Malaysian Higher Education

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia-ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia -ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

War on global talents has been going on for decades and the international mobility of talents has been increasing and has caused tremendous downside effects to countries such as Malaysia. According to the World Bank, up until 2010 there were estimated 1 million Malaysians working abroad and thus instigated the establishment of Talent Corporation in 2011. Nevertheless, in order to effectively entice these talents in coming back, finding out who are they and the main reasons they left Malaysia in the first place are mandatory. Although there are many researches in this area, little is known with regards to Malaysia, let alone the talent loss among the Malaysian construction professionals. An empirical study using a quantitative survey and interviews was carried out amongst Malaysian construction professionals working abroad, in an attempt to identify their characteristics and determine the main push and pull factors. By using SPSS and Rasch model of measurement, these factors are then...

Current debates on higher education graduates seem to address graduates' quality and their employability. Since industries' role as future employers become central in the preparation of graduates, issues on graduate employability (GE) have become one of the heated discussion topics with the inclusion of smart partnerships and collaborations between higher education institutes and industries. As students generally spend between three and five years in higher education institutes prior to graduating, students' graduate employability relies quite heavily on the preparation for the world of work during their time in the institutions. The Ministry of Higher Education has called for academics to collaborate with the industries as a measure to enhance GE. Needless to say, academics' diversification has always directed them to be multi-taskers. Four main professional tracks inevitable amongst the academics namely; teaching, research (and publication), community service and academic leadership have made the academic profession a diversed one. While this is easy to comprehend, the task to establish and maintain linkages with industries in enhancing GE remains an issue yet to be championed by the academics who are already swamped by various academic tasks, let alone collaborating with the industries to specifically promote graduate employability. This paper examines the issues of graduate employability alongside the diversed tasks of the academics. Based on Boyer's scholarship of teaching and learning

Education plays a key role in realising Malaysia's aspirations to be a developed nation. This paper provides a critical assessment of the state of education in Malaysia. The issues that will be discussed in this paper includes the country's current ethos and philosophy of education, technical and vocational education (TVET), technology and flexible learning, and governance and financing of higher education. The paper also highlights critical omissions in the current Eleventh Malaysia Plan.

War on global talents has been going on for decades and the international mobility of talents has been increasing and has caused tremendous downside effects to countries such as Malaysia. According to the World Bank, up until 2010 there were estimated 1 million Malaysians working abroad and thus instigated the establishment of Talent Corporation in 2011. Nevertheless, in order to effectively entice these talents in coming back, finding out who are they and the main reasons they left Malaysia in the first place are mandatory. Although there are many researches in this area, little is known with regards to Malaysia, let alone the talent loss among the Malaysian construction professionals. An empirical study using a quantitative survey and interviews was carried out amongst Malaysian construction professionals working abroad, in an attempt to identify their characteristics and determine the main push and pull factors. By using SPSS and Rasch model of measurement, these factors are then ranked according to their importance. Interestingly the Malay professionals left Malaysia after gaining experience thus they are older as compared to the Chinese professionals. In addition, the most important reason of leaving Malaysia is due to lower income received in Malaysia. However, surprisingly other important motivations are related to personal behaviours such as to get exposure, curiosity, to challenge one's ability and also to live and work in a better environment. Therefore the main reasons are not just about money issue, they also revolve around other aspects of life. These findings hopefully would provide some insights for policy makers and the government in identifying this group of people and understanding the reasons they are leaving and thus could come up with more effective programmes of retaining and attracting these valuable talents in overcoming the talent loss phenomenon.

War on global talents has been going on for decades and the international mobility of talents has been increasing and has caused tremendous downside effects to countries such as Malaysia. According to the World Bank, up until 2010 there were estimated 1 million Malaysians working abroad and thus instigated the establishment of Talent Corporation in 2011. Nevertheless, in order to effectively entice these talents in coming back, finding out who are they and the main reasons they left Malaysia in the first place are mandatory. Although there are many researches in this area, little is known with regards to Malaysia, let alone the talent loss among the Malaysian construction professionals. An empirical study using a quantitative survey and interviews was carried out amongst Malaysian construction professionals working abroad, in an attempt to identify their characteristics and determine the main push and pull factors. By using SPSS and Rasch model of measurement, these factors are then...

