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Employability skills : closing the gap between employers' expectation and satisfaction
Get PDFIn this new age of globalization, higher education plays an increasingly important role in preparing a workforce which
meets the rapidly changing industry needs. There is now a critical need to re-examine the function of tertiary education
such that it not only caters to fresh school-leavers but of equal importance, provide opportunities for the further
re-skilling and up-skilling of people who are already employed. Open and distance learning (ODL) higher education
institutions are able to contribute significantly to lifelong learning efforts for these working adults, however, these
institutions have constantly been regarded as ‘the lower quality alternative’ with their flexible entry policy and flexible
delivery and learning modes. This paper examines the extent to which Open University Malaysia, the country's first and
premier ODL university trains and develops its graduates to meet employers' expectations with regard to the different types
of skills required at the workplace. Printed questionnaires were sent via postal mail to employers of the December 2013
graduates of the Bachelor degree programmes. Responses of 109 out of a total of 600 (18.2%) employers were analysed
using quadrant and gap analysis for four dimensions of employability skills namely, Knowledge and Understanding,
General Qualities, General Skills and Specialized Skills. Quadrant analysis indicates that General Qualities fall in the
strength quadrant, followed by General Skills, but to a lesser extent. Specialized Skills and Knowledge and Understanding
were placed in the low priority quadrant. In the overall evaluation, 90.8% of employers were “satisfied” and “very
satisfied” with employee’s knowledge and skills; 59.6% indicated that general performance of the OUM graduates are
“better” and “much better” compared to others and 89.0% are likely to employ graduates from OUM. The positive
findings serve as evidence on the success of OUM in fulfilling its role in enhancing general qualities and skills which are
synonymous to lifelong learning skills expected by employers. (Abstract by authors
Self-managed learning of myVLE via CBT courseware
Get PDFOpen University Malaysia (OUM) is an open and distance learning institution which provides opportunities for lifelong
learning. OUM continuously strives to improve and maintain quality programme delivery in the attempt to produce quality
graduates. OUM has been using its own in-house developed learning management system called myVLE (my Virtual
Learning Environment) to support lifelong learning undertakings. Since 2002, myVLE has gone through minor
enhancements. In late 2013, a new platform was designed and developed with the aim for a more user-friendly learning
environment besides providing an optimised online learning experience. The new version of the myVLE was released in
January 2014, to be used only for six fully online courses. In September 2014, all courses offered by OUM were migrated
to the new myVLE. With the migration and the introduction to the new functions of the new myVLE, it was necessary to
make efforts to provide additional support to the learners and online facilitators for a smooth transition. To assist users in
adapting to a new user-interface several incentives were taken which include: (a) the development of a learning
courseware, (b) short online video clips, and (c) face-to-face training for online facilitators. This paper focuses on the
development and use of the learning courseware which was instructionally designed based on ADDIE model. (Abstract by author
Encouraging lifelong learning : the Malaysian context
Get PDFThe unveiling of the Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia (2011-2020) in November 2011
demonstrated Malaysia’s commitment to inculcate lifelong learning as an important component in the nation’s education
agenda. Three years on, the implementation of the Blueprint is still an ongoing process that would benefit from greater
participation from all Malaysians. At this juncture, encouraging lifelong learning – through a comprehensive set of
strategies – will be crucial in order to ensure the success and long-term impact of the Blueprint. This will require
participation and contribution from all education stakeholders, especially the Government, higher education institutions
and various training providers. For Malaysia to achieve a developed nation status by 2020, the role of education is an
undeniable imperative, especially so at the tertiary and post-tertiary levels where continued learning is becoming an
increasingly important element to ensure a knowledgeable and skilful workforce and consequently, a more robust and
competitive economy. Thus, encouraging lifelong learning must be acknowledged as an important step in achieving
Malaysia’s national aspirations. This paper will describe several crucial strategies that can contribute to this national
initiative. These strategies will take into account the roles, responsibilities, capacities and potential of different education
stakeholders. All-inclusive participation from all Malaysians can certainly bring many positive outcomes for lifelong
learning and ultimately, for the nation’s continued growth and development. (Abstract by author
Lifelong learning from the eyes of student leaders : current issues, challenges and expectation
Get PDFLifelong learning serves as a platform for increasing quality of life. Once learners are enrolled in lifelong learning
programmes, they automatically have access to knowledge and are able to increase their capacity to perform better both at
home and at work. Opportunities open for either new jobs or increases in salaries in current jobs. This means that lifelong
learners are able to improve their quality of life enjoying improved lifestyles and being able to tap into new avenues and
opportunities. Lifelong learning has now become integral to the growth of the country. With the introduction of lifelong
learning in Malaysia, many programmes have been implemented still many are in the pipeline. It is thus essential that we
stop and evaluate at the current status of lifelong learning in the country. This research is part of a bigger research which
looks at the success and impact of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan. This paper, will however, present the
findings regarding the current issues, challenges and future expectations of student leaders in the country with regard to
the implementation of lifelong learning. This is a qualitative study which uses focus groups as its main source of data.
Findings show that there are indeed many issues and challenges that are inherent in the country’s pursuit to enculturate
lifelong learning. The main finding is that higher education institutions, community colleges and other institutions should
provide community service in terms of providing avenues for local community to acquire academic qualification or obtain
job-related skills training with minimal entry requirement and flexible learning schedule. (Abstract by authors
An EPIC solution to teacher education : working through constraints
Get PDFThis paper focuses on explaining how the Faculty of Education and Languages, Open University Malaysia (OUM) works
around constraints and policies set by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia (MOE) in its effort to upgrade the
qualification of the in-service teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Teaching programme. In line with the government’s
policy to increase human capital development MOE introduces new elements which are to be incorporated into the existing
teachers’ training curriculum. For OUM it means finding solutions to add another 15 credits to the existing programme
without extending the duration of the whole programme. To meet this new challenge, a new approach is needed to comply
with MOE’s requirements. Education Portal for Internet Courses (EPiC) is created not only to meet the new requirements
but also to add value to the existing programme. It is designed to virtually extend students’ learning space and to provide
full online learning and support. Its activities are scaffold, assignments are task based and learning draws on students’
experience and personal reflections. The whole environment is designed to be fun and promote active collaboration
between students and their online supervisors. (abstarct by authors
Tahap pengekalan, enrolmen dan proses pembelajaran dalam kursus MOOC : satu tinjauan awal
Get PDF‘Massive Open Online Courses’ (MOOCs) yang merujuk kepada program atau kursus-kursus terbuka yang dilaksanakan
secara dalam talian secara besar-besaran dari konteks penglibatan peserta dan bilangan enrolmennya. Kebanyakan dari
pesertanya terdiri dari ‘pelajar dewasa’ yang bekerja. Dalam pendidikan sepanjang hayat (PSH) pelajar datang dari
pelbagai latarbelakang, umur dan profesion. PSH mempunyai perkaitan rapat dengan perkembangan potensi manusia
bagi memperolehi pengetahuan, nilai, kemahiran dan kefahaman sepanjang hayat mereka. Semenjak MOOCs di
perkenalkan oleh Dave Cormier dan Stephan Downes pada tahun 2008, serba sedikit telah mengubah corak penyampaian
kursus di kebnayakan institusi pengajian tinggi. MOOC di laksanakan di ruang dalam talian agar peserta boleh
berinteraksi dan meneroka dalam pembelajaran bagi topik berkaitan. MOOC amat sesuai dengan PSH kerana melaluinya
peserta boleh memenuhi kehendak karier dan peningkatan pengetahuan melalui teknologi internet. Peserta mempunyai
pilihan, sama ada untuk memilih MOOC percuma atau MOOC yang berbayar. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengumpul
maklumat awal tentang profail peserta melalui salah satu kursus MOOC di openlearning.com. Maklumat berkaitan
bilangan enrolmen, bilangan penglibatan peserta dalam menjalani setiap tugasan dalam kursus dan bilangan kursus lain
yang dipilih oleh peserta juga dikumpulkan untuk membantu penyelidik dalam menghasilkan petunjuk-petunjuk awal
sebelum mengembangkan kursus ini ketahap yang lebih tinggi bagi memenuhi kehendak peserta. Kajian ini melaporkan
tentang tahap perhatian peserta, bilangan kursus yang diambil bersama kursus ini, dan kadar enrolmen dalam seminggu
sehingga tamat tarikh kursus. Kajian ini juga memastikan fungsi MOOC dalam menyampaikan pengetahuan kepada
individu yang memerlukan dan ganjaran yang bakal diterima oleh pihak pembangun, jurulatih, pensyarah dan guru. (Abstract by author
