Higher education in the era of IR 4.0

THE Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) has given a new impetus to educational transformation. In recent years, education experts recognise the profound impact that a myriad of technological innovations in ICT is having on education. They agree that Education 4.0 will be shaped by innovations and will indeed have to train students to produce innovations.

EFFECTS OF IR 4.0 ON EDUCATION

The picture of IR 4.0 is still quite fuzzy and it is difficult to accurately predict what lies ahead. Like the industrial revolutions in the past, IR 4.0 will create new jobs, and will also eliminate some of the existing jobs.

It is predicted that routine activities including monitoring will be entirely or partly taken over by machines. For example, IBM Watson has developed AI-based expert system that can replace junior lawyers. AI system has also been developed, having potential to replace basic-level medical practitioners. This may mean fewer jobs for entry-level professionals in these areas, specialist jobs may remain though.

In this context, it is vitally important to impart appropriate education to the future workforce. Based on the trends so far, researchers predict that IR 4.0 will necessitate profound changes in major aspects of education: content, delivery/pedagogy, and structure/management of education.

IR 4.0 demands changes in the contents of not only technical education, but also education in general. Across disciplines, new emphasis will have to be given on certain skills and new contents have to be added. So, new educational programmes will have to be developed to meet changing demands.

In the era of IR 4.0, jobs that require creativity are likely to stay. Irrespective of discipline, Education 4.0 must be able to produce highly creative graduates with the ability to think critically.

Graduates must be innovative and entrepreneurial, and have cognitive flexibility to deal with complexity. Many of them will be co-working not only with Man, but also robots.

The need for better communication and collaborative skills will be far more important than ever. Graduates must acquire self-learning skills to remain relevant in the era of rapid changes.

Education 4.0 is suggested to affect all the domains (Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor) in the Bloom’s model. In the cognitive domain, Application, Analysis, Evaluating and Creating will become way more important relative to the lower level cognitive skills.

IR 4.0 will require human resources with adequate digital and data literacy. Students across disciplines will, therefore, need to gain digital and data literacy during their studies.

The convergence of Man and machine in IR 4.0 will mean that the disciplinary distance between science and technology, and humanities and social sciences will be reduced.

An important segment of IR 4.0 will perhaps be situated at the intersection of disciplines such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration and computer science. Universities in collaboration with industry will therefore need to come up new interdisciplinary programmes.

PEDAGOGY

Innovations such as mobile computing, cloud, social network and big data have created an opportunity to build a learning ecosystem that allows personalized learning which is independent of time and place.

Learners will be able to design their own educational pathways based on their personal goals. Meeting increasing demand for ubiquitous mobile learning will require the use of Massive Open Online Courses, virtual classroom, remote labs, virtual labs and game-based learning as important tools.

With a rising level of complexity, it will be highly important to impart deeper learning. This can be achieved with the increased use of blended, project- and scenario-based, and practice-oriented learning. Innovation being key to success, experts suggest that maker space, which is characterized by open source innovation and learning-by-doing, should be utilized as a tool to train graduates.

Another creative way that is being experimented in countries including the United States, Germany, Austria, and Brazil to train graduates (and also employees) is learning factory (LF). LF replicates section(s) of the value chain of the industry where workplace-based scenario can be created. In a LF, learning takes place formally and informally and has been found to be more effective in gaining complex skills and knowledge.

EDUCATION STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT

IR 4.0 will see profound changes in business models across the sectors. To cope with the quicker cycles of disruptive changes, one has to make lifelong learning a permanent part of professional life. This may, in turn, need new ways of recognizing and certifying work-place based learning. This will require the new partnership between educational institution and industry.

Some experts suggest that there will be a need for compressed undergraduate study programmes, supplemented by practice and subsequent in-depth studies. Some even tend to suggest that fixed degree programmes, as we know today, may not be effective.

Universities, therefore, will need to re-think the way academic programmes will be structured in the future. To recognise more flexible, practice-oriented, competency based learning, new systems of accreditation/certification will be necessary.