In Malaysia, the severity of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes have increased in recent years, making disaster preparedness a crucial aspect of students' lives. In the context of flood preparedness, accessibility to materials on flood is still in deficit and a future-ready learning approach is required. This is parallel to Sustainable Development Goals Goal 4 in promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The objective of this research is twofold: to study flood preparedness among Malaysian higher education students and to propose a flood preparedness module for Malaysian higher education students via Metaverse environment. The module is developed using Spatial.io, an immersive shared AR platform. For this research, the module addresses flood which is presented via a 3-D virtual learning space. This beta version will opt for multiple-stage sampling method via a focus group comprising 10 PPSSAAS students. Then, UX Testing, and post-test are conducted to gauge the module usability and latent potentials. Based on the research, the use of metaverse for the flood preparedness module shows significant impact amongst the respondents. The finding from this research is hoped to enhance students' knowledge and awareness of flood preparedness so students can care for themselves and be of help to others during an emergency.

This publication documents a research entitled : Higher Education and Social Cohesion in Sabah and Sarawak" which was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education through the National Higher Education Research Institute. The authors and researchers record their sincere appreciation to the Ministry and Institute for the sponsorship. Social cohesion is a highly valued and essential societal condition for countries with the diverse ethnic, cultural and religious demography. It is a key concern in view of its significance in fostering political stability and sustaining economic development under such a pluralistic and potentially volatile social milieu.

The present study investigated the relationship between urban poor students’ perceptions of government assistance and poverty and their level of academic optimism. A survey was administered to 500 urban poor students in two major Malaysian cities, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. The students were identified and randomly selected for the study with the help of their respective schools. AMOS version 24 was used to test the hypothesised model using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings revealed a significant direct association between students’ perceptions of poverty and academic optimism. However, no significant indirect influence was found between students’ perceptions of poverty and their academic optimism through government assistance. These findings suggest that government assistance programmes are not necessarily a contributor to students’ academic optimism. The lack of any significant influence between students’ perceptions of poverty and academic optimism, through gov...

This paper discusses the practices and concepts of integrated education system in selected Islamic integrated schools in the Malay Archipelago, the underlying factors and issues regarding the schools' leadership and management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants, namely school leaders and teachers. Preliminary findings suggest that the teachers and the schools leaders have positive perceptions on the concept, practices and implementation of Islamic Integrated schools. Furthermore, it was observed that these schools were committed to deliver the best level of quality Islamic education by improving their teachers' teaching skills and through a leadership style that engenders commitment from the teachers. The findings revealed a number of important implications for the future development of the Islamic integrated schools in order to continuously serve the needs of the students, the parents, and the Muslim ummah.

This study examines the conception and importance of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) as perceived by a lecturer teaching in an engineering faculty in a local university in Malaysia. A case study was used to explore the way SoTL is understood and the extent the participant engages in research in teaching. Typical case sampling was used as sampling design to investigate the conception and practice of research in teaching and learning which might influence the effort and engagement in any activity related to the SoTL by lecturer. The qualitative finding showed that the importance of SoTL is undervalued due to lack of understanding of SoTL and its importance to students' learning and development. SoTL is perceived as less important as compared to conducting research related to one expertise. SoTL is also regarded as a distinctive form of research that is commonly involved academics in social science fields especially education. It was also found that the pedagogical practice of the respondent is adopted from the pedagogical practice of his lecturers and senior faculty members that serve as his mentors. Even though the pedagogy of a discipline is related to its content knowledge, yet from this study, it was found that the respondent perceives that as long as one posseses the mastery of the content knowledge, one will have the mastery of the pedagogical knowledge. This assumption indirectly undermines the importance of pedagogical knowledge to be mastered as compared to the content knowledge. Based on the findings of this study, it further actions are suggested be taken into consideration to enhance the engagement of lecturers from scientific and technical based faculties in the scholarship of teaching and learning to enhance their teaching practice and their students' learning.

Teaching is an important component in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).  To ensure the quality of education in HEI, it is vital to understand the skills and duties that need to be performed by new teaching scholars. Recently, the Ministry of Higher Education has launched the Orange Book that outlines a new and proactive career track for lecturers, with the intention to develop human capital and enhance professionalism in teaching at HEI.  However, there is still not much being done in identifying the challenges faced by newly appointed lecturers in Malaysia HEI. Utilising semi-structured in-depth interviews, two new teaching scholars and two expert lecturers at one of Malaysia HEI were interviewed to determine the challenges faced by new teaching scholars.  Transcribed interview sessions were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that the new teaching scholars face challenges in developing their substance knowledge, managing the Gen-Y, and having little knowledge on ...

Kamal Hassan’s life-long efforts have fallen into place, making impacts on educational empowerment, nation-building, and unity of the ummah. He resides in the hearts of thousands of colleagues and students as a role model and a towering figure of knowledge, sincerity, and dedication.

These foreign students are highly concerned with food safety and food handling knowledge as they are presumably involved in perilous eating behaviours, which exposes them to the risk of foodborne diseases. The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the awareness and practices regarding food safety and food handling among the foreign students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and to assess awareness of food safety and food handling among foreign students. Questionnaires were distributed into five sections that concealed key food safety apprehensions. A total of 328 students received the questionnaires, and 203 (61.89%) responded. Cleanliness of eating tables, food temperature, smoke-free environment and food handler appearance are the key food safety considerations for the respondents. The results showed that a high percentage of male respondents (57.98%) experienced food poisoning, and considered food from restaurants is the cause of foodborne diseases. Respondents have utmost awareness about the cleanliness of utensils and kitchen surfaces, hand hygiene, and preclusion of cross-contamination, however, described a poor knowledge concerning the temperature and heat treatment of the food. Good understanding regarding food poisoning symptoms was observed among the respondents, especially in a female group. The outcome revealed that foreign students, irrespective of gender, demonstrated comparable food safety and food handling knowledge. The study laid emphasis on education and training as an optimum way to foster awareness and encourage students' food safety knowledge and practices.

This paper discusses the practices and concepts of integrated education system in selected Islamic integrated schools in the Malay Archipelago, the underlying factors and issues regarding the schools' leadership and management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants, namely school leaders and teachers. Preliminary findings suggest that the teachers and the schools leaders have positive perceptions on the concept, practices and implementation of Islamic Integrated schools. Furthermore, it was observed that these schools were committed to deliver the best level of quality Islamic education by improving their teachers' teaching skills and through a leadership style that engenders commitment from the teachers. The findings revealed a number of important implications for the future development of the Islamic integrated schools in order to continuously serve the needs of the students, the parents, and the Muslim ummah.

This study aimed to identify the level of 4C under the 21st century learning skills and to determine the impact of Edmodo’s application in enhancing 4C skills. A total of 15 Malay Language Management undergraduate students were selected as respondents for the study, along with the course lecturer and three peer reviews (among lecturers) were also involved in the study. Using qualitative approach, this study employed scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research design during lessons in the 14-week semester. As reflection is the main element of SoTL, a thematic analysis was used to analyze data from the students, course lecturer and peer reviews reflections together with focus group interview. The preliminary findings illustrated that the level of 4C skills among undergraduate students are very weak. However, with intervention implemented by the course lecturer through Edmodo, students have managed to improve their level of 4C skills. From the reflections that reflect positive...

  This paper proposes an attempt to set out a conceptual framework for the application of Oliva Model in logistics curriculum at Malaysian higher education institutions. The need for a conceptual framework was due to the lacking of literatures pertaining to Oliva Model in Malaysian logistics education; and thus requires future empirical studies. Two main issues are tackled: Oliva Model as a curriculum theory, and the need to study this Model on logistics curriculum. In this context, the paper elaborates the Oliva Model as a theoretical foundation for curriculum development in logistics programs. The designing and evaluating components in the Model are expected to provide logistics students with optimum knowledge both in logistics as well as non-logistics. Key Words: Oliva curriculum model, logistics programmes, curriculum, Malaysian higher education institutions

This review investigates the contribution of John Biggs in playing an important role within learning research and educational system quality. Schools and Universities have gradually structured their policies on the bases of their students' perceptions, satisfaction, and needs. The interest in the measurement of student's study strategies and perceptions is the result of the needs for educational institutions to demonstrate their effectiveness in teaching. Biggs's model conceptualizes the learning process as an interactive system of three sets of variable: the learning environment and student characteristics, students' approach to learning, and learning outcomes. By exploring findings from educational studies, the review seeks to examine the evolution of Biggs's learning model and his contribution to understand individual, interpersonal and contextual factors that determine effectiveness of learning. for citations: Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society Je-LKS

Unlike traditional Islamic education (IE) systems, Islamic Integrated Education (IIE) emphasizes on developing graduate competency to generate employability to cope with an increasingly globalized world, while pursuing the core principles of IE. This paper tracks how IIE grew in Malaysia in the course of time and what are the opportunities offered for the students currently in primary, secondary and tertiary levels at IIE institutions. Historically, Islamic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a hierarchical model to rank the challenges faced by the private Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) in the provision of quality education and subsequently their corresponding critical success factors (CSFs) to address those challenges. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mix method was adopted in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 29 participants were initially conducted to identify the challenges and CSFs. This was followed by a questionnaire survey involving 158 respondents to prioritise the identified findings. Thematic analysis was conducted in the qualitative stage, uncovering the challenges and their corresponding CSFs. Data for both stages were accumulated from internal and external stakeholders of Malaysian private HEIs. Finally, the four stages of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to rank the challenges and CSFs. Findings The qualitative stage identified eight challenges, i.e. “academi...

While most higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria have not yet adopted elearning, there is a rapidly growing interest in its implementation in teaching and learning processes. The current research is a systematic study aimed to predict academics' and students' intentions to use e-learning in Northeastern Nigeria's HEI's where the use of e-learning is presently scarce, by using the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) augmented by two external variables. The researchers distributed 780 questionnaires (579 of which were found to be valid) to students and academics. The data were extracted and analyzed and the results showed that, for both academics and students, the perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of e-learning strongly predicted the participants behavioral intentions to use elearning. Furthermore, the results confirmed the reliability of technology acceptance model core components. The findings from this study could be used as a basis for adopting e-learning in HEIs in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Serious environmental damage calls for the need of complementary approaches in applying tauhidic elements for environmental education. Hence, this study examined how the practices of integrating tauhidic elements for environmental education are carried out in two Islamic science boarding schools. A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing two science teachers and two Islamic education teachers from each school and an environmental education coordinator for data triangulation. The participants of this study were sampled using purposive sampling. The interview data transcribed were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that the integration of tauhidic elements in the school curriculum takes place with the support of the teachers and school administrators. However, the integration of tauhidic elements for environmental education only takes place through two approaches, namely through the inculcation of values from the teachers’ advice and actions as role models, as wel...

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia-ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

Malaysian Qualifications Agency [MQA] has been set up in Malaysia to be a credible and internationally recognized quality assurance body that inspires confidence in Malaysian higher Education. It has set nine areas of standards, namely Institutional Vision, Mission and Educational Goals, Curriculum Design and Delivery, Assessment of Students, Student Selection and Support Services, Academic Staff, Educational Resources, Programme Monitoring and Review, Programme Leadership and Administration and Continual Quality Improvement in order to achieve the aim. Developing Management of Technology [MoT] Education has been the interest of many new universities particularly in Malaysia. This is due to the requirements of the national agenda to be a developed country by 2020. Hence, innovative human capitals are much needed to accomplish the mission. MoT graduates are expected to be the driving force of the Innovation-led economy. However, the competencies of MoT graduates as prescribed in the Plan in terms of the knowledge and skills are still unclear although MoT has been introduced to the country for more than 25 years. Less attention has been given to research related to MoT programs and competencies of the graduates. Thus, this paper discusses one Management of Technology [MoT] Programme in a public University including its major features and how it matches with the human capital needed for the country. This paper uses the second areas of the standard in MoT Curriculum Design and Delivery in a public University as a guide in describing the program. It adopts the structure of the standard as stated in the Code Of Practice for Programme Accreditation for the description. The result is then analyzed using Miles and Huberman [1994] techniques. The result indicated that, the knowledge and skills equipped to the MoT graduates in the institution are aligned with the needs of Malaysia's human capital to be a developed nation by the year 2020.

Teaching is an important component in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).  To ensure the quality of education in HEI, it is vital to understand the skills and duties that need to be performed by new teaching scholars. Recently, the Ministry of Higher Education has launched the Orange Book that outlines a new and proactive career track for lecturers, with the intention to develop human capital and enhance professionalism in teaching at HEI.  However, there is still not much being done in identifying the challenges faced by newly appointed lecturers in Malaysia HEI. Utilising semi-structured in-depth interviews, two new teaching scholars and two expert lecturers at one of Malaysia HEI were interviewed to determine the challenges faced by new teaching scholars.  Transcribed interview sessions were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that the new teaching scholars face challenges in developing their substance knowledge, managing the Gen-Y, and having little knowledge on ...

