Sultan Idris Education University Research Articles

Evaluation of Students’ Learning Outcome: An Experience Sharing Teaching Agribotany at Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia

UPSI is dedicated to become the Leading Education University in Malaysia’s tertiary education system and has moved towards Outcome-based Education (OBE) approach since 2008. The ultimatum of the OBE focuses on the graduate attributes or program learning outcomes (PLO) upon completion of an academic program. However, while colleagues from other Higher Education Providers are sceptical about the implementation of OBE with the perception that it requires lots of time and effort, but with the integration of technology in teaching and learning at UPSI, Course Learning Outcome (CLO) calculation is very handy. The prescribed PLOs are first aligned to the all CLOs designed into the curriculum. Nevertheless, teaching and learning strategies and supporting facilities are also predetermined to support the intended outcomes. Students’ achievements based on their performance in assessments are to be measured throughout the study. All these, make teaching a burden to the academic staff until UPSI introduced two platforms; MyGuru 2 where course outline including the course learning outcomes (CLO), teaching materials, assessments and student-instructor online communication such as forum are uploaded and managed by the course instructor. MyGuru 2 is linked to the second platform, the University Integrated Management System (UIMS) where all assessments (formative and summative) data are analysed. At the end of the semester the evaluation of each course learning outcome mapped to the students’ performance is displayed. In this paper, the author would like to share her experience teaching Agribotany, a course in Bachelor of Education (Agricultural Science) with Honours which was made easy by using these platforms. Thus, when the full cycle of a program is completed, CLOs of all courses which are mapped to Program Outcomes (PO) are analysed. The achievement of the Program Educational Objective (PEO) is the reflection of the quality of graduate of a program. It will further use in the Continual Quality Improvement (CQI) process. Keywords : Course Learning Outcome, Program Learning Outcome, Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI)

Analysis of UPSI Teacher Clinical Experience In Comparative Perspective and Suggestion for New Teacher Clinical Experience Structure

This study was conducted to compare and discuss the teacher clinical experience structure offered by the Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) and the chosen universities from Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Australia. This comparative analysis is carried out using a qualitative approach which will focus on the purposes, duration, timing and phases or components of the teacher clinical experience offered by the UPSI and the chosen universities. This analysis has identified that the time allocation for the teacher clinical experience of the UPSI was too short; the timing for pre-service teachers to undergo teacher clinical experience was inappropriate, and the phases or components of teacher clinical experience adopted was insufficient. This paper will suggest a new teacher clinical experience structure and provide implications that can be learnt by the UPSI from other universities abroad to enhance its existing teacher clinical experience.

Mobile Learning Environment System (MLES): The Case of Android-based Learning Application on Undergraduates’ Learning

Of late, mobile technology has introduced new, novel environment that can be capitalized to further enrich the teaching and learning process in classrooms. Taking cognizance of this promising setting, a study was undertaken to investigate the impact of such an environment enabled by android platform on the learning process among undergraduates of Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia; in particular, this paper discusses critical aspects of the design and implementation of the android learning system. Data were collected through a survey involving 56 respondents, and these data were analyzed by using SPSS 12.0. Findings showed that the respondents were very receptive to the interactivity, accessibility, and convenience of the system, but they were quite frustrated with the occasional interruptions due to internet connectivity problems. Overall, the mobile learning system can be utilized as an inexpensive but potent learning tool that complements undergraduates’ learning process.