2.4Scope and Limitation

The study has a wider scope since it covers cross sectional data of nine countries from South and Southeast Asian regions. The target population consisted of substantial number of female (53) compared to male (29) AIT graduates which provided sufficient ground for gender analyses on various aspects of AIT education and Alumnis professional advancements. A full attempt was made to get the completed questionnaire from all the target AIT graduates, however, due to time and budget constraints, it was only possible to get 80.5 percent response rate.

. AIT Graduates3.1 AIT Graduates So far AIT has been able to celebrate 110 graduation ceremonies and to award altogether 16, 201 academic degrees in terms of Diploma, MBA, MBA (E), M. Eng., M. Eng. (P), M. Sc., M. Sc. (P), D. Eng., D. Tech. Sc. and Ph. D. as presented in Figure 3.1. It is evident that M. Eng. degree alone has been received by more than 50 percent of the total awardees. These academic degrees were received by the students of 82 countries of Asia, Europe, America and Africa.

Figure 3.1: Total AIT Academic Degrees Awarded as of December 2008

Source: AIT Graduation Book, 110th Graduation, 19 December 2008.3.2 Norwegian Scholarship Recipients: Total and Respondent GraduatesAs of May 2008, altogether 82 persons received Norwegian Scholarships who represent two Asia regions and 9 Asian countries. A large majority (65%) is from South Asia region and its countries, namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The remaining graduates (35%) are from South-east Asia and its countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. This means the donor has been giving more focus in South Asia for strengthening academic and research capabilities required for the sustainable development of this region. When further analysis was done from the gender perspective it was found that priority was given to females. Therefore the total 82 graduates who received Norwegian scholarships comprised by 53 Females (65%) and 29 males (35%). Out of the total 82 target graduates who received Norwegian scholarships for their studies in AIT, 66 graduates (80.5%) submitted the filled questionnaires through email (73%), online (21%), and personal interview (6%).In terms of percentage, the overall response rate was found lower from South Asia (74%) compared to South-east Asia (93%). One of the main reasons is that many graduates from South Asia have limited access to email internet services in comparison to the graduates from Southeast Asia. Except from Cambodia, 100 percent target alumni submitted their completed questionnaires from Southeast Asian countries. There was only one target alumnus from Pakistan and he did not submit despite lot of requests and reminders. The largest response rate was found from Nepal comparing to other countries in South Asia. The response rates were also looked from the gender perspective of responding AIT graduates by their countries. The higher proportion of male respondents (80%) compared to female respondents (60%) was found in Bangladesh. Altogether 50% of the males and 33% of the females submitted their questionnaires from Bhutan. Out of 6 target AIT graduates (5 males and 1 female) in Cambodia from where four males (80%) submitted their completed questionnaires. There were only 2 target AIT graduates in Lao PDR who were females and both of them submitted their questionnaires. Likewise there was only one target graduate (female) from Myanmar who also submitted the completed questionnaire. More proportion of female respondents (93%) compared to male respondents (86%) was found in Nepal. Similar trend was found in Sri Lanka as 75 percent of the target male graduates and 67 percent of the target female graduates submitted their questionnaires. There were 5 males and 15 Females as the target AIT graduates in Vietnam and all of them submitted their questionnaires. GraduatesBefore Studying at AIT

Considering very few but important aspects of the AIT graduates before their studies in AIT; an small attempt was made to inquire about their last or highest academic degrees, sources of information on knowing study programs at AIT, job experiences, and main reason to pursue post graduate studies at AIT. 4.1Academic Degrees before Studying at AIT

The analyses of the highest or last academic degrees of the respondent AIT graduates were made and it was found that 74 percent of them had Bachelor degrees followed by Masters degrees (24%) and Diploma (2%). Majority of the AIT graduates (53%) had the science background followed by engineering (28%) and of humanities and social sciences (20%). It was found that 61 (92%) of the total 66 respondents had got their highest or last academic degrees from their own countries. Remaining 5 (8%) respondents had received their last degrees before studying at AIT from other than their own countries. Among these 5 respondents 3 (60%) were found to be Nepali Nationals. Among the remaining 2 (40%) respondents, one is Cambodian who had master degree (ME) from USSR and another one was Bhutanese with BE from India. Similarly, among the three Nepali, one had master degree (M. Sc.) from Bangladesh and two had bachelor degrees (one with BE from India and another with BA from US). The target AIT graduates were inquired about the main institute or university from where the highest degrees were obtained. The Khulna University, Bangladesh Agriculture University, Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, University of Chittagong, and University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh; the Royal University of Bhutan in Bhutan; Royal University of Cambodia in Cambodia; National University of Laos and Rattana Business Administration College in Lao PDR; Myanmar Institute of Theology in Myanmar; Tribhuvan University in Nepal; University of Ruhuna, University of Jaffna, University of Peradeniya, and University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka; and Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University of Sciences; Danag University, Hanoi University of Sciences, Hanoi National University, Hanoi University of Technology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi University of Foreign Studies, Hanoi University of Foreign languages, Nha Trang University of Fisheries, Can Tho University, Transport Development Strategy Institute, and Water Resources University in Vietnam are the academic institutions where from Norwegian Scholarship recipients had got their highest degrees from their respective countries.

4.2Graduation Year and Field of Specialization

The graduation year for the last degrees of the target alumni before studying at AIT ranges from 1984 to 2007. However, the larger number of respondents indicated that they were graduated mostly during the period of 1997 to 2005. The one who had graduated in 1984 was come to study in AIT in 2007 at the age of 48 years.

