Transformation and its inevitability

1
Transformation and its inevitability

• Professor Dr Nirwan Idrus
• Assoc Vice-President (R D) and Dean of
  Engineering
• INTI International University College

2
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

3
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

4
Global Changes

• Continuous
• Pervasive
• Irreversible
• Waiting for no one
• Wait and refuse at your own perils
• Changing at increasingly higher speeds
• Impacts are controversial

5
What global changes created?

• Increased creativity
• Increased innovation
• Increased entrepreneurship
• Increased awareness on the pivotal roles of
  quality in everything we do
• Increased competition
• Increased knowledge ? K-era

6
Technology some facts

• Allowed rapid expansion of knowledge wealth
• Knowledge acquired during the last 30 years the
  sum of knowledge acquired in the past 2000 years
• By 2050, the sum of knowledge acquired by human
  beings 100 x current amount
• E-commerce ? deflationary effects

7
Technology - 2

• Banking 1.27 (teller) 0.27 (ATM) 0.01
  (internet)
• Moores Law capability doubles every 18 months
  while prices halved
• Global e-commerce
• 1994 US 1.2 B
• 1997 2.6 B
• 1998 50.0 B
• 2000 377.0 B
• (2010 1,000.0 B) 1/3 international trade

8
Technology - 3

• Internet Usage
• 1992 lt 90,000
• 1996 40 million
• 1999 170 million
• 2000 414 million
• (2005 1 Billion growing at 1
  million/mth)
• Source in Cheng Siwei (2001) Economic Reforms
  and Development in China, OUP Hong Kong

9
Industry Shift in Southeast Asia
Country Agriculture 1965 1997 Industry 1965 1997 Services 1965 1997
Vietnam Thailand 79.0 71.5 82.0 57.8 6.0 14.0 5.0 20.0 15.0 14.5 13.0 22.0
Indonesia Philippines 71.0 39.4 57.0 37.3 9.0 18.0 16.0 15.8 20.0 42.6 27.0 46.9
Malaysia Singapore 60.0 27.3 6.0 ----- 13.0 23.0 26.0 33.1 27.0 49.7 68.0 66.9
Source World Bank of Labour Force in various
sectors 2001
10
Industry Shift in Southeast Asia - 2
Country Agriculture 1965 ? 1997 Industry 1965 ? 1997 Services 1965 ? 1997
Vietnam Thailand 7.5 24.2 8.0 15.0 0.5 9.2
Indonesia Philippines -31.6 19.7 9.0 0.2 22.6 19.9
Malaysia Singapore 32.7 10.0 7.1 22.7 1.1
Source World Bank of Labour Force in various
sectors 2001
11
Education in Asia Pacific region

• 90 attend primary schooling
• 68 attend secondary schooling
• 20 attend higher education
• Doubled between 2000 and 2005

12
Higher Education in Malaysia

• Enrolments in private IHEs 60 (1998-2000)
  and 20 (2003-2005)
• Enrolments in public IHEs 37.6 (2000-2003)
  and 20 (2003-2005)
• 30 of 18-24 age group are enrolled in IHEs

13
Other findings

• Knowledge will rule the labour market World Bank
  2002

14
Essential reform measures

• Management reform to allow universities to
  be more flexible, creative, entrepreneurial, and
  respond quickly to the changing training needs 
• New financing models to allow universities
  to diversify funding sources and reduce
  dependence on public financing 
• More competitive salaries to attract star
  professors 
• Teachers made to be more accountable to the
  students 
• Increasing university-industry partnership 
• Quality assurance
• World Bank, 2002

15
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

16
Roles of Education (in responding to
globalization)

• Must change
• Curricula and their development
• Delivery methods
• Lifelong learning underscored
• New generation of learners ? computer very
  literate, digital-minded, fearless re technology
• Existence of technology that can be used to
  increase educational effectiveness

17
Roles of Education (in responding to
globalization) - 2

• Must contemplate change
• Must anticipate change
• Must initiate and lead change
• Must accept change
• ? change mindsets
• ? change the way of looking at things
• ? never say No
• ? increase critical thinking, be proactive
• ? instill the belief that there is always a
  better way of doing things

18
Recent changes (UK examples) in THES 21 Feb 2008

• Sussex University
• too many programmes determined by staff
  preference rather than what students need
• focus its research on key target areas under
  general cross-disciplinary themes.
• all income generating units to have a 4
  surplus on turnover
• research focus groupsand global
  transformation

19
Recent changes (UK examples) in THES 21 Feb 2008

• University of Salford
• cut down 90 committees to 8 (eight)
• attempt to get things done rather than just
  discussed
• the new structure will ensure people know what
  they are accountable for, and the line of
  management will be clearer

20
Recent changes (UK examples) in THES 21 Feb 2008

• Thames Valley University
• University-wide consultation ? Vision, Mission
• Identified strengths and weaknesses ? uniqueness
• Future growth areas creative industries,
  enterprise and entrepreneurship
• every teaching act at some level should be
  informed by scholarship ? must do research
• successful education providers would have to do
  things differently.

21
Closer to home.

• Multimedia University, Cyberjaya
• Replaced (in group) senior management of the
  university, i.e. Vice-Chancellor/President, SVP,
  Deans, etc
• Appointed a VC from a competing organization
  and on basis of performance

22
Closer to home. . . .

• Wan Zahids Report on higher education in
  Malaysia
• Suggestions on some reforms
• Some felt that the recommendations were too
  revolutionary, others thought that there were not
  enough
• Implementation had not started although MQF had
  now begun

23
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

24
Altruism

• Those who cant teach
• So
• Are we a bunch of cant doers?
• How do we show them that we are not cant doers?
• Simple answer Do what they cant do!!
• Dedication is NOT enough!
• Hard work is NOT enough!
• So?

25
Altruism

• Teaching is not just an occupation
• Teaching is not just a profession
• Teaching is not just dedication
• Teaching MUST be altruism!
• Altruism humanity, philanthropy, selflessness,
  self-sacrifice, unselfishness
• So?

26
Altruism

• Proactive
• There is always a better way in everything
• Internalize QUALITY
• Receptive
• To changes
• To constructive criticisms
• To novel ways of doing our altruistic endeavours
• The ONLY constant is change

27
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

28
The MQF requirements

1. Vision, Mission, Educational Goals and Outcomes
2. Programme design and delivery
3. Assessments of students
4. Student selection and support services
5. Academic staff
6. Educational resources
7. Programme monitoring and review
8. Leadership, governance and administration
9. Total continual improvement

29
Curricular design and teaching learning methods

• Basic standardFor each programme, the curriculum
  approach and structure as well as the
  teaching-learning and assessment methods that
  will support the approach must be determined.
  The Institution must show that the curricular
  approach, the educational content and
  teaching-learning methods are appropriate,
  consistent with and support the attainment of the
  learning outcomes/objectives.

30
Curricular design and teaching learning methods
(contd)

• There must be a variety of teaching-learning
  methods that are enjoyable which will enable
  students to develop the range of intellectual and
  practical skills as well as positive attitudes.
• The teaching-learning methods must ensure that
  students take responsibility for their own
  learning and prepare them for life long learning.
  Total dependence on the lecture method is not
  encouraged.

31
Curricular design and teaching learning methods
(contd)

• In keeping with the explosive growth of knowledge
  and the rapid changes in the world order,
  emphasis should be placed on the understanding
  and acquisition of basic principles and skills of
  a discipline rather than detail memorization of
  facts.

32
Learning Transformation
RECONCEPTUALISATION
SHOULD BE HERE
ROTE
UNDERSTANDING
NOW HERE
ACCEPTANCE
33
What is required for that transformation?

• Change the way of teaching/learning
• Change assumptions about students
• Reduce/eliminate spoon-feeding
• Empower students and empower early
• Teach/learn for understanding not for reproducing
  facts
• Teachers must engage students
• Change the way students performances are
  assessed

34
What is required? (2)

• Change the way we manage education
• Re-training of teachers, lecturers, professors
  for the changes in teaching and learning
• Re-training of education managers to meet the
  requirements of new teaching/learning and new
  technology
• Re-training of everyone involved in education to
  cater for the new types of learners (new
  generations and mature learners)

35
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

36
Towards Self-Accreditation?

• If things are changing at the speed of thoughts
  Bill Gates we must do away with bureaucracy and
  control
• Bureaucracy and control can only be subjugated
  when we are trustworthy and capable ? which
  means?
• We do not cheat, we do not sweep things under the
  carpet, we do not breach the laws,
• we do keep ourselves updated with the latest
  whatever, we do care about our stakeholders and
  try our utmost to do so
• Then and only then will we realize
  self-accreditation

37
Scope

• Global Changes many and varied
• Roles of Education
• Altruism
• Matching and meeting MQA requirements
• Towards self-accreditation reality or talk only
• Conclusion

38
Conclusion

• As Asia has the largest HE system in the world,
  the management of HE institutions there will have
  an indelible impact on human capital worldwide
• As Asia has the worlds highest rate of growth in
  HE, it is imperative that it is growing in the
  right direction for the right reasons

39
Conclusion - 2

• As Asian HE produces twice the number of
  scientists and engineers than the USs, it is
  very important that these are of the right
  quality, discipline areas and commitment
• As Information Technology explosion is pervasive
  and unstoppable, its impacts on HE have to be
  reckoned with and anticipated

40
Conclusion 3

• Ask ourselves
• Are we fair dinkum?
• Are we really serious of being lecturers?
• Are we willing to be capable?
• Are we willing to be trustworthy?
• Do we care?
• What we do and dont do will determine whether
  you have sinned or not, for you will make or
  break the lives of so many.
• Have a Grrreat Workshop!!!