In Malaysia's National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP): 2007-2020 with its emphasis on higher education excellence, lifelong learning is recognised as one of its seven strategic thrusts. In the ensuing National Higher Education Action Plan Phase 2: 2011-2015, lifelong learning is identified as one of its 23 Critical Agenda Projects (CAPs). Each CAP sets its direction, implements its plans, formulates its key performance indicators, measures and monitors its performance for benchmarking purposes. As for the Lifelong Learning CAP, a Blueprint for the Enculturation of Lifelong Learning in Malaysia: 2011-2020 was officially launched in November 2011. In the blueprint, the status of lifelong learning is elevated to be the Third Pillar of Malaysia's Human Capital Development System alongside the First Pillar (School System) and the Second Pillar (Tertiary System). The Blueprint focuses on upgrading the productive segment of the society, aged between 15 to 65 years. This is in line with the national aspiration to be a developed and high income nation in the year 2020. To achieve this vision, among others, there is an urgent need to transform our nation's workforce into knowledge workers. As the largest higher education lifelong learning provider of the country, Open University Malaysia (OUM) needs to play its role effectively in this national agenda. This paper will highlight the focus of the National Lifelong Learning Blueprint and the role of OUM in it.

Recruitment strategies are crucial for the success of attracting students, which influences the country's education standards and quality. To understand the recruitment strategies applied in the Malaysian public universities, a focus group discussion that involved 19 participants from three different groups, that is (nine) students, (five) universities' representatives and (five) policymakers, was employed. The objective of this paper is to understand the recruitment strategies used to attract students. This paper was conducted using a qualitative method to determine current recruitment strategies adopted by the higher education institutions and to identify issues and challenges regarding postgraduate students' recruitment faced by the local and public universities. The findings revealed that universities use (1) non-active recruitment strategies and (2) passive recruitment strategies. The results disclosed that postgraduate students are recruited mostly through non-active recruitment strategies. Remarkably, respondents considered Malaysian' public universities not ready to become an innovation hub due to several foundations.

The main objective of Islamic religious education in Malaysian secondary schools is to inculcate Islamic teachings and values in Muslim students. However, recent studies indicate that students had lesser interest to learn the subject. In response to this phenomenon, this study was carried out to identify the factors that affect students' interest in learning Islamic education in schools in Malaysia. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with six Form Four students from a selected secondary school in the state of Selangor in central Malaysia. The findings indicate that there are two major factors affecting students' interest in learning Islamic education which are situational factors and individual factors. The situational factors are: (1) the parents' influence, (2) the Islamic education teacher's influence and, (3) the Islamic education curriculum, whereas the individual factors are: (1) initial interest that resides within each individual and, (2) learner diversity in learning. The findings also revealed that the Islamic education teacher is the key factor in affecting students' interest towards the subject.

Academic mobility is a dynamic part of international higher education and is changing in scope, scale, and unexpected ways. It is not only students and scholars who are moving across borders, so are programs and providers in the form of international branch campuses, massive open online courses, joint universities, partnerships programs, and franchise operations. A recent and fascinating development, which builds on all these forms of academic mobility, is the phenomenon of education hubs. Higher education hubs bring together diverse local and international actors who engage in education, training, knowledge production, and innovation initiatives. An education hub involves a coordinated and strategic effort to build a critical mass of domestic and international students, education institutions, training companies, knowledge industries, and science and technology centers. The creation of an education hub rests on the motivation for a country, zone, or city to be perceived and act as a reputed center for higher education, training, and research.

Malaysia as a developing country has been in the middle-income trap since 1990s. Although Malaysia has enjoyed strong growth in the past but its momentum has been significantly slower since the 1997 Asian economic crisis. For the country to become a high-income nation by 2020, Malaysia needs to have a critical mass of skilled and knowledge-based workers for higher productivity and economic growth.The projected national population for age-group cohort 15 years old and above are approximately 34.2 million by year 2020 and they constitute the working population of Malaysia. In strategising and targeting skilled and knowledge-based workforce for the new decade, lifelong learning (LLL) is an important agenda in the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) and recognised as the third pillar of human capital development.10MP has succinctly mentioned that for the country to develop and retain a first-world talent base, LLL will play an important role in upgrading the skills and capabilities of the existin...

