BY now, the terms ‘online learning’ or ‘e-learning’ are an inseparable part of the education system.
Although the Higher Education Ministry has allowed a select group of students to return to campus, the bulk of them will continue their lessons online until the end of the year.
Despite having to fully embrace e-learning for the past three months, students and academics alike have questioned how quality can be maintained when the usual teaching and assessment methods cannot be used in the virtual world.
Some of these concerns were addressed during a recent webinar with several industry experts-cum-academics who sit in regulatory bodies.
Held in May, they discussed the importance of higher learning institutions maintaining the standards and quality of their courses as they adjust to the new normal where almost everything is done digitally.
It also allowed higher learning institutions to gather information from regulatory and professional bodies on the best ways to facilitate their transition to emergency remote teaching while ensuring standards are not compromised.
Dubbed ‘Managing Quality in Higher Education in Times of Crisis’, the webinar was organised by the Academy of Professors Malaysia Education and Human Development Cluster, in collaboration with Universiti Utara Malaysia’s University Teaching Learning Center.
Board of Engineers Malaysia (Engineering Accreditation Department and Engineering Technology Accreditation Department) director Dr Siti Hawa Hamzah said while universities are given the autonomy and flexibility in handling all forms of alternative assessments, she stressed that they must not compromise on the accreditation standards.
Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants president and Malaysian Institute of Accountants council member Dr Veerinderjeet Singh and Council of Architectural Accreditation and Education Malaysia head of accreditation and validation Prof Dr Syed Ahmad Iskandar Syed Ariffin, agreed.
The experts, however, cautioned that there are challenges that come along with migrating fully to a virtual teaching and learning environment.
In engineering, Siti Hawa said, it is impossible for a complete shift to happen due to its hands-on and practical components.
Veerinderjeet said online safety is a concern together with the possibility of exam questions and results being hacked by unscrupulous individuals.
Prof Syed Ahmad said difficulties also lie in making this virtual mode of learning a culture among lecturers and students.
“Any compromise on the quality is simply not an option,” he added.
All of these will have an effect on the quality of graduates coming out of our varsities if left unchecked.
Speaking to StarEdu, Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) president Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said collaboration and engagement between lecturers and students is pivotal in assuring the teaching and learning process is continuous and intact on an “undisruptive connection”.
“This allows for all students to be in real time connection with their educators.
“Continuous and seamless knowledge sharing and transfer will be executed on the strengths of the ICT infrastructure in place.
“The design of online delivery is set upon a learning management system strategy to allow for learning optimisation while ensuring attention to what is being taught through blended learning techniques and flip classroom on a virtual platform,” he added.
Learning outcomes, Dr Parmjit said, must be assessed to ensure that they are met. – By SANDHYA MENON
Although the Higher Education Ministry has allowed a select group of students to return to campus, the bulk of them will continue their lessons online until the end of the year.
Despite having to fully embrace e-learning for the past three months, students and academics alike have questioned how quality can be maintained when the usual teaching and assessment methods cannot be used in the virtual world.
Some of these concerns were addressed during a recent webinar with several industry experts-cum-academics who sit in regulatory bodies.
Held in May, they discussed the importance of higher learning institutions maintaining the standards and quality of their courses as they adjust to the new normal where almost everything is done digitally.
It also allowed higher learning institutions to gather information from regulatory and professional bodies on the best ways to facilitate their transition to emergency remote teaching while ensuring standards are not compromised.
Dubbed ‘Managing Quality in Higher Education in Times of Crisis’, the webinar was organised by the Academy of Professors Malaysia Education and Human Development Cluster, in collaboration with Universiti Utara Malaysia’s University Teaching Learning Center.
Board of Engineers Malaysia (Engineering Accreditation Department and Engineering Technology Accreditation Department) director Dr Siti Hawa Hamzah said while universities are given the autonomy and flexibility in handling all forms of alternative assessments, she stressed that they must not compromise on the accreditation standards.
Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants president and Malaysian Institute of Accountants council member Dr Veerinderjeet Singh and Council of Architectural Accreditation and Education Malaysia head of accreditation and validation Prof Dr Syed Ahmad Iskandar Syed Ariffin, agreed.
The experts, however, cautioned that there are challenges that come along with migrating fully to a virtual teaching and learning environment.
In engineering, Siti Hawa said, it is impossible for a complete shift to happen due to its hands-on and practical components.
Veerinderjeet said online safety is a concern together with the possibility of exam questions and results being hacked by unscrupulous individuals.
Prof Syed Ahmad said difficulties also lie in making this virtual mode of learning a culture among lecturers and students.
“Any compromise on the quality is simply not an option,” he added.
All of these will have an effect on the quality of graduates coming out of our varsities if left unchecked.
Speaking to StarEdu, Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) president Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said collaboration and engagement between lecturers and students is pivotal in assuring the teaching and learning process is continuous and intact on an “undisruptive connection”.
“This allows for all students to be in real time connection with their educators.
“Continuous and seamless knowledge sharing and transfer will be executed on the strengths of the ICT infrastructure in place.
“The design of online delivery is set upon a learning management system strategy to allow for learning optimisation while ensuring attention to what is being taught through blended learning techniques and flip classroom on a virtual platform,” he added.
Learning outcomes, Dr Parmjit said, must be assessed to ensure that they are met. – By SANDHYA MENON
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