The specialization of the earlier studies before enrolling in AIT covered various fields such as agriculture, animal science, aquaculture, fisheries, botany, biotechnology, chemistry, environmental science, economics, business administration, finance and banking, transportation, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, natural resources, forestry, geography, public administration, public health, leather technology, land management, limnology, and English language.4.3Knowing about Studies at AITBased on the multiple responses received from the respondent AIT graduates, one can easily realize that parents, relatives, and friends are the largest sources for the studies in AIT. The second largest source is constituted by the AIT alumni followed by the AIT Homepage, former university professors, former classmates, advertisement in television, employer and co-worker, AIT faculty and staff, university placement office, advertisement through radio and FM, advertisement in Newspaper and AIT visits. 4.4Work Experiences before Enrolling in AITOut of the 66 respondent AIT graduates, eighty-six percent had work experiences ranging from 1 to 23 years. This means a large majority of the respondent graduates had work experiences before coming to study in AIT. Out of 56 AIT graduates with work experiences and 55 of them indicated their main employer types. 4.5Type of Employer before AITThe Academic and Research Institutions were providing employment for the highest proportion (40%) of the respondent AIT graduates before enrolling at AIT. Similarly 27% of them were employed by their respective Central Governments followed by International Regional Organization and Private Sector (11% each), Non-Governmental Organizations (7%) and Regional or /and Local Government (4%). 4.6Type of Individual Main Function at Work before AITAs presented in Table 4.1, the highest proportion (48%) of the respondent AIT graduates who were employed before enrolling in AIT had involved in project implementation as individual main function at work followed by Teaching (31%), Research Analysis / Policy Inputs (29%), Knowledge and Information Dissemination (23%) and Management function (15%). 4.7Salary and Level of Job Satisfaction before AIT Sixty-five percent of the respondent AIT graduates who were employed before enrolling AIT reported that they were satisfied with the job they belonged. Out of the total 56 respondent AIT graduates who were employed before enrolling AIT, 53 of them reported their salary as requested in range starting from less than 100 US $ per month to more than 3000 US$ per month. However, no one was found getting more than 2000 US$ per month before studying at AIT. Majority (44%) of them was receiving 100 to 200 US$ per month followed by more than 200 to 500 by 31 percent, less than 100 US$ per month by 15 percent, more than 500 to 1000 by 7 percent, and more than 1000 to 2000 US$ per month by 2 percent of them (Table 4.2).

The main reasons of pursuing postgraduate studies at AIT were inquired to the target AIT graduates. The highest proportion of them (63%) indicated to further enhance their academic career advancements followed by their professional advancement (54%) and to enter into a new field as indicated by 8 percent of them (Table 4.3).

Studies at AITFrom the inception AIT has been playing a leading role in Asia by offering lot of opportunities for postgraduate studies in several fields of studies under three schools, namely, SERD, SET, and SOM. The contribution of various donors is enormous in continuously delivering quality education through AIT. Norway is one of such donors who provided 82 scholarships in the past five years (2003 to mid 2008). As presented in Figure 5.1, a vast majority (94%) of the total Norwegian scholarship recipients (82) studied in SERD followed by SET (5%) and SOM (1%). The reason is obvious since Norway has been focusing more on sustainable resource management and environmental protection targeting poverty and gender issues. This section is designed to present the academic degrees received by the respondent AIT graduates who are Norwegian scholarship recipients, their filed of studies where from they completed course works and thesis research works, and also their response on the lasting impression of AIT. 5.1Academic DegreesAs of May 2008, all the 82 Norwegian scholarship recipients received masters degrees from AIT. Among them 61 AIT graduates (75%) received Masters of Science (M. Sc.), 20 AIT graduates (24%) got Masters of Engineering (M. Eng.), and 1 AIT graduate (1%) obtained Executive Masters of Business Administration as presented in Figure 5.2. The same proportion was also found in case of the responding AIT graduates. Among the responding 66 AIT graduates 49 (75%) received Master of Science (M. Sc.) degrees followed by 16 (24%) graduates who received Master of Engineering (M. Eng.) and 1 (1%) graduate received Executive Master of Business Administration (E-MBA). When these degrees were looked from the gender perspective it was found that females were receiving higher number of degrees which is evident from the fact that 65 percent of the degrees were received by females. Specifically, vast majority of females (69%) received M. Sc. degrees in comparison to males (31%) for the same academic degrees. A slightly more proportion of females (55%) received M. Eng. degrees as compared to male respondents (45%). The E-MBA degree was received by only one male AIT graduate from the School of Management. When the regional comparison in terms of South and Southeast Asia was made it was found that former region has very high proportion for both M. Eng. and Ms. Sc. degrees by 80 percent and 61 percent, respectively. The E-MBA degree was received by a person from Southeast Asia. Table 5.1: Number of Target and Respondent Graduates by Academic Degree, Region, and GenderRegion and GenderAcademic DegreeTotal

M EngM ScE-MBA

TotalRespondentsTotalRespondentsTotalRespondentsTotalRespondents

South AsiaMale7412111915

Female9825163424

Subtotal161237275339

Southeast AsiaMale227611109

Female221716001918

Subtotal442422112927

TotalMale961917112924

Female111042325342

Total20166149118266

This tracer study covers the AIT graduates from 2003 to May 2008. There were Norwegian Scholarship recipients in 2003 and 2004 who had been continuing their studies at AIT and their graduation started from 2005. In all graduation years, the proportion of females remained always higher than males as it was 68 percent, 63 percent, 73 percent, and 53 percent in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively (Table 5.1 and Figure 5.3). This is the proof that the Norway Government has more focus on gender issues in Asian human capital generation.

5.2Field of StudyThose AIT graduates who received Norwegian scholarship for their master degree studies had graduated from 11 different field of study, namely, Agricultural Systems and Engineering, Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management, Energy, Environmental Engineering and Management, Gender and Development Studies, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Human Resources Management, Natural Resources Management, Regional and Rural Development Planning, Urban Environmental management, and Water Engineering and Management. The target as well as respondent graduates by these field of studies are presented in the following Table.Target and Responding Graduates by Their Respective AIT Field of Study

Field of StudyTarget GraduatesResponding Graduates

FemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotal

1. Agricultural System & Engineering639538

2. Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management527426

3. Human Resources Management01111

4. Energy7411729

5. Environmental Engineering and Management819718

6. Gender and Development Studies142169211

7. Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering101101

8. Natural Resources Management59145712

9. Regional and Rural Development Planning729527

10. Urban Environmental Management022011

11. Water Engineering and Management033022

Total532982432366

The AIT graduates achieved higher knowledge and skills through courses offered by the respective filed of studies and master thesis research works. An overview of the courses offered by these 11 filed of studies where from the respondent AIT graduates gained theoretical knowledge and practical or technical skills is given as hereunder.

Agricultural Systems and Engineering (ASE) Field of Study offers several courses such as Farm Production Engineering, Agricultural Mechanization and Management, Agricultural Systems Analysis, Ergonomics, Design and Testing of Agricultural Equipment, Agricultural Systems, Agricultural Environments, Crop Productivity Management, Livestock Production Systems, Integrated Watershed Management Principles and Concepts, Farm Management Economics, Precision Agriculture, Agricultural Soil Mechanics, Instrumentation and Measurement Techniques, Aquacultural Engineering, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Crop Eco-physiology and Modeling, Integrated Pest Management, Land Husbandry, Agricultural Watershed Systems, Agricultural Sector and Policy Analysis, and Advanced Agricultural Experimentation.Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AARM) Field of Study)offers Analytical Techniques in Aquaculture, Aquaculture Nutrition and Feed Technology, Inland Aquaculture, Aquatic Seed Production, Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, Principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Genetic Resources and Management, Coastal Aquaculture and Planning, Coastal and Inland Fisheries Management, Wetland Ecosystem Management, Remote Sensing and GIS for Watershed and Coastal Area Planning, Genetic Diversity of Populations in Agricultural and Aquatic Systems, Molecular Techniques for Genetic Management of Populations and Ecosystems, Thesis Research Workshop, Aquatic Resource and Environmental Assessment, Aquatic Ecosystems and Water Quality Management, Aquatic Animal Diseases, Statistical Application in Agricultural Research, Applied Fish Genetics, Coastal Physical Processes, Coastal Water Quality Management, Coastal Biodiversity and Conservation, Seminar on Advanced Topics of Aquatic Resources and Development, Tools for Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Systems, and Mangrove Ecosystem Management.Energy (E) Field of Study has been offering various courses such as Energy Resources and Technologies, Energy Audit and Thermal Energy Conservation, Rational Use of Energy in Industry, Organization and Finance of a Power Utility, Demand - Side Management, Design and Management of Energy Systems, Power System Design and Operation, Power Distribution Systems, DC and Flexible AC Transmission, Computer Aided Power System Analysis, Rural Electrification and Distributed Generation, Energy Statistics and Energy Demand Forecasting, Development and Evaluation of Energy Projects, Restructuring of Energy Industries, Energy Price Theory and Applications, Efficient Lighting and Daylighting, Energy Management in Buildings, Advanced Technologies for Energy Management in Buildings, Biomass Conversion, Workshop on Energy Issues and Communication, Power System Dynamics and Stability, Power Sector Management under Deregulation, Optimization and Al Applications in Power System, Electricity Economics and Planning, Energy-Economic Modeling and Policy Analysis, Environmental Policy and Management of Energy Systems, Oil and Natural Gas Economics, Solar Energy, Solar Design Methods and Applications, Energy Environment and Climate Change: Issues and Strategies, and Electrical Energy Management.

Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM) Field of Study offers Environmental Chemistry and Laboratory, Biological Processes, Physico-Chemical Processes, Aquatic Chemistry, Waste Reuse and Recycling, Air Pollution and Air Quality Management, Solid Waste Management, Environmental Quality Management, Environmental Management and Ethics, Environmental Health and Sanitation, Integrated Life Science, Principles of Toxicology, Health, Development and Environment, Membrane Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment, Design of Water Supply and Wastewater Systems, Applied Microbiology and Laboratory, Advanced Processes for Wastewater Treatment, Reuse and Recycle, Toxic Organics and Trace Metals in Ecosystem, Environmental Impact Assessment, Industrial Waste Abatement and Management, Water Quality Management, Air Pollution Modeling and Applications, Hazardous Waste Technology and Management, Design of Air Pollution Control Systems, Principles of Cleaner Production, Sampling Design, Environmental Toxicology, Health/Environmental Risk and Impact Assessment, Environmental Microbiology, Molecular Biology of Environmental Stress, Bioengineering and Environmental Health, Seminar in Environmental Biotechnology, and Seminar in Toxicology.

Gender and Development Studies (GDS) Field of Study delivering courses, namely, Gender and Development: Principles and Concepts, Society, Technology and Health, Gender, Enterprise, and Organizations, Gender, Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Development, Gender, Technology and Economic Development, Gender, Culture and Human Development, Gender Analysis and Gender Responsive Development Planning, New Technologies, Industrialization and Gender, Transforming Gender Ideologies in Society, and Gender and Urban Management.Natural Resources Management (NRM) Field of Study offers Ecological Principles for Natural Resources Management, Natural Resources Management Issues in Asia, Forestry, Biodiversity and Conservation, Integrated Land Use Management Systems, Spatial Information Systems in Natural Resources Management, Research Design for Natural Resources Management, Land Evaluation and Resource Management, Integrated Natural Resources Planning and Policy, Land Degradation Monitoring and Management, Natural Resource Economics, and Integrated Watershed Development Management Planning Workshop.Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP) Field of Study offers Rural and Regional Development, Social Research Methods in Development Planning, Applied Statistics for Development Planning, Rural-Urban Relations, Regional Planning Techniques, Agricultural Development Planning, Project Planning and Management, Research Design and Methods, Rural Regional Planning Workshop, Community Development Planning, NGO Management, Policy and Development, Rural Infrastructure Planning and Management, and Sustainable Development Policies and Practices.

Urban Environmental Management (UEM) Field of Study offers several courses such as Urban Environmental Management Systems, UEM Research Methods and Techniques, Urban Planning and the Built-Environment, Environmental Science and Technology for Decision Makers, Urbanization and Environmental Policy, Environmental Auditing, Disaster Management in Urban Environmental Planning, Environmental Legislation, Urban Environmental Design, Urban Environmental Planning and Management Workshop, UEM Research Design, Management of Urban Housing, Infrastructure and Service, Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Development, Governance and Urban Management, Urban Economics and Finance, Environmental Conflict Resolution and Mediation, and Multivariate Analysis for Planning.

Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (GGE) Field of Study offers Mechanics of Soils and Laboratory/Field Testing,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.12" \t "_blank" Rock Mechanics,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.21" \t "_blank" Geoenvironmental Engineering I and II,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.31" \t "_blank" Engineering Geology,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.41" \t "_blank" Analytical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering, Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.51" \t "_blank" Foundation Engineering and Design,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.52" \t "_blank" Ground Improvement Techniques and Geosynthetics,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.53" \t "_blank" Underground Excavation and Tunneling,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.61" \t "_blank" Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.23" \t "_blank" Georisk Engineering,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE71.54" \t "_blank" Reliability-Based and Soil Engineering Design, and Advance Soil Testing.

Water Engineering and Management (WEM) Field of Study has been offering Watershed Hydrology,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.12" \t "_blank" Hydrodynamics,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.13" \t "_blank" Water Resources Systems,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.14" \t "_blank" Concepts in Water Modeling,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.21" \t "_blank" Irrigation and Drainage Engineering,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.31" \t "_blank" Coastal and Estuarine Processes,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.41" \t "_blank" Water Supply and Sanitation,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.51" \t "_blank" River Engineering and Modeling,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.72" \t "_blank" Laboratory and Field Practices,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.81" \t "_blank" Planning and Development of Hydropower,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.84" \t "_blank" Geotechniques for Hydropower Projects,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.9001" \t "_blank" Selected Topic: Research Design and Experimental Methods, Irrigation and Drainage Systems Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.32" \t "_blank" Coastal Zone Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.42" \t "_blank" Urban Drainage Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.52" \t "_blank" Groundwater Development and Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.53" \t "_blank" Land and Water Conservation and Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.54" \t "_blank" Integrated Water Resources Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.55" \t "_blank" Modeling of Water Resources Systems,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.61" \t "_blank" Flood Modeling and Management,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.71" \t "_blank" EIA and GIS Applications in Water Resources,

HYPERLINK "http://203.159.12.3/interimcodes/coursecatalog/CourseDetailInfo.cfm?Reverse=off&CCode=CE74.82" \t "_blank" Design of Hydropower Structures, and Management of Hydropower System.

The Executive MBA in Human Resource Management (HRM) Field of Study has been launched to strengthen and enhance the human resources and institutional capabilities of developing countries of Asia by offering courses such as Business Communication, Organizational behavior and Development, Human Resources Management, Marketing Management, Managerial Economics, HR Acquisition and Development, Financial Management, Management of Information System, Strategic Management, Management of Technology for Competitiveness, Comparative Industrial Relations, Research Methodology, Management of Change and Leadership, Project Management, Cross-cultural Management, Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility, and HR Motivation and Retention5.3Lasting Impression

Several meetings were conducted in different countries of the target and respondent graduates during the time of field visits by the researcher. They were inquired about the lasting impression on AIT. In the gist they were exchanging night with the day because they were working very hard in the night time which they had neither done before AIT nor after AIT. The multicultural environment and internationality also reported as one of the unforgettable aspects of AIT. The different learning environment which is more directed towards self-confidence building, sport facilities, and location and landscaping of AIT are other long lasting memories of AIT.

Feedbacks on Teaching,

Research and ServicesThis section is all about the feedback of the respondent AIT graduates on the quality of teaching, supervision and guidance on masters thesis research, and overall administrative management and service delivery of AIT. The value and the quality of the academic, administrative and other supportive units had tremendous role in the academic standing of AIT itself. The periodic feedback from the AIT graduates helps in further enhancing the teaching, research, and administrative standards of AIT. 6.1Feedbacks on Teaching in AIT

The target AIT graduates were inquired on how they would rate the teaching standard of study at AIT by giving them five scale ratings such as excellent, very good, good, poor, and very poor. When the responses were analyzed it was found that large majority (53%) had an impression that the teaching quality in AIT is very good followed by good (32%). Few respondents (15%) had an impression that the teaching quality in AIT is excellent (Figure 6.1). The teaching standard as perceived by the respondent AIT graduates was also analyzed by Asia Region, namely, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The total number of the respondent AIT graduates is higher in South Asia compared to Southeast Asia because of the focus of the donor. A large majority (59%) in Southeast Asia and 49 percent in South Asia rated teaching quality as very good and the more or less similar response was found from both regions for the other rating scales as well. The Pearson Chi-Square test results support this argument. None of the respondents considered as poor and very poor teaching quality in AIT although they were given five options ranging from excellent to very poor to rate the teaching quality at AIT (Table 6.1). Table 6.1: Teaching Standard of AIT by Rating Scales and Asia Regions

RegionExcellentVery GoodGood

FrequencyRow FrequencyRow FrequencyRow

South-east Asia3111659830

South Asia71819491333

Total101535532132

Pearson Chi-SquareAsympotic Significance (2-sided) = 0.639

When the teaching standard of AIT viewed from the gender perspective a wide range of responses were found when 70 percent of the male respondent indicated as very good compared to 44 percent of the female respondents. Whereas, 42 percent of female respondents considered AIT study as good compared to 13 percent of the male respondents for the same. The responding AIT graduates also indicated the quality of AIT teaching as excellent by 17 percent males and 14 percent females. The overall results from the Chi-Square test indicate that there is a significant difference in the rating of AIT teaching quality by gender (Table 6.2). Table 6.2: Teaching Standard of AIT by Rating Scales and Gender of Respondents

GenderExcellentVery GoodGood

FrequencyRow FrequencyRow FrequencyRow

Male4171670313

Female61419441842

Total101535532132

Pearson Chi-SquareAsymp. Sig. (2-sided) = 0.054

The respondent AIT graduates had studied in 11 different fields of studies in AIT and obtained their postgraduate degrees (Table 6.3). Out of the 10 respondent graduates who had an impression that AIT teaching standard is excellent 4 graduates (40%) were from Natural Resource Management and each 2 graduates (each 20%) from Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management and Environmental Engineering and Management and each 1 graduate (each 10%) from Agricultural System and Engineering and Gender and Development field of study.Table 6.3: Teaching Standard of AIT by Rating Scales and Field of Study of Respondents

Field of StudyExcellentVery GoodGoodTotal

1. Natural Resources Management47112

2. Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management2316

3. Environmental Engineering and Management2248

4. Agricultural System & Engineering1438

5. Gender and Development Studies16411

6. Energy0549

7. Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Engineering0011

8. Human Resources Management0101

9. Regional and Rural Development Planning0527

10. Urban Environmental Management0101

11. Water Engineering and Management0112

Total10352166

6.2Feedback on Thesis Research in AIT

An attempt was made to gather information on the level of satisfaction of the target AIT graduates on the their thesis research works in terms of research supervisors contribution, committee members contribution, flexibility of choice in topic selection, research fund availability, and help received from seniors and own batch mates. The various responses for the satisfaction level of AIT graduates for their master thesis works were found ranging from low to very high in case of research supervisors contribution and flexibility of choice in research topic selection. However, in other four instances such as committee members contribution, research fund availability and help received from seniors and batch mates the responses encompass from very low to very high.

As presented in the Figure 6.2, the respondent AIT graduates rated the contribution of their thesis supervisor as very high (43%) and high (35%) followed by medium (14 %) and low (8%). In case of committee members contribution, 40 percent of them rated as high followed by medium (26%), very high (18%), low (14%) and very low (2%). The flexibility of choice in masters research topic for the students in AIT is found high enough since 42 percent reported as very high followed by high (32%), medium (14%) and low (12%). A large majority (56%) indicated that fund availability was very low to medium. Fifty-three percent of the respondent graduates reported that they had very low to medium level of help received from their seniors. In contrast 59 percent of them reported that they received high to very high level of help from their batch mates.

Table 6.4: Comments made for rating low and very low by research aspects

Research aspectsComments

Funding for master thesis researchThere should be more option for securing research fund if required by the type of research, fund should be available to attending conference or workshops to enhance the career. Most of the research funds were enough was enough for the plane tickets and not enough to do extensive research in the field. Flat rate is not suitable and therefore allocation should vary with the type of research.

