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ACADEMIABERILMU BERBAKTIBulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office ISSUE 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )

Towards University

of International Repute


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EditorialBoard

Patron Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris

Advisor Associate Prof. Dr. Aida Suraya Md. Yunus

EditorAssociate Prof. Dr. Mansor AhmadAssociate Prof. Dr. Wan Zah Wan AliDr. Khamuruddin Mohd Noor

Chief Editor Associate Prof. Dr. Zaidan Abdul Wahab

Secretariat Centre for Academic Development (CADe)

ACADEMIA2

Entities RepresentativesProf. Dr. Siti Shapor Siraj Faculty of Agriculture

Associate Prof. Dr. Zaidon Ashaari Faculty of Foresty

Prof. Dr. Mohd Hair Bejo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Mr. Nazrul Hisyam Ab. Razak Faculty of Economics & Management

Dr. Abd. Rahim Abu Talib Faculty of Engineering

Ms. Shaerin Azlin Ab Rahman Faculty of Educational Studies

Prof. Dr. Gwendoline Ee Cheng Lian Faculty of Science

Prof. Dr. Nazamid Saari Faculty of Food Science & Technology

Dr. Sarjit Singh Faculty of Human Ecology

Mr. Ahmad Yusoff Buyong Faculty of Modern Languages & Communication

Associate Prof. Dr. Noorizan Mohamed Faculty of Design & Architecture

Dr. Mohd Nasir Mohd Taib Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Dr. Rusli Abdullah Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology

Prof. Dr. Arbakariya AriffFaculty of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences

Associate Prof. Dr. Latifah Abd. ManafFaculty of Environmental Studies

Ms. Rita Anak Bajat Faculty of Agriculture & Food Sciences

Mr. Suhaifi Sulaiman School of Graduate Studies

Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Mohamed Graduate School of Management

Mr. Azizi Ismail Academic Division

Mdm. Hasniah Hamid Centre of Foundation Studies for Agriculture Science

Mdm. Rosiha Abdul Razak Centre of External Education

Ms. Chia Su-Ling International Centre

Mdm. Hjh. Salbiah Md. Tap University Agriculture Park

ContentsMessage from the Deputy ViceChancellor (Academic & International)

From The Desk Of Chief Editor

3

4

5

6

ic n Associate ProfessorDr. Samsilah Roslan

FOCUSACADEMICENTITITY IN

Student Mobility Program

Putra Learning Management System

Deklarasi Ilmuan Putra

The Basics of Fertigation Plantation

Intellectual Discourse withY. Bhg. Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri DatoDr. Syed Jalaluddin Syed Salim

Intellectual Discourse withWinners of National Academic Award

Quality Assurance of Teaching in UPM

ATECHTECHNOLOGY FORACADEMIA

7&

89&

1213

&

eature

new tropical agriculture10

14

16

11 A cademicDevelopment

Outcome-Based Education :The Need to Emphasize on CongruencyBetween Curriculum Design,Implementation and Assessment

Activities Highlight

nfoZone

IDERN - International DoctoralEducation Research Network

APP - Anugerah Pengajaran Putra 09

15

ACADEMIA welcomes any contributions ofarticles/news/announcements/ sharing of experiences

and innovations in teaching and learning for the

forthcoming issues. Please send/email your

contribution to

ACADEMIA Secretariat,

Centre for Academic Development (CADe),4th Floor, Administration Building UPM

[email protected]

* The editorial board has the right to edit the article before

publication.


3/16

gives me great pleasure to present to

ou this inaugural issue of the makeover

ACADEMIA from the Office of theeputy Vice Chancellor (Academic &ternational).

s this is the inaugural issue, allow me to

ghlight the entities under my portfolio,

hich include; all Faculties in theniversity, School of Graduate Studies,

raduate School of Management, Centre

ROFESSOR DATIN PADUKA DR.AINI IDERIS

eputy Vice Chancellor

Academic & International)

ACADEMIA, which will bepublished quarterly, will present

issues, news and articles on

activities related to teaching and

learning. Contributions from

fellow academics to ACADEMIA

are most welcome andencouraged. The sharing of

news, information and knowledge

in many aspects of our activity

as educators and researchers

would enrich our teaching andlearning experiences and

hopefully this would translate to

us becoming a more caring and

effective lecturers.

The launching of PutraLMS earlythis year perhaps mark the

beginning of a new level ofinculcation of ICT in teaching and

From The Desk Of

Chief Editor

learning among academics and students in UPM. Althoughthe transition to the new learning management system has

been going on smoothly, the challenges ahead is for the

academics to continually examine their teaching practice in

light of new technology and teaching methods.

