Konferensi Kebangsaan Pengurusan Kolej Kediaman 2013 - Memenangi hati & Minda Pelajar

Tepat jam 12.30 tengahari tadi usailah sudah konferensi kebangsaaan di hatten Hotel, Melaka anjuran Bahagian Hal Ehwal Pelajar, UiTM. Lebih membanggakan ialah penglibatan peserta dari Indonesia yang turut serta dalam konferensi kali ini. Lebih 200 orang peserta daripada semua IPTA dan beberapa IPTS terlibat dalam konferensi ini. Sebanyak 8 kertas kerja dibentangkan sepanjang konferensi berlangsung daripada 1 sehingga 3 Oktober 2013. Konferensi ini dirasmikan oleh Pro Canselor UiTM Tan Sri Noraizah Abdul Hamid.

"Universiti masa kini mempunyai peranan yang besar dalam memberi sumbangan kepada pembangunan dan pembentukan modal insan. Pembangunan modal insan yang terancang menjadi teras dalam melahirkan generasi pewaris yang bukan sahaja cemerlang dari segi akademik tetapi juga cemerlang dari segi sahsiah, akhlak dan keterampilan diri" ujar Tan sri Noraizah Abdul hamid semasa merasmikan konferensi tersebut.

Tahniah kepada Jawatankuasa Penganjur kerana berjaya dengan jayanya mengendalikan konferensi kali ini.

Universities leading the way with education technology

by Steven Schwartz

Georgia Institute for Technology's Center for 21st Century Universities(C21U) is a self-described living laboratory for fundamental change inhigher education. Its mission: to foster and accelerate the innovation, validation, adoption and deployment of disruptive ideas-particularly those involving technology in the service of teaching and learning, industry wide.

Accelerate is just the right word. When it comes to change, we are reaching warp speed.

Sebastian Thrun's Udacity courses in building a search engine and programming a robotic car have attracted thousands (including me). Apart from teaching, Thrun has set himself the goal of democratising education; education should be free. Accessible for all, everywhere, and any time.

While I have your attention, drop in to the Khan Academy which, with a library of more than 3,000 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 315 practice exercises, you will find that it too is on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.

For another glimpse of the future pop in to MITx where 90,000 people are studying 6.002x (circuits and electronics), and which has set itself the modest goal of organising and presenting course material to enable students to learn worldwide.

Writing for The Guardian's Higher Education Network, Matthew Draycottdeclared himself surprised that the impact of "disruptive technological methodologies" was not top of mind in UK higher education circles.

He is right to be surprised. I am surprised that he is not thoroughly gobsmacked. The future is all around yet many of us in universities have our eyes wide shut.

There is no need to go all apocalyptic over the technological 'disruption'. Bricks and mortar universities (particularly those made of very old bricks and ancient mortar) are not about to disappear.

But if they don't 'do something' then their hallowed halls (and their mischievous postmodern equivalents) will in some distant time reverberate to the sound of a melancholy, long, withdrawing roar (to borrow Matthew Arnold's peerless phrase) as many students leave to seek alternative forms of higher education.

And what will be the hallmark of these alternatives (or perhaps replacements)?

They will put students front and centre of all they do. Agrarian-legacy lengthy holidays will end and teaching will take place year round to cater to the increasingly busy lives of students. They will be able to study any time, night or day.

Students will study what they want to study, not what academics wish to teach.

Technology will be tailored to students' needs. Online offerings will be as familiar as YouTube, but they won't merely be images from a camera plonked in front of a traditional class with a traditional lecturer fumbling with a traditional Power Point presentation. They will be bespoke, well made, smartly edited videos or other visual presentations designed with the student in mind.

Universities will increasingly share resources with other universities – perhaps students at University A will study electronics by video from University B, which specialises in the field; while students at University A will study, say, ancient history presented by the specialists at University B.

These are just some ideas. What else do we need to do to adapt to the future that's already arrived?

Steven Schwartz is vice-chancellor of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia

The Corporate University Model: Part One by Stuart McIntyre

As public universities around the country move closer toward a symbiotic relationship with corporate America, it seems that now is the appropriate time to pose a few questions regarding the goals, purposes, and practices of public universities.

In this post, I will sympathetically present what I see as the corporate model of public education that many university administrations (and corporate America) seem keen on building and nurturing. In my next post, I'll take apart that argument. But for now, take this seriously and try not to picture a scraggly white guy gritting his teeth in front of a computer screen. Picture Mr. Moneybags or something.

The Corporate University: It's What the Market Demands?

American public colleges and universities must adapt to a rapidly changing economic landscape and prepare for the 21st century. We can no longer expect state governments to provide the funds necessary to support our vision for the modern American public university.

Expansion and improvement projects are absolutely necessary, but while our budget may be increasing, government support is decreasing or, at best, stagnating. The only way to overcome the funding gap is through collaboration and cooperation with both individuals and private enterprise.

The modern corporate university will be a center of economic activity. The university will run as efficiently as possible. University administrators should be experienced corporate managers -- education experience is not necessary. Programs that bring in money will be given priority for funding, and their surpluses can be reinvested into programs that run at a loss, if the administration so chooses.

Programs that fail to improve the university's bottom-line should be trimmed, if not eliminated altogether. Degrees should no longer cost the same. It costs more to put an engineering student through college than an English major, and the price of the degree should reflect that; so should the length. If possible, the university should become a for-profit institution, although the political viability of this position is questionable. The profit motive would sharpen the incentive structure, allowing universities to be more efficient and more attuned to the needs of the market.