The literature demonstrates that higher educational organisations perceived corporate reputation soars and gains global reputation with rising international recognition and patronage. Therefore, in an era when higher education is increasingly becoming globalised with the rising internationalisation of university education, a university's students' citizenship may be a tool to promote and enhance the standing of its corporate reputation both locally and internationally a process we refer to as 'globacation'. However, the dearth of literature in this area of research particularly in the context of Malaysian higher education industry prompted the present study to be conducted. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 331 international (foreign) students from the Malaysian Infrastructure University of Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) who completed a 21-item questionnaire with very high reliability of α = 0.92. Only one correlation hypothesis was tested which was formulated on the citizenship dimension of the RepTrack TM model and it was accepted. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23 and moderate correlation (Person's p = 0.00, r = 0.55) was found between citizenship and reputation. In addition, reputation is expressed as high esteem, love, respect, and trust. The study concludes that international students will tend to recommend to others (their friends, peers, colleagues, etc.) educational institutions they found very reputable. Future research should explore comparative studies between international and local students on the reputation assessment of their institutions.

The preparation and implementation of the Lesson Plan is a reflection of the preparation and process of learning activities. The success of the preparation and implementation of lesson plans will greatly affect student learning outcomes. With the change in the curriculum and its approach that leads to High Order Thinking Skills, the preparation and implementation of lesson plans need to be investigated more deeply so that the quality of lesson plans can meet the expectations of learning objectives in particular and national education goals in general. This study intends to find out more clearly about the quality of the preparation and implementation of lesson plans for students who have taken Lesson Plan and Micro Teaching courses. In addition, this study will also analyze the approach used by students in the preparation and implementation of their lesson plans. Using qualitative methods, this research is content analysis because the purpose of this study is to determine the quality...

Malaysian Qualifications Agency [MQA] has been set up in Malaysia to be a credible and internationally recognized quality assurance body that inspires confidence in Malaysian higher Education. It has set nine areas of standards, namely Institutional Vision, Mission and Educational Goals, Curriculum Design and Delivery, Assessment of Students, Student Selection and Support Services, Academic Staff, Educational Resources, Programme Monitoring and Review, Programme Leadership and Administration and Continual Quality Improvement in order to achieve the aim. Developing Management of Technology [MoT] Education has been the interest of many new universities particularly in Malaysia. This is due to the requirements of the national agenda to be a developed country by 2020. Hence, innovative human capitals are much needed to accomplish the mission. MoT graduates are expected to be the driving force of the Innovation-led economy. However, the competencies of MoT graduates as prescribed in the Plan in terms of the knowledge and skills are still unclear although MoT has been introduced to the country for more than 25 years. Less attention has been given to research related to MoT programs and competencies of the graduates. Thus, this paper discusses one Management of Technology [MoT] Programme in a public University including its major features and how it matches with the human capital needed for the country. This paper uses the second areas of the standard in MoT Curriculum Design and Delivery in a public University as a guide in describing the program. It adopts the structure of the standard as stated in the Code Of Practice for Programme Accreditation for the description. The result is then analyzed using Miles and Huberman [1994] techniques. The result indicated that, the knowledge and skills equipped to the MoT graduates in the institution are aligned with the needs of Malaysia's human capital to be a developed nation by the year 2020.

The preparation and implementation of the Lesson Plan is a reflection of the preparation and process of learning activities. The success of the preparation and implementation of lesson plans will greatly affect student learning outcomes. With the change in the curriculum and its approach that leads to High Order Thinking Skills, the preparation and implementation of lesson plans need to be investigated more deeply so that the quality of lesson plans can meet the expectations of learning objectives in particular and national education goals in general. This study intends to find out more clearly about the quality of the preparation and implementation of lesson plans for students who have taken Lesson Plan and Micro Teaching courses. In addition, this study will also analyze the approach used by students in the preparation and implementation of their lesson plans. Using qualitative methods, this research is content analysis because the purpose of this study is to determine the quality...

The literature demonstrates that higher educational organisations perceived corporate reputation soars and gains global reputation with rising international recognition and patronage. Therefore, in an era when higher education is increasingly becoming globalised with the rising internationalisation of university education, a university's students' citizenship may be a tool to promote and enhance the standing of its corporate reputation both locally and internationally a process we refer to as 'globacation'. However, the dearth of literature in this area of research particularly in the context of the Malaysian higher education industry prompted the present study to be conducted. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 331 international (foreign) students from the Malaysian Infrastructure University of Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) who completed a 21-item questionnaire with a very high reliability of α = 0.92. Only one correlation hypothesis was tested which was formulated on the citizenship dimension of the RepTrack TM model and it was accepted. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23 and a moderate correlation (Person's p = 0.00, r = 0.55) was found between citizenship and reputation. In addition, reputation is expressed as high esteem, love, respect, and trust. The study concludes that international students tend to recommend to others (their friends, peers, colleagues, etc.) educational institutions they find very reputable. Future research should explore comparative studies between international and local students on the reputation assessment of their institutions.