I shall end this note by bringing to your attention the

recipient of this years Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award

(Excellence in Teaching), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Samsilah Roslan,

whose dedication and hard work have inspired students

and lecturers alike.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Zaidan Abdul WahabChief Editor

Message From

Deputy ViceChancellor(Academic & International)

r Foundation Studies for Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Academic

evelopment, Centre for External Educa tion , Academi c Divisi on,

te rnati onal Centre and the Univer sity Agricultural Park. Thesentities are the fundamental in the development of educational

amework and policies that support the Universitys teaching and

arning strategic goals.

he new contents of ACADEMIA will not only ponder on teaching and

arning, but it will also include the activities, current issues andpdates on academic policy development, quality assurance processes,

nd the development & promotion of international affairs of the

niversity.

he higher education scene is changing rapidly. Inevitable as it may be,gher Education Institutions are driven by economy, technology, and

ostly the globalization or internationalization of education. These

ave created a new market trend that is very globalized and

hallenging to the educators and administrators. Today, tools in

easuring higher education competitiveness include the use ofarameters such as;`benchmarking, ranking, and accreditation.he results of the measurement of these parameters would reflect the

andard and position of higher education institution in the world

nking.

o date, UPM, as well as three other local research universities and

ur foreign university branches in Malaysia, have been invited by theinister of Higher Education to apply for the self-accreditation status.

order to achieve the status, UPM has to go through an institutional

udit, namely the Academic Performance Audit (APA) by the

alaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), which will take place from

5 to 29 January 2010.

have full confidence that UPMs community is ready for the audit andble to face many other challenges ahead, as depicted by our

ogan With Knowledge We Serve.

With that note, I wish to express sincere appreciation to theditorial Committee of ACADEMIA led by the Center for Academic

evelopment, for making this inaugural issue successfully published.

astly, let us move forward with the transformational plan to be

A World Leader in New Tropical Agriculture.

Entities underThe Oce ofDeputy Vice Chancellor

(Academic & International)

All Faculties

School of Graduate StudiesGraduate School of Management

Centre of Foundation Studies for

Agriculture Science

Centre for Academic Development

Centre for External Education

International Centre

Academic Division

University Agriculture Park

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )3


4/16

ACADEMIA is proud to have Assoc. Prof. Dr. Samsilah

Roslan to say something for her achievement.

Q1: As an educator, how do you perceive the award you

received?

I believe this award is a form of recognition from UPM to all

lecturers and educators who have strived towards providing

an effective teaching and learning environment for their

students. I have seen my mentors, my teachers and the

people I admire and learned from, spent long hours planning

and experimenting on various approaches to ensure thatthey are able to not only depart knowledge and skills to

their students, but also develop and nurture the students

potentials and talents to the fullest. They serve as role

models to the students on the virtue of a true academician.

Q2: What is your teaching philosophy?

As a Muslim, I believe that everybody have their roles and tasks

to be fulfilled in making this world a better place (termed khalifa),and that whatever we do, will trigger a chain reaction that have

short term and long term consequences. For example, simple

decisions that we take for granted in life will determine our carbon

footprints, which consequently affect the life span of the earth.

Similarly, decisions such as to be early or late to class, attendclass fully prepared or with minimum preparation, to be fully

committed and dedicated, or not, to our work, all these are

hidden curriculum that we teach our students, who will later onbecome the teachers of the future generation. If we realize how

big an impact the (perceived) small things in life can have, I am

sure we will focus on the right things and set our priorities straight.

Q3: What is your future expectation for teaching and

learning in UPM?

I would like to see more thinking-inducing activities

incorporated in our teaching and learning process.

Approaches such as differentiated learning are excellent

examples of how we can make learning an intriguing

process to the students, by making them explore theirabilities to reach the optimum level they are capable of.

Ultimately, the feeling of satisfaction when both lecturerand students work together and successfully overcome

challenges and hurdles in learning, for me, is the most

priceless award.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Samsilah Roslan received her bachelor

degree in Islamic Studies (Syariah) from El-Azhar Univer-

sity, Cairo and Diploma of Education from International

Islamic University Malaysia (UIAM). She joined the Faculty

of Educational Studies in UPM as a tutor in 1997. She initially

pursued her master study in UPM in the field of Educational

Psychology and was later upgraded to Ph.D and success-

fully obtained the degree in 2001.Dr. Samsilah has been actively involved in numerous

research projects, especially those related to education for

children with special needs; including gifted children and

children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and

autism. She was involved in several IRPA and Fundamental

research related to children with special needs. Her role as a

researcher with the Children At-Risk in Education Research

Group (CARE) has given her the opportunity to collaborate

with the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education,

Ministry of Defence, BALKIS and other agencies in conduct-

ing various research and consultancy projects. She has also

been involved in organizing international conferences to

increase the awareness of the importance of providing equaleducational opportunities for these children.

Dr. Samsilah has been involved in training lecturers

and educators from various institutions and schools.

She is also an active advocator for special educational

provisions for gifted students in Malaysia. Her exper-

tise in gifted students and gifted education has earned

her positions in various committees set up by the

Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher

Education in planning gifted education in the country.

She has been awarded with Certificate of Excellence

for her service from 2001 to 2007.

Dr. Samsilah has recieved several prestigious awardssuch as UPM Young Researcher Award 2007,

Anugerah Pengajar Cemerlang 2008 and the recent

UPM Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award.

...I believe that everybody have their roles and tasks

to be fulfilled in making this world a better place

(termed khalifa), and that whatever we do, will trigger

a chain reaction that have short term and long term

consequences...If we realize how big an impact the

(perceived) small things in life can have, I am sure we

will focus on the right things and set our priorities

straight.

Associate Professor

Dr. Samsilah RoslanWinner of 2009 Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award

(Excellence in Teaching)

Prepared by CADe

ic n

4


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FOCUS

ACADEMIC

ENTITITY

IN

StudentMobility PROGRAM by International Centre

The student mobility programme in UPM started in 2006

when the University established the Internship Scheme

Fund to provide the opportunity for local undergraduate

students to experience studying in foreign institutions ofhigher learning that have signed Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) with UPM. The objective of the

establishment of this internship fund is to provide some

form of financial assistance to the students who are

interested to participate in the student mobility

programme with these foreign institutions. Studentsfrom MOU partners of UPM would be entitled to tuition

fee waiver and some allowance, based on the terms and

conditions of the MOU signed.

