BERILMU BERBAKTI

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

Towards University
of International Repute
Contents Editorial
3 Message from the Deputy Vice Board
Chancellor (Academic & International)
From The Desk Of Chief Editor
Patron Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris

4 ic n Associate Professor
Dr. Samsilah Roslan
Advisor Associate Prof. Dr. Aida Suraya Md. Yunus

Chief Editor Associate Prof. Dr. Zaidan Abdul Wahab

5 Student Mobility Program
ACADEMIC
ENTITITY IN FOCUS
Editor Associate Prof. Dr. Mansor Ahmad
Associate Prof. Dr. Wan Zah Wan Ali

6& ATECH
Dr. Khamuruddin Mohd Noor

7 Putra Learning Management System

TECHNOLOGY FOR ACADEMIA
Secretariat Centre for Academic Development (CADe)

8& eature Entities’ Representatives

9 Deklarasi Ilmuan Putra Prof. Dr. Siti Shapor Siraj Faculty of Agriculture

10 ThenewBasics of Fertigation Plantation

Associate Prof. Dr. Zaidon Ashaari Faculty of Foresty
tropical agriculture
Prof. Dr. Mohd Hair Bejo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

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

11 A cademic
Development Dr. Abd. Rahim Abu Talib Faculty of Engineering
Quality Assurance of Teaching in UPM
Ms. Shaerin Azlin Ab Rahman Faculty of Educational Studies

12 Outcome-Based Education :
& The Need to Emphasize on Congruency
Prof. Dr. Gwendoline Ee Cheng Lian Faculty of Science

13 Between Curriculum Design,

Implementation and Assessment
Prof. Dr. Nazamid Saari Faculty of Food Science & Technology

Dr. Sarjit Singh Faculty of Human Ecology

14 Intellectual
Activities Highlight
Discourse with
Mr. Ahmad Yusoff Buyong Faculty of Modern Languages & Communication

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

Y. Bhg. Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’
Dr. Syed Jalaluddin Syed Salim Dr. Mohd Nasir Mohd Taib Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
Intellectual Discourse with
Winners of National Academic Award Dr. Rusli Abdullah Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology

Prof. Dr. Arbakariya Ariff Faculty of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences

15 nfoZone Associate Prof. Dr. Latifah Abd. Manaf Faculty of Environmental Studies
APP - Anugerah Pengajaran Putra 09
Ms. Rita Anak Bajat Faculty of Agriculture & Food Sciences

16 IDERN - International Doctoral

Education Research Network
Mr. Suhaifi Sulaiman School of Graduate Studies

Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Mohamed Graduate School of Management

ACADEMIA welcomes any contributions of Mr. Azizi Ismail Academic Division

articles/news/announcements/ sharing of experiences
and innovations in teaching and learning for the Mdm. Hasniah Hamid Centre of Foundation Studies for Agriculture Science
forthcoming issues. Please send/email your
contribution to Mdm. Rosiha Abdul Razak Centre of External Education

ACADEMIA Secretariat, Ms. Chia Su-Ling International Centre

Centre for Academic Development (CADe),
4th Floor, Administration Building UPM Mdm. Hjh. Salbiah Md. Tap University Agriculture Park
academia@putra.upm.edu.my
* The editorial board has the right to edit the article before
publication.