Application of big data analytics in teaching and learning will shape future adoptive learning environment. Research in Austria (TU Graz) has shown that learning analytics can help teachers to see the success and failure of each student on each topic, provide them with early warning of knowledge gaps, and help them to take appropriate measures.

These measures include use of automatic exercise generators that can give appropriate exercise to each student depending on his progress. Use of data analytics for monitoring progress and effectiveness in education will become commonplace.

To respond to the needs of IR 4.0, universities must continue to play their role as test beds for educating the future generation and innovation. But close collaboration with industry and stakeholders will be ever more important to implement Education 4.0.

To be effective and efficient in such efforts, it will be important to have technology roadmaps for the main economic /industrial sectors of the country. Such technology roadmaps will provide the direction for the educational transformation which may have two main components: transform education across disciplines in terms of content, delivery, management, and devise special education/degree programmes to develop technical manpower to support IR 4.0.

Many of the components of Education 4.0 already exist in the Malaysian higher education system, but perhaps in isolation. For example, soft skills that IR 4.0 demands have already been introduced to higher education in the country.

Many of the core technical subjects are also taught in various universities under different programmes. In the context of demanding requirements of IR 4.0, it will be important to re-visit these to find how the delivery of soft skills can be made more effective. In addition to soft skills, efforts should be made on how to make digital/data literacy more accessible to the general student mass irrespective of discipline. The need for human resources in the key technical areas like IoT, big data and analytics, cloud computing, virtual/augmented reality, robotics, etc. should be assessed and acted upon accordingly.

New interdisciplinary programmes need to be developed to cater to the future need. As a first step, pilot programmes can be developed to cater to a certain sector that will be most influenced by IR 4.0. For example, the manufacturing sector can be targeted to begin with.

Since professional undergraduate programmes are subjected to control/regulation by accreditation bodies, out-of-the-box ideas cannot be introduced here immediately. Therefore a master programme in manufacturing that responds to the need of IR 4.0 can be developed as a first step. It has to be made interdisciplinary combining engineering, ICT and business studies.

It can even be a multi-university project to bring the best of the nation on a single platform. Effective use of digital tools, maker space, LF, etc. should be made. Experts predict that IR 4.0 will be a long journey reaching maturity in 2025-2030.

The writer is the Dean for the Innovative Technology Research Cluster as well as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya. His areas of expertise are materials degradation (corrosion and wear), alloy materials (nanostructure) and electronic packaging materials

Resource: NST

Keputusan STAM diumum Khamis

PUTRAJAYA: Keputusan peperiksaan Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) 2017 akan diumumkan pada Khamis ini (18 Januari 2018).

Menurut kenyataan yang dikeluarkan Lembaga Peperiksaan, Kementerian Pendidikan hari ini, calon boleh mendapatkan keputusan di sekolah masing-masing selepas jam 10 pagi.

Keputusan membabitkan calon persendirian pula akan dimaklumkan melalui pos atau mereka boleh menghubungi Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri (JPN) tempat mereka mendaftar bagi menduduki peperiksaan itu.

Calon juga boleh menggunakan perkhidmatan semakan keputusan STAM 2017 melalui mySMS 15888.

Perkhidmatan semakan itu akan diaktifkan bermula jam 10 pagi (18 Januari 2018) dan akan ditamatkan jam 6 petang pada 24 Januari 2018.

Menurut kenyataan itu lagi, tahun lalu seramai 9,534 calon mendaftar bagi menduduki STAM di 240 pusat peperiksaan dan daripada jumlah itu, 2,365 adalah calon Sekolah Kerajaan; Sekolah Bantuan Kerajaan dan Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan.

Manakala, calon Sekolah Menengah Agama Negeri (4,951); Sekolah Menengah Agama Rakyat (704); persendirian (1,370); Sekolah Menengah Agama Swasta (52) dan 92 calon luar negara yang mendaftar dengan Kementerian Pendidikan.