Many local undergraduate students often find that theywere not able to participate in student mobility

programmes due to financial constraints. However, with

the establishment of this Internship Scheme Fund, local

undergraduate students are encouraged to seek for the

opportunity to participate in the student mobilityprogramme with the MOU partners of the University.

Most local undergraduate students who participated in

the student mobility programme were students who

needed to complete the internship component required

by their respective fields of study. Other students who

participated in this programme aimed to gain theexperience of studying in a foreign institution. Many of

these students find that high costs of participating in the

student mobility programme is the main reason they

were not able to consider student mobility programme as

an integral part of their academic activities.

Local students are encouraged to look out for studentmobility programme opportunities that sometimes may

come their way as what happened to a few students

during the recent semester break in the months of June

and July 2009. Four students, including a student fromUPM Bintulu Campus were selected to attend

International Summer Semester in SungkyunkwanUniversity, Korea and three students were selected to

attend summer programme in Atatrk University, Turkey.

These two summer programmes proved to be an eye

opener for the students who were involved. These

students were able to experience first hand forthemselves the academic environment of foreign

institutions of higher learning as well as the local culture

of the host country. These students shared with their

lecturers and fellow students about the experience they

have gained from the summer programmes upon theirreturn to UPM.

Recently, Ministry of Higher Education provided a funding

of RM 2 million to UPM to facilitate the student mobility

programme. Ministry of Higher Education hopes to be

able to increase the employability of public universitygraduates with the move of facilitating student mobility

programme. All faculties were requested to nominatequalified students to participate in a two-week visit to

MOU partner institutions. It is hoped that when more local

undergraduate students are provided with the opportunity

to participate in the student mobility programme, thesestudents would be able to increase their employability and

market value when they graduate from UPM.


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PUTRA LEARNING

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

experience

refreshing eLearning

UPM GOES WIRED!

are you ready?

What you need?

a computer with internet connect ion

username & password

lms.upm.edu.my

Ranking of Usage

Top 5 Facul ties1. Faculty of Human Ecology

2. Faculty of Science3. Faculty of Educat ional Studies

4. Faculty of Computer Science and Information

Technology

5. Faculty of Agr icul ture

Top 5 Active Stu dents1. Sit i Aishah Shaharudin2. Chen Sook Fun

3. Ar i f f in Abas

4. Tay Poh Shya

5. Foong Lai Ying

Top 5 Active Inst ructors1. Dr. Mohd. Ibrani Shahrimin Adam Assim

2. Dr. Habibah Ab. Jali l

3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zaidan Abdul Wahab4. Prof. Dr. Sidek Ab. Aziz

5. Dr. Zeenathul Nazar iah Al laudin

PutraLMS is the latest UPM learningmanagement system deployed to fac i l i tate al laspects of e-learning activit ies in the university.

PutraLMS enables the delivery, management, and

adminis trat ion of univers i ty-wide courses. I t

al lows a course adminis trator to central ize

content, s tudent management, and report ing inone convenient inter face and technology

package.

The Univers i ty Management has mandated the

Centre for Academic Development (CADe) to

plan, design and develop a ful l feature, SCORMcompatible and v isual ly at tract ive e- learning

plat form; the PutraLMS. PutraLMS learning

management system was developed and

deployed to ful l f i l l the fol lowing object ives:

ACADEMIA6

ATECHTECHNOLOGY FORACADEMIA

1. To enhance the effectiveness of teaching and

learning act iv i t ies through the use of a

common e- learning plat form.

2. A s ingle integrated databases of learning

contents which are shareable among UPMseducators and experts.

3. To facil i tate effective and systematic system

maintenance and improvement of the learning

management system running on a commone-learning palt form.

4. To fullf i l the Universitys vision of producing

qual i ty graduates who are competat ive, ethical

and has the abi l i ty to progress and excel

through l i fe long learning.

PutraLMS

Quick Facts

n year 2010

Launchedby Deputy Minis ter of Higher Educat ion,

Y.B. Dato Saifuddin Abdullah on 28th April 2009.

Ready

to be used from July 2009

Fully used

for 1st Semester 2009/2010

PutraLMS Administrator

Centre for Academic Development

T : 03-8946 6135 / 6042 / 8001 / 03-8947 2079

F : 03-8946 6043

E : [email protected]


7/167

Master Trainersof PutraLMS

Faculty of Agriculture & Food Sciences

Dr. Walter Charles Primus

Mr. John Keen ak Chubo

Mr. Abdul Moha mmad Omar

Centre of Foundation Studies for Agriculture ScienceProf. Dr. Patimah Ismail

Mr. Ya'akob b. Mansor

Mr. Imran Izudin Ibrahim

Faculty of Environmental Studies

Assc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Makmom Hj Abdullah

Dr. Ahmad Zaha rin Aris

Dr. Normala Halimoon

Mdm. Nor Hanisah HashimMdm. Rosta Harun

Ms. Sit i Zurainah Salamat

Faculty of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences

Assc. Prof. Dr. Muhajir HamidAssc. Prof. Dr. Suraini Abd. Aziz

Ms. Nurul Fatihah Md Marham

Faculty of Computer Science

& Information TechnologyDr. Marzanah A. Jabar

Dr. Razali Yaakob

Dr. Rusli Abdullah

Dr. Shyamala C. Doraisamy

Dr. Yusmadi Yah JusohMr. Azizol Abdullah

Mr. Ahri Sogo k

Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Assc. Prof. Dr. Sabrina Sukardi

