Academic Educators as Organizational Change Leaders: Enhancing Quality in Thai Higher Education through the EdPEx Framework
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Abstract
In Thailand’s higher education system, enhancing organizational quality through the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (EdPEx) has become a key approach for human resource development and systemic transformation. Academic educators, who serve in professional support roles, play a vital part in designing, monitoring, and analyzing quality assurance processes, yet their contributions remain insufficiently supported. This article proposes the “ACE Model,” a conceptual framework with three dimensions: (A) Advancement Pathway, (C) Core & Functional Competency, and (E) Engaged Change Leadership. The model integrates perspectives from human resource development, organizational development, and leadership studies to strengthen the systemic leadership potential of academic educators. Drawing from practical experiences and analysis based on categories 5 to 7 of the national quality framework, this study reveals that academic educators can act as key drivers of quality at both the unit and institutional levels. Accordingly, the article presents policy recommendations at three levels—university, organizational unit, and individual—to promote the competencies, career progression, and participatory leadership of academic educators as Horizontal Change Leadership.
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