POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION

1
POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION THE MALAYSIAN
QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

• Sharifah Hapsah Shahabudin
• MBBS MHPEd MD FAMM
• Quality Assurance Division
• Ministry of Higher Education

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Outline of presentation

• Introduction to the MQF
• Purpose
• Characteristics of a qualification
• level
• field
• credit or academic load
• character or purpose.
• Postgraduate Qualifications
• Quality Assurance

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Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF)

• Unites all national qualifications awarded
• by certified providers within or outside the
  formal education system
• through e-learning, verifiable workplace training
  and experiences individually-driven life long
  learning
• include post secondary schools, colleges
  including community colleges, universities,
  polytechnics and other vocational and technical
  institutions, other higher educational
  institutions, professional organisations, guilds
  and industry-related organisations

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LEVELS OF MQF
TECH VOCATIONAL
LIFE LONG LEARNING
ACADEMIC
SKILLS
RPL
MQF 1
CERT 1
POST SECONDARY NON TERTIARY (AFTER 11 YEARS OF
SCHOOL)

CERT 2B/3B TECHNICIAN CERT
MQF 2
MQF 3
4A STPM/STAM MATRICULATION FOUNDATION
4B TECH VOC DIPLOMA
4C SKILLS DIPLOMA
RPL
MQF 4
RPL
MQF 5
(GEN DEG)
ADV DIPLOMA
GRAD CERT DIPLOMA
BACHELOR (HONS)
FIRST STAGE TERTIARY
MQF 6
MQF 7
POSTGRAD CERT DIPLOMA
MASTER
SECOND STAGE TERTIARY
PhD DOCTORALS
MQF 8
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Advantages of having MQF

• encourages partnerships between public and
  private sector
• confers parity of esteem among academic,
  professional, vocational and skills based
  qualifications.
• provides typical learning pathways within and
  across educational sectors and in addition
• supports flexible education by recognizing
  continuing professional development, workplace
  training and life long learning efforts.
• facilitates the articulation of equivalency of
  qualifications from other countries.
• not a rigid system, accommodates in a
  sufficiently flexible and rational way, new kinds
  of qualifications that may arise from time to
  time

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EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS
POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA, (POSTGRADUATE
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS), FELLOW
PhD HIGHER DOCTORATE
Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL)

OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL MASTERS (4 YRS) MASTERS BY
RESEARCH COURSE WORK COMBINED

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA,
BACHELOR (HONS) (3-5 Yrs)
ADV DIPLOMA
ADV DIPLOMA
SKILLS DIPLOMA
VOCATIONAL DIPLOMA
STPM/ STAM MATRICULATION FOUNDATION
TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATE
CERTIFICATE 3 (K-worker Certificate) CERTIFICATE
2 CERTIFICATE 1
OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS
TRANSFER DEGREE 30, twinning, credit transfer,
advance standing, external degree
SPM other approved qualifications
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Qualification

• Basic unit of the MQF
• Public certification by accredited provider
• successful completion of a specified set of
  learning outcomes with a particular purpose and
  at a particular level, which are properly
  assessed and quality assured.
• Marks achievement of positively-defined outcomes
  not as compensation for failure or by default
• conforms to internationally and nationally
  endorsed principles, criteria, and standards of
  quality which set the boundaries for naming,
  positioning and linking the qualifications.

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Elements of a Qualification

• level
• field
• credit or academic load
• character or purpose.