Dr. Huda Zainudin

Dr. Roslida Abd. Hamid

Ms. Zur iat i Ibrahim

Mdm. Nor Azl ina Zainal Abidin

Faculty of Design & Architecture

Dr. Mohamad Fakri Zaky Ja'afar

Mr. Abd.Aziz Oth man

Mr. Mohamizzam Mohammad

Mr. Mohd Nasir Baharuddin

Ms. Sit i Hadi jah A. Rahim

Faculty of Modern Language & Communication

Assc. Prof. Dr. Arba'ie Sujud

Assc. Prof. Dr. Noor Aina Bt Dani

Dr. Jusang Bolong

Dr. Vijayaletchumy a/p SubramaniamMdm. Wan Muna Rozanna Wan Muhamad

Mr. Sabdin @ Zahar Abdul Wahab

Faculty of Science

Prof. Dr. Sidek Hj . Abd Aziz

Prof. Dr. Umi Kalsu m Yusuf

Prof. Dr. Zulkarnain ZainalAssc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Abdullah

Assc. Prof. Dr. Sidik Silong

Assc. Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Talib

Dr. Alvin Hee Kah Wei

Dr. Chen Soo Kien

Dr. Halimah Mohamed KamariDr. Khamirul Amri Matori

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Tahir

Dr. Rosimah NulitDr. Tan Kar Ban @Bernard

Mdm. Haliza Rosali

Mr. Rosrizal Mohd Zain

Faculty of Human Ecology

Assc. Prof. Dr. Akmal Hariza Hashim

Assc. Prof. Dr. Sharifah Azizah Haron

Dr. Mohd Ibrani Shahrimin Adam AssimDr. Nobaya Ahmad

Dr. Yeoh Pei SzeMdm. Rozita Puasa

Faculty of Food Science & technologyAssc. Prof. Dr. Tan Chin Ping

Dr. Boo Huey ChernDr. Faridah Abas

Dr. Muhamad Shahrim Abdul KarimMr. Syed Izharudden Syed Isa

Faculty of Educational Studies

Assc. Prof. Dr. Wong Su Luan

Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Mohd AyobDr. Fadzilah Abdul Rahman

Dr. Habibah Abdul Jal i l

Dr. Nooreen Noordin

Dr. Nor Wahiza Abdul WahabDr. Rosnaini Mahmud

Dr. Shaffe Mohd. DaudDr. Tengku Fa dilah

Dr. Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar

Mdm. Juridah Md Rashid

Ms. Fat imah Sur ia Mohd Shaf ie

Faculty of Engineering

Dr. Fairuz Izzudin RomliDr. Intan Salwani Ahmad

Dr. Makhfudzah Mokhtar

Dr. Mohd. Shamsul AnuarDr. Nuraini Abdul Aziz

Dr. Raizal Saifulnaz Muhammad Rashid

Dr. Sit i Khairunniza BejoDr. Suhaidi Shaf iee

Mr. Shahril Iskandar Amir

Mr. Wan Hafizi Wan Umar

Faculty of Economics & ManagementDr. Azmawani Abdul Ra hman

Dr. Mohd. Fuaad SaadDr. Tee Keng Kok

Mr. Ahmad Razman Abd. L atiff

Mr. Amir Hamzah Ja ntan

Mdm. Juneewaty Ngati jo

Mdm. Rafidah Husain

Faculty of Veterinary MedicineAssc. Prof. Dr. Hassan Hj. Mohd Daud

Assc. Prof. Dr. Wahid Haron

Dr. Wan Mastura Binti Shaik Mohamed Mossadeq

Mr. Krishnan a/l Mariappan

Faculty of ForestyDr. Kamziah Abd Kudus

Dr. Manohar Mariapan

Dr. Mohamad Roslan M. KasimMr. Ahmad Kushairy Ahmad Mouthie

Faculty of AgricutureAssc. Prof. Dr. Halimatun Yaakub

Assc. Prof. Dr. Jamal Talib

Assc. Prof. Dr. Roos SaadAssc. Prof. Dr. Uma Rani Sinah

Dr. Norida Mazlan

Mr. Md. Eusof Abdul Jamak

Mr. Rozihan Mohamed

Mr. Zakaria SidekMr. Ikhwan Ismail

Mr. Hamdan Mohd Ali

* Name of System Administrator for Faculty indicated in orange colour.

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) OfficeIssue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )


8/16

DEK

LARASI

ILM

UAN

PU

TRA

IkrarPegawai Akademik

Bahawasanya kami, pegawai akademikberiltizam untuk menjadikan

Universiti Putra Malaysiasebuah universiti yang unggul berteraskan

penyelidikan. Demi mencapai hasrat ini, kami berikrar:

melaksanakan tugas pengajaran, penyelidikan danperkhidmatan profesional dengan penuh dedikasi, beretika,

berintegriti, telus, adil dan saksama;

meneroka, menjana dan menyebar luas ilmu secara kreatif dan

inovatif bagi pembangunan negara dan kesejahteraan manusia

sejagat selaras dengan tuntutan universiti berteraskan

penyelidikan; dan

melaksanakan tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan dengan

mematuhi perlembagaan, statut, peraturan dan arahan yang

ditetapkan serta akur terhadap dasar negara.