2 ACADEMIA
 Message From From The Desk Of
Deputy Vice Chief Editor
Chancellor
(Academic & International)
ACADEMIA, which will be
published quarterly, will present
issues, news and articles on
activities related to teaching and
It gives me great pleasure to present to
learning. Contributions from
you this inaugural issue of the makeover
fellow academics to ACADEMIA
of ACADEMIA from the Office of the
are most welcome and
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic &
encouraged. The sharing of
International).
news, information and knowledge
in many aspects of our activity
As this is the inaugural issue, allow me to
as educators and researchers
highlight the entities under my portfolio,
would enrich our teaching and
which include; all Faculties in the
learning experiences and
University, School of Graduate Studies,
hopefully this would translate to
Graduate School of Management, Centre
us becoming a more caring and
for Foundation Studies for Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Academic effective lecturers.
Development, Centre for External Education, Academic Division,
International Centre and the University Agricultural Park. These The launching of PutraLMS early
entities are the fundamental in the development of educational this year perhaps mark the
framework and policies that support the University’s teaching and beginning of a new level of
learning strategic goals. inculcation of ICT in teaching and
learning among academics and students in UPM. Although
The new contents of ACADEMIA will not only ponder on teaching and the transition to the new learning management system has
learning, but it will also include the activities, current issues and been going on smoothly, the challenges ahead is for the
updates on academic policy development, quality assurance processes, academics to continually examine their teaching practice in
and the development & promotion of international affairs of the light of new technology and teaching methods.
university.
I shall end this note by bringing to your attention the
The higher education scene is changing rapidly. Inevitable as it may be, recipient of this year’s Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award
Higher Education Institutions are driven by economy, technology, and (Excellence in Teaching), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Samsilah Roslan,
mostly the globalization or internationalization of education. These whose dedication and hard work have inspired students
have created a new market trend that is very globalized and and lecturers alike.
challenging to the educators and administrators. Today, tools in
measuring higher education competitiveness include the use of Assoc. Prof. Dr Zaidan Abdul Wahab
parameters such as;`benchmarking’, `ranking’, and `accreditation’. Chief Editor
The results of the measurement of these parameters would reflect the
standard and position of higher education institution in the world
ranking.
Entities under The Office of
To date, UPM, as well as three other local research universities and
four foreign university branches in Malaysia, have been invited by the
Minister of Higher Education to apply for the self-accreditation status.
Deputy Vice Chancellor
In order to achieve the status, UPM has to go through an institutional
(Academic & International)
audit, namely the Academic Performance Audit (APA) by the
Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), which will take place from
25 to 29 January 2010.
• All Faculties
I have full confidence that UPM’s community is ready for the audit and • School of Graduate Studies
able to face many other challenges ahead, as depicted by our
• Graduate School of Management
•
slogan “With Knowledge We Serve”.
Centre of Foundation Studies for
With that note, I wish to express sincere appreciation to the
Editorial Committee of ACADEMIA led by the Center for Academic
Agriculture Science
Development, for making this inaugural issue successfully published.
• Centre for Academic Development
Lastly, let us move forward with the transformational plan to be • Centre for External Education
`A World Leader in New Tropical Agriculture’.
• International Centre
PROFESSOR DATIN PADUKA DR.AINI IDERIS • Academic Division
Deputy Vice Chancellor
(Academic & International) • University Agriculture Park

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
3
ic n
Associate Professor
Dr. Samsilah Roslan
Winner of 2009 Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award
(Excellence in Teaching)

“...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.”

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?

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 equal
educational 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 awards
such as “UPM Young Researcher Award 2007”,
“Anugerah Pengajar Cemerlang 2008” and the recent
UPM Vice Chancellor Fellowship Award.
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 that
they 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, attend
class 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 on
become “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 their
abilities to reach the optimum level they are capable of.
Ultimately, the feeling of satisfaction when both lecturer
and students work together and successfully overcome
challenges and hurdles in learning, for me, is the most
priceless award.

Prepared by CADe

4

Student
Mobility PROGRAM
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 of
higher 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. Students
from 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 they
were 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 mobility
programme 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 the
experience 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 student
mobility 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 from
UPM Bintulu Campus were selected to attend
ENTITITY IN
ACADEMIC
by International Centre
FOCUS
International Summer Semester in Sungkyunkwan
University, Korea and three students were selected to
attend summer programme in Atatürk 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 for
themselves 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 their
return 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 university
graduates with the move of facilitating student mobility
programme. All faculties were requested to nominate
qualified 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, these
students would be able to increase their employability and
market value when they graduate from UPM.
Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office
Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
5
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Technol ogy
T h e Uni v er s it y M anag e m e n t h a s ma n d a te d th e 5. Facul ty of A gri cul ture
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ma nagem ent s y s t em ru n n i n g o n a c o m m o n 5. Foong Lai Yi ng
e-l ear ning palt f or m .
4. To ful l f il t he Univ er s i ty ’s v i s i o n o f p ro d u c i n g
qual i ty gr aduat es w h o a re c o m p e ta ti v e , e th i c a l
and has t he abilit y to p ro g re s s a n d e x c e l
thro ugh lif e long le a rn i n g .