Supervision for thesis researchDue to a huge of number of students, advisors do not have enough time to contribute, read and comment on what student's writing

Help from seniors and batch mates for thesis researchNo connection from senior to junior during course work and thesis, or if yes, it is very poor. Help from batch mates is really because of competition. Sharing experience or knowledge is just a surface of water. Sometime no senior available. The timing of seniors presence in the institute and juniors studies did not match.

6.3Rating on AIT ServicesThe entire target AIT graduates were inquired about their ratings on the quality of information, advice, and services they received from different service units of AIT (Figure 6.3). A significantly higher proportion of respondent AIT graduates considered as excellent by 36 percent and very good by 41 percent for the services received from the Field of Study Administration and Management. Similarly, a large majority of them (40%) reported as very good followed by good (26%), excellent (20%) and poor and very poor (11%) for the service received from School Administration and Management.

When an inquiry was made on the quality of the service rendered by the Registry of AIT it was found as very good by 40 percent respondents followed by excellent (23%), very good (22%), poor (9%) and very poor by 6 percent. Vast majority (80%) of the respondents indicated excellent and very good service in AIT Library. The quality of the service provided by Language Center is rated as excellent by 23 percent, very good by 42 percent, good by 22 percent and poor by 13 percent. Computing Facilities rated as very good (38%), good (25%), excellent (23%), poor (11%) and very poor (3%). Likewise Experimental Lab Facilities considered very good by 37 percent, good by 32 percent, excellent by 18 percent and poor by 13 percent of the respondents. Except 13 percent respondents who rated very poor and poor the class room facilities were considered good (16%), very good (38%) and excellent (33%). Sixteen percent of the respondent indicated that student accommodation as poor and very poor. The service of the Government Relation Office is found most satisfactory by the respondent graduates since less than 2 percent rated as poor. The quality of the service of the Alumni Relations Office rated as very good (48%), good (33%), excellent (13%) and poor and very poor (6%). However, the quality of the service rendered by Student Affairs considered as very good (40%) followed by good (32%), excellent (14%) and poor and very poor (14%). Eleven percent of the respondent graduates indicated poor and very poor service of the Student Union and the Sport Facilities. The assessment on the quality of overall management of AIT by the respondent graduates made as very good (51%), good (24%), excellent (16%) and poor and very poor by 10 percent responding AIT graduates.As requested to offer the comments on poor and very poor ratings for the quality of services rendered different service units of AIT, some of the respondent graduates had done it and their responses are summarized as below.

Table 6.5: Comments made for rating low and very low by respondent AIT graduatesService UnitComments

Computing facilitiesVery slow internet connection with low bandwidth availability really hampers the research study and day to day communication works. Not sufficient number and quality of computers.

Student accommodation / housingStaffs at student accommodation are not really helpful though they speak very friendly. Accommodation in standard dorm is really a painful matter not only for the room space but also for the facilities, toilet and telephone.

Classroom facilities and environmentClass room problem in air condition and very small enclosure.

LibraryMost of the books are out dated.

Language centerNot enough qualified English instructors

Experimental lab facilitiesNo enough lab facility for all subjects/items

Career Decision and

EmploymentsCareer decision and employments section includes whereabouts of AIT graduates, rejoining the previous job or employer, duration of getting the first job after graduation from AIT, current job position and employment history, age and current job position, duration of current job, main employer type, individual main function at work and job satisfaction, salary level, salary by age group of AIT graduates, current salary level by graduation year, and job position and salary income by gender.7.1Whereabouts of AIT Graduate

The main emphasis of AIT has been constantly remained the same from its inception till now is on producing capable human resource needed for the sustainable development of the countries in Asia, in particular, and global context in general. All the graduates are encouraged as well as insisted to return to their home countries and apply whatever knowledge and skills learned from AIT to their own home countries. The respondent AIT graduates who were Norwegian Scholarship recipients inquired about their career decision immediately after graduation from AIT. It was found that 77 percent were returned to their respective countries (Figure 7.1). Remaining 23 percent did not return due to various reasons such as continuing study for PhD, continuing research at AIT, having got better paid jobs compared to the jobs in own country, and also to support spouse who joined AIT for studies. The country wise analysis indicated that all the AIT graduates from Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar returned to their own country immediately after their graduation. The highest proportion of non-returnees (35%) was found from Nepal followed by Sri Lanka (29%) and Bangladesh and Vietnam (20% each).7.2 Rejoining the Previous Job or Employer

Out of 66 respondent AIT graduates 9 respondents (14%) had no job before enrolling AIT. Therefore 57 respondent AIT graduates (86%) had jobs before coming AIT. Out of those 57 respondents 34 (60%) did not return to their previous jobs and only 20 (35%) did so. Three of them (5%) did not answer whether they joined or not (Table 7.1). An inquiry was made with those who did not rejoin the previous jobs by requesting them to provide reasons why they did not join. Some of the important reasons given are: job was temporary as contract basis, immediately gone for further study, the previous job was not satisfactory, office closed, and the office rules were so strict for granting the study leave so had to sacrifice job. 7.3Duration of Getting the First Job after Graduation from AIT

An attempt was made to know the duration of getting the first job after graduation from AIT to those who did not join the previous jobs and also did not go for further study for their further academic career advancement. Therefore, such information was expected from 37 respondent AIT graduates. Out of 66 total respondents, 20 (30%) had joined their previous jobs and 17 (26%) had gone for further study and remaining 29 (44%) ventured for the jobs in the new job markets (Figure 7.2). Out of the 29 respondent AIT graduates, 10 (34%) reported that their jobs were confirmed even before graduation. Similarly, 13 graduates (45%) said that they got job within 3 months after their graduation from AIT. One respondent graduate (3%) had to wait until and even more than one year to get job after graduation from AIT (Table 7.2). The time duration taken for the first job was analyzed by gender and the Pearson Chi-Square test result indicated that there is no significant difference between male and female graduates.7.4Current Job Position and Employment History

Since 17 responding AIT graduates went for doctoral studies, and then remaining 49 respondent graduates found to be fully employed. However, some of the respondents studying doctoral program are also employed, therefore the actual number of respondent for the employment related items is higher than 49 fully employed respondent graduates. When an inquiry was made on the job position of the respondent graduates (51), the highest proportion of them (28%) had Middle Management level followed by Junior Professional (27%), Middle Professional (25%), Junior Management (16%), and remaining (4%) at the Senior Management level. When looked at the employment history of the graduates it is found that 20 graduates had the current job as the second job and 5 had the current job as third one and one person has the current job as the fifth one. When the job positions were compared between the last job position before AIT and the current job position the higher mobility from the junior levels to senior levels were observed. For instance, Table 7.3 clearly shows that 38 percent of the AIT graduates had middle level of job positions for the last job before coming, which increased to 67 percent for the same level of position in case of the current job. Table 7.3: Job Position of AIT Graduates by Gender and Before and After Studying in AIT

