2018 ISFAS
The 6^th International Symposium on Fundamental and Applied Sciences
February 6-8, 2018 Osaka, Japan

Workshop Session

This workshop endeavours to share the experience of implementing Outcome-based Education (OBE) at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Malaysia in recent years. Various issues and challenges were only to be expected, but innovations made along the way have enabled the works feasible and effective in enhancing the learning experience of students. The 3 cases studies presented encompass scenarios from the social science, engineering technology as well as engineering fields of study, illustrating the diverse approaches adopted at the University within the general framework of OBE.

Technology Management is a core course in the Bachelor of Technology Management programme, where it has been traditionally delivered via face-to-face mode in lecture rooms. With the advent of IT gadgets and internet access, effective lecturer-student interaction and course delivery have appeared strained and lethargic over time. A blended learning approach has been introduced to counter these unfavourable academic fatigue of the course, i.e. incorporation of an online learning management system (LMS) in the existing face-to-face delivery mode. The LMS adopted is Schoology, where students could engage in active discourse with peers and lecturer alike. Course materials were also uploaded in the system for ease of access and students were able to monitor their individual performance real-time. All in all the blended learning approach has reignited interest and excitement in the Technology Management class, creating a more personalised learning experience for the students. Learning outcomes prescribed for the course were not only achieved, but were attained in a manner which diversified and enriched the students’ interaction with the lecturer and peers alike.

To inculcate entrepreneurial mindset among graduates of Malaysian universities, in line with aspiration of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia to produce future generation of professionals with high resilience, adaptability and global competitiveness, elementary Entrepreneurship has been incorporated in the curriculum of all undergraduate programmes. Considering that Entrepreneurship is traditionally a social science staple, coordinators of technical programmes, including the Bachelor of Civil Engineering Technology, were called upon to design effective delivery approaches to suit the learning needs and context of these future engineering technologists. Utilising basic tenets of the subject matter acquired in lectures, students were guided through a participative learning process of developing a feasible business plan for a product or service in the civil engineering market. The group work spanned across the 14-week semester, where students were actively engaged in a progressive creativity exercise to transform a technical idea into a marketable innovation with a ‘wow’ factor. By encouraging trans-disciplinary undertaking of the course, students were exposed to the infused excitement of identifying links between their technical know-how with entrepreneurial processes, making the otherwise ‘dry’ subject a useful and relevant one.

Architecture, being an academic programme with professional affiliations, has been developed at the University in compliance with both the standards and requirements of the academic audit and governing professional bodies. Curriculum design of the 3 years undergraduate programme had emphasis lain on both the technical aspect as well the generic skills expected of a 21st century architect. Discourses were held with various stakeholders, including leading architecture firms in the country, Malaysian Institute of Architecture (PAM), Malaysia Qualification Agency (MQA), among others. Benchmarking was also conducted at other institutions of higher learning offering similar programmes, for establishing healthy competition by way of complementing unique features of the respective programmes. In addition, a comprehensive market survey was carried out across a vast spectrum of the existing and potential stakeholders to gauge the sustainability of the newly developed programme. This case study presents the processes adopted throughout the programme development in the general framework of OBE, while highlighting the issues and challenges encountered along the way.

Keywords:
outcome-based education, learning outcomes, learning activities, blended learning, assessment, feedbacks, technology management, entrepreneurship, architecture