IIUM Journal of Educational Studies
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Understanding the role of user interface design in fostering students’ learning process in a multimedia courseware learning environment: insights from a Malaysian case study
Get PDFWith the increased availability and use of information and communication tools in education, multimedia courseware design has gained the attention of instructors and multimedia developers in a bid to foster student learning. However, there is still scanty literature with regard to how user interface design of multimedia course environments fosters student learning process. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions students at a Higher learning institution in Malaysia on how user interface design fosters their learning process in multimedia courseware. This study adopted a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews as the data collection tool. Two postgraduate students participated in the in-depth interviews after learning from a multimedia module on how to use Excel software. Thematic analysis was used to derive meaning from students’ experiences with the learning courseware. From the interviews, it was found that the nature and usability of the interface design of multimedia courseware influences learning motivation, interactivity and cognitive load. The participants however identified software and hardware issues as the key challenges in using the multimedia courseware. Suggestions on how to improve future multimedia courseware were also noted. This research contributes to the area of E-learning by highlighting the need to design multimedia courseware interfaces that enhance student learning motivation, manage cognitive load and foster interactivity. It is thus recommended that further studies be carried on larger samples, using other research approaches and designs to allow for generalisability of the research findings on user interface design and learning process in multimedia courseware environment
Teachers’ Perspectives on Task-Based Language Teaching: A Case Study at International Islamic University Malaysia: A CASE STUDY
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The term task-based language teaching (TBLT) is widely used in the context of The term task-based language teaching (TBLT) is widely used in the context of second language acquisition in terms of a curriculum which promotes actual language use. However, little research has been conducted in Malaysia regarding TBLT and its implicit method. This study, therefore, aims to explore and research the perceptions of teachers towards TBLT at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The research aims to determine the level of awareness, understanding, and the perception that teachers have towards this method, as well as whether they employ it in their classrooms or not. The study employs a qualitative methodology, namely ‘case study’. The datacollection instruments consist of interviews of three randomly selected instructors at CELPAD, one for each level ranging from level 4-6. The overall findings show that the CELPAD teachers possess a clear understanding of TBLT, agreeing that TBLT is beneficial. However, they are still unsure of the advantages of using it in the classroom. Furthermore, there is some measure of fear in adopting task-based language teaching fullyprimarily as a result of the problems they face pertaining to the end of semester assessment; the English Placement Test. As a result, it is found that some teachers use a mixed approach of both TBLT and traditional teacher-centered approach. second language acquisition in terms of a curriculum which promotes actual language use. However, little research has been conducted in Malaysia regarding TBLT and its implicitmethod. This study, therefore, aims to explore and research the perceptions of CELPAD teachers towards TBLT, at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The research aims to determine the level of awareness, understanding, and the perception that teachers have towards this method, as well as whether they employ it in their classrooms or not. The study employs a qualitative methodology, namely ‘case study’. The datacollection instruments consist of interviews of three randomly selected instructors at CELPAD, one for each level ranging from level 4-6. The overall findings show that the CELPAD teachers possess a clear understanding of TBLT, agreeing that TBLT is beneficial. However, they are still unsure of the advantages of using it in the classroom. Furthermore, there is some measure of fear in adopting task-based language teaching fullyprimarily as a result of the problems they face pertaining to the end of semester assessment; the English Placement Test. As a result, it is found that some teachers use a mixed approach of both TBLT and traditional teacher-centered approach
Internet Plagiarism among Form Four Chemistry Students of a Selected Malaysian Secondary School: Exploring Its Prevalence, Correlates and Gender Differences
Get PDFThis case study was conducted to investigate the extent and prevalence of Internet plagiarism among a group of upper secondary students taking Chemistry as an elective subject at a selected public school in Kuala Lumpur. Eighty-seven (N=87) Form Four Chemistry students were required to write a two-page essay on acid rain as part of the School-Based Assessment exercise. The essays were examined in a quantified document analysis to record the occurrences and prevalence of plagiarism from Internet sources. Researcher-coded scores and Turnitin similarity indexes were used as the measures of Internet plagiarism. The results show that Internet plagiarism in this student body was widespread (99%) as almost everyone plagiarized, except one female student. The amount of information copied was extremely high at an average of 90% for Turnitin similarity indexes and 91.3% for researcher-coded scores. Gender wise, both boys and girls plagiarized at about the same extent, and the slight difference between them did not account for any statistical significance. Most were involved in high-scale plagiarism, and appeared to have lifted their essays completely off the Internet. However, the study could not completely ascertain whether students' lack of ability in English and Chemistry was the actual reason for their plagiarism act as measures of the two subjects turned out to be weak correlates of plagiarism. Based on the findings, the study recommends that students be explicitly taught the proper skills of writing and educated about the nature and implications of Internet plagiarism.