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia-ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

Asking activity is a form of class interaction that needs attention. With the asking activity, it can increase the questioner’s knowledge. This study aimed to identify the questions form that filed by teachers and students in the classroom following the framework of thinking mandated in the revised Bloom Taxonomy and to explore the problems faced by lecturers in implementing the HOTS-based learning process. This study used qualitative methods by applying observation sheets and interview to collect data. The data analysis of this research used analysis of domain, taxonomy, component, and theme. The results of this study indicate that lecturers and students have applied the principles of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) from core learning activities to final learning activities. The form of the question is in level C4 (Analyzing), C5 (Evaluating), and C6 (Creating), but in the form of Creating questions, students still need to increase the frequency in asking. The problem faced is ...

Existing studies relating to the complementary functions of Malaysia’s private higher education institutions (PHIEs) to public higher education institutions, especially in terms of accessibility to tertiary studies, often suffer from a lack of comprehensiveness. While most of the previous works generally address the subject in a politico-economic and policy-making context, this paper discusses as extensively as possible the role of PHIEs in supplementing public higher education institutions from a historical perspective. The findings show it reconstructs the evolution of PHIE's roles as an alternative-provider from the promulgation of the Private Higher Education Act in 1996 to the first decade of the 2000s, primarily by using government official statistics from 2002 to 2010. Focus is put on the educational opportunities provided by private institutions; opportunities for studying courses not offered by public universities; opportunities for furthering study abroad through twinn...

This publication documents a research entitled : Higher Education and Social Cohesion in Sabah and Sarawak" which was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education through the National Higher Education Research Institute. The authors and researchers record their sincere appreciation to the Ministry and Institute for the sponsorship. Social cohesion is a highly valued and essential societal condition for countries with the diverse ethnic, cultural and religious demography. It is a key concern in view of its significance in fostering political stability and sustaining economic development under such a pluralistic and potentially volatile social milieu.

Malaysian Qualifications Agency [MQA] has been set up in Malaysia to be a credible and internationally recognized quality assurance body that inspires confidence in Malaysian higher Education. It has set nine areas of standards, namely Institutional Vision, Mission and Educational Goals, Curriculum Design and Delivery, Assessment of Students, Student Selection and Support Services, Academic Staff, Educational Resources, Programme Monitoring and Review, Programme Leadership and Administration and Continual Quality Improvement in order to achieve the aim. Developing Management of Technology [MoT] Education has been the interest of many new universities particularly in Malaysia. This is due to the requirements of the national agenda to be a developed country by 2020. Hence, innovative human capitals are much needed to accomplish the mission. MoT graduates are expected to be the driving force of the Innovation-led economy. However, the competencies of MoT graduates as prescribed in the Plan in terms of the knowledge and skills are still unclear although MoT has been introduced to the country for more than 25 years. Less attention has been given to research related to MoT programs and competencies of the graduates. Thus, this paper discusses one Management of Technology [MoT] Programme in a public University including its major features and how it matches with the human capital needed for the country. This paper uses the second areas of the standard in MoT Curriculum Design and Delivery in a public University as a guide in describing the program. It adopts the structure of the standard as stated in the Code Of Practice for Programme Accreditation for the description. The result is then analyzed using Miles and Huberman [1994] techniques. The result indicated that, the knowledge and skills equipped to the MoT graduates in the institution are aligned with the needs of Malaysia's human capital to be a developed nation by the year 2020.

These foreign students are highly concerned with food safety and food handling knowledge as they are presumably involved in perilous eating behaviours, which exposes them to the risk of foodborne diseases. The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the awareness and practices regarding food safety and food handling among the foreign students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and to assess awareness of food safety and food handling among foreign students. Questionnaires were distributed into five sections that concealed key food safety apprehensions. A total of 328 students received the questionnaires, and 203 (61.89%) responded. Cleanliness of eating tables, food temperature, smoke-free environment and food handler appearance are the key food safety considerations for the respondents. The results showed that a high percentage of male respondents (57.98%) experienced food poisoning, and considered food from restaurants is the cause of foodborne diseases. Respondents have utmost awareness about the cleanliness of utensils and kitchen surfaces, hand hygiene, and preclusion of cross-contamination, however, described a poor knowledge concerning the temperature and heat treatment of the food. Good understanding regarding food poisoning symptoms was observed among the respondents, especially in a female group. The outcome revealed that foreign students, irrespective of gender, demonstrated comparable food safety and food handling knowledge. The study laid emphasis on education and training as an optimum way to foster awareness and encourage students' food safety knowledge and practices.