3

2

1

PiagamPerkhidmatan

Pegawai Akademik

Kami beriltizam untuk memberikan perkhidmatan berkualiti

kepada pelanggan dengan penuh tanggungjawab, ikhlas

dan prihatin dalam melaksanakan:

pengajaran dan penyeliaan mengikut rancangan yang

ditetapkan.

penilaian aktiviti akademik mengikut kaedah dan tempoh

yang ditetapkan.

penyelidikan, perundingan dan perkhidmatan profesional

mengikut terma yang ditentukan atau yang dijanjikan.

Sistem Penasihatan Akademik mengikut kerangka

rujukan yang disediakan.

4

3

2

1

eature

ACADEMIA8


9/16Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office


DEKLAR

ASI

ILMUAN

PUTRA

TugasPegawai Akademik

dalam Pengajaran

Menyediakan rancangan pengajaran

berpandukan rangka kursus dan

melaksanakan kaedah pengajaranberdasarkan hasil dan taksonomi

pembelajaran serta kemahiran insaniah.

Melaksanakan pengajaran secara

profesional dan melestarikan budaya

kesarjanaan.

Menilai hasil pembelajaran termasuk

menyediakan soalan dan skema jawapan,

tugasan, memeriksa kertas jawapan dan

memaklumkan keputusan penilaian.

Menyelia dan/atau menilai projek ilmiah

dan latihan industri.

Melaksanakan penasihatan akademik

secara profesional dan membantu

pembangunan

sahsiah pelajar.

5

4

3

2

1

TugasPegawai Akademik

dalam Penyelidikan

Mendapatkan dana untuk menjalankan

penyelidikan.

Melaksanakan dan menyempurnakan

penyelidikan mengikut rancangan yang

ditentukan.

Menghasilkan penerbitan ilmiah dan produk

penyelidikan lain termasuk harta intelek, produkyang boleh dikomersilkan atau penulisan

akademik dalam tempoh yang ditetapkan.

Menyebarkan hasil penyelidikan melalui

pembentangan dalam persidangan dan

pelbagai wahana.

Mewujudkan jaringan kerjasama penyelidikan.5

4

3

2

1

TugasPegawai Akademikdalam Perkhidmatan

Profesional dan Pentadbiran

Melaksanakan tugas pentadbiran yang

diamanahkan.

Memberikan perkhidmatan

kepada industri dan

masyarakat secara

profesional.

2

1


10/16ACADEMIA10

The Basic ofFertigation Plantationby Salbiah Mohd Tap

University Agriculture Park

INTRODUCTION

The term FERTIGATION = FERTIL-

IZER + IRRIGATION. Fertigation is amethod of plantation in which fertilizers

(in liquid form) are channelled to the

plantation roots zone through a

droplet-type irrigation system.

THE MAIN BASICS OF FERTIGATION

Fertilizer (In liquid form)

Irrigation system

The plant containers as well as the

type of medium are alternatives for

overcoming plantation problems.

Non-soil mediums such as sand, coaland husk ashes are used to overcome

problems relating to soil suitability or

diseases.

The media is filled into a container

such as a poly-bag or a pot of a certain

size to fulfil the space requirements for

the plantation roots zone.

The progress of the plant is also very

much influenced by the quality of the

nutrients it receives (balanced

nutrients, pH concentration,

quantity), water quality and other

inputs which are provided.

THE BENEFITS OF USING

FERTIGATION METHOD

Provides complete and controlled

nutrition in accordance to the needs of

the plants based on the type and stage

of its growth.

The growth and environmental

medium guarantee cleanliness and

prevents diseases.

Overcomes soil problems (soil

infertility, parasites, diseases andpests)

Increases the yield per unit area

with high density.

No weeding problems the grounds

are cemented and are covered with

plastic.

The quality of yield is also much

better taste, structure and long

storage life. Usage of efficient fertilizer reaches

85% in comparison to the free

distribution method, which is only

30%.

Reduces the usage of insecticides when

insect nets are employed.

Higher volume of produce (is able to

reach 700% or 7 times more produce)

BASIC NEEDS

Protected home (against the rain)

Irrigation system (centre for nutrition

control, farm pipes, droplet etc)

Fertilizer (special) for fertigation

Clean source of water, tool to measure

pH and the EC metre, poly-bag and a

nursery pot, the plantation medium and

selected seeds.

CARE

During plant growth, pruning must be done

several times and plant must also be given

the necessary support. Plants which havebeen planted in containers containing coal

husk medium or cocoa peat are unable to

grow straight.

As such, a trellis will be required to tie it with

and the plant is then trained to grow around

the trellis rope. Examples are tomato,

watermelon and cucumber plants. Pruning

works such as removing the water buds are

done continuously each week beginning

from the third week without the use of tools

such as knife or scissors to prevent

infections (from viruses/bacteria). Insecti-

cides are sprayed after the pruning work is

completed.

The optimum number of leaves are about

20-25 leaves per tree. Avoid unnecessary

pruning as this may shorten the lifespan of

the plant. Pruning is best done in stages by

skipping a row in a particular plant.

Type of Season Yield/hectare

plantation Duration (tonne metrics)

Tomato 5 6 months 120 180

Chilli 5 6 months 35 45

Brinjal 5 6 months 40 50

Round

Cabbage 80 90 days 35 45

Japanese 60 80 days 70 - 80

Cucumber

Watermelon 65 80 days 35 - 45

FARM SANITATION

It involves the cleaning of farms and the

area surrounding the plantation area.