 
Academic Diary: Or Why Higher Education Still Matters. Written by Les Back. New Cross, London: Goldsmith Press, 2016, pp. xiii + 258. ISBN 978-1-906-89758-1
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The Challenge of Curriculum Integration for Islamic Universities: Setting the Principles of Curriculum Integration
Get PDFThe Muslim world has witnessed remarkable developments in its educational system in the last four decades. Such developments include the founding of schools, establishment of universities, publication of journals, and organization of conferences and production of books, for the purpose of Islamization. It is obvious that knowledge is central to all these Islamizing initiatives as its integration is fundamental to the entire process of Islamization. Consequently, there are contributors to the curriculum integration level of Islamization by Muslim scholars across the world who have attempted to Islamize knowledge in their various areas. However, there is little attention to the professional requirements for integration of knowledge for Islamization especially at the university level. That informed the question, whose job is it to integrate the curriculum for Islamic universities? The purpose of this paper is to address this question. Utilizing a combination of the analytical method and creative synthesis, this paper is grounded in the scholarship of pragmatist philosophical foundations of the curriculum. It is hoped to provide guiding principles to the practice of integrating knowledge for Islamization. Such principles for curriculum development for Islamic universities, may also curb the growing trend of curriculum integration without the requisite professional curriculum-making considerations, portraying the Islamization of Knowledge (IOK) project as unsystematic
Teachers’ Belief on the Benefit of Collaboration in Lesson Study
Get PDFAbstract: Lesson study is being actively implemented in many countries as one of the continuous professional development program for school teachers. Since collaboration is an important element of lesson study, it is deemed necessary to investigate teachers’ beliefs about collaboration in lesson study. Data were collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods, where teachers were surveyed via questionnaire, interviewed, observed and asked to keep a journal. Thirty-one teachers and a school administrator who oversee the teachers’ progress in the school were involved. The results showed that most teachers agree with the benefits of lesson study, such that it improved cooperation and collegiality. Other benefits include: lesson study provides a platform for sharing collaboratively; knowledge is enhanced in terms of content, pedagogy, student-centered instructions , and curricula – ability to design constructivist lessons. Negative comments were centered around time constraint and heavy workload – leading to absence from shceduled meetings. Overall, the effect of collaboration in lesson study has led to more improved teachers compared to other professional development approaches
Pedagogical Approaches in The Light of Rumi: From Reflections to Integrations
Get PDFA soulful curriculum acknowledges and places an importance to life’s ultimate questions and man’s inner dimension. It pursues a balance and convergence between our inner and outer lives. In Islam, there is no separate discipline of ethics and religion. Islam is founded on the principles of belief and righteous action. In this sense, a meaningful education should not only focus on training the mind to retain and retrieve knowledge per se but to nurture a personality with good characters and behaviours. However, the reality that we are facing today in the education system is the reverse of that. The exclusion of ethical and spiritual dimensions in pedagogical approaches is not only observed in present practices but also in existing references, concepts, and theories in the field of education, philosophy, and psychological literature. Modern theories are inadequate to act as a drive for the transformation of an individual’s personality. Therefore, this paper aimed to explore the pedagogical approaches reflected from a prominent Muslim philosopher and spiritual master, Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273 A.D) towards fostering a balanced and excellent personality through education. The main contributions of Al-Rumi that are of great importance for today’s educators are: God-consciousness as the foundation of learning; the need to instill love and compassion through service learning; making learning enjoyable; and emphasis on experiential outdoor learning. Practical pedagogical implications of these were discussed in the light of educational psychology perspectives for educators to integrate these approaches in their teaching and learning activities in the classroom.