Different Degrees of Blending Benefit Students Differently: A Pilot Study

We are constantly seeking for the best method to teach our students. Lecture style which is in existence for many years is still applicable to a certain extent. The birth of personal computer and Internet has resulted in wide spectrum of instructional strategies taking advantage of these two wonders. One of them is blended learning. The model used in this experiment has online and offline modes. For the online mode we used forum discussions to replace face-to-face instructions. Lecturers are introduced to various online activities that they can choose from in the forum discussions. One of the important aspects of blended learning is the integration of offline and online activities. The other aspect of the blended learning model is the offline mode or face-to-face teaching in the classroom. This experiment lasted for four weeks involving three lecturers and a total of 73 students. Each lecturer was given different degrees of blending in this experiment, that is, 25% online mode, 50% or 75% the highest online mode. For instance, in a 25% online mode students do not attend class for one week in a 4-week experiment. This study shows that students do view the new teaching method in a positive manner as many of them on average reported improvement in self study and time management skills. Whether different degrees of blending benefit students differently, this pilot study tends to show that there is no significant difference between the 25% and 75% groups in self study, attitude toward blended learning and forum participation

Exploring Domains and Determinants of Early Retirement among School Teachers

The retirement age of civil servants in Malaysia was extended to 60 according to Public Service Department Malaysia in 2013. However, lately, early-optional retirement among school teachers has become an issue in which the number of teachers opted for early optional retirement is increasing each year in Malaysia. Employee’s intention for early retirement is influenced by many factors, such as job and organizational, socioeconomic, individual and family situation. Studies show that motivation to leave the teaching profession is related to job satisfaction. However, there is scarce empirical evidence that academicians evaluate the factors causing early retirement among school teachers. This research is set out to explore this issue by identifying factors leading to early retirement among school teachers. Therefore, factors lead to early retirement among school teachers will be identified. The findings come up with a technique for identifying factors of early retirement among school teachers, thereby enable scholars to conduct a more effective and efficient literature review henceforth

Innovative assessment strategies in higher education

Assessment is an integral part of academic practice models and by no means the easiest from a pedagogical perspective. Assessment can change the student s perception and attitudes towards learning and consequently the way in which they manage their curricular expectations and further career development. Learning outcomes indicate what is expected of students, help staff plan the delivery and provide students and employers with descriptors of the levels of knowledge and skills achieved. The challenge of any assessment method is to measure with rigour and fairness the level to which learning outcomes have been met. This communicates to students and employers, a sound mechanism for comparing the quality of the educational experience. The research aimed to design and implement an assessment model that recognises individual contributions of students within a team based on the work of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP). The question being asked in this research was: can the work of the International Personality Item Pool which measures Personality and Other Individual Differences be used to express an innovative, rigorous and fair assessment process of individuals and teams so that students are better prepared to develop their own careers mirroring the way individuals work in teams . The methodology proposed recognises, measures and rewards the contributions of individuals, teams and teamwork efforts associated with engineering and technology business tasks as part of a career development and employability program. The research showed that through empirical and scientific methods that the proposed principles are a sound representation of an innovative assessment model that is rigorous and fair as it is based on scientifically proven constructs by the scientific community which enables academic practitioners to enable students career development within their academic study

Efficient numerical solution of droplet spreading flows

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Inspiring career development and employability among undergraduates through reality television programme

This article examines the social context of Career Development and Employability (CDE) in academic practice, and proposes an innovative and motivational framework for the development of students’ CDE skills based on the reality TV show, The Apprentice.The research work carried out involved participant observation and face-to-face interviews in order to understand perspectives and perception of career development and employability. The CDE framework is qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated from a sample of 58 participants in the context of the student experience. The student experience was asserted by increasing student motivation and engagement.The method used allows other academic subject disciplines to fit into the CDE frameworks. For example, business studies can adopt the concepts and the components of the frameworks in the respective teaching and learning processes

Innovative assessment strategies in higher education

Assessment is an integral part of academic practice models and by no means the easiest from a pedagogical perspective. Assessment can change the student’s perception and attitudes towards learning and consequently the way in which they manage their curricular expectations and further career development. Learning outcomes indicate what is expected of students, help staff plan the delivery and provide students and employers with descriptors of the levels of knowledge and skills achieved. The challenge of any assessment method is to measure with rigour and fairness the level to which learning outcomes have been met. This communicates to students and employers, a sound mechanism for comparing the quality of the educational experience. The research aimed to design and implement an assessment model that recognises individual contributions of students within a team based on the work of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP). The question being asked in this research was: “can the work of the International Personality Item Pool which measures Personality and Other Individual Differences be used to express an innovative, rigorous and fair assessment process of individuals and teams so that students are better prepared to develop their own careers mirroring the way individuals work in teams”. The methodology proposed recognises, measures and rewards the contributions of individuals, teams and teamwork efforts associated with engineering and technology business tasks as part of a career development and employability program. The research showed that through empirical and scientific methods that the proposed principles are a sound representation of an innovative assessment model that is rigorous and fair as it is based on scientifically proven constructs by the scientific community which enables academic practitioners to enable students career development within their academic study