Sunday March 22, 2009
THOSE who are interested in applying for financial assistance to pursue postgraduate programmes must first secure a place in university.
“They must first apply and get a place in any of the country’s 20 public universities or one of these three institutions — Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten), Multimedia University (MMU) or Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP),” said Higher Education Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi.
After being offered places, they could then apply for financial assistance, he added.
“We are meeting with representatives from the various universities to work out the details.”
A check with several public universities showed that applications to pursue masters or PhD programmes can be submitted directly, through the institutions’ websites.
In announcing the mini budget on March 10, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said that the government would finance tuition fees and research grants of up to RM20,000 for every student pursuing a PhD, and RM10,000 for students pursuing a master’s programme, locally.
A total of 500 places for doctoral level programmes and 10,000 at masters level will be offered in public universities as well as at Uniten, MMU and UTP, he added.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Najib's mother to receive honorary PhD - Star
March 22, 2009
ALOR SETAR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's mother, Tun Rahah Mohd Noah, will be conferred an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy (Education) at Universiti Utara Malaysia's (UUM) 22nd convocation on March 28.
UUM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Internationalisation) Prof Dr Abdul Razak Chik said the conferment was in conjunction with the university's silver jubilee and in honour of Rahah's contribution to social development.
"As a prominent woman who is also the chancellor of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Rahah deserves this award (from UUM)," he told reporters here on Sunday. - Bernama
ALOR SETAR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's mother, Tun Rahah Mohd Noah, will be conferred an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy (Education) at Universiti Utara Malaysia's (UUM) 22nd convocation on March 28.
UUM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Internationalisation) Prof Dr Abdul Razak Chik said the conferment was in conjunction with the university's silver jubilee and in honour of Rahah's contribution to social development.
"As a prominent woman who is also the chancellor of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Rahah deserves this award (from UUM)," he told reporters here on Sunday. - Bernama
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Only 16 apply to do PhD - Malaysian Insider
PUTRAJAYA, March 17 — The Higher Education Ministry has received 16 applications to pursue doctorate degree under a special scheme announced in the second stimulus package last week.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said no applications had been received so far for the masters degree programme.
There was no closing date for the programme but candidates would have to fulfil the stipulated criteria before their applications could be considered, he added.
“The programme will go on until the number is filled. I believe the number is sufficient,” he told reporters after tabling the progress report of the Second National Higher Education Strategic Plan here today.
Under the stimulus package tabled by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the government would provide a fund of RM20,000 each to students pursuing doctorate degree and RM10,000 for the masters degree.
Some 500 places would be provided for the doctorate degree and 10,000 for the masters degree. Khaled urged students to take advantage of the programme.
He also hoped that more students would apply for scholarships to become academic staff in universities.
There would also be new programmes to be implemented within the next six months to strengthen teaching and learning in universities and polytechnics under the strategic plan, he said.
He said the ministry would also submit the tentative structure of the soon-to-be set up Malaysian Research Institute, which is aimed at assisting all centres of excellence to carry out research and development. — Bernama
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said no applications had been received so far for the masters degree programme.
There was no closing date for the programme but candidates would have to fulfil the stipulated criteria before their applications could be considered, he added.
“The programme will go on until the number is filled. I believe the number is sufficient,” he told reporters after tabling the progress report of the Second National Higher Education Strategic Plan here today.
Under the stimulus package tabled by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the government would provide a fund of RM20,000 each to students pursuing doctorate degree and RM10,000 for the masters degree.
Some 500 places would be provided for the doctorate degree and 10,000 for the masters degree. Khaled urged students to take advantage of the programme.
He also hoped that more students would apply for scholarships to become academic staff in universities.
There would also be new programmes to be implemented within the next six months to strengthen teaching and learning in universities and polytechnics under the strategic plan, he said.
He said the ministry would also submit the tentative structure of the soon-to-be set up Malaysian Research Institute, which is aimed at assisting all centres of excellence to carry out research and development. — Bernama
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Include UTAR In Postgraduate Package, Ka Chuan Urges Govt
KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said he would ask the government to include Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in the postgraduate financing package announced by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday.