Job RankLast Job before AITCurrent Job Position after AIT

GenderMaleFemaleTotalMaleFemaleTotal

SeniorFrequency112112

Percent5.02.83.65.32.93.7

MiddleFrequency81321112536

Percent40.036.137.557.971.466.7

JuniorFrequency1122337916

Percent55.061.158.936.825.729.6

TotalFrequency203656193554

Percent100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0

7.5Age and Current Job Position

Generally, there is a positive correlation between higher job position and age. When an attempt is made to see the relationship between age and the job position of the responding AIT graduates by using correspondence analysis tool it was found that higher aged graduates had executive or senior management level of job positions. Mostly middle age group had middle or junior level of job positions (Figure 7.4).7.6Duration of Current Job

The duration of current job was inquired and a wide range was found from one month (0.08 Year) to 8.5 years. Fifty five percent respondent graduates had less than or equal to one year of job duration on their current job positions. Ninety-eight percent of them reported with the less than or equal to 3 years of job duration for the current job positions (Figure 7.5).

7.7Main Employer Type

Fifty-four (54) AIT graduates with work experiences indicated their main employer types (Figure 7.6). The Academic and Research Institutions were providing employments for the highest proportion (35%) of the respondent AIT graduates for the current job positions. Similarly, 22 percent of them were employed by their respective Central Governments followed by Non-Governmental Organizations (15%), International Regional Organization (13%), Private Sector (7%), and Regional or / and Local Government (4%). When the association between current job position and main employer type was seen through the correspondence analysis tool it was found that executive position is associated with the central Government. Similarly, consultant position is more closely related with the private sector as well as central Government. Likewise, middle and junior professional are more close to the academic and research institutions whereas senior and middle management are more close to non-governmental organizations (Figure 7.7).

7.8Individual Main Function at Work and Job Satisfaction As shown in Table 7.4, a large majority (67%) of the respondent graduates reported knowledge and information dissemination as main function followed by project implementation and research analysis/policy inputs (37% each), teaching (35%), and management (28%). Seventy-six percent of the responding AIT graduates who were employed before enrolling AIT reported that they were satisfied with the job they belonged. Without job satisfaction of the employees the employer may not be able to meet the objectives or production targets of the institutions or organizations to a greater extent. The analysis on the level of job satisfaction indicated that 87 percent of the responding AIT graduates are satisfied with their current jobs. This is good indication but the employer should give attention to the remaining 13 percent of the responding AIT graduates who are not satisfied with their current jobs. 7.9Salary Level

Forty-eight respondents provided information on their salary levels for their main current jobs (Table 7.5). There were seven categories of salary ranges starting from less than 100 US $ per month to more than 3000 US$ per month. However, no one was found getting more than 3000 US$ per month. Majority (33) of them were receiving 201 to 500 US$ per month followed by 27 percent respondents with US$ 501 to 1000. Similarly 21 percent respondents reported that they were receiving US$ 100 to 200 per month followed by 13 percent respondents with US$ 100 to 200 monthly salaries. Four percent were receiving less than 100 US$ per month. One respondent graduate (2) was found getting salary in the range of 2001 to 3000 US$ per month. When the correspondence analysis is done to see the relation between current job positions and gross salary (in terms of mid value of the sally ranges in US$ per month basis) it was not so close association between job position and salary (figure 7.9).7.10Salary by Age Group of AIT Graduates

Table 7.10 shows that majority of the respondent graduates (50%) belong to 25 to 30 years of age group. Many people consider that the salary income as one of the most important measuring instruments to judge whether given activities had any impacts or not. In general, the salary income increases with age. A comparative analysis of means by considering salary income before AIT and After AIT against between and within the age groups was done through one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The significance test indicated that there is no significance difference in the salary income by age groups (Table 7.11).

Table 7.11: ANOVA based on Age Group and Salaries

VariablesSum of SquaresdfMean SquareFSig.

Age Group and Salary of the Last Job before AITBetween Groups178803.219289401.6091.647

.203

Within Groups2767539.3745154265.478

Total2946342.59353

Age Group and Salary of Current Job after AITBetween Groups200415.0642100207.532.536

.588

Within Groups9158959.93649186917.550

Total9359375.00051

7.11Current Salary Level by Graduation Year

The Norwegian scholarship recipients were started to graduate from 2005 and therefore four graduation Year groups (2005 to 2008) were considered for the statistical analysis, ANOVA. The salary income of the AIT graduates for the last job before enrolling AIT as well as the salary of the current job of the AIT graduates were analyzed against graduation year categories. The result of the analyses indicated that there was a significant difference in the salary level of AIT graduates before AIT. In contrast, there was not significance difference in the salary by graduation categories after the studies in AIT. It can be concluded that AIT degrees help in equality of salary distributions (Table 7.12).Table 7.12: ANOVA based on AIT Graduation Year (4 Categories) and Salaries

VariablesSum of SquaresdfMean SquareFSig.

Graduation Year and Salary before AITBetween Groups455366.7253151788.9083.047.037

Within Groups2490975.8675049819.517

Total2946342.59353

Graduation Year and Salary of current Job after AITBetween Groups927482.1433309160.7141.760.167

Within Groups8431892.85748175664.435

Total9359375.00051

7.12Job Position and Salary Income by GenderThe implication of AIT studies looked from the perspective of changes in job positions compared to their positions before AIT with the current position which is meant as after AIT studies. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and Pearson Chi-Square Test were used to see any significant differences. Both tests indicated that there is a significant difference in job positron by gender in both cases, before and after studies in AIT (Table 7.13).