Plantation waste, diseased branches,

rotten fruits, insecticide/poisonous

containers and others should be

destroyed either by being thrown away or

buried away from the area or burnt.

POST HARVEST

Collecting yields, grading and packaging

must be done exactly on time according to

the maturity index, type of vegetable,

market distance and consumers.

The duration for the maturity of yield and

the lifespan of a plant differs with each type

of plant. If managed properly, the average

seasonal lifespan are:

new

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3.45 3.46 3.463.47 3.53 3.51

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CURRICULUM CO-CURRICULUM FACILITIES ADMINISTRATION

ASPECTS

SATISFACTION

LEVEL

(MEAN)

SEM 1 08/09 SEM 2 08/09

Quality Assurance in Teaching and Learning at

various Malaysian varsities has been a major topic

of interest, consideration, and is much debated on

in the recent years. Quality in Higher Education

can best be defined as the giving of positiveimpact of various university experiences on its

students. Most colleges and universities haveobtained important assessment information on the

effectiveness of their teaching from their students

through their own programme performance evalu-

ation. At the outset of various assessment

programmes that are currently in place, student

surveys and exit interviews have also been identi-

fied as useful instruments in assessing students

achievements and their level of satisfaction in

schools, colleges and other departments. Obser-

vations about the strengths and weaknesses of a

particular programme from a students point of

view, whether during and/or near completion ofcertain academic programmes, can also provide

essential feedback in recognising programmatic

problems and thereby, in making specific curricu-

lar enhancements. The feedback that is generated

from surveys often produces valuable information

of the level of students satisfaction on the teach-

ing and learning processes as well as the facilities

provided by the administration.

In Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), an annual exitsurvey is carried out by the Centre for Academic

Development (CADe) on its final year students.

The aim is to assess the quality of the services that

are offered by UPM. The level of satisfaction ismeasured through their opinions on curriculum,co-curriculum, facilities and administration being

offered at the various faculties or colleges of UPM.

The exit survey was conducted amongst the finalyear students in Semesters 1 and 2 of year

2008/09. Overall, the satisfaction level towards the

services provided by UPM amongst the final year

students of Semester 2 2008/09 was moderately

high on facilities (mean=3.53) and administrationaspects (mean=3.51) on a five point likert scale

compared to the satisfaction level of the final year

students in Semester 1 of year 2008/09, as repre-

sented and indicated in the following figure.

As a whole, the students were generally satis-

fied with the services that are offered by UPM.

However, attention probably needs to be drawn

especially to co-curriculum and administrationaspects in UPM, in order to ensure that the highest

quality services are provided to students and also

in providing the highest level of satisfaction to

UPMs own stakeholders.

Based on the results of the above survey, a few

suggestions to improve and ameliorate the univer-

sity / faculty have been made, in order to increase

the level of services offered by the university,

faculty and college, especially in the aspects ofcurriculum, co-curriculum, facilities and adminis-

tration. Some of the suggestions that have been

made are as follows:

Curriculum

1. Involvement of Academic Counsellors in aiding the choice of a students

course/programme.

Co-curriculum

1. Ensure that the facilities for co-curricular activities are suitable, sufficient and

maintained regularly.

2. Ensure that the co-curricular activities are coordinated well.

3. Provide emphasis on co-curriculum courses in an effort to increase

students soft skills.

Facilities

1. Ensure that the food quality offered in the cafeteria is at a

satisfactory level and that the prices set are reasonable.

2. Increase transportation services to students within the campus.

3. Provide suitable facilities for disabled students.

4. Provide a channel or an area for students to give their views or make

complaints.

5. Provide career guidelines in order to give students the exposure they

need.

Administration

1. Increase quality of administration in colleges, especially atcounter services and registration process.

2. Ensure satisfactory spread of information at the faculty via its

notice board and electronic media.

3. Ensure that the administrative/ service provided to students

especially those at the counters, University Security Division and

Undergraduate Student Affairs are at a satisfactory level.

.

Quality Assuranceof Teaching in UPM

A cademicDevelopment

11Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )

Prepared by CADe


12/16ACADEMIA12

A cademicDevelopment Outcome-Based Education :

The Need to Emphasize on Congruency BetweenCurriculum Design, Implementation and Assessment

Introduction

Graduate employability has been one of the major areas

emphasized by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE),over the past years. This can be seen from various

initiatives taken by the ministry, among which was a study

conducted to look into the attributes and traits perceived by

the employers as the must have components by thegraduates. One of the major findings on the study

commissioned by the MOHE was that many employers

expected the students to acquire a respectable level of soft

skills through the university academic programmes.

In 2006, UPM has made a decision to adopt theOutcome-Based Education (OBE) approach in the

curriculum design and teaching in the classroom. OBE has

been the accepted approach in Engineering Education, and

its effectiveness in ensuring the success of outcomes of the

academic programme is viewed as a solution to other

programmes. Thus, UPM became the first Malaysianuniversity to adopt OBE for all academic programmes.

This is in line with MOHEs introduction of the Learning

Outcome and Soft Skills mapping into the documentation

of new and review of university academic programmes in

2006. It promotes extensive engagement of soft skills inacademic curriculum in all universities.

In UPM, OBE is simply referred to as LOKI. In OBE@LOKI,

the development of the programme is based on learning

outcomes (LO), which is the foundation of OBE. The soft

skills (Kemahiran Insaniah KI) are embedded in thecurriculum as warranted by the Ministry of Higher Education

(MOHE) and as part of our continuous efforts to ensure

successful graduates who can adapt to any economicsituations and seek for by employers. The MOHEs learning

outcomes is the base of our programmes outcome (PO).

To ensure that the PO is achieved, each course that makes

up the programme must contribute to the achievement of thePO. It was the decision of the curriculum planners that

specified learning outcomes of each course (course LO)

comprise of three specific domains; cognitive, psychomotor

and affective. On top of that, between one to three KIs must

be embedded in each course.

To ensure that the specific course LOs and the POs are

achieved, appropriate teaching approach must be used in

the conduct of classes. Gone were the days of lecturers

manipulating the whole lecture time, standing at the rostrum,

and delivering what seems to be a structured content of thetopic. Universities world-wide are moving towards

student-centred learning (SCL), where the learning sessions

are planned to allow students to be active players in the

classroom towards a more meaningful learning.

To ensure that the course designed is able to produce thedesired outputs, there must be congruency between the

design, implementation and assessment. The assessment

is the tool to gain feedback on the LOs that are achieved,

and that the students have gained competencies in the

specified KIs. The following diagram illustrates the

contributing elements in an effective course design.

EFFECTIVE COURSE DESIGN

COURSELEARNING OUTCOMES

INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

STUDENTS

Soft Skills

Cognitive Taxonomy

Affective Taxonomy Psychomotor Taxonomy

Social Taxonomy

Classroom

Assessment

Techniques

TestsOther

Measurements -

surveys,inventories

Lectures LabsOther Learning

Experiences

Technology

Student-centered

Learning Approaches


13/16Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

13

Students competencies in non-cognitive aspects of learning

are termed as generic students attributes (GSA) by MOHE.

In the National Higher Education Strategic Plan, MOHE haddrawn strategic objectives for Teaching and Learning to

ensure that the additional attributes acquired by the students

were according to Generic Student Attributes (GSA). In fact,

the soft skills or GSA is so important that the Minister of

Higher Education had specifically addressed and continued

to place it as a focused agenda in his 2010 Early YearMandates to the Ministry.

UPM has reviewed and introduced many academic

programmes using the new guidelines provided by MOHE,

which include development of GSA which are specified in the

learning outcomes of the courses in the academicprogramme. While many courses had successfully identified

appropriate GSA which are related to various courses

learning outcomes (LO) and programmes outcomes (PO),

how successful have the courses been in the development of

the desired GSA amongst the students? Or to be moreprecise, how well has the programmes addressed the GSA?

What is GSA?

Generic Student Attributes (GSA) are qualities, skills, and

abilities that are valued in study, social situations andemployment. The GSA defined by MOHE and adapted by

UPM are as follows:

1. knowledge of the profession;

2. technical skill/practical/psychomotor;

3. critical thinking and problem solving (CTPS);4. communication skills (CS);

5. social skill, team work and responsibilities (TS);

6. professionalism, value, attitude and ethics (EM);

7. lifelong learning and information management (LL);

8. management and entrepreneurship skill (KK); and

9. leadership skill (LS).

The first two elements have always been a focus in any

curriculum and students' achievement in these areas can

easily be assessed by means of tests, lab reports and

assignments. However, the other seven requirements are a"major concern" because the teaching of these skills is

integrated into the curriculum without particular emphasis,

and it can be difficult to determine whether they are acquired

or developed.

How is the GSA Assessments Conducted in

UPM?

Through concerted efforts between CADe, education experts

and the faculties, few modes of GSA assessments have

been developed and tried out in UPM. There is no measure

that is truly objective in determining students GSA becausesome of these attributes cannot be evaluated based on one

or even a few observations or interactions with the students.

Thus, CADe implements a few types of measures:

Preliminary Soft Skill Survey (KI Awalan) conductedduring the Orientation Week for new students.

Intermediate Soft Skill Survey (KI Pertengahan) conducted at end of second year.

Final Soft Skill Survey (KI Akhiran) conducted duringthe final semester.

Assessment of GSA by the lecturers for each course.

While the first three of the measures are surveys that can

only gather students perception of their skills, the fourth

approach is more objective and will provide evidence on

the attributes achieved by the student from a course.

GSA Assessment by Lecturers:

Assessments are made on courses with soft skills

specified in the LOs.

The lecturers are required to measure all the softskills

declared for the course.

The level of soft skills to be measured is based on the

level declared in the soft skills matrix of the approvedprogramme.

The lecturers are required to do the assessment by

sampling students according to the following criteria:

The sample should by randomly chosen to cover

30% of the class population if the class enrolment is

more than 10.

In the case where the enrolment is less than or equalto 10, the assessment should be done on the whole

class.

The soft skills assessment are to be made using the rubric

provided by CADe.

The final score of the assessments are to be transfered to

the Assessment Forms and to be submitted to CADe

through the Deputy Dean (Academic and International)

of the respective faculties by the end of semester.

GSA assessment is very important to UPM. It is not merely

conducted to accommodate to MOHEs directives or to fulfill

the requirements of the Academic Performance Audit (APA),but more so, it provides a significant reality check on our core

business, that is teaching and learning. The curriculum was

designed to achieve specific goals which include preparing

students for rest of their life and the GSA assessments will

provide the feedback on what is lacking, what still needs tobe improved on, and what effective intervention can beplanned by the course instructor, advisors and faculties to

enhance students GSA.

