OUM's Doctoral programme a hit - NST

News write up on Dr. Lum Heap Sum (NST 7 Nov 2010). Please click on image to enlarge it.

OUM student lauds research backed doctoral programme - NST

News write up on Dr. Wong Siaw Ming (NST 31 Oct 2010). Please click on image to enlarge it.

25th AAOU Annual Conference - Penang, Malaysia 28th to 30th Sept 2011

Transforming Asia through Open Distance Learning (ODL)

TRANSFORMING ASIA THROUGH OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) has been selected as the main theme for the 25th Annual Conference of Asian Association of Open Universities to focus on the role open and distance learning played in bringing about a major transformation in the education landscape in almost all countries in Asia over the past three and half decades.

Key features of ODL in Asia include huge student population often exceeding 100,000 students (mega universities), the establishment of dedicated single-mode ODL institutions by many governments, the rapid adoption of advances in ICT use and globalization. All these features have shaped the development of ODL and infl uenced the type of ODL systems adopted by various Asian countries.

Abstract & Paper

SUB-THEMES

1. Culture and Social Change

Given that Asian ODL communities are diasporas in evolution, culture and social change are deemed critical for progressive mindsets, knowledge creation and ownership, for learning to benefit everyone. The challenges confronting the transformation that need addressing are complex and would require consideration in context. This sub-theme will address the following areas:

• Empowering marginalized communities in Asia
• Nurturing the culture of lifelong learning
• Overcoming challenges and barriers to culture and social change
• Social networking for development
• Celebrating diversity and multicultural perspectives in ODL
• Culture and learning communities for sustainable development

2. Quality

Distance education is entrenched within a dynamic global marketplace involving a wide range of players. A culture of quality which transcends control mechanisms and managerial dictates has to be inculcated to ensure adequate purview on the activities related to programme development and the processes of teaching and learning. This sub-theme will address the following areas:

• Programme planning and development
• Course design, development, production and delivery
• Learner support services
• Evaluation and assessment
• Effective staff training and development
• Accreditation of programmes and institutions

3. Business Model and the Role of Partnership in ODL

The future of ODL business is heavily dependent on the effective leveraging of ICT infrastructure and on becoming a virtual higher education institution. It relates to the efficacy and sustainability of business models adopted by ODL institutions to create, deliver and capture economic value while delivering education in the contemporary world. This sub-theme will address the following areas:

• Customer segmentation
• Product offering and delivery
• Financial viability
• Value propositions
• Sustainable partnerships

4. Technology

Technology is rapidly transforming the delivery of education and training. The innovative use of
modern multimedia and web-based technologies has enabled the creation of interactive educational and training tools and activities aimed not only at enriching the learning experience of a diverse community of learners but at increasing opportunities for learning as well. This sub-theme will address the following areas:

• Application of mobile technology in open and distance learning
• Development of open education resources (OERs)
• Asynchronous and synchronous delivery of educational content
• Use of web technology in e-learning
• Application of virtual and augmented reality in education
• Bridging the digital divide

5. Future Trends

The transformation of Asia through ODL will hinge on advancements which look ahead and might even anticipate paradigm shifts in this mode of education. This sub-theme will address the following areas:

• Knowledge and innovation
• Management of ODL
• ODL and life long learning
• New technologies for transforming ODL
• Addressing challenges in new learning environments
• Research and development

CONFERENCE LANGUAGE

English shall be the language of the Conference. No translation services will be provided.


CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Only full papers that are submitted by the specified deadline will be included in the Conference CD proceedings. The submitted papers will not be subjected to editorial changes, thus leaving the responsibility for the quality of language to the author(s).

Important dates

30th May, 2011
Deadline for abstracts

15th June, 2011
Notification of acceptance of abstracts

1st July, 2011
Early-bird registration

15th July, 2011
Deadline for submission of full papers for publication

1st September, 2011
Deadline for registration

Details at: http://www.wou.edu.my/aaou25/index.htm

Nursing must keep up with technology (The Star)

The nursing profession should be on par with the development of technology to ensure its relevance in the current era, said Open University Malaysia (OUM) chancellor Tun Jeanne Abdullah.