L a unc h e d
b y Deputy M inis t er of H i g h e r E d u c a ti o n ,
Q uick Facts

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Re a d y
t o b e use d f r om J uly 20 0 9

Ful l y u sed
in y e ar 2 010

6 ACADEMIA
 Faculty of Science
Ma s ter Traine r s P rof. D r. S i dek H j . A bd A zi z
of PutraLMS P rof. D r. U mi K al sum Yusuf
P rof. D r. Zul karnai n Zai nal
Faculty of Agricuture
A ssc. P rof. D r. A bdul H al i m A bdul l ah
Assc. Prof . Dr. Halim a tu n Ya a k u b
A ssc. P rof. D r. S i di k S i l ong
Assc. Prof . Dr. J am al Ta l i b
A ssc. P rof. D r. Zai nal A bi di n Tal i b
Assc. Prof . Dr. Roos S a a d
D r. A l vi n H ee K ah Wei
Assc. Prof . Dr. Um a R a n i S i n a h
D r. C hen S oo K i en
D r. N ori da M az lan
D r. H al i mah Mohamed K amari
Mr. Md. E us of A bdul J a ma k
D r. K hami rul A mri Matori
Mr. R ozi han M oham ed
D r. Mohamed Ibrahi m Mohamed Tahi r
Mr. Za ka r ia S idek
D r. R osi mah N ul i t
Mr. Ikhwan I s m ail
D r. Tan K ar B an@ B ernard
Mr. H am dan M ohd A li
Mdm. H al i za R osal i
Faculty of Foresty Mr. R osri zal Mohd Zai n
D r. Kamz iah A bd K udu s Faculty of Modern Language & Communication
D r. Manohar M ar iapan
A ssc. P rof. D r. A rba' i e S uj ud
D r. Moham ad Ros lan M . Ka s i m
A ssc. P rof. D r. N oor A i na B t D ani
Mr. Ah ma d K us hair y A h m a d M o u th i e
D r. Jusang B ol ong
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine D r. Vi j ayal etchumy a/p S ubramani am
Assc. Prof . Dr. Has s a n H j . M o h d D a u d Mdm. Wan Muna R ozanna Wan Muhamad
Assc. Prof . Dr. Wahid H a ro n Mr. S abdi n @ Zahar A bdul Wahab
D r. Wa n M as t ur a B int i Sh a i k Mo h a me d Mo s s a d eq Faculty of Design & Architecture
Mr. Kri sh nan a/ l M ar ia p p a n
D r. Mohamad Fakri Zaky Ja' afar
Faculty of Economics & Management Mr. A bd.A zi z Othman
D r. Azma wani A bdul R a h ma n Mr. Mohami zzam Mohammad
D r. Mohd. F uaad S aad Mr. Mohd N asi r B aharuddi n
D r. Te e K eng K ok Ms. S i ti H adi j ah A . R ahi m
Mr. Ah ma d Raz m an A b d . L a ti ff Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
Mr. Ami r Ham z ah J ant a n A ssc. P rof. D r. S abri na S ukardi
Md m. Juneewat y Ngati j o D r. H uda Zai nudi n