"I will talk to the DPM about this. We should have UTAR Masters Degree and Doctorate level students included in this programme, especially in the current economic situation.
"If the government offers grants and financial aid, UTAR students should receive it too," he told reporters after attending UTAR's Eighth Convocation here, Saturday.
UTAR was a recognised private university with a good track record of producing quality and highly sought after graduates, he said.
Najib, when tabling the RM60 billion stimulus package in the Dewan Rakyat on March 10, said the government would undertake to finance tuition fees and research grants up to RM20,000 for every student pursuing doctorates locally while for students in the Masters programme, the government would provide up to RM10,000 per student.
A total of 500 places would be provided for studies at PhD level and 10,000 at Masters level in public institutions of higher learning as well as at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Multimedia and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, he had said.
-- BERNAMA
"I will talk to the DPM about this. We should have UTAR Masters Degree and Doctorate level students included in this programme, especially in the current economic situation.
"If the government offers grants and financial aid, UTAR students should receive it too," he told reporters after attending UTAR's Eighth Convocation here, Saturday.
UTAR was a recognised private university with a good track record of producing quality and highly sought after graduates, he said.
Najib, when tabling the RM60 billion stimulus package in the Dewan Rakyat on March 10, said the government would undertake to finance tuition fees and research grants up to RM20,000 for every student pursuing doctorates locally while for students in the Masters programme, the government would provide up to RM10,000 per student.
A total of 500 places would be provided for studies at PhD level and 10,000 at Masters level in public institutions of higher learning as well as at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Multimedia and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, he had said.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
OUM Confers Honorary Doctorate To Dr Daisaku Ikeda - Bernama
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 24 (Bernama)
Open University Malaysia (OUM) today conferred the Honorary Doctor of Arts (Humanities) to President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Dr Daisaku Ikeda in a special convocation held at the Soka International Friendship Hall, in Tokyo.
According to a statement released here, OUM Chancellor who is the Malaysian prime minister's wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah conferred the award to Dr Ikeda, who became the first international recipient of the university's honorary doctorate.
Speaking at the convocation, Jeanne said learning institutions shouldered the noble responsiblity of creating a society that valued education.
"OUM and SGI share the same sentiments in making education accessible to the masses to help develop human capital," she said.
OUM President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali, in his speech, said that OUM was honoured to confer Dr Ikeda with the honorary doctorate.
"He is a visionary man who believes that education and world peace are closely linked. Likewise, at OUM, we believe that education spurs socio-economic development to elevate the living standard of people," he said.
The honorary doctorate was awarded in recognition of Dr Ikeda's outstanding work in promoting world peace and character development through education, OUM said.
Prior to this, OUM had conferred honorary doctorates to three individuals, who are OUM's founding members and former vice-chancellors of Malaysia's leading universities.
OUM and SGI have a long standing relation through collaborations aimed at providing learners from both institutions the exposure to the best learning experience.
In May last year, Jeanne was conferred the award of Highest Honor by Soka Women's College, Soka University, Japan.
Open University Malaysia (OUM) today conferred the Honorary Doctor of Arts (Humanities) to President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Dr Daisaku Ikeda in a special convocation held at the Soka International Friendship Hall, in Tokyo.According to a statement released here, OUM Chancellor who is the Malaysian prime minister's wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah conferred the award to Dr Ikeda, who became the first international recipient of the university's honorary doctorate.
Speaking at the convocation, Jeanne said learning institutions shouldered the noble responsiblity of creating a society that valued education.
"OUM and SGI share the same sentiments in making education accessible to the masses to help develop human capital," she said.
OUM President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali, in his speech, said that OUM was honoured to confer Dr Ikeda with the honorary doctorate."He is a visionary man who believes that education and world peace are closely linked. Likewise, at OUM, we believe that education spurs socio-economic development to elevate the living standard of people," he said.
The honorary doctorate was awarded in recognition of Dr Ikeda's outstanding work in promoting world peace and character development through education, OUM said.
