Meet Dr Russell Rodrigo

I'm Russell Rodrigo. I chair Bangkok University's International General Education (IGE) programme, with entrepreneurship and global citizenship as core disciplines. I develop higher education curriculum and shape meaningful student experiences for students worldwide. I also serve as a senior education consultant with the Institute for Methods Innovation.

The Southeast-Asia arc

My professional journey has taken me across four countries. I began as a university lecturer in the Philippines before becoming Director of the English Language Program at an international college in Vietnam. I then moved to Malaysia as a Programme Coordinator at Raffles University, followed by Thailand, where I first served as Academic Manager and Lecturer at Stamford International University in Bangkok. Today, I am a University Lecturer and Chairperson of the International General Education programme at Bangkok University. Throughout this journey, I have remained proudly Filipino, with strong ties to the Philippines that continue to shape my teaching philosophy and the professional relationships I build.

Each move taught me something about how learning travels across languages and cultures, and how rarely there's a single right way to run a classroom. That belief sits underneath most of what I do.

Teaching & supervision

I lead with students. A programme is only as good as what a learner can do at the end of it, so I design backwards from that: clear outcomes, honest assessment, and room for students to bring their own background into the work. I supervise the same way: I'd rather ask the question that helps you find your own argument than hand you mine. I'm careful with feedback, generous with time, and unfussy about hierarchy.

Much of my research grew out of these classrooms: how digital-native students actually experience blended learning, how inclusive language changes who feels able to speak, and how we make sure the research we publish earns its keep in the real world.