Sumber: Berita Harian

Benarkan guru Gred G41 pegang jawatan kesatuan

Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Guru-Guru Dalam Perkhidmatan Pelajaran Malaysia, Datuk Mohamed Sabri Mohd Arshad semasa sidang media Kongress kesatuan guru-guru dalam Perkhidmatan Pelajaran Malaysia mengenai isu-isu semasa perguruan di Bahagian Pembangunan dan Penilaian Kopentensi KPM, Cyberjaya. – Foto Ahmad Irham Mohd Noor

CYBERJAYA: Kongres Kesatuan Guru-Guru Dalam Perkhidmatan Pelajaran Malaysia merayu kerajaan membenarkan guru Gred 41 dan ke atas memegang jawatan dalam kesatuan perguruan.

Presidennya, Datuk Mohamed Sabri Mohd Arshad, berkata berdasarkan Akta Kesatuan Sekerja 1959, mereka dalam gred berkenaan tidak dibenarkan memegang jawatan dalam mana-mana kesatuan.

“Akta berkenaan sudah lama dikuatkuasakan, tapi tidak sepenuhnya diguna pakai apabila tolak ansur diberikan kepada pihak kesatuan. Baru-baru ini, ada arahan diterima menerusi surat daripada Kementerian Sumber Manusia.

“Ia menimbulkan masalah kepada kami termasuk kesatuan perguruan lain kerana kini tiada lagi guru bukan siswazah. Kebanyakan mereka adalah dalam Gred 41 ke atas,” katanya pada sidang media di sini, hari ini.

Mohamed Sabri berkata, untuk mencari pengganti juga sukar kerana tiada guru bukan siswazah yang sanggup meneruskan tampuk kepemimpinan kesatuan perguruan.

“Dengan mengguna pakai akta itu, semua guru Gred 41 ke atas yang memegang jawatan dalam kesatuan mungkin perlu meletakkan jawatan. Untuk mencari pengganti pula adalah sukar.

“Justeru, kami merayu kepada kerajaan terutama Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa supaya mempertimbangkan perkara ini,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata, sehingga kini, terdapat sebanyak lapan kesatuan perguruan di negara ini dengan keahlian dianggarkan lebih 300,000.

“Kesatuan ini penting kerana selain menjaga kebajikan guru, kami sebagai rakan strategik Kementerian Pendidikan dan kerajaan termasuk memberi pandangan berkaitan dasar dalam memperkukuh dan menambah baik sistem pendidikan negara,” katanya.

Sumber: Berita Harian

Penyelidik UIAM terima Anugerah Raja Faisal 2018

Penyelidik Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia(UIAM), Prof Dr Irwandi Jaswir. – Foto Salhani Ibrahim

GOMBAK: Penyelidik Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia(UIAM), Prof Dr Irwandi Jaswir dianugerahkan Hadiah Antarabangsa Raja Faisal 2018 bagi kategori Sumbangan Kepada Islam daripada Yayasan Raja Faisal, naungan kerajaan Arab Saudi.

Menurut kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan Pejabat Komunikasi Korporat UIAM di sini hari ini, pemilihan itu dibuat melalui Jawatankuasa pemilihan Hadiah Antarabangsa Raja Faisal 2018 yang mengumumkan senarai penerimanya semalam.

Raja Arab Saudi, Raja Salman Raja Abdulaziz Al-Saud akan menyampaikan anugerah itu dalam satu majlis khas yang tarikhnya belum ditetapkan lagi.

Dr Irwandi, 48, yang berasal dari Medan, Indonesia ketika ini menyandang jawatan Timbalan Dekan (Akademik, Penerbitan dan Penyelidikan) Institut Antarabangsa Penyelidikan dan Latihan Halal (INHART) UIAM.

Beliau terkenal dalam bidang penyelidikan halal yang merangkumi sektor perkhidmatan, makanan dan barangan kepenggunaan.