Prior to this, OUM had conferred honorary doctorates to three individuals, who are OUM's founding members and former vice-chancellors of Malaysia's leading universities.
OUM and SGI have a long standing relation through collaborations aimed at providing learners from both institutions the exposure to the best learning experience.
In May last year, Jeanne was conferred the award of Highest Honor by Soka Women's College, Soka University, Japan.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Doctoral Research Methodology Workshop - Unitar
The doctoral research methodology workshop organized by University Tun Abdul Razak will be held from 16 March 2009 to 3 July 2009 in 4 modules as follows:
Module 1 : Methodology & Research Design
Module 2 : Organizing and Managing Research
Module 3 : Qualitative Research Methods
Module 4 : Quantitative Research Methods
The workshop will be conducted by Professor Jonathan Winterton.
For details: http://gs.unitar.edu.my/wshop/index.html
Module 1 : Methodology & Research Design
Module 2 : Organizing and Managing Research
Module 3 : Qualitative Research Methods
Module 4 : Quantitative Research Methods
The workshop will be conducted by Professor Jonathan Winterton.
For details: http://gs.unitar.edu.my/wshop/index.html
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Winning Team - AAOU 2008 Silver Medal Award
The Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) where OUM is a member, held an International conference in Tian Jin, China from 14 to 16 October. As usual, OUM have been actively participating in this conference having hosted the AAOU 2007 conference in Putrajaya.
OUM entourage to AAOU 2008 conference was led by Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Anuwar Ali (fifth from right)
OUM entourage was led by YBhg Prof Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Anuwar Ali, President/Vice Chancellor of OUM. OUM presented a number of papers in the conference, which was also attended by presenters from 22 countries.
Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Anuwar Ali was one of the key note speakers at the conference
Two papers from OUM have been shortlisted for the best paper award. And one of the two papers emerged as the winner for the Silver Medal award. The gold medal was won by host China. Credit goes to Prof. Dr. Mansor Fadzil, Senio VP of OUM, for his powerful presentation of behalf of the team, who are unable to attend the conference.
The winning presentation by Prof. Mansor Fadzil, Senior VP of OUM
The paper entitled: "E-Mathematics: Pre-instructional and Supplemental Instruction and their impact on student’s Online Participation and Final Exam Score" won the Silver Medal award. The research, which was led by Richard Ng, Director of OUM Perak, also include four other members; Prof. Latifah Abd Latif, Director of the Centre for Student Mangement, Prof. Ramli Bahroom, General Manager for Corporate Relations, Prof. Abtar Kaur and Siti Farina from the Faculty of Education and Language.
Puan Kamariah, Registrar of OUM, received the silver medal on behalf of OUM
The winning team members (from left): Richard Ng, Prof. Ramli, Siti Farina, Prof. Latifah and Prof. Abtar
The Silver Medal
The certificate awarded to team members
The abstract of the winning paper is as follows:
Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia’s first open and distance learning university with over 67,000 students, offers more than 51 programs to-date. More than 90% of its students are working adults who are unable to leave their jobs or families behind to pursue their dream of getting a degree. The blended learning approach adopted by OUM provides the flexibility for working adults to obtain the required paper qualification and to upgrade their knowledge. One of the important elements of blended learning is the use of online discussion forum where learning takes place beyond classroom.
Mathematics, a traditionally difficult course, forms part of the pre-requisite for students to obtain a business degree at OUM. The adult learners at OUM generally have left school for at least five years and most of them have low grades in Mathematics at O’ Level. Thus it is a big challenge for these adult learners to undertake a Mathematics course via online with minimum Face-to-Face contact with their tutors.
This paper focuses on the implementation of pre-instruction workshop and supplemental instruction to find its impact on student’s online participation and exam results of 88 students. The contents of the online forum were also analyzed using a 34-item instrument derived from the Community of Inquiry model. Results obtained showed that there was a strong correlation between workshop participation and final exam score. Independent samples t-test conducted showed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of online discussion ratio and final examination between participants attached to a tutor conducting the workshop and extended coaching compared to participants attached to another tutor using the normal teaching guide. The mean COI score obtained for mathematics between the two tutors indicated that there is a difference in the teaching and cognitive presence but almost similar in the social presence.
