Knowledge management practices in higher learning institutions in Sarawak / Abang Ahmad Ridzuan, Hong Kian Sam and Mohd Asri Adanan

This is a cross-sectional survey study designed to explore the views of lecturers in three higher education institutions in Kuching on knowledge management practices in their organizations. The three higher education institutions were Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), MARA University of Technology Sarawak (UiTMCS) and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents regarding the importance lecturers attached to knowledge management and the levels of knowledge management implementation in the higher education institutions. The findings revealed that most of the lecturers at the higher education institutions felt that knowledge management was important and the lecturers placed the levels of knowledge management implementation at their institutions as moderate. There was a significant but weak positive relationship between importance attached to knowledge management and knowledge management implementation. Findings also revealed that there were significant differences in the importance attached to knowledge management based on the lecturers’ gender and levels of education and a significant difference in the perceived levels of knowledge management implementation based on gender. However, there was no significant difference in the perceived levels of knowledge management implementation based on the lecturers’ level of education

ICT in the changing landscape of higher education in Southeast Asia

As in the developed nations, developing countries in the Southeast Asian region increasingly are recognising the important role higher education plays in enhancing the human resources of a nation for promoting its development in a world of depleting natural resources. Advances and pervasiveness of ICT in the society mean that higher education systems in the region are increasingly leveraging ICT in handling the many arising challenges faced by higher education systems in Southeast Asia. Some of the possible roles of ICT in higher education in the face of these challenges discussed in this paper are what and how students learn, when and where students learn, who the new faces of students and lecturers are, and ways to reduce the cost of education. However, research-based knowledge on how ICT has been and can be used to enhance the design, delivery and management of higher education programs in the Southeast Asia region is not readily available. Furthermore, countries in Southeast Asia are at different stages of development in the use of ICT in education. Thus, success stories, experiences and lessons learnt from the use of ICT in higher education will be of immense importance for educators and administrators who are at the forefront of integrating ICT for higher education in countries in the region

Elementary statistic for sciences with SPSS

With the widespread of availability of computers and statistical software and the application of quantitative methods in many fields of studies, introductory statistical course now emphasizes statistical reasoning more than computational skill development. Questions of how have given way to questions of why, when and what? The goal of this book is to enable users to work independently, learning software skills while coming to understand the underlying statistical concepts and techniques

Adopting Automated Essay Scoring Feedback In Malaysia: A Review Of The Literature

Assessing essays and providing feedback to learners is undoubtedly a daunting, time consuming task for language teachers especially for formative assessment. Formative assessment requires feedbacks that indicate learning gaps that inform ideas for further improvement. Although providing high quality feedback is important, teachers are often in dilemma to beat the deadline and hold accountable to huge class size despite the need for iterative and frequent practice. The laboriousness of essay marking often limits the occurrence of essay writing in classroom. A possible solution is to make use of an Automated Essay Scorer (AES) system that could score and generate feedback immediately. The purpose of this paper is to review on the importance of feedback and the feasibility of adopting an automated mechanism to help Malaysian English teachers to mark essays and provide feedbacks instantly. Features of good feedback, commercially available AES, reasons in favour of automated feedback based on the Malaysian context and some limitations of the system are examined. Our findings suggest that relevant and effective automated feedback mechanism can be possible through home-grown AES supplemented with properly phrased feedbacks. It can lead to self-regulated learning that empowers them for sustainable development. It is a laborious but attainable task with the cooperation and supports all parties. Hence, introducing Automated Essay Scoring Feedback (AESF), a home-grown AES is a feasible and highly anticipated tool for the Malaysian classroom

Developing an Automated Essay Scorer with Feedback (AESF) for Malaysian University English Test (MUET) : A Design-based Research Approach

This paper presents the development of an automated essay scoring mechanism based on the Malaysian University English Test essay marking criteria using the Design-based research (DBR). It is a learning intervention to facilitate students in their essay writing process and at the same time, serves as a tool for teachers to mark essay. DBR is the most commonly used method for conducting research in technological enhanced learning context especially for solving real classroom problem. The development of the automated scoring system is presented step by step following the four phases in DBR model. In each phase, data collection procedure, research instrument and the lessons learnt that lead to further iterations are discussed in order to produce a workable and effective automated essay grader. The outcome resulted from the five iterations lead to the present intervention, Automated Essay Scorer with Feedback (AESF). This system allows teachers to collect samples of marked essays to be trained to grade newly entered essays. Then the teacher can set task and keep track of students’ progress and provide additional feedback as well as rectify the scores generated. For students, they can practice writing essays and demand for feedback at any point of their essays writing process for the system to provide scores by paragraph as well as the whole essay. The system was tested by 24 teachers from 5 schools in real-classroom context with favorable comment