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Qualification Level

• Certificate
• Diploma
• Advanced Diploma
• Graduate Certificate Diploma
• Bachelor with Honours
• Masters
• Postgraduate Certificate Diploma
• Doctoral/PhD

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Differentiating the levels

• distinguished from each other principally by
  LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Other distinguishing characteristics minimum
  entrance requirement, typical duration,
  cumulative duration in full time equivalent,
  programme orientation and type of subsequent
  education or job destination.
• (note typical entry ages, entry qualifications
  and program duration no longer useful as Malaysia
  moves towards flexible education modeled on Life
  Long Learning)

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Learning Outcomes

• Abilities in various domains of learning that
  students are expected to demonstrate upon
  completing the learning unit
• Mastery of body of knowledge (depth, breadth)
• practical or psychomotor skills (range and
  complexity),
• scientific method, critical thinking, problem
  solving, autonomy in decision-making
• communication skills and team work
• information management and life long learning
  skills
• personal attributes, ethics, shared values and
  professionalism
• social responsibility and accountability

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Field

• subject-related knowledge or field(s) and is the
  program CONTENT
• field/discipline learning outcomes determined
  from level learning outcomes
• field learning outcomes determine the
• Content
• Minimum academic load or credits their
  distribution throughout the program
• broad guidelines for program structure
• types courses or modules and sequencing
• general approach to teaching and learning
• system of student assessment.

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Discipline Technical Committees

• Formulate requirements for the respective
  disciplines
• Comprise representatives of
• academia (public private)
• relevant industry
• profession/practitioners
• employers

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Types of programs

• MAJOR one field (e.g B. Economics, B. Science,
  B. Nursing etc)
• SPECIALISATION ( 25-30 of the content) in a
  field and is bracketed after the major e.g BSc
  (Mathematics)
• DOUBLE MAJOR majors in two fields 50-50
  combination, joined by an AND (e.g BSc
  Mathematics and Economics) fulfill minimum
  requirements of both fields duration of the
  total programme gtsingle major.
• MAJOR-MINOR one major field and a minor in
  another field (25-30 of the total) fields are
  joined by a WITH (e.g BSc Mathematics with
  Economics) duration of total programme gt single
  major

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Credit or academic load

• measure of the learning effort or volume of
  learning a student must undertake to achieve a
  defined group of learning outcomes
• all forms of learning in hours - lectures,
  tutorial, work-based, research, experiential,
  practical activities, private study, preparation
  for assessment etc
• formal contact hours additional hours of work
  students are expected to undertake on their own.
  
• Qualifications with the same name have the same
  minimum total credit requirement.
• Qualifications at the same level may have
  different credit requirements (e.g between B.
  Eng, LLB and B.A).

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Specification of credits

• Range of credits for each qualification level
  (certificate, diploma, bachelor etc)
• Minimum credits for a field at a particular level
  (B. Nursing vs Diploma in Nursing)
• Minimum credits at exit level
• Limit total credit that can be transferred
• Eliminate practice of condonement
• Some flexibility in program design

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Credits as total student effort to achieve
learning outcomes facilitate

• credit transfer between programs
• articulation of equivalence of qualifications
• recognition/accreditation of workplace
  training/experiences and life long learning
• flexible learning open access to education.
• institutional autonomy in creatively designing
  their programs to meet various needs (e.g full
  time, part time, weekend, distance, e-learning,
  problem-based, hands-on etc).
• equitable distribution of academic load among the
  different components (e.g unit, course, module)
  of the program
• Elimination of confusion due to differences in
  interpretation of contact hours and academic
  semesters or year.

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Purpose /character of qualification

• description of the different nature of
  qualifications at the same level
• e.g Masters level
• research and scholarship
• preparation for research and deepening subject
  knowledge
• professional and practice-related (Medicine)
• Certificate level
• skills training
• occupational oriented
• preparation for higher education.

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Postgraduate Qualifications

• Masters (including Specialty Mastership)
• Postgraduate Certificate
• Postgraduate Diploma
• PhD/Doctoral.

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Masters

• first higher (postgraduate) degree in Malaysia.
• participants may be eligible to convert to a
  doctorate
• either academic or professional
• awarded after completion of taught courses,
  programs of research, or a mixture of both, and
  professional practice-based or skill based
• Duration of at least one year (if taken
  full-time) and 4 years for medical specialty
  programs
• credit-rated
• Much of the study will have been at, or informed
  by, the forefront of an academic or professional
  discipline.