Md m. R af idah Hus ain D r. R osl i da A bd. H ami d
Faculty of Engineering Ms. Zuri ati Ibrahi m
Mdm. N or A zl i na Zai nal A bi di n
D r. Fa i ruz I z z udin Rom l i
D r. In tan S alwani A hm a d Faculty of Food Science & technology
D r. Makh f udz ah M ok h ta r A ssc. P rof. D r. Tan C hi n P i ng
D r. Mohd. S ham s ul A n u a r D r. B oo H uey C hern
D r. N ura ini A bdul A z iz D r. Fari dah A bas
D r. R ai zal S aif ulnaz M u h a m m a d R a s h i d D r. Muhamad S hahri m A bdul K ari m
D r. Si ti K hair unniz a B e j o Mr. S yed Izharudden S yed Isa
D r. Suhaidi S haf iee
Faculty of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences
Mr. Shahr il I s k andar Ami r
A ssc. P rof. D r. Muhaj i r H ami d
Mr. Wa n Haf iz i Wan U ma r
A ssc. P rof. D r. S urai ni A bd. A zi z
Faculty of Educational Studies Ms. N urul Fati hah Md Marham
Assc. Prof . Dr. Wong S u L u a n Faculty of Human Ecology
D r. Ah ma d F auz i M oh d Ay o b A ssc. P rof. D r. A kmal H ari za H ashi m
D r. Fa dz ilah A bdul Ra h ma n A ssc. P rof. D r. S hari fah A zi zah H aron
D r. H abibah A bdul J al i l D r. Mohd Ibrani S hahri mi n A dam A ssi m
D r. N oor een Noor din D r. N obaya A hmad
D r. N or Wahiz a A bdul Wa h a b D r. Yeoh P ei S ze
D r. R osn aini M ahm ud Mdm. R ozi ta P uasa
D r. Shaff e M ohd. Dau d
D r. Te ngk u F adilah Faculty of Environmental Studies
D r. Wa n M ar z uk i Wan J a a fa r A ssc. P rof. D r. A hmad Makmom H j A bdul l ah
Md m. Jur idah M d Ras h i d D r. A hmad Zahari n A ri s
Ms. Fati mah S ur ia M o h d S h a fi e D r. N ormal a H al i moon
Mdm. N or H ani sah H ashi m
Faculty of Computer Science Mdm. R osta H arun
& Information Technology Ms. S i ti Zurai nah S al amat
D r. Marz anah A . J aba r
D r. R aza li Yaak ob
Faculty of Agriculture & Food Sciences
D r. R usl i A bdullah D r. Wal ter C harl es P ri mus
D r. Shya m ala C. Dor a i s a my Mr. John K een ak C hubo
D r. Yusm adi Yah J us o h Mr. A bdul Mohammad Omar
Mr. Azi zol A bdullah Centre of Foundation Studies for Agriculture Science
Mr. Ah ri S ogok P rof. D r. P ati mah Ismai l
Mr. Ya' akob b. Mansor
* Name of System Administrator for Faculty indicated in orange colour. Mr. Imran Izudi n Ibrahi m