The wife of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said it was critical to utilise technology to transform the manner nursing care was conceptualised and delivered.







In keeping up with the times, she said, technology should be integrated with nursing as it could contribute enormously to a patient’s health and well-being.



“Thus, integrating technology and caring behaviour in this profession can improve the service provided and maximise the desired patient outcome,” Jeanne said in her keynote address before officiating the International Conference on Nursing (Icon 2010) on Tuesday.

The two-day conference, titled “Technology and Innovation in Nursing”, was organised by OUM and aimed at providing opportunities for participants to deliberate on issues pertaining to clinical practices, education and management in nursing.

On the use of technology, Jeanne said it would bode well for the nursing field as it helped nurses provide a higher quality of care and reduced human error.



She added that the forum was significant for participants to share and discuss how to implement the new concept to the caring profession.

“This conference will be focusing on how technology can contribute to health care efficiency, quality, safety, and would also enhance nurses’ decision-making and patient care while easing overall workloads,” she said.

The inaugural international conference was attended by 222 participants from 22 countries, including Malaysia. A total of 30 papers were presented at the event. — Bernama

2011 Budget: Learning just gets better (NST)

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of the Teaching Profession welcomed the abolishment of the Competency Level Assessment or PTK exam for civil servants.

Its secretary-general, Loke Yim Phang, was also happy with the rewards allocated for excellent schools and teachers.

On the employment of native English speakers to teach English, she said the 375 teachers should be in Malaysia for five years.

National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations president, associate professor Datuk Mohd Ali Hassan, gave the thumbs up to the development of religious and vernacular schools and hoped the allocations would be fair.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim welcomed the budget and hoped that the government would stick to its plans.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the budget had set high targets for the Education and Higher Education Ministries to create world-class students with good thinking skills, creativity and innovation.

The Education Ministry will receive RM29.3 billion while RM10.2 billion will go to the Higher Education Ministry.

Najib said the most important asset of a nation was its human capital.

To improve learning institutions, RM6.4 billion will be set aside to build and upgrade schools, hostels and its facilities, and uphold the status of the teaching profession.

A further RM213 million will be given as a reward to high-performance schools, including its principals, head teachers and excellent teachers.

Religious, vernacular, missionary and government-assisted schools will receive RM250 million.

The government will also spend RM213 million to hire 375 native-speaking teachers from the United Kingdom and Australia to improve the standard of English locally, and streamline the standard curriculum of primary schools.

As for preschools, the government will hire 800 preschool graduate teachers and start around 1,700 new classes by the end of next year.

In higher education, the number of academics with PhD will be increased to 75 per cent in research universities and 60 per cent in other public universities with an allocation of RM20 million.

Other measures include creating promotion opportunities for lecturers in public universities and intensifying vocational training.

A corporation called Talent Corp will be set up under the Prime Minister's Department early next year to increase the number of talented and quality workforce in the domestic market, Najib said.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said the budget focused on research and development which would encourage academics to compete globally.

Postgraduate Studies: Communication without borders (NST)

Alina Abdullah explaining her thesis on “Terrorism and Architecture”. With the International Doctoral Education Research Network, postgraduate students are no longer researching a thesis in isolation

Both students and supervisors can now access the International Doctoral Education Research Network for best practices and improvements in methods and technology, writes MICHAEL SUN

INFORMATION and Communications Technology has raised postgraduate research standards throughout the world including Malaysia.

Postgraduate students can no longer blame technology — or the lack of it — for not performing.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) deputy vice chancellor for academic and international affairs Professor Datin Paduka Dr Aini Ideris says: “Master’s and doctoral students can no longer forward the excuse (for their inability to complete their theses) that their research had been hampered by limited resources and the unavailability of equipment.