The future of Malaysia as a high-income and competitive nation largely depends on its pool of highly skilled human capital. Hence, the issue of human capital development has taken centre stage in numerous reform agendas of Malaysia. This paper seeks to provide examples of policy initiatives aimed at facilitating the management of highly educated talent in Malaysia. It subsequently considers the role of higher education institutions, particularly the universities, as attractors, educators and retainers of intellectuals, in shaping talent. In conclusion, we argue that more significant underlying shortcomings of talent development are derived from the still transitional nature of the reforms and incomplete structural changes occurring in the national system, and that a change in mindset is the first necessary step towards nurturing and developing a human resource talent pool.

Key dilemmas underpin the development and expansion of higher education in SouthEast Asia. On the one hand are the tensions between the desire to expand the quantity of higher education while at the same time improving quality. On the other is the issue of enhancing access while improving equity. While all of the five states treated in this chapter (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) share the goal of extending access to higher education as part of their wider social and economic development goals, none is in a position to provide public higher education to all who aspire to it, especially at a price they can afford. (The last is particularly significant: as is seen below, it is already the case, for example, that fees for high-demand courses in some public higher education institutions in Indonesia outstrip those in the private sector; Welch 2007a:680.) Hence, across the region, private higher education is growing swiftly. This expansion is clearly widening access, although often at fee levels that, being much higher than those that commonly apply at public higher education institutions (HEIs), further exclude the poor. At the same time, the growth of private higher education is also sharpening quality issues, as well as problems in governance systems within the sector that are, in cases such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, already stretched to capacity. This chapter examines the rise of private-sector HEIs in SouthEast Asia, and some of the issues associated with the changing balance and blurring borders of public and private higher education: finance, state capacity, governance, and transparency. The context for SouthEast Asian society and higher education is also rehearsed, including the relatively peripheral place occupied by the five SouthEast Asian higher education systems, within the global knowledge system. What is argued is that, while the spread of private higher education is undoubtedly opening up access, the high fee levels demanded effectively preclude enrolment by the poor, who are now also being squeezed by rising fee levels at public HEIs. Selected examples are given of differential funding and fee regimes, from the public and private sectors.

These foreign students are highly concerned with food safety and food handling knowledge as they are presumably involved in perilous eating behaviours, which exposes them to the risk of foodborne diseases. The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the awareness and practices regarding food safety and food handling among the foreign students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and to assess awareness of food safety and food handling among foreign students. Questionnaires were distributed into five sections that concealed key food safety apprehensions. A total of 328 students received the questionnaires, and 203 (61.89%) responded. Cleanliness of eating tables, food temperature, smoke-free environment and food handler appearance are the key food safety considerations for the respondents. The results showed that a high percentage of male respondents (57.98%) experienced food poisoning, and considered food from restaurants is the cause of foodborne diseases. Respondents have utmost awareness about the cleanliness of utensils and kitchen surfaces, hand hygiene, and preclusion of cross-contamination, however, described a poor knowledge concerning the temperature and heat treatment of the food. Good understanding regarding food poisoning symptoms was observed among the respondents, especially in a female group. The outcome revealed that foreign students, irrespective of gender, demonstrated comparable food safety and food handling knowledge. The study laid emphasis on education and training as an optimum way to foster awareness and encourage students' food safety knowledge and practices.

This conceptual paper aims to highlight the traditional morality and the conventional depiction of non- Muslims in the Islamic Studies rhetoric and its influence in shaping stereotypes on the “Other”. A Literature review was conducted via a reflective analysis in which ideas grouping was made and recommendations were deducted. The findings have revealed that the Islamic studies rhetoric is still conventional. It emphasizes on religious rituals and little effort was put in fostering values of understanding and co-existing with the “Other”. It is expected that the results of this study will help in clarifying the need for a language of tolerance and moderation to be adopted in addressing the “other” (non-Muslims and non-Sunni) in order to reduce the gap between religions, and to prepare young Muslims living and working in harmony with humanity at large. Key Words Islamic Studies, Rhetoric, Other, Non-Muslims, Co-existence, Tolerance, Moderation, & Traditional Morality