Table 7.13: Job Ranks by Gender and before and after AIT Studies

RankBefore AITAfter AIT

MaleFemaleTotalMaleFemaleTotal

Senior112112

Middle81321112536

Junior1122337916

Total203656193554

Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test

Z = -5.744Z = -4.617

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.001Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.001

Pearson Chi-Square TestAsymp. Sig. (2-sided) = 0.856Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)= 0.593

The independent t-Test was done to analyze the salary of the AIT graduates by gender and it was found significantly different in both situations, before and after studies in AIT. However, it was found that 60 percent salary increment in case of female graduates compared to 40 percent in males while comparing the average salary of the last job before studying in AIT with the mean salary of the current job positions (Table 7.14). Table 7.14: Salary Level by Gender and Before and After AIT

StatisticsBefore AITAfter AIT

MaleFemaleMaleFemale

Mean Salary (US$/Month)257.89238.57436.84595.45

Standard Deviation318.967180.720416.614430.545

Standard Errors73.17630.54795.57874.948

t- Value (equal variances assumed).285-1.294

Significance (equal variances assumed).7770.202

t- Value (equal variances not assumed).244-1.306

Significance (equal variances not assumed).8100.199

Relevancies and

Effectiveness

One of the most important objectives of doing tracer study is to assess the relevancy and effectiveness of AIT studies in the professional career advancement, usefulness and level of benefits gained, and impact of AIT studies in educational and scientific pursuits.

8.1Job Relevancy of AIT StudiesThere were 54 respondent AIT graduates who provided their employment history as they were requested to provide whatever number of jobs they joined after their graduation from AIT. In addition they were requested to provide information on the job relevancy of AIT studies (Table 8.1). The analysis of the current job relevancy with AIT studies indicated that the AIT studies has been exactly related for a large majority (56%), partly related for 41 percent, and not related for 3 percent. Out of the 54 respondent AIT graduates 20 (37%) had second last jobs with the fact that AIT studies were exactly related for 40 percent, partly related for 35and not related for 25 percent. Similarly, 5 respondents (9%) had the current job as the 3rd one. Even, for a respondent graduate, the current job as the 5th one which is partially related to the AIT degree he obtained.Table 8.1: Employment History and Job Relevancy of AIT StudiesEmployment profileRelevancy

Exactly relatedPartially relatedNot related

frequencypercentfrequencypercentfrequencypercent

Current job (n=54)3055.62240.723.7

Second last job (n=20)840.0735.0525.0

Third last job (n=5)240.0360.0

Fourth last job (n=1)1100.0

Fifth last job (n=1)1100.0

8.2 Usefulness of AIT Studies in

Current Job

The usefulness of the of the AIT studies on their current jobs has been viewed from the perspective of the extent of knowledge/skills gained from AIT while doing course works; research; workshops/field visits; staying at multicultural / international environment; networking with peers, professors, and staff; and by overall program (Figure 8.1). Eighty-three percent of the respondents indicated that knowledge and skills gained from the course works has been highly and very highly useful. Similarly, the knowledge and skills gained from the AIT research, workshops/field visits; staying at multicultural / international environment; networking with peers, professors, and staff; and by overall program has been reported as highly and very highly useful by 79 percent, 74 percent, 84 percent, 73 percent, and 76 percent, respectively.8.3Overall Benefit Gained from the AIT Studies

The overall benefits gained by the target AIT graduates from the AIT studies were measured in terms of technical / practical skills, theoretical knowledge, gaining higher status / recognition, gaining self-confidence, gaining higher income, higher progression / promotion in the same job, and higher mobility across the job (Figure 8.2). Eighty percent of the respondent AIT graduates reported that whatever technical / practical skills they had learnt from AIT has high or very high levels and 14 percent of them said as medium and reaming 6 percent indicated as low levels. However, 95 percent of them reported that they have been benefited highly and very highly from the theoretical knowledge they gained from AIT. Likewise, 85 percent for gaining higher status / recognition, 92 percent for gaining self-confidence, 60 percent for gaining higher income, 70 percent for gaining higher progression / promotion in the same job, and 68 for higher mobility across the job were reported under high and very high levels of benefits gained after AIT studies. From these responses one can easily conclude that the AIT studies have significant contributions in terms of benefits enjoying by AIT graduates.8.4Impact of AIT Studies in Scientific and Educational Fields

Out of the total 66 respondent AIT graduates, 17 (26%) had chosen to go for further studies upon the completion of master degree studies from AIT. Out of these 17 respondents 15 have gone for doctoral studies and remaining 2 for masters studies again. Their expected year of graduation has been reported as 2008 for 2 persons, 2009 for 3 persons, 2010 for 5 persons, 2011 for 3 persons, 2012 for 2 persons and for 2013 and 2015 by 1 person each. Four people continued doctoral studies in AIT and remaining 13 had gone to USA, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Germany. Among these 17 further studying respondents 15 (88%) reported that their current studies are also related to their studies in AIT. The overall scenario of the contribution of the AIT graduates in the scientific, educational and professional fields is encouraging particularly in research and publication, membership in the professional organizations, consulting works, participation and paper presentations in the international conferences and seminars (Figure 8.3).

8.5Relevancy and Effectiveness by GenderThe relevancy and effectiveness of different knowledge and skills learnt through courses, research, workshop/field visits, multicultural environment, networks, and overall AIT programs were analyzed by gender of the responding AIT graduates. Both genders were more or less equally responding the effectiveness and relevancy since the significance values for all sources of knowledge and skills obtained from Chi-Square tests are found not significantly different (Table 8.2). Similar test results were also found in various aspects of benefits of AIT studies obtained by responding AIT graduates (Table 8.3).Table 8.2: Significance Test Results for Various Sources of Knowledge and Skills by GenderSources of Knowledge / SkillPearson Chi-Square

ValuedfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Courses2.9843.394

Research5.8323.120

Workshop/field visits2.4183.490

Multicultural learning / internationality1.7063.636

Networks (peers, professors, staff)2.2073.530

Overall Program.4143.937

Table 8.3: Significance Test Results for Various Aspects of Benefits by Gender

Aspects of BenefitsPearson Chi-Square

ValuedfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Technical /practical skills1.0883.780