“If (the facility) is not available in Malaysia, we can send the student out or bring in the required professors. Communication is now without borders.” There are new software and websites that enable postgraduates to check whether a particular research has already been conducted.

Similarly, there are tools for research supervisors to verify whether students have committed plagiarism.

But some students and supervisors may not be aware of such cross-checking tools.

The second International Doctoral Education Research Network (IDERN) conference 2010 held recently in Serdang, Selangor, was aimed at raising students’ and supervisors’ awareness of recent advances in doctoral education.

“New technology and networking give students the chance to meet and discuss with their peers abroad who may also be pursuing other areas of study,” says Aini, who is adviser to the IDERN 2010 Organising Committee in Malaysia.

“Essentially, IDERN 2010 tells them that they are no longer researching a thesis in isolation,” she adds.

Born out of the Research Pedagogies Conference held at Canada’s McGill University in Montreal three years ago, IDERN was set up to bring together experts in doctoral education and those who share the vision of broadening the field of research through transnational perspectives.

The network of researchers embarks on studies to improve not only the performances of doctoral students but also the quality of guidance of supervisors, among others.

Building the capacity to influence the future of doctoral education policy and practice globally is central to its agenda.

Although there has been an increase in research into doctoral education over the past decade, much of it has been fragmented and localised.

The network aims to create opportunities for developing and expanding investigations into doctoral education during a period of increased mobility and change.

Aini says that IDERN 2010 was to build on the Montreal meeting.

“The aim of this conference is to share views on research into postgraduate education and promote best practices among members from 30 countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and some European countries,” says Aini.

Some 20 local public universities and 30 private universities took part in IDERN 2010.

The conference ran separate activities for postgraduate students and supervisors.

Students had the chance to attend sessions on how to produce quality research proposals and received guidelines on how supervisors should monitor them.

“(The role of supervisors is) to assist students to become rounded graduates who are communicative and who possess the desired soft skills, allowing them to easily fit into the job market both locally and internationally.

“We want Malaysian doctoral students to be able to work anywhere in the world with a system and standard that would be on a par with those of other parts of the world,” adds Aini.

“IDERN 2010 is important because supervisors must know how to guide students on how to plan their time and push them to finish on time. If students are not well monitored, they may go astray, dissipate their energies and not complete their doctorate (within the targeted four-year span).” The training provided through conference presentations and seminars is to support the national agenda — MyBrain15.

The acronym is for Malaysia’s targeted plan to produce 60,000 PhD graduates over a span of 15 years starting from 2008.

But would IDERN 2010 address the issue of technological acquisition and export competitiveness of human resources in Malaysia as highlighted by foreign economists? “Definitely, with the research networking now available. Certain universities may be lacking in specific fields but we are also quite advanced in a number of areas,” adds Aini.

“It is important to let the students and supervisors know that new technologies, if not available in Malaysia, may be obtained through networking with foreign universities.

Public universities to have more PhD holders (NST)

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will increase the number of academic staff with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualifications in public institutions of higher learning to enable easier recognition abroad.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung said the initiative would be a key agenda of the government in view of the education sector's contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.

"Our target is to increase qualified academic staff with doctorates to 75 per cent in research universities, and up to 60 per cent in public institutions by 2015."

Currently, PhD holders make up about 73 per cent of academic staff in research universities, he added.

Hou said implementation would take place gradually in the form of prerequisites requir-ing those applying for lecturers positions to be PhD holders.

He said lecturers would also be provided scholarships and training grants to pursue post-graduate studies.

"We need more PhD holders as lecturers as currently, we have noticed that some fields of study in certain institutions do not have a high teaching capacity," he said after presenting the Tanjong Scholarship Awards to 24 students here.

Hou, who is also MCA deputy secretary-general, said the ministry would also be increasing promotion opportunities for lecturers in public institutions of higher learning.

"This would also include the conferment of 'premier professor' titles to deserving lecturers based on their research studies."

Hou said the distinguished title was currently only conferred on credited lecturers in administrative positions