This research is important especially in improving the learning of mathematics via blended learning approach. The management of OUM especially Prof. Mansor Fadzil, has been very supportive of this project and as a result, it was given a research grant to expand such learning pedagogy throughout OUM and include other technical courses, which have been regarded traditionally as difficult courses.
A new model known as the "OSI Model" has been developed to enhance learning with video support where learners can now download the video clips and view it as many times as they required at any time any place. As portable media players are available at affordable cost these days, more and more learners are expected to engage in mobile learning.
The OSI Model of learning Mathematics
OUM entourage to AAOU 2008 conference was led by Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Anuwar Ali (fifth from right)OUM entourage was led by YBhg Prof Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Anuwar Ali, President/Vice Chancellor of OUM. OUM presented a number of papers in the conference, which was also attended by presenters from 22 countries.
Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Anuwar Ali was one of the key note speakers at the conferenceTwo papers from OUM have been shortlisted for the best paper award. And one of the two papers emerged as the winner for the Silver Medal award. The gold medal was won by host China. Credit goes to Prof. Dr. Mansor Fadzil, Senio VP of OUM, for his powerful presentation of behalf of the team, who are unable to attend the conference.
The winning presentation by Prof. Mansor Fadzil, Senior VP of OUMThe paper entitled: "E-Mathematics: Pre-instructional and Supplemental Instruction and their impact on student’s Online Participation and Final Exam Score" won the Silver Medal award. The research, which was led by Richard Ng, Director of OUM Perak, also include four other members; Prof. Latifah Abd Latif, Director of the Centre for Student Mangement, Prof. Ramli Bahroom, General Manager for Corporate Relations, Prof. Abtar Kaur and Siti Farina from the Faculty of Education and Language.
Puan Kamariah, Registrar of OUM, received the silver medal on behalf of OUM
The winning team members (from left): Richard Ng, Prof. Ramli, Siti Farina, Prof. Latifah and Prof. Abtar
The Silver Medal
The certificate awarded to team members The abstract of the winning paper is as follows:
Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia’s first open and distance learning university with over 67,000 students, offers more than 51 programs to-date. More than 90% of its students are working adults who are unable to leave their jobs or families behind to pursue their dream of getting a degree. The blended learning approach adopted by OUM provides the flexibility for working adults to obtain the required paper qualification and to upgrade their knowledge. One of the important elements of blended learning is the use of online discussion forum where learning takes place beyond classroom.
Mathematics, a traditionally difficult course, forms part of the pre-requisite for students to obtain a business degree at OUM. The adult learners at OUM generally have left school for at least five years and most of them have low grades in Mathematics at O’ Level. Thus it is a big challenge for these adult learners to undertake a Mathematics course via online with minimum Face-to-Face contact with their tutors.
This paper focuses on the implementation of pre-instruction workshop and supplemental instruction to find its impact on student’s online participation and exam results of 88 students. The contents of the online forum were also analyzed using a 34-item instrument derived from the Community of Inquiry model. Results obtained showed that there was a strong correlation between workshop participation and final exam score. Independent samples t-test conducted showed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of online discussion ratio and final examination between participants attached to a tutor conducting the workshop and extended coaching compared to participants attached to another tutor using the normal teaching guide. The mean COI score obtained for mathematics between the two tutors indicated that there is a difference in the teaching and cognitive presence but almost similar in the social presence.
This research is important especially in improving the learning of mathematics via blended learning approach. The management of OUM especially Prof. Mansor Fadzil, has been very supportive of this project and as a result, it was given a research grant to expand such learning pedagogy throughout OUM and include other technical courses, which have been regarded traditionally as difficult courses.
A new model known as the "OSI Model" has been developed to enhance learning with video support where learners can now download the video clips and view it as many times as they required at any time any place. As portable media players are available at affordable cost these days, more and more learners are expected to engage in mobile learning.
The OSI Model of learning Mathematics
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