WOU hosts talk on 'ICTs in Higher Education: Who Stands to Gain?'

PENANG: Wawasan Open University (WOU) welcomes all interested to a free public lecture on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote lifelong learning at its main campus on May 18th.

Prof Asha Kanwar, Vice President of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), will present the talk entitled ‘ICTs in Higher Education: Who Stands to Gain?’ at 7pm.

The talk will address the phenomenal growth of ICTs in education and who stands to gain, whether the government, the institutions of higher learning due to improved productivity and effectiveness, the educators who have to deal with a diverse student group, or the students themselves. She will also offer suggestions on how to harness ICTs for maximum benefit for the relevant parties.

Prof Kanwar is a leading expert in the field of open distance learning and has over 30 years experience in teaching, research and administration. For her outstanding work in leading the creation of low cost technology options for delivering education to the developing world, she received the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)’s Individual Prize of Excellence in 2009. The Professor has also conducted studies on the impact of distance education on the lives of Asian women, demonstrating that better educational opportunities and access to new technologies can make a difference to their attitudes, values and concerns.

The COL is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.

Implementation and Strategies for Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (UiTM) :: e-learning at higher education

Prof. Dr. Posiah Mohd Isa.

The e-Learning Centre (i-LEC) of UiTM was established in December 2005, to serve as the core unit in initiating and implementing e-learning on a campus wide level. The main function of the centre is to implement and provide services to create a learning environment where lecturers provide Web-based contents and online learning activities. Universiti Teknologi MARA, with fifteen branch campuses spread throughout the country offers indeed vast untapped resources as far as expertise and infrastructure. This article attempts to describe the University's efforts to embark on e-learning in a big way after a span of only one year of implementation efforts.

In Malaysia, e-learning is no longer a new phenomenon, but it has not ceased to be a hot topic. It has established itself as an option in all level of education, especially in tertiary education, where it is poised to take a larger role. The diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled existing and new institutions of higher learning in Malaysia to offer their educational services to a wider market place and in many instances, beyond geographic locations. The demand for education, on the other hand has been growing so rapidly in the last few decades most particularly among adults. This phenomenon is closely related to the change from the industry-based economy to the emerging knowledge-based economy, which focuses on the development of the human capital as the major contributor to a holistic development.

Universiti Teknologi
MARA (UiTM)

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) is Malaysia's premier institution of higher learning that has experienced a phenomenal growth since its inception in 1956. The university has expanded nationwide with 3 satellite campuses, 12 branch campuses, 6 city campuses, 25 franchise colleges and a smart campus for the future. Its formation is based on a vision of outstanding scholarship and academic excellence that is capable of providing leadership in all fields of internationally recognized professional study.

The university has the broadest range of disciplines that any one university can boast of-from hotel and tourist management to accountancy to communication and media studies to medical and health technology, encompassing 25 faculties and 250 academic programmes spread over Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities and Business Management.

Moving some activities online for example tutorials, discussion, announcements and assessment online and out of the classroom not only reduces demands on buildings but also creates efficiencies as digital materials are much faster, cheaper to produce, copy, distribute, adapt and share than other formats anywhere anytime

Today, the university has an enrolment of nearly 100,000 students spread through out the country registered in all the different modes of study and disciplines. UiTM being a pioneer institution of higher learning is totally committed to producing a significant number of Bumiputra professionals who are skilled in a broad spectrum of competencies covering a wide range of industrial and vocational requirements and therefore when given the mandate by the government that UiTM students enrolment will be expected to increase to 200,000 in ten years time, the university responded positively as it will contribute towards development of the human capital and increasing the national productivity of the country.

E-learning: The new age solution

To respond to the challenge of 200,000 student enrolment and internationalisation of higher education, the management of the university is confident with the potential of the technology, most especially the growing availability of Internet connections. E-learning could be the solution to the growth of the student population for the university within the time given and the promotion of life long learning by taking advantage of the technological opportunity.

For UiTM, e-learning will create an extended learning environment that supports, complements and enriches face to face classroom teaching and learning for the on-campus programmes as well as distance learning programmes. Now learning can extend well beyond the classroom in a blended learning powered by the virtual capabilities of e-learning. Academics now can put course materials online for students to access and also create online activities and discussion to improve students understanding and encourage deeper learning. Besides, moving some activities online for example tutorials, discussion, announcements and assessment online and out of the classroom not only reduces demands on buildings but also creates efficiencies as digital materials are much faster, cheaper to produce, copy, distribute, adapt and share than other formats anywhere anytime. E-learning is also easier for mature students and post graduate programmes.

The distance learning initiative for UiTM began since 1973 with the establishment of the Off Campus School which provides off campus learning opportunities (for certificate and diploma programmes) to individuals aspiring for higher education and improved qualifications but who are unable to take advantage of traditional modes of education. In 1990 the function and responsibilities of the Off Campus School were expanded to include distance-learning programmes through the use of study manuals and audio recordings. In 1995 the Off Campus School name was changed to 'The Institute of Education Development (InED)' and since July 2000, it began to offer online programmes (diploma, degree and masters) via the Internet. Currently, the Institute has an enrolment of 8,000 students and has successfully produced 3,000 graduates since its establishment.

The achievements at i-Lec shows 60% of lecturers registered as active instructors and 1600 courses delivered onto the portal accessible to students anywhere anytime by the end of April 2006. Beginning June 2006, data of all full time students has been successfully integrated into the system and through the i-student portal they can access the i-learn portal and course content

With the explosive growth of the Internet, in 1999 the university began to consider incorporating e-learning into its education offerings and not only limited to distance learning but also to complement on-campus programs. The main challenge was how best to create a potentially powerful learning environment that could enhance full-time on-campus education in the shortest time possible. The university embarked on a pilot project with twenty lecturers from different faculties selected based on their interest and commitment on e-learning and use of technology in teaching. The platform chosen and used by this pilot group was Lotus Learning Space 5 (LLS 5). Subsequently two more ICT group of lecturers were trained and efforts were drastically geared towards equipping faculties with technology-enabled classrooms to encourage lecturers to adopt technology in their teaching. However, feedback from the pilot group members was not satisfactory regarding the platform. It was too cumbersome and unfriendly for them and students to get started on their own. The achievement of the project was limited due to infrastructure and software limitations and time constraint to train all lecturers as content developers. After three years, 23 courseware of highly multimedia interactive mode were completed and uploaded online.

UiTM plans intellectual property R&D

TO promote quality research of world class standards, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) plans to further expose its academic communities to its long established Institute of Research, Development and Commercialisation (IRDC) management centre, which will facilitate their research, development, commercialisation and intellectual property (IP) protection activities.

According to UiTM's assistant vice chancellor (research) Professor Dr Azni Zain Ahmed, by having the IRDC, the research communities will be properly managed and assisted in exploring new areas as the centre provides coordination and necessary services for successful researches, consultancy and assisting projects for commercialisation purposes.

Managed by over 40 staff, IRDC covers fundamental applied and development research in science and technology, social sciences and managed sciences.

Azni said to ensure quality research and consultancy, IRDC is also divided into seven divisions that are responsible for managing short-term research activities, long-term research grants, consultancy activities, financial management of consultancy, information management, IP and commercialisation.

Among its consultancy work are contract research, advisory services, designing and building, testing and training. Among other services are training and advisory services on IP protection and to facilitate the commercialisation of the university's IPs.

The commercialisation of the IPs will be through licensing, joint venture, equity participation, consultation and outright sales.

Speaking to Tech&U, Azni said the ongoing researches in ICT areas come from various topics such as system/software development, science system, networking, statistics, impact study, intelligent system, computer mathematics, and quantitative sciences. She added that lecturers from various faculties in UiTM, namely Faculty of Information Technology and Quantitative Science will be involved in the tech research work.

UiTM Pahang Yakin Kuasai Karisma

SKUAD futsal Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Cawangan Pahang yakin muncul juara Karnival Sukan Siswa UiTM Malaysia (Karisma) di UiTM Shah Alam pada 18- 25 November depan.

Pengurus pasukan, Azman Mustapha berkata, kejayaan memenangi beberapa kejohanan sepanjang awal tahun ini menjadi azimat berharga buat skuad terbabit mengintai kejuaraan di kejohanan sulung berkenaan.

Menurutnya, antara kejayaan yang dicapai sebelum ini termasuk juara terbuka Jerantut serta Kejohanan Expo Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) serta tempat ketiga di kejohanan Piala Pegawai Daerah Termerloh 2010 antara rentetan kejayaan yang dibanggakan.

Malah, muncul juara di kejohanan Sukan Institut Pengajian Tinggi (IPTA) Zon Timur di Universiti Darul Iman (UDM) Kuala Terengganu selepas mengatasi UMP di final menerusi sepakan penalti hujung Disember lalu juga menjadi pemangkin kekuatan pasukan.

Katanya, walaupun bakal ditentang hebat lawan dari kampus Melaka, Perak, Johor serta semua pasukan yang bersaing, Azman yakin pemainnya mampu melepasi halangan getir terbabit.

Aligning Campus Portals with Learners' Needs

Abstract
Effectively developing and deploying campus portals can dramatically increase productivity and profitability of research and education. The cutting edge of this initiative lies in aligning portals with students' current needs. Our study aims at identifying these needs and provides a preliminary theoretical framework for portal developers to benchmark their objectives according to educational requirements. The study is mostly done based on local observations and experience of its conductors within higher education communities in Iran. The result of this primary study paves the way of implementing campus portals in the Iranian higher education communities which will be paced by the authors of the article in the near future.

Keywords
Portal- Campus Portals - Higher Education- E-learning, Information Technology

1. Introduction
E-Learning usually refers to "learning that is delivered or enabled via electronic technology" (Sun Microsystems, 2002). It encompasses learning delivered via a range of technologies such as the internet, television, videotape, intelligent tutoring systems, and computer-based training.
E-Learning is a subset of the larger worlds of both “information technology” and “education and training”. It can be valuable when used as a part of a well-planned and properly supported education and training environment, but e-learning is not a magic bullet that replaces or renders obsolete existing pedagogical theories and approaches.
Many learning and technology professionals believe that e-learning will have “arrived” when we stop referring to it by a separate name and begin considering it as an integral part of a complete learning environment.
Recent advances in the availability and speed of Internet access and in the power and availability of personal computing platforms have dramatically increased the opportunities for the use of collaborative environments and other distributed learning technologies. As a result, a wide range of new products are being developed and many new companies have entered the learning technology market.
New categories of products continue to emerge, some providing new capabilities and others combining existing functionality into new product configurations. It can be a challenge to determine how these systems relate to each other and how they fit into a complete e-learning environment. The emergence of e-learning does not mean that existing software applications are obsolete. Systems such as Student Administration, Human Resources, and Library Management provide critical components of e-learning environments. The challenge is to integrate these systems effectively with e-learning application services.
This has been done today in what is being called as "Campus Portal". Campus portals merge a wide range of educational applications into an integrated web-based system. These portals are designed and developed at many modern colleges and universities within recent years and are becoming more popular as useful tools in offering academic services. They are being used by both the current and distant students. Some colleges even offer their portals to their staff as official media for internal communication. These capabilities have proved portals as effective systems of e-learning.
The remaining question is: "How can we align portals with students' current needs?" Sometimes, adding new contents or services to a portal may answer this question; but, changing needs of students makes the job harder and requires enough flexibility of portals both in nature and usage.
We have made an effort in this study to identify those needs of Iranian students which may be satisfied through implementing portals and to provide a theoretical framework for portal developers to allign their objectives according to educational requirements.

2. E-learning Needs in Iran
In 1992, Peter Drucker predicted that in the next 50 years, “schools and universities will change more drastically than they have since they assumed their present form 300 years ago when they organized themselves around the printed book” (Drucker, 1992, p. 97), but what about developing countries? Can be it true again for such states?
The history of e-learning in Iran at present time did not exceed than 5 years, yet from a realistic point of view we might say that e-based learning in Iran has had a 3 year experience and even younger.
A successful campus portal should be designed and implemented so that real needs of learners might be satisfied. These needs can be summarized as following according to recent studies (Dilmaghani, Noori and et al 2003):
Ø Realistic comprehension concerning the process of learning [1]
Ø Proper implementation of computer hardware and software [1]
Ø Strong IT education [1]
Ø New IT infrastructure [2, 3]
Ø Enough experienced IT professionals [1]
Ø Realistic point of view or strategic program for higher education [3]
Ø Sufficient budget and equipment [3]
Ø Real learning stimulus [1]
Ø Preparedness for an active information society and new technology [4]
Ø Stable political, social and economic situations [3]
Ø Compatible educational resources for e-leaning [3]
Ø Information literacy [3]
We may categorize basic needs for e-learning in Iran in four main classes including: Social & Cultural, Economic, Technological and finally, Academic. All of these categories have their own characteristics which should be addressed in a realistic manner.

3. What are Portals?
At the most basic level, portals gather a variety of useful information resources into a single, “one-stop” Web page, helping the user to avoid being overwhelmed by “info glut” or feeling lost on the Web. But since no two people have the same interests, portals allow users to customize their information sources by selecting and viewing only the information they find personally useful. Some portals also let you personalize your portal by including private information (such as your stock portfolio or checking-account balance).
Put simply, an institution’s portal is designed to make an individual’s Web experience more efficient and thereby make the institution as a whole more productive and responsive. But portals have an economic and social impact that extends far beyond any basic functional definition. Eighty nine percent of the estimated fifty eight million people using the Web in the United States use some type of portal.
It is estimated that over 20 percent of the Internet’s retail e-commerce is portal-based. And though portals have historically been developed from search-engine-based sites (e.g., Yahoo, Excite, Lycos, Alta Vista) or ISP-based sites (e.g., AOL, Earthlink, Prodigy), their value goes far beyond a Web page containing a directory of URLs. One author described a portal as a place to start your day and get a little news. It is an epicenter of the Web experience, a “home base,” a place to return to when you get lost, a place to keep your information, a place from which to communicate with others, and a trusty guide to all things ‘Web.’ [7]

4. The Potential Value of a Portal for Higher Education
Portals are also used to support learning communities, which are groups of people with interest in a particular topic or subject area. The portal provides a way to identify people with similar interests and provides collaboration tools and content sharing to members of these communities.
Portals bring together the e-learning tools, content and delivery environment and organize them into logical groupings based on the role of the individual accessing the portal. Each organization using a portal will define and organize detailed roles based on their needs, but some common overall roles are content developer, instructor, advisor, administrator, and learner.
In the higher education space, schools implement these portals as an integral part of the school community and learning environment. Portal technology and services are available from a range of vendors including specialized vendors like Campus Pipeline, course management system vendors like Blackboard, and Student Administration products such as PeopleSoft.
Many students are adults in the real world—they are employees and parents—and certainly elements of a community portal will be critical to building lifelong loyalty and retention. Portals should serve as an important publishing medium for the campus, sending some information to everyone but customizing other information to meet the needs of different segments of the community and allowing individuals to personalize their own portals. Using polling technologies, portals can serve as a valuable tool for real-time institutional research and strategic planning.
Portals look both inward and outward and can provide a powerful medium for campuses to communicate with off-campus constituencies: prospective students; parents; students who work or commute; alumni; business and government partners.
Existing budgets may already support these information management and communication functions, although organizational responsibilities may be diffuse. If a campus is prepared to reorganize around a knowledge management strategy, it is possible to achieve large returns on investment by redefining information resources as a service.
The return on investment should be measured both in terms of cost savings and in qualitative terms, measured by extending and revitalizing the sense of participating in a campus community.
So should a campus develop a portal? Increased efficiency alone suggests yes, but there are other benefits that make a personalized campus portal not only desirable but imperative. We believe that the value of a portal to a campus is that it can be used to engage constituent groups, empower them with access to information resources and communication tools, and ultimately retain them by providing a more encompassing sense of membership in an academic community.
In the academic space, particularly in higher education, publishers are making content available in most subject areas. They are repurposing their existing content for web delivery as “course packs” or “cartridges” that run on widely used course management systems such as WebCT and Blackboard. [7]

5. Conclusion
It is obvious that deploying advanced higher education institutes and colleges equipped with modern e-learning facilities is one of today's urgent needs in developing countries like Iran. But the sustainability of such learning systems depends on making sound and realistic pedagogical strategies. New learning technologies need to be targeted so that they may develop applied learning skills in the students. Today the success of an educational program is highly tied to those web-based applications it may provide for its clients.
There has been a great deal of studies on the methods of developing e-learning in Iran and many challenges or problems have been determined upon the results of such studies. As the writers of this article have proposed, developing e-learning portals could be considered as a solution for the hazed situation of online higher education in Iran. E-learning portals are developed based on students' real needs in an online environment. Using advanced countries' experience in the field of implementing e-learning portals may bring fruitful results for the Iranian higher education community such as: content management, developing IT-based skills, university-industry cooperation, educational competition, self-confidence, creativity and many other useful outcomes. The remaining point is the policy of Iranian higher education authorities toward the implementation of new learning technologies including e-learning portals.

References
[1]. Noori, M. (2003). "Traditional Education or Learning with Computer", Virtual University Conference at Kashan Payam-e Noor College: Conference Proceedings. Kashan: Payam-e Noor.
[2]. Giveki, F. (2003). "Learning New Methods in Distance Higher Education", Virtual University Conference at Kashan Payam-e Noor College: Conference Proceedings. Kashan: Payam-e Noor.
[3]. Dilmaghani, M. (2003). "National Providence and Virtual Education Development Capabilities in Higher Education", Virtual University Conference at Kashan Payam-e Noor College: Conference Proceedings. Kashan: Payam-e Noor.
[4]. Momeni, N. (2003). "First Successful Experience of Distance Learning in Iran", Virtual University Conference at Kashan Payam-e Noor College: Conference Proceedings. Kashan: Payam-e Noor.
[5]. Drucker, P. (1992). Managing for the future: The 1990s and beyond. New York: Penguin.
[6]. Sun Microsystems white paper—“e-Learning Application Infrastructure”, January 2002
[7]. Looney, M. "Portals in Higher Education", Educause Review July/August 2000

An Evening in Memory of the Great Russian Surgeon N.I. Pirogov

In conjunction with the 200th birth anniversary of the great Russian surgeon N.I. Pirogov, the RCSC in Malaysian organized a social gathering on the 1st of December. Pirogov’s contribution to medicine is well known in this country, as a few hundred Malaysians have graduated from the Russian State Medical University named after Pirogov for the past ten years.

The event was attended by representatives of the Malaysian medical community and intelligentsia, medical students, Russian language course students as well as fellow Russians. Among the latter were Russian professors and scientists who are working at the prestigious Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), at the same time strengthening scientific and research relations between our two countries.

A gallery was set up at the foyer featuring photographs, reproductions and materials, all of which showcase the founder of modern surgery’s life and career. The director of the centre, Mr. M. Popov, told of the impact of the outstanding Russian doctor’s work and discoveries on mankind.

The highlight of the evening turned out to be the discussion of the Malaysian UiTM delegation’s participation at the international scientific conference “Development of ideas by N.I. Pirogov in modern medicine”, which took place in the city of Astrakhan on the basis of the Astrakhan State Medical Academy in November this year.

The delegation, headed by Dr. Nor Ashikin binti Mohamed Noor Khan, comprised of professor M. Kapitonova and two talented Malaysian students Siti Aisah binti Silahuddin and Andik Nurul Rasyaidah binti Andek Ariffin, all of which gave a scientific lecture. Siti Aisah and Andik Nurul Rasyaidah won the first and second prize at the students’ nomination for their report on the problems of contemporary pediatrics.

There was also an interesting discussion on the development of Russian-Malaysian scientific and educational relationships. The Malaysian participants of the gathering emphasized on the high standard of the Russian medical science. Many kind words were addressed to the various Russian tertiary level institutions and its teachers, which prepared almost two thousand medical specialists for clinics in Malaysia in the past 10 years.

Members of the delegation also shared their impressions on their brief stay in Russia: Astrakhan was much to their liking, and there was an unforgettable trip to Moscow and St Petersburg. They were much amazed by Russia’s treasure of historical and cultural marvels. Most memorable of all were the visits to various museums in Moscow, as well as a performance of the ballet “Swan Lake” at the famous Opera and Ballet Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. Their story was accompanied by a colourful slideshow in order for all those gathered to share along with their experience.

Sources: http://www.russia.org.my/en/news/20101201_pirogov.php

Constructing Software the Ways Brain Accepts Information

Sharifah Lailee Syed Abdullah of Uitm Perlis studied the ways a human brain responds to its environments to produce software. Using agile methodology, she intended to train and develop skills in constructing a software akin a human brain accepting information (with a real commercial client).

She compared the Extreme Programming method (an agile methodology) with the Discovery Method (a design-led methodology) to evaluate the effect of the XP methodology. The variables were work related well being, work group cohesion, positive affectivity and quality of the software.

She also examined the effectiveness of the agile methodology by identifying the difficult practices in the XP methodology and the reasons for the difficulties. Cognitive theory indicates that for a new approach to be accepted easily, it must conform to the ways the brain accepts information, stimulates the mind, and thus motivates the developers.

The collection of data was assisted by Software Engineering Observatory at the University of Sheffield, which was run by the Verification and Testing (VT) research group, an XP team in IBM, Hursley, United Kingdom.

Sharifah’s study could complement technical-focused methodologies in software construction.

Sources: http://www.rmi.uitm.edu.my/rmi-research-news/246.html