Research and the Local Economy

Becoming an elite research institution is a prerequisite of the corporate university model. The corporate university will attract dozens of large corporations to base a major part of their operations close to the university. Graduates will have a fast-track to jobs with these companies, and the entire geographic area will reap the economic benefits. Research -- especially technological research -- should be commercialized.

Corporations can help fund and guide the research of university students and faculty, by keeping it in tune with market demands. This will attract companies to the area, but it will also give students and recent graduates a tremendous incentive to start companies of their own. The immediate area surrounding the campus will become a hot spot for economic activity, which will create positive spillover effects.

Privatization and Cutting Costs

Building the foundation for the corporate university model requires intelligent prioritization and shrewd development. Any university operation that is not essential to the educational process should be privatized. If privatizing something can save the university money, it's likely a good idea.

Privatize parking, privatize security, subcontract food services, custodial services, construction, etc. If you can't privatize it, make sure you find a way to exempt the university from contracting union labor. There are hundreds of ways to cut costs and lower the university's wage bill, but it may be risky to privatize housing, or public spaces on campus.

Attracting Strong Leadership

The only exception to decreasing labor costs are administrators' salaries. Administrators' salaries should reflect the importance of their positions. The university is competing not only with other universities, but also the business and non-profit sector. The corporate university runs on a model of a largely privately funded public university.

Since state money has dried up, accountability and transparency are only necessary when the school's public image is at stake. Consolidating decision-making power will increase efficiency. The corporate university's administrative team are its leaders, its most valuable asset, and in order to attract the best, the university must offer compensation comparative to corporate America.

Education or Training?

As universities are able to form close partnerships with corporations, funneling them employees, contracts and research while receiving financial support and direction in return, the corporate university will become the ultimate vehicle for increasing student labor power, providing them with white-collar job training. While in a sense, the corporate university model replaces education with training for the corporate world, if education isn't going to get you a good job, what's the point anyways?

by

Stuart McIntyre is a senior studying political theory and political economy at Ohio State University. Stuart is executive director of The Pulse, and an active organizer with the student movement.

Tingkat Akademik Pensyarah Setaraf Universiti Terbaik Dunia - Prof. Dr. Zaini Ujang

SEJAUH mana matlamat dan peranan universiti ditentukan oleh faktor luaran seperti ranking dan pasaran kerja? Apakah impak agenda dan dasar negara terhadap perkembangan universiti di sesebuah negara? Apakah kaedah terbaik untuk memacu bidang pengajian tinggi Malaysia?

Itulah antara persoalan yang sering dibicarakan sejak kebelakangan ini dalam media massa dan sembang sesama intelektual. Malah itulah juga mauduk semeja sepanjang musim hari raya ini setiap kali saya bertemu tokoh pemimpin, ahli korporat dan rakan sarjana. Ada pesimis terhadap pencapaian universiti tempatan dalam liga universiti dunia. Namun, ramai juga yang kritis supaya universiti tempatan perlu mengadun acuan sendiri berdasarkan kepentingan agenda nasional, bukan dibayangi petunjuk dan kriteria global yang sering kali tidak memihak kepada negara kecil seperti Malaysia.

Seminggu lalu, selepas QS World University Ranking 2010 diumumkan, saya dihujani soalan daripada pelbagai pihak, terutama media untuk mendapat saranan. Apakah kualiti dan standard pengajian tinggi tempatan sudah menurun?Pada 16 September lalu ranking baru dikeluarkan pula oleh Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2010. Soalan sama turut dikemukakan. Kita terpaksa akur penilaian terhadap institusi pengajian tinggi sentiasa dilakukan pelbagai pihak termasuk Agensi Kelayakan Malaysia (MQA), Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi menerusi instrumen rating (bukan ranking) SETARA dan badan profesional.

Semua penilaian ini menjadi antara komponen dalam sistem pengajian tinggi di Malaysia. Selain itu lima Universiti Penyelidikan (UTM, UKM, USM, UPM dan UM) turut dinilai QS sejak 2004. Perkara ini selalu menjadi bualan bahawa tidak sebuah pun universiti di Malaysia tersenarai dalam kelompok 100 universiti terbaik dunia.

Apakah makna universiti terbaik dunia? Sekadar makluman, sejak awal kewujudan ranking universiti dunia oleh QS sehingga 2009, Harvard menduduki tangga teratas. Pada 2010, giliran Cambridge pula. Apakah kedua-dua universiti berkenaan layak diiktiraf sebagai terbaik di dunia?

Teras kecemerlangan akademik ialah kecemerlangan pensyarah dan mahasiswa. Kecemerlangan akademik inilah mewarnakan komuniti ilmu universiti dengan kesegaran budaya ilmu. Pensyarah di Harvard misalnya ialah tokoh akademik dalam bidang masing-masing. Ketika saya menuntut di Harvard Business School (HBS), semua pensyarah bertaraf profesor dengan latar akademik dan profesional terbilang. Profesor bidang strategi misalnya ialah perunding strategi Apple Corporation, Intel dan kerajaan Amerika Syarikat.

Kejayaan ini berkait rapat dengan laluan kerjaya di universiti berkenaan. Jawatan tetap di HBS hanya profesor. Staf akademik lain iaitu penolong profesor dan profesor madya adalah jawatan sementara secara kontrak. Namun, untuk menjadi penolong pensyarah memerlukan pengalaman sekurang-kurangnya empat tahun sebagai felo penyelidik pasca kedoktoran. Sistem perjawatan ini diamalkan di Singapura dan Korea Selatan.

Bagaimana kaedah terbaik untuk universiti kita lebih cemerlang? Kita perlu bergerak lebih pantas dan memberi impak besar kepada kecemerlangan akