Driving culture change in Malaysian engineering education through EASTeL

Abstract

As Malaysian Engineering Education moved towards becoming a signatory member of Washington Accord in 2004, there is a significant requirement for Malaysia to genuinely shift from the traditional ‘prescriptive-based’ system towards ‘outcome-based education”(OBE) system. In making the shift two main issues of concern are i) how to help faculty members transform their courses according to OBE and ii) how to make the process of documentation automated and updated in keeping with the rapid changes being made during the transformation period. An Electronic Assessment System for Tertiary Learning (EASTeL) was developed to help educators cope with change focusing on assessment for students learning. EASTeL was tested in Soil Mechanics subject in the second year Civil Engineering Programme at University of Malaya. EASTel was found to be beneficial on both lecturers and students. The result shows that by taking care of assessment using EASTeL, the change to OBE by ‘doing’ can be achieved. The features in EASTeL can guide the educators to handle crucial assessment issues leading to constructive alignment. Documentations and updating is made simple through the use of its electronic features thus addressing the quality assurance requirements. The use of rubric and criteria can help educators to develop further their skills in assessment through holistic assessment approach. EASTeL focuses on formative assessment element whereby students are empowered by the feedback feature, thus improving their learning.