Theoretical knowledge1.8702.393

Gaining higher status / recognition1.6872.430

Gaining self-confidence 1.4462.485

Gaining higher income2.4814.648

Higher progression /promotion in the same job2.0083.571

Higher mobility across the job3.3083.346

Development Activities and Networking

The main objective of the Norwegian scholarship support is to provide high level education and professional training and applied research to nationals from MFA-AIT program countries in South and Southeast Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, East Timor, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam), the Mekong region low-income countries (Lao PDR and Cambodia), as well as other less developed countries in Asia in the fields relevant to sustainable environment, human rights and gender, and poverty alleviation. Considering these broad fields an attempt was made to inquire AIT graduates (Norwegian scholarship recipients) on their extent of involvement in various developmental activities and networking.9.1Involvement of AIT Graduates in Development ActivitiesAn inquiry was made on the extent of involvement of AIT graduates in developmental activities such as poverty alleviation, renewable and sustainable energy, environment, natural resource management, raising gender awareness and application, HIV/AIDS, human rights and peace building, agriculture development, information technology, infrastructure development, and business management / entrepreneurship (Figure 9.1).Majority (36%) of the AIT graduates reported their high involvement followed by medium (30%), very high (19%), very low (11%) and low (4%) in poverty alleviation programs and activities. Their contribution in the renewable and sustainable energy related activities was found as very high (7%), high (30%), medium (20%), low (25%) and very low (18%). In case of environment and development their contribution was said to be very high (26%), high (40%), medium (21%), low (7%) and very low (5%). Their level of contribution for natural resource management was indicated as very high (29%), high (41%), medium (12%), low (10%) and very low (8%). Similarly the extent of contribution on gender awareness and application was reported as very high (21%), high (43%), medium (17%), low (7%) and very low (12%). The contribution in working against HIV / AIDS was found relatively lower as stated by only 8 percent as very high involvement, 18 percent for high, 22 percent each for medium and low and 30 percent for very low. Likewise, more than 70 percent of the AIT graduates reported their involvement as medium, low and very low for human rights and peace building activities. Sixty-four percent of the respondent AIT graduates indicated their very high and high level of contributions in agriculture development. Low level of contributions were seen in the field of information and technology, infrastructure development, and business management and entrepreneurship as 67 percent, 84 percent, and 93 percent of the respondent AIT graduates indicated very low to medium level of contribution in these fields, respectively. 9.2Significantly Contributed Development Projects / Research Studies

Amongst the target AIT graduates, 37 (56%) provided the list of development projects and research studies to which they have significantly contributed after graduation from AIT. Out of 37 respondents, 20 have contributed for two projects, 12 for three projects, 5 for four projects and 3 respondents have even contributed for five projects (Table 9.1). A large majority (22%) of the projects to which AIT graduates have significantly contributed were related to natural resource management followed by environment (17%), poverty alleviation (14%). The respondent AIT graduates were also inquired for their types of contribution to projects or research studies in terms of design, implementation, supervision, and monitoring and evaluation. Multiple responses were received since same person could contribute in only one type or more than one types (Figure 9.2). The highest contribution (75%) was found for project implementation followed by project supervision (66%), monitoring and evaluation (64%) and project design (60%).

9.3Involvement of AIT Graduates in Professional and Social Networks

The target AIT graduates were requested to list professional and social networks including AITAA to which they have been involved after graduation from AIT. The type of network was specified as national, regional and global. Similarly, the membership also requested to specify as general or executive types. Alongside additional information was requested on the degree of involvement in terms of very high, high, medium, low and very low for the involved professional and social networks. There were 38 different professional and social networks in which respondent AIT graduates were involved or affiliated (Table 9.2). As Figure 9.3 shows, a large majority of the respondent AIT graduates (76%) has networks in the national level followed by regional level (19%) and global level (5%). Eighty-one percent indicated that their membership type in the professional or social networks is general as against 19 percent reported as executive types (Figure 9.4). The higher proportion (42%) indicated their high degree of involvement in the in various professional and social networks followed by medium (28%), low (15%), very high (9%) and very low (6%) which is evident from Figure 9.5. Table 9.2: Professional / Social Networks by Number of AIT Graduates InvolvedS. No.Professional and Social NetworksFrequency

1AIT Alumni National Chapter22

2Nepal Engineering Council3

3Technical working group (TWG) for GEF (UNDP), Bhutan2

4Nepal Engineers Association2

5IEEE2

6Agriculture Extension Society1

7Air & Waste Association (A&WMA)1

8AIT Nepal Society1

9Asian Association of Social Workers1

10Association of Social Work Educators in Bangladesh1

11CCA1

12Civic Activist Net (CAN)1

13Development Partner Offices based in Cambodia1

14EFN Alumni network1

15Greater Mekong Sub region Business Forum1

16GWA membership1

17I Love Korea Club1

18IPoS1

19Leather Technologist Association, Bangladesh1

20Mekong Migration Network1

21Myanmar NGOs Network1

22Nepal Agriculture Association1

23Nepal Animal Science Association (NASA-Nepal)1

24Nepal Fisheries Society (NEFIS)1

25Nepal Foresters' Association1

26Nepal Geographic Society1

27Nepal GIS Society1

28Nepalese Student Association at Iowa State University1

29OECD/DAC1

30Royal Society for Protection of Nature as the Gender focal person1

31Sagun, a Nepali NGO1

32Scientist Association, BCSIR1

33Society of Scientists, Nepal (SAS-Nepal)1

34Swedish Institute Alumni Association1

35Thai International Cooperation Agency1

36University of Yamanashi network1

37World Aquaculture Society1

38World Bank Alumni Network1

Partnership and

SuggestionsThere always remains tremendous scope of alumni in strengthening any academic institutions for which they belong. They always love their institutions; think about the progress and possibilities of their contributions for the further enhancement of academic and research activities. For this section, the target AIT graduates were requested to provide information on their influential position to develop partnership with AIT or to support AIT as well as to get their views on how can AIT generate more resources for its financial viability, how AIT should move forward to meet the regional education and development needs, and to get their suggestions on what AIT should do to strengthen relations/partnerships with its alumni.

10.1Partnership to Support AITAn attempt was made to get the information from the target AIT graduates on possible partnership or their current positions to support AIT through providing scholarships, research funds, training participants and funds, student internship/exchange program, job placement for AIT graduates, and collaborative research and academic programs with AIT (Table 10.1).Table 10.1: Response on possible partnership and support from AIT graduates

Partnership / SupportYesNoMissing

FrequencyPercentFrequencyPercentFrequencyPercent

Providing scholarships23.03857.62639.4

Providing research funds57.63654.52537.9

Providing training participants and funds34.53857.62537.9

Facilitating student internship /exchange program1319.72943.92436.4

Facilitating job placement for AIT graduates710.63451.52537.9

Initiating collaborative research and academic programs with AIT1522.72537.92639.4

Three percent of the target AIT graduates reported that they are in a position to provide scholarships to AIT. Eight percent of them reported that they can provide research funds to AIT and five percent told that they can send training participants with funding. Twenty percent of them were found interested on student internship or exchange program. About eleven percent indicated that they could offer jobs for AIT graduates. Twenty-three percent of them were found interested on initiating collaborative research and academic programs with AIT.10.2Suggestions for Strengthening AITAll the target AIT graduates were requested to provide suggestions on financial viability and sustainability of AIT and its future move to meet the regional educational and developmental needs and strengthening relationships with AIT alumni. Several suggestions were received and summarized as here under.10.2.1 Suggestio