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Competency expected at Masters level

• mastery or overview of the theoretical/ applied
  aspects of a complex, specialised advanced body
  of knowledge and skills or professional practice
• accepts that the boundaries of knowledge must be
  continuously advanced through research
• demonstrate a high order skill in analysis,
  critical evaluation and/or professional
  application in the planning and execution of
  project work or a piece of scholarship or
  research.
• able to integrate new ideas with established
  knowledge
• show originality, creativity, flexibility and
  independence in applying knowledge to tackle
  complex issues and solve problems

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Job destination

• Employment in circumstances requiring
• sound judgment,
• personal responsibility
• initiative in planning and taking responsibility
  for related decision making, in complex and
  unpredictable professional environments.

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PhD/Doctoral

• tertiary programs which are devoted to advanced
  study and original research
• not based on course-work only
• typically requires submission of a thesis or
  dissertation of publishable quality which is the
  product of original research and represents a
  significant contribution to knowledge including
  the creative and performing arts.
• typical duration is 3 to 5 years.
• not credit-rated or achievable by accumulation of
  credits
• credits earned from credit-rated courses do not
  contribute summatively to the award of the
  doctorate
• credit-rated courses must be at the doctoral
  level

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Competency at PhD/doctoral level

• Ability to
• produce original research or advanced programs of
  a professional or practice-based character with
• specified outcomes at a doctoral level
• in appropriate volume
• done in a way to make significant contribution to
  advance a field of inquiry or practice,
• conceptualise, design and implement projects for
  the generation of significant new knowledge
  and/or understanding.
• Create, interpret disseminate knowledge which
  extends the forefront of a discipline.
• make informed judgments on complex issues in
  specialist fields, and create innovations in
  tackling and solving problems.

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Job destination

• Holders of doctorates will have the qualities
  needed for employment requiring
• research
• development
• consultancy
• The degree also prepares graduates for faculty
  and research posts.

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Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma

• postgraduate in time and level
• substantial portion of the credits at least at
  the Masters level
• difference between Certificate and Diploma is the
  credit load
• awarded after successful attainment of learning
  outcomes either in formal programs or in
  recognition of life-long learning and workplace
  experience by accumulation of credits.

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Purpose of postgraduate certificate/diploma

• certify competence to perform advanced procedures
  in specific disciplines ( credentialing), e.g to
  perform minimally invasive surgery,
  interventional radiology, etc
• recognize specialists in subspecialties of the
  professions (e.g in Medicine, as a Cardiologist,
  Nephrologist, Endocrinologist)
• accumulate credits towards a Masters or PhD
  requirement
• recognise advanced standing in the profession
  (e.g to carry a specific title such as Consultant
  Ir. to grant a certain status in the profession
  e.g Fellowand so on)
• be eligible for promotion in the workplace

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Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

• possession of a first degree not necessarily
  required for the achievement of a postgraduate
  qualification
• Postgraduate study could build upon knowledge,
  abilities and skills through conversion
  programs
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma.
• Postgraduate certificate
• Postgraduate diploma

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RPL

• MQF is the structure for dealing with learning
  that is undertaken by individuals as life long
  efforts to improve themselves, including work
  place training.
• recognition of prior learning (RPL) is done by
  assessing the standards of performance achieved,
  not how learning occurred.
• Prior learning (corpus of knowledge, skills and
  experience) is assessed and awarded appropriate
  credits (Accreditation of Prior Learning -APL or
  Accreditation of Achievements APA) by
  accredited providers.
• guide used is ISO/IEC FDIS 17024 Conformity
  Assessment General requirements for bodies
  operating certification of persons.

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EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS
POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA, (POSTGRADUATE
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS), FELLOW
PhD HIGHER DOCTORATE
Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL)

OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL MASTERS (4 YRS) MASTERS BY
RESEARCH COURSE WORK COMBINED

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA,
BACHELOR (HONS) (3-5 Yrs)
ADV DIPLOMA
ADV DIPLOMA
SKILLS DIPLOMA
VOCATIONAL DIPLOMA
STPM/ STAM MATRICULATION FOUNDATION
TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATE
CERTIFICATE 3 (K-worker Certificate) CERTIFICATE
2 CERTIFICATE 1
OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS
TRANSFER DEGREE 30, twinning, credit transfer,
advance standing, external degree
SPM other approved qualifications
31
Graduate Certificate/diploma

• conferred on holders of different types of
  qualifications even up to the doctoral, depending
  on the purposes.
• conferred through the recognition of life long
  learning, professional practice or workplace
  experiences, institution-based formal courses or
  in combination

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Uses of graduate certificate/diploma

• Accreditation of continuing professional
  education (e.g refresher undergraduate level
  courses taken by G.Ps)
• Converting to a new field of study
• conversion into entry qualifications for a
  higher qualification (e.g from diploma/advanced
  diploma to Bachelor (Hons) or Masters.
• a maximum volume of aggregated credits that is
  permissible below the higher award is specified.
• promotion at the workplace

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QUALITY ASSURANCE
34

Quality System in Education
MQA/MQF
DSM
ACCREDITATION PROCESS
QAA UNIVERSITY
QAA VOCATIONAL
QAA SKILLS
PROFESSIONAL BODIES
CERTIFICATION PROCESS
PROVIDERS
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Approach to Quality Assurance in HE
Promote public confidence that quality of
provision delivery of HE is always maintained
enhanced by HEIs
Nationally agreed Criteria Standards
Objective, independent reporting
Transparent procedures
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Transparent procedures

• Emphasis on
• Building data collection system for periodic
  institutional self study and report on areas of
  strengths, concerns opportunities actions
  being undertaken
• External validation of internal self study,
  colleagial approach in conducting visit discuss
  with relevant stakeholders students, faculty,
  administrators visit facilities
• Objective reporting, summary on public domain

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Criteria

• Standards of education
• Standards of practitioner/graduate performance
• Standards of professional practice

• Input or process indicators to support learning
  outcomes
• Demonstration of competence/achievement of
  learning outcomes
• Practice guidelines

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Input or process indicators

• Statement of learning outcomes
• Extent to which the resources are organised to
  meet learning outcomes
• Design delivery of program
• Student assessment arrangements for
  awards/qualifications
• Program monitoring evaluation
• Physical facilities, finances, support services
• Governance administration
• Student characteristics student support
  facilities
• Teacher qualification, experience productivity
• Total quality management system

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RATIONALE FOR PROCESS INDICATORS
NEEDS EXPECTATION OF SOCIETY INSTITUTIONAL
PHILOSOPHY, VISION, MISSION VALUES
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
PROCESS INDICATORS
Design of the program content structure, T/L
methods, assessment methods
Continuous Quality Management (governance
administration) of Resources to deliver program
support attainment of learning outcomes
STUDENTS, ACADEMIC FACULTY, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF,
SUPPORT STAFF, PHYSICAL FACILITIES, MONEY, ICT
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CRITERIA STANDARDS IN POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION

• concerned with broad categories of content,
  process, educational environment outcomes of
  postgraduate education
• must take into account differences in basic
  undergraduate education, teaching tradition,
  culture, socio economic condition, needs of
  country
• Set minimal requirements, not rigid/prescriptive
• Recognise dynamic nature of program development
  function as a lever for change reforms
• encourage quality development

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Preliminary considerations

• statements of training outcomes
• Training process (approach, content, scientific
  method, structure, relationship with work, etc)
• Assessment of trainees focus on performance
• Trainees (selection criteria, number, working
  conditions support etc)
• Staffing (appointment policy, obligations staff
  development)
• Training settings educational research
  resources
• Evaluation of training process
• Governance, administration, academic/professional
  leadership, requirements regulations
• Continuous renewal

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Thank you