Teachers’ Expectation and Acceptance of a Home-grown Networked Automated Essay Scorer with Feedback (AESF) for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Classroom

In the process of introducing any system into the classroom context, the teachers’ acceptance and expectation are the prerequisite for its success because teachers are the ones who implement the system. They are the driving forces that ensure the system takes place, works and serves its purposes. This study aimed at determining teachers’ acceptance and expectation on the introduction of an automated networked-based essay scorer that provides immediate feedback in terms of score and remarks as a whole and even at the paragraph level called the Automated Essay Scoring Feedback (AESF). A total of eight experienced MUET teachers were selected to be interviewed. The qualitative findings were analysed, coded and trended. The findings indicates that essay writing is the most underdeveloped skills. It is very demanding on the students and is definitely the most laborious task for the teachers who guide, assess, respond and document their student’s writing. The proposal of a home-grown and networked AESF was positively accepted by the teachers despite some who were unsure about its ability in mimicking human raters and other possible concerns such as the lack of computer resources, technical support and proper training for teachers and students. The findings of this study provided some practical considerations towards the design and development of AESF that include the need for immediacy, ease of use, usefulness, reliability and validity. The AESF is an innovative solution that assist the most challenging language teachers’ task; essay marking. Being home-grown, AESF can overcome a fundamental drawback of commercially available Automated Essay Scorer (AES), namely cultural-sensitivity and validity

Automated Essay Scoring Feedback (AESF): An Innovative Writing Solution to the Malaysian University English Test (MUET)

Recent advances in information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure can be harnessed to support and improve the quality of teaching and learning of English writing skills especially for second language context where rule based support is necessary. Essay writing is indeed the most demanding task to both teachers and students. From conducting the class to assigning of task as well as marking and providing feedback by teachers whereas from drafting essays to final submission and resubmission of essays by students require on-going iterative cycles to facilitate improvement. However, a common scenario is that the iterative process takes too much time, thus resulting in limited practise. An innovative solution to imitate such process is via the Automated Essay Scoring Feedback (AESF). AESF is a networked tool that has the ability to score and provide feedback to students‟ essays instantaneously. With the speed that exceeds human ability and accuracy of a human scorer, it is hoped that AESF can increase the frequency of essay writing in the class that eventually result in improvement in students‟ performance. This paper aims to highlight the novelty and rationale of having AESF, its design and features as well as how this tool can be blended into the writing classroom, particularly for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) extended essay writing

Factors influencing student choice : A study of a Malaysian Public University

This paper discusses a study of the information sources employed by students to get information regarding University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and also the factors influencing students' choice of UNIMAS. In addition, differences in sources of information and factors of influence based on types of faculty and selected student demographics were also examined. This crosssectional survey research was carried out with a sample consisting of 1,396 first-year students in UNIMAS. The findings of the study showed that "Word of mouth through friends and relatives" and "UNIMAS website" were the two main sources of information. Furthermore, "Academic Program Choice ", "Quality of Teaching and Academics", "Employment Prospect" and "University Choice" were factors contributing towards students selecting UNIMAS to pursue their studies. Inferential statistical analyses consisting of independent t-tests and One-way ANOVA yielded mixed results that could have implications for UNIMAS and other public higher education institutions in employing appropriate strategies to target different segments of prospective students

Factors Influencing Student Choice:A Study of a Malaysian Public University

This paper discusses a study of the information sources employed by students to get information regarding University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and also the factors influencing students’choice of UNIMAS. In addition, differences in sources of information and factors of influence based on types of faculty and selected student demographics were also examined. This cross-sectional survey research was carried out with a sample consisting of 1,396 first-year students in UNIMAS. The findings of the study showed that “Word of mouth through friends and relatives” and“UNIMAS website” were the two main sources of information.Furthermore, “Academic Program Choice”, “Quality of Teaching and Academics”, “Employment Prospect” and “University Choice” were factors contributing towards students selecting UNIMAS to pursue their studies. Inferential statistical analyses consisting of independent t-tests and One-way ANOVA yield edmixed results that could have implications for UNIMAS and other public higher education institutions in employing appropriate strategies to target different segments of prospective students