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
7
eature
Ikrar Pegawai Akademik
Bahawasanya kami, pegawai akademikberiltizam untuk menjadikan
Universiti Putra Malaysiasebuah universiti yang unggul berteraskan
penyelidikan. Demi mencapai hasrat ini, kami berikrar:

1 melaksanakan tugas pengajaran, penyelidikan dan

perkhidmatan profesional dengan penuh dedikasi, beretika,
berintegriti, telus, adil dan saksama;

2 meneroka, menjana dan menyebar luas ilmu secara kreatif dan

inovatif bagi pembangunan negara dan kesejahteraan manusia
sejagat selaras dengan tuntutan universiti berteraskan
penyelidikan; dan

3 melaksanakan tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan dengan

mematuhi perlembagaan, statut, peraturan dan arahan yang
ditetapkan serta akur terhadap dasar negara.

Piagam
Perkhidmatan
Pegawai Akademik
Kami beriltizam untuk memberikan perkhidmatan berkualiti
kepada pelanggan dengan penuh tanggungjawab, ikhlas
dan prihatin dalam melaksanakan:

1 pengajaran dan penyeliaan mengikut rancangan yang

ditetapkan.

2 penilaian aktiviti akademik mengikut kaedah dan tempoh

yang ditetapkan.

3 penyelidikan, perundingan dan perkhidmatan profesional

ILMUAN PUTRA

mengikut terma yang ditentukan atau yang dijanjikan.

4 Sistem Penasihatan Akademik mengikut kerangka

rujukan yang disediakan.
DEKLARASI

8 ACADEMIA
 Tugas Pegawai Akademik

Tugas
dalam Pengajaran

1 Menyediakan rancangan pengajaran Pegawai Akademik

berpandukan rangka kursus dan
melaksanakan kaedah pengajaran
berdasarkan hasil dan taksonomi
pembelajaran serta kemahiran insaniah.
2 Melaksanakan pengajaran secara
profesional dan melestarikan budaya
kesarjanaan.
3 Menilai hasil pembelajaran termasuk
menyediakan soalan dan skema jawapan,
tugasan, memeriksa kertas jawapan dan
memaklumkan keputusan penilaian.
4 Menyelia dan/atau menilai projek ilmiah
dan latihan industri.
5 Melaksanakan penasihatan akademik
secara profesional dan membantu
pembangunan
sahsiah pelajar.
dalam Penyelidikan
1 Mendapatkan dana untuk menjalankan
penyelidikan.
2 Melaksanakan dan menyempurnakan
penyelidikan mengikut rancangan yang
ditentukan.
3 Menghasilkan penerbitan ilmiah dan produk
penyelidikan lain termasuk harta intelek, produk
yang boleh dikomersilkan atau penulisan
akademik dalam tempoh yang ditetapkan.
4 Menyebarkan hasil penyelidikan melalui
pembentangan dalam persidangan dan
pelbagai wahana.

Tugas
5 Mewujudkan jaringan kerjasama penyelidikan.

Pegawai Akademik
dalam Perkhidmatan
Profesional dan Pentadbiran

1 Melaksanakan tugas pentadbiran yang

diamanahkan.

2 Memberikan perkhidmatan
kepada industri dan
masyarakat secara
profesional.
DEKLARASI
ILMUAN PUTRA

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
9
The Basic of Fertigation Plantation
by Salbiah Mohd Tap
University Agriculture Park
INTRODUCTION
The term FERTIGATION = FERTIL-
IZER + IRRIGATION. Fertigation is a
method 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, coal
and 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 and
pests)
• Increases the yield per unit area
with high density.
• No weeding problems – the grounds
are cemented and are covered with
plastic.
10 ACADEMIA
new
tropical agriculture
• 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
FARM SANITATION
• Clean source of water, tool to measure
pH and the EC metre, poly-bag and a It involves the cleaning of farms and the
nursery pot, the plantation medium and area surrounding the plantation area.
selected seeds. Plantation waste, diseased branches,
rotten fruits, insecticide/poisonous
CARE containers and others should be
destroyed either by being thrown away or
During plant growth, pruning must be done buried away from the area or burnt.
several times and plant must also be given
the necessary support. Plants which have
POST HARVEST
been planted in containers containing coal
Collecting yields, grading and packaging
husk medium or cocoa peat are unable to
must be done exactly on time according to
grow straight.
the maturity index, type of vegetable,
As such, a trellis will be required to tie it with market distance and consumers.
and the plant is then trained to grow around The duration for the maturity of yield and
the trellis rope. Examples are tomato, the lifespan of a plant differs with each type
watermelon and cucumber plants. Pruning of plant. If managed properly, the average
works such as removing the water buds are seasonal lifespan are:
done continuously each week beginning
from the third week without the use of tools Type of Season Yield/hectare
plantation Duration (tonne metrics)
such as knife or scissors to prevent
infections (from viruses/bacteria). Insecti-
cides are sprayed after the pruning work is Tomato 5 – 6 months 120 – 180
completed. Chilli 5 – 6 months 35 – 45
Brinjal 5 – 6 months 40 – 50
The optimum number of leaves are about Round
20-25 leaves per tree. Avoid unnecessary Cabbage 80 – 90 days 35 – 45
pruning as this may shorten the lifespan of Japanese 60 – 80 days 70 - 80
Cucumber
the plant. Pruning is best done in stages by
Watermelon 65 – 80 days 35 - 45
skipping a row in a particular plant.
 Quality Assurance
A cademicDevelopment

of Teaching in UPM
Quality Assurance in Teaching and Learning at 5.00
various Malaysian varsities has been a major topic
of interest, consideration, and is much debated on

SATISFACTION LEVEL (MEAN)

3.87
in the recent years. Quality in Higher Education 3.80
4.00
can best be defined as the giving of positive 3.45 3.47 3.46 3.53 3.46 3.51
impact of various university experiences on its
students. Most colleges and universities have 3.00
obtained important assessment information on the
effectiveness of their teaching from their students
2.00
through their own programme performance evalu-
ation. At the outset of various assessment
programmes that are currently in place, student 1.00
surveys and exit interviews have also been identi- CURRICULUM CO-CURRICULUM FACILITIES ADMINISTRATION

fied as useful instruments in assessing students’ ASPECTS

achievements and their level of satisfaction in SEM 1 08/09 SEM 2 08/09

schools, colleges and other departments. Obser-
vations about the strengths and weaknesses of a
particular programme from a student’s point of
view, whether during and/or near completion of Curriculum
certain academic programmes, can also provide 1. Involvement of Academic Counsellors in aiding the choice of a student’s
essential feedback in recognising programmatic course/programme.
problems and thereby, in making specific curricu-
lar enhancements. The feedback that is generated Co-curriculum
from surveys often produces valuable information
of the level of students’ satisfaction on the teach- 1. Ensure that the facilities for co-curricular activities are suitable, sufficient and
ing and learning processes as well as the facilities maintained regularly.
provided by the administration. 2. Ensure that the co-curricular activities are coordinated well.
In Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), an annual exit 3. Provide emphasis on co-curriculum courses in an effort to increase
survey is carried out by the Centre for Academic students’ soft skills.
Development (CADe) on its final year students.
The aim is to assess the quality of the services that Facilities
are offered by UPM. The level of satisfaction is
measured through their opinions on curriculum, 1. Ensure that the food quality offered in the cafeteria is at a
co-curriculum, facilities and administration being satisfactory level and that the prices set are reasonable.
offered at the various faculties or colleges of UPM. 2. Increase transportation services to students within the campus.
The exit survey was conducted amongst the final 3. Provide suitable facilities for disabled students.
year students in Semesters 1 and 2 of year
2008/09. Overall, the satisfaction level towards the 4. Provide a channel or an area for students to give their views or make
services provided by UPM amongst the final year complaints.
students of Semester 2 2008/09 was moderately 5. Provide career guidelines in order to give students the exposure they
high on facilities (mean=3.53) and administration need.
aspects (mean=3.51) on a five point likert scale
compared to the satisfaction level of the final year Administration
students in Semester 1 of year 2008/09, as repre-
sented and indicated in the following figure. 1. Increase quality of administration in colleges, especially at
counter services and registration process.
As a whole, the students were generally satis-
fied with the services that are offered by UPM. 2. Ensure satisfactory spread of information at the faculty via its
However, attention probably needs to be drawn notice board and electronic media.
especially to co-curriculum and administration 3. Ensure that the administrative/ service provided to students
aspects in UPM, in order to ensure that the highest especially those at the counters, University Security Division and
quality services are provided to students and also Undergraduate Student Affairs are at a satisfactory level.
in providing the highest level of satisfaction to
UPM’s 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 of
curriculum, co-curriculum, facilities and adminis-
tration. Some of the suggestions that have been
made are as follows:
Prepared by CADe