What does the GSA Assessment Means to

UPM?

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )

Prepared by CADe


14/1614

Intellectual Discoue

Activi

tiesHighlight

withProf. Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Syed Jalaluddin Syed Salim

In a university, the staff should embrace the idea of wise time

management, must be highly motivated, informative and constantly

willing to learn.

Recipient of National Academic Personality 2007 Award / Chairman of UPMs Board of Directors

The service productivity of an organization can be assured

when the workforce are able to forward fine ideas along withinnovative and creative end results

It takes mutual effort from both parties to improvise the

Universitys reputation. UPM must ensure that the curriculum

introduced remains relevant and companionable tostudents employability.

Intellectual DiscoueThe Winners of National Academic Award for Teaching

with

Prof. Dr. Abd. Karim Alias

School of Industrial Technology, USM

Website : http://www.ppti.usm.my/KARIM_WEB_2007/index.html

Prof. Madya Dr. Zainal Ariffin AhmadGraduate School of Business, USM

My philosophies of teaching, developed from 15 years of

teaching experience, are as follows:

1. To teach with the highest commitment, clarity, passion,

empathy, honesty, and sincere enthusiasm.

2. To create innovative, positive and conducive learning

environment that promote and facilitate delivery of

knowledge, exchange of ideas, views, and create sense

of accomplishment.

3. To facilitate learning and provide proper guidance. I view

my role as a guide and mentor on an intellectual journey,

opening and broadening curious minds by exposing them

to new thoughts and ideas.

4. To foster creative and critical thinking as well as nurturing

innovative, constructive, and inquisitive minds.

5. To treat all students with absolute equality, regardless

of age, gender, nationality, intellectual ability or personal

appearance.

6. To make it clear that I am always available for help (I

always say, help is always around the corner), and

living up to this by devoting time for individual or group

discussion.

My Teaching philosophy

I am a lifelong learner, therefore I believe learning should be fun,

meaningful and lifelong

My 10 Hallmarks of Teaching Innovations (Les Dossier Secrets Da

Zaba Code (Z. A. B. A : Zainal Ariffin B. Ahmad):

1. Practice adult learning principles adult learner-centered

2. Use movies and literature to illustrate concepts and applicability of

theories

3. Students work in diverse teams of 5 inculcate diversity

4. Highly interactive student-centered classes lecturette, role-play

5. Problem-based learning focus on learning issues,

evidence-based teaching e.g. Forensic HR.

6. Bundling popular books with textbooks, e.g. HR Scorecard, Blue

Ocean Strategy, Five Minds of the Future as frameworks to

evaluate HRM

7. HRM in Practice MBA candidates share their companys HRM in

class

8. HR Shadow undergraduate shadow an HR executive for a day

9. Use case study development and case analysis submit to Case

Writers Association of Malaysia

10. Future thinking Angkasawan and future managers, my future

classroom

ACADEMIA


15/16

09

AnugerahPengajaranPutra 2009

Quick Facts* 3rd APP since 2007.

* RM7,000 fellowship grant

for Anugerah Pengajar

Cemerlang winners

* RM5,000 fellowship grant

for Anugerah PengajarMuda winners.

* Total of 32 candidates

participate in APP09.

For further enquiries, please contact

Mdm. Lailawati Bakar03-8946 6182/6135

or visit our website at www.cade.upm.edu.my/app/

Winners of Anugerah Pengajaran Putra 2008 (APP08)

Anugerah Pengajaran Putra (APP), Universiti Putra Malaysia is a

recognition by the university to acknowledge the commitment and initiatives

among academics in educating the young generation towards excellence.

The awards are also to identify potential candidates for the National Academic

Award (AAN), an annual event organized by the Malaysian Ministry of

Higher Education.

Two categories and insentives will be given to winners of the APP09. The

Anugerah Pengajar Cemerlang winners carries a RM7,000.00 fellowship

grant, while winner for the Anugerah Pengajar Muda will get a RM5,000.00

fellowship grant.

32 candidates are competing for the APP09, and they were nominated by

their faculties. Candidates are grouped according to the AANs clusters :

Pure Science, Applied Science, Arts and Social Science, Engineering,

Health and Applied Arts and Social Science.



nfoZo

ne


16/16

nfoZo

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The 2nd IDERN meeting, will be hosted by the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) and the

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia.

In April 2007, a group of international researchers held a meeting on doctoral education. The International DoctoralEducation Research Network (IDERN) was born out of the Challenging Research Pedagogies Conference held at McGill

University in April 2007. This conference brought researchers from a various of countries who work in the field of doctoral

education who sought to broaden the field of research into doctoral education by bringing transnational perspectives

together under one roof.

Building on the Montreal meeting, the Malaysia meeting will broaden and expand the field of research into doctoraleducation by providing an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share knowledge and perspectives in a

transnational forums and to work towards future international and regional research collaborations.

IMPORTANT INFO

Conference official website : http://www.aosconventions.com/IDERN2010

Last day for abstract submission : 28th February 2010

Conference date : 21st - 23rd April 2010Format of presentations : Panel Discussion or Poster Presentation

For futher information, please contact:

Dr. Vijay Kumar

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communcation

Universiti Putra Malaysia

43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia

[email protected]

[email protected]

or

Connecting Local, Regional and Global in

Doctoral Education Research

academia 01

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