Anugerah berkenaan adalah satu pengiktirafan tertinggi untuk sumbangan Irwandi melalui UIAM dalam bidang Teknologi dan Pembangunan Sains Halal.

Penganugerahan ini adalah pengiktirafan hasil kerja pasukan beliau dalam membangunkan kaedah baharu untuk menganalisis bahan dalam pembuatan makanan halal dan mewujudkan prosedur praktikal dalam penghasilan gelatin halal dari pelbagai sumber bukan porcine seperti unta dan ikan.

Irwandi dan pasukan penyelidik juga menghasilkan kit mudah alih pengesan bahan bukan halal dalam makanan, kosmetik dan barangan kepenggunaan untuk melindungi pengguna Islam.

Kit itu juga dapat mengenal pasti dan mengesan dalam beberapa saat akan kehadiran bahan alkohol dan lemak babi (lemak berasas porcine) dalam makanan dan minuman.

Menurut kenyataan itu lagi, Hadiah Antarabangsa Raja Faisal adalah pengiktirafan yang diberikan setiap tahun. Anugerah ini diberikan kepada insan yang banyak memberi sumbangan dan impak kepada dunia Islam.

Anugerah ini dibahagikan kepada lima kategori iaitu Sains, Perubatan, Bahasa dan Kesusasteraan Arab, Pengajian Islam dan Sumbangan kepada Islam (sumbangan individu dari segi penyelidikan, pemikiran, kepimpinan).

Sementara itu, Irwandi berkata, anugerah itu adalah satu pengiktirafan dalam dunia pendidikan dan penyelidikan yang dilakukannya untuk memberi manfaat kepada umat Islam di seluruh dunia.

“Saya amat terkejut dan pada masa sama amat bersyukur kerana sumbangan dan penyelidikan saya dalam bidang halal mendapat pengiktirafan dan saya berterima kasih kepada semua pihak atas kejayaan ini,” katanya.

Sumber: Berita Harian

Pelajar merentas desa dengan polis

PELAJAR dan anggota polis mendaki bukit di kawasan ladang kelapa sawit dalam Kejohanan Merentas Desa Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Slim, peringkat sekolah. – Foto Rosman Shamsudin

SLIM RIVER: Pertandingan merentas desa Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Slim di sini mencipta kelainan kerana turut disertai anggota polis.

Kira-kira 100 anggota dari Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Muallim dan 650 pelajar berlari bersama-sama mulai jam 7.30 pagi tadi.

Larian kira-kira lapan kilometer di ladang kelapa sawit di Ladang Bukit Besout yang berbukit bagi menguji daya ketahanan fizikal dan mental peserta.

Ketua Polis Daerah Muallim, Superintendan Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof melepaskan peserta.

Yang turut hadir, Pengetua sekolah itu, Nor Azmi Murad dan Naib Yang Dipertua Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru (PIBG) merangkap Pegawai Perhubungan sekolah, Inspektor R Rameshwaran.

Wan Kamarul Azran berkata, penyertaan anggota polis bersempena Program Latihan Fizikal IPD Muallim bagi meningkatkan kecergasan fizikal dan mental anggota.

Beliau berkata, acara itu juga bertujuan mengeratkan hubungan dengan pelajar dalam usaha mengurangkan salah laku dan masalah disiplin mereka.

Katanya, anggota polis perlu sentiasa bersedia sepanjang masa sama ada dari segi fizikal dan mental untuk menghadapi cabaran dalam menjaga ketenteraman serta keamanan.

“Ini satu inisiatif IPD Muallim merapatkan diri dengan masyarakat bagi membendung dan mengurangkan kadar kejadian jenayah.

“Inilah kali pertama polis menyertai kejohanan merentas desa dengan pelajar sekolah menengah dan boleh dijadikan satu program tahunan kerana ia mampu memberi kesan jangka masa panjang,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini hari ini.

Sumber: Berita Harian