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
11
A cademic
Development
Outcome-Based Education :
The Need to Emphasize on Congruency Between
Curriculum 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 the
graduates. 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 the
Outcome-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 Malaysian
university to adopt OBE for all academic programmes.
This is in line with MOHE’s 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 in
academic 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 the
curriculum 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 economic
situations and seek for by employers. The MOHE’s learning
outcomes is the base of our programme’s outcome (PO).
To ensure that the PO is achieved, each course that makes
up the programme must contribute to the achievement of the
PO. 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 the
topic. 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 the
desired 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

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

• Cognitive Taxonomy
• Affective Taxonomy COURSE Soft Skills
• Psychomotor Taxonomy LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Social Taxonomy

Classroom
Technology Assessment
STUDENTS Techniques
Student-centered
Learning Approaches

INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT

Other Learning Other

Lectures Labs Experiences Tests Measurements -
surveys,
inventories

12 ACADEMIA
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 had
drawn 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 Year
Mandates to the Ministry.
What is GSA?
Generic Student Attributes (GSA) are qualities, skills, and
abilities that are valued in study, social situations and
employment. 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 because
some 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) – conducted
during 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 during
the final semester.
Assessment of GSA by the lecturers for each course.
Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office
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 academic
programme. While many courses had successfully identified
appropriate GSA which are related to various course’s
learning outcomes (LO) and programme’s outcomes (PO),
how successful have the courses been in the development of
the desired GSA amongst the students? Or to be more
precise, how well has the programmes addressed the GSA?
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 approved
programme.
• 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 equal
to 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.
What does the GSA Assessment Means to
UPM?
GSA assessment is very important to UPM. It is not merely
conducted to accommodate to MOHE’s 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 to
be improved on, and what effective intervention can be
planned by the course instructor, advisors and faculties to
enhance students’ GSA.
Prepared by CADe
Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
13
 Intellectual Discourse with
Activities Highlight

Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Syed Jalaluddin Syed Salim

Recipient of National Academic Personality 2007 Award / Chairman of UPM’s Board of Directors

“In a university, the staff should embrace the idea of wise time
management, must be highly motivated, informative and constantly
willing to learn.”

“The service productivity of an organization can be assured

when the workforce are able to forward fine ideas along with
innovative and creative end results”

“It takes mutual effort from both parties to improvise the

University’s reputation. UPM must ensure that the curriculum
introduced remains relevant and companionable to
students’ employability.

Intellectual Discourse with

The Winners of National Academic Award for Teaching
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 Ahmad

Graduate School of Business, USM

My Teaching philosophy “My philosophies of teaching, developed from 15 years of

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 company’s 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
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.”

14 ACADEMIA

09
Q uick Facts
* 3rd APP since 2007.
* RM7,000 fellowship grant
for “Anugerah Pengajar
Cemerlang” winners
* RM5,000 fellowship grant
for “Anugerah Pengajar
Muda” winners.
* Total of 32 candidates
participate in APP09.
9
9
Anugerah
Pengajaran
nfoZone
Putra 2009
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 AAN’s clusters :
Pure Science, Applied Science, Arts and Social Science, Engineering,
Health and Applied Arts and Social Science.
Winners of Anugerah Pengajaran Putra 2008 (APP08)
For further enquiries, please contact
Mdm. Lailawati Bakar 03-8946 6182/6135
or visit our website at www.cade.upm.edu.my/app/
Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office
Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
15
 nfoZone
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 Doctoral
Education 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 doctoral
education 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.

Connecting Local, Regional and Global in

Doctoral Education Research

IMPORTANT INFO
Conference official website : http://www.aosconventions.com/IDERN2010
Last day for abstract submission : 28th February 2010
Conference date : 21st - 23rd April 2010
Format of presentations : Panel Discussion or Poster Presentation

For futher information, please contact:

idern2010@aosconventions.com
or
Dr. Vijay Kumar
Faculty of Modern Languages and Communcation
Universiti Putra Malaysia
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,
Malaysia
vijaymallan@hotmail.com

Bulletin of Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Academic and International ) Office

Issue 1 ( Jul-Dec 2009 )
16