Quality Assurance Division

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The Malaysian Qualifications Framework
(MQF)Domestic Regulations To Safeguard And
Enhance The Quality Of Higher Education

• Quality Assurance Division
• Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia

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What is the MQF?
A framework that unites all qualifications
awarded by approved and certified institutions.
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MQF FEATURE 1
OUTCOMES

• Operates within the boundary of clear and
  transparent criteria, standards, policies, and
  procedures.
• Each Qualification is described by
• Learning outcomes
• Field
• Nature
• Credits

• Clarity and consistency in nomenclature of
  qualifications
• Enhance public confidence
• Facilitates determination of equivalency
  recognition of qualifications
• Part of Domestic Regulations for GATS

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Qualification Descriptors

• Learning outcomes differentiates qualifications
  by competencies at 8 levels of abilities
• Field differentiates qualifications by nature
  of content of study (subject related knowledge)
• Nature differentiates qualifications at the
  same level by purpose
• Credits differentiates qualifications by the
  minimum workload expected of students to
  completes a set of learning outcomes

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ARCHITECTURE OF QUALIFICATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

• DEFINED BY LEARNING OUTCOMES GENERAL
  CHARACTERISTICS OR COMPETENCIES IN VARIOUS
  DOMAINS OF LEARNING THAT STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO
  DEMONSTRATE UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A
  PROGRAMME OR AN ASSESSMENT
• knowledge depth, breadth relative difficulty
• psychomotor skills range and complexity of
  competencies
• intellectual skills comprehension -gt problem
  solving
• autonomy in making decisions
• communication, information management and
  learning skills
• personal attributes, professionalism social
  responsibility

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ARCHITECTURE OF QUALIFICATION-FIELD

• DEFINED BY SUBJECT-RELATED KNOWLEDGE
• e.g Medicine, Engineering, Social Science,
  Science, ICT, Management, Law
• PROGRAM COMPONENT has broad principles as agreed
  upon by the discipline panels
• educational content
• structure credits, position of units or modules,
  student assessment
• RULES OF FIELD NOMENCLATURE
• proportion of content to qualify for minor or
  major
• Double Major joined by AND Minor joined by
  WITH
• area of specialisation bracketed after the field
  or discipline (e.g Diploma in ICT (Networking)

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ARCHITECTURE OF QUALIFICATIONCHARACTER OR PURPOSE

• DESCRIBES THE DIFFERENT NATURE OF QUALIFICATIONS
  COMPOSING OF THE SAME VOLUMES OF CREDIT AT THE
  SAME LEVELS.
• E.G MASTER LEVEL
• For 'research and scholarship',
• 'preparation for research and deepening subject
  knowledge',
• 'professional and practice-related', etc

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ARCHITECTURE OF QUALIFICATION-CREDIT

• IS A MEASURE OF THE ACADEMIC LOAD OR LEARNING
  EFFORT OR VOLUME OF LEARNING A STUDENT MUST
  UNDERTAKE TO ACHIEVE A DEFINED GROUP OF LEARNING
  OUTCOMES
• all forms of learning in hours contact hours,
  work-based, research, experiential, practical
  activities, private study, preparation for
  assessment etc
• expressed as Minimum Total Credits for the
  qualification level, the field and exit level of
  program.

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Structure of the MQF
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MQF FEATURE 2
OUTCOMES

• Flexible learning pathways for individual
  progression
• Greater cooperation
• between public private
• sectors
• Parity of esteem
• between academic,
• vocational skills
• streams
• Facilitates life long
• learning

• Unites qualifications awarded in various sectors
• Public and private
• Local foreign
• Academic, professional,
• vocational, technical and
• skills streams
• Formal, informal and non
• formal education

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LEARNING PATHWAYS

• Pathways are enabled by common understanding of
  CREDITS
• Based on total student workload to achieve the
  learning outcomes
• Notional hours used to derive the credits
• Countries are free to devise their own notional
  hours
• Establish articulation principles for credit
  accumulation and transfer
• Amongst HEIs in Malaysia
• Within ASEAN
• International
• Recognition of prior learning (life long learning)

UK New Zealand use 10 hours 1 credit
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EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS

Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL)

Overseas Qualifications
Postgraduate Certificate Diploma Postgraduate
Professional Awards Fellow Master Craftsmanship
Phd Earned Higher Doctorate

Professional Masters (4 Yrs) Masters by
Research, Course Work Combined
Bachelor (Hons) (3-5 Yrs)
Graduate Certificate Diploma
Adv Diploma
Adv Diploma
Skills Diploma
Vocational Diploma
STPM/ STAM MATRIC Foundation
Certificate 3 Certificate 2 Certificate 1
Technical Vocational Certificate
Transfer Degree 30, Twinning, Credit Transfer,
Advance Standing, External Degree
Overseas Qualifications
SPM other approved qualifications
UPSR/PMR other approved qualifications
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Graduate Certificate/Diploma
Postgraduate Certificate /Diploma

• ?
• ?
• Awarded upon demonstration of
• achievement of competencies/
• learning outcomes expected at
• postgraduate level
• ?
• ?
• ?

• Difference is in the credit load
• Credits can be accumulated
• Awarded upon demonstration of
• achievement of competencies/
• learning outcomes expected at
• undergraduate (Bachelor) level
• Continuing Professional
• Development
• Formal courses Informal non
• formal
• recognition of prior
• learning (RPL) experiential
• learning at the workplace,
• professional practice, self
• study
• In combination

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Graduate Certificate/Diploma
Postgraduate Certificate /Diploma

• Uses
• Accreditation of continuing professional
  education ie CME credits
• Converting to a new field of study
• Conversion into entry qualifications for a
  higher qualification
• e.g diploma/advanced dip to Bachelor (Hons) or
  Masters
• Promotion in the workplace

• Uses
• Credentialing certify competence to perform
  advanced procedures in specific disciplines
• Recognise subspecialties of professions (eg.
  Cardiologist, Nephrologist, Endocrinologist)
• Accumulate credits towards a Masters or PhD
  requirement
• Recognise advanced standing or status in the
  profession
• eg. Fellow
• Promotion in the
• workplace

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Example of a Learning Pathway IBFIM - PROPOSED
ISLAMIC FINANCE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
Academic Training Programs
Vocational/Skill Training Programs
Professional Skill Training Programs
Doctorate/PhD In Islamic Finance (Smart-Partnershi
p)
MBA Other Disciplines
(Assessment and/or SUFE internship)
Chartered Programmes Chartered Islamic Bankers
(CIB) Chartered Takaful Professional
(CTP) (POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE LEVEL)
MBA In Islamic Finance (Smart-Partnership)
Executive Advanced Diploma 60 Credit Program
Certified Programmes Certified Islamic Financing
Professional Certified Islamic Trade Finance
Certified Shariah Professional in Islamic
Finance Certified Islamic Financial Planner
(GRADUATE CERTIFICATE LEVEL)
IBFIM Executive Diploma 30 Credit Program
(Assessment and/or SUFE ) Internship
(Assessment and/or SUFE ) Internship
Bachelors degree Major or Double Major In
Islamic Finance (Smart-Partnership)
(Assessment and/or SUFE )
IBFIM Certificate 15 Credit Program
Bachelors degree Bachelor Degree from other
Disciplines
(Assessment and/or SUFE )
Executive/Employees 2 years work experience
(Assessment and SUFE )
Diploma 5 years working experience
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THANK YOU