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Student profile : application on trend and academic performance by region
Get PDFThe recognition of the student profile provides strategic information in two fold : able to identify
the enrolment trend among learners and also can extrapolate their academic performance by
region. The significant of this study is to identify natural segmentation of our OUM learners by
region for the Faculty of Business and Management by mean of cross-sectional data for the year
2011. Student data will be limited to social economic background, location, work place, position
held and latest qualification. Several researches indicate that, family background and occupation
were among important elements of success in college (Brown, 1999). Family attitudes about
education and acquiring college degree influence success in college (Leppel, Karen, Williams,
and Waldauer, 2001). There was a strong correlation between CGPA and career maturity among
university students (Zanariah, Ishak and Nazihah, 2012). Implications from this study should be
able to unfold several issues; success factors among OUM learners, concentration of learners by
region and influence of location and occupation on academic performance. (Abstract by authors
Clients' perception towards JAKIM service quality in Halal certification
No full textThe aim of this study is to examine the level service quality from the perspective of food manufacturers. Malaysia is gearing towards becoming a major player in the world Halal market. Its Halal certification is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). The process of awarding Halal certificates involves not only an official site inspection of production plants but also the examination on the Halal status of raw materials. In 2007, JAKIM only approved 75 percent of the total number of applications for Halal certification. (Abstract by authors
Factors Influencing The Development Of Lifelong Learning Skills: OUM Tracer Study
Get PDFEmerging results of a tracer study conducted at Open University Malaysia (OUM) revealed that
the four aspects, namely curriculum design, assessment system, teaching and learning and
facilities provided by the university are significant factors contributing to the development of
lifelong learning skills. The four predictor model explains 41.1% of the variance in the
development of lifelong learning skills; this implies that there are other contributing factors
which have not been included in this study. Among others, OUM needs to collaborate with
employers to align its programmes’ curriculum design with the requirements of the workplace;
to encourage use of open learning and flexible delivery in its teaching and learning; to practice
assessment which evaluates what rather than how much has been learned; which stresses
timely constructive feedback that results in congruence between course aims and learning
outcomes. Computer-based facilities including the digital library help the institution to produce
graduates who are equipped with lifelong learning skills. (Abstract by authors
Introduction : Southeast Asian film as a site of cultural interpretation and social intervention
No full textSupporting New ODL Learners via Face-to-Face Academic Advising to Increase Retention: Sharing Open University Malaysia’s Experience
Get PDFThe last decade has witnessed an increased demand for tertiary education via Open and Distance
Learning due to advance methods in technology for educators, administrators and learners that make
a difference in effective instruction being delivered at a distance. More people too are beginning to
embrace adult education and lifelong learning. Institutions that offer such mode of learning which
include the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Islamic Azad University, Anadolu University
and Allama Iqbal Open University, have all attained the ‘Mega’ university status with enrolment
exceeding 1,000,000 learners. Attrition rate which can be based on completion or graduation rates of
their learners is as low as 50 percent to as high as 80 percent. A high rate of attrition is always linked
to the learners’ background, which includes their academic and social background, workplace
settings, their ability to adapt to the new learning environment as well as their ability to finance their
studies. As the cost of attracting learners to an ODL institution is higher than the cost of retaining
them, thus the subject of retention has become a widely researched subject until today. At Open
University Malaysia, the retention rate is within 69-79 percent among new learners and varies from
one faculty to another and also varies for learners from different intakes. Data collected over the last
five years revealed that attrition is highest for learners in their first semester as compared to later
stages. Thus, several interventions were taken to reach out to new learners to provide support
services to engage them actively in learning. Research conducted on 6,141 learners from all over
Malaysia throughout a one-year period in 2011 found that early interventions that include face-toface
meetings
cum Academic
Advising sessions conducted
by Directors of Learning
Centers, have
successfully
increased the
retention rate of first semester learners
to
80.1 percent in January
2012.
This
study
is important
as
early
intervention
and
engagement with new learners
will
help to
improve retention rate and enable an ODL institution to remain sustainable. (abstract by authors
An Econometric Estimation of Irrigation Water Demand for Watermelon in Iran
Get PDF. Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid area with scarcity of water resource for its agricultural
activities. About 93 percent of the total annual Iranian water consumption is for agricultural activities. Not
with standing high irrigation water demand in the agricultural sector, farmers pay very low price for water
and the cost borne by farmers for irrigation water is much lower than the actual value of water. The low
irrigation fee has caused not only inefficient allocation of water resources in this sector, but it has also
resulted in farmers producing crops which require relatively large amount of water as well as non-essential
crops. The main objective of this study is to estimate the demand for irrigation water, and to analyze the
current pricing mechanism (policy) for water. The demand elasticity of goods, services and input determines
which a change in price, ceteris paribus, affects users’ quantity demanded. This study investigated the
structure of irrigation water demand by estimating the derived demand for water on a particular crop,
watermelon, in Iran. A derived demand function is estimated after performing the relevant statistical tests.
The price elasticity of irrigation water demand and other elasticities are also computed. The price elasticity is
found significant. Data and information from 2001 to 2006 from 21 provinces in Iran is employed.
Parameters for the demand functions were estimated using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The parameters of
models were estimated using the econometric method on panel data. The estimated water price coefficients
are found to be negative which confirm the economic pricing theory. (Abstract by authors
Ubiquitous Learning for the 21st Century: Implications for Higher Education
Get PDFBeing on the verge of yet another ICT "revolution" we are seeing other ways to learn, gain information and communicate. Social media and mobile devices such as tablet computers and smart phones have the potential to help bring new and exciting changes to higher education. Unlike before, Asian countries are more ready and excited with these developments. Malaysia, for example, has designated e-Learning as a critical agenda in both public and private higher education institutions. The Ministry of Higher Education wishes to see e-Learning succeed as one of the learning approaches and it is hopeful that with reducing infrastructural and technology costs, e-Learning will lead to ubiquitous learning in the next decade. However, for the success of any agenda, implementation is key. A model for the implementation of 21st Century learning is crucial in providing a framework that will contribute towards effective use of mobile technologies. The model as well other implications will be part of Zoraini's presentation
Does teachers' morale affect their job performance?
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelationships between morale and job performance of secondary school teachers. This is a questionnaire survey involving secondary school teachers from four schools in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. A total number of 92 respondents were involved in this study. The findings showed that all the five factors: leadership, belongingness, environment, personal development and collegiality contributed significantly to teachersâ morale. The working environment was rated as the most important factor among the five. The structural equation modelling indicates that the 'environment', 'personal development' and 'collegiality' factors affect the feeling of 'personal reward' of the teachers while 'leadership', 'belongingness', 'environment' and 'personal development' influenced their 'cohesive pride'. It was also found that only the 'leadership' factor had a direct impact on âjob performanceâ. The other morale determinants affect the 'job performance' of the teachers indirectly either by affecting 'personal reward' or 'cohesive pride'. (Authors' abstract
Motivation and study habits of working adults : a case study of Masters students in Open University Malaysia
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to explore what motivates working adults to continue with
their studies and what are their study habits. A group of OUM masters students from the
Faculty of Business and Management were studied using the case study approach. The main
implication from the case findings is that working adults are highly motivated in pursuing
their studies and that there are many sources of motivation for them. A new job, increased
career prospects, gaining knowledge, a pay increase and filling their time are some of the
factors that motivate these students to further their studies. Their study habits also differ
widely from a short time span to full concentration, from early in the morning to late at night
and from formal sessions to minutes of stolen time. The research looked at how the students
studied and how motivated they are. The findings from the study are useful to students,
academicians and university administrators alike. Students can seek to learn from their
friends’ experiences, academicians can tailor the learning process to cater to students’ needs
and behaviour, whilst university administrators can find ways to market their programmes
and retain their students. As the research has initiated some new questions in the behaviour
of working adults, it can serve as the basis for further research in the area. (Abstract by authors
A Framework for Online Teaching and Learning: The S-CARE Pedagogical Model
Get PDFStudent satisfaction and retention is a key feature of any good educational programme. Deden (2005) reports a 7.7 % improvement in student retention after one year through a number of measures including the quality of instructor’s online interaction. When measuring the success of an online programme a number of learning permutations have to be considered, namely: the learning activities, tools, resources and interactions or communication which makes up a pedagogical scenario/landscape. Daniel (2004), states that when designing and executing a pedagogical scenario the teacher has to respect a harmonic equilibrium between the freedom for intellectual development and motivation on one hand and certain guiding principles on the other. Putting all the above contentions together, this paper aims to present an analysis of the different pedagogical permutations exhibited by 7 different online facilitators in the Master of Instructional Design & Technology programme at the Open University Malaysia based on feedback from students, the facilitators and analysis of online interactions. This paper will present findings to the main research question that guided the study, namely, what are the main characteristics of an optimal pedagogical scenario employed by MIDT facilitators, and can these be translated into an online learning model? Findings showed that 4 major characteristics of an optimal online pedagogy were planning, interaction, feedback and focus. These 4 characteristics were further checked and analyzed with MIDT students and facilitators and as such a framework for online learning was developed into the S-CARE model. What is the S-CARE? It is a new online pedagogical model proposed in this work and it stands for S=Strategic, C=Consistent, A=Adaptive, R=Realistic and E=Effective. Initial results show that most facilitators exhibited some form of S-CARE, however the model will need further testing to ensure the suggested pedagogical permutations are applicable for most pure online courses. The success of the S-CARE portends well for the future in that it provides a structure to teaching and learning within the framework of chaos of the online environment. The combined experience of about 2 years of work shows both the potential and the way forward for the future and S-CARE is a step forward in helping online teaching and learning achieve its promise. (Abstract by authors