Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges

Various initiatives at national and faculty levels are carried out to improve teaching quality at Malaysian universities. Measures such as auditing and accrediting university programs and obtaining certification for quality management help improve program management and standardize students’ learnin...

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Main Authors: Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida, Zainal, Zainor Izat, Malakolunthu, Suseela
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 2014
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/1/Improving%20teaching%20in%20higher%20education%20in%20Malaysia%20issues%20and%20challenges.pdf
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author Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida
Zainal, Zainor Izat
Malakolunthu, Suseela
author_facet Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida
Zainal, Zainor Izat
Malakolunthu, Suseela
author_sort Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Various initiatives at national and faculty levels are carried out to improve teaching quality at Malaysian universities. Measures such as auditing and accrediting university programs and obtaining certification for quality management help improve program management and standardize students’ learning experiences. However, these do not guarantee quality teaching within the classrooms. Initiatives at faculty levels do not promise quality teaching as staff development often takes place within workshops and training sessions that rarely promote sustainable learning resulting in minimal impact on instructional practice. To improve teaching, staff development effort should promote professional learning within communities of practice in which teaching experience and dilemmas are shared and reflected upon. A close scrutiny of the teacher learning culture in many higher educational institutions in Malaysia, however, reveal that such effort would be an arduous task due to the numerous challenges to be overcome. To encourage the formation of communities of practice within faculties to improve teaching quality in Malaysian universities requires drastic changes to the policies which govern academic staff’s achievement and success. It also requires the setup of a new entity under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to monitor staff development efforts in Malaysian universities. At university level, forming communities of practice within faculties requires drastic changes to the job description of staff developers.
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spelling upm-379892015-12-29T09:03:23Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/ Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida Zainal, Zainor Izat Malakolunthu, Suseela Various initiatives at national and faculty levels are carried out to improve teaching quality at Malaysian universities. Measures such as auditing and accrediting university programs and obtaining certification for quality management help improve program management and standardize students’ learning experiences. However, these do not guarantee quality teaching within the classrooms. Initiatives at faculty levels do not promise quality teaching as staff development often takes place within workshops and training sessions that rarely promote sustainable learning resulting in minimal impact on instructional practice. To improve teaching, staff development effort should promote professional learning within communities of practice in which teaching experience and dilemmas are shared and reflected upon. A close scrutiny of the teacher learning culture in many higher educational institutions in Malaysia, however, reveal that such effort would be an arduous task due to the numerous challenges to be overcome. To encourage the formation of communities of practice within faculties to improve teaching quality in Malaysian universities requires drastic changes to the policies which govern academic staff’s achievement and success. It also requires the setup of a new entity under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to monitor staff development efforts in Malaysian universities. At university level, forming communities of practice within faculties requires drastic changes to the job description of staff developers. Routledge 2014 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/1/Improving%20teaching%20in%20higher%20education%20in%20Malaysia%20issues%20and%20challenges.pdf Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida and Zainal, Zainor Izat and Malakolunthu, Suseela (2014) Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 38 (5). pp. 656-673. ISSN 0309-877X; ESSN: 1469-9486 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2013.831037 10.1080/0309877X.2013.831037
spellingShingle Mohd Deni, Ann Rosnida
Zainal, Zainor Izat
Malakolunthu, Suseela
Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title_full Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title_fullStr Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title_full_unstemmed Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title_short Improving teaching in higher education in Malaysia: issues and challenges
title_sort improving teaching in higher education in malaysia: issues and challenges
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37989/1/Improving%20teaching%20in%20higher%20education%20in%20Malaysia%20issues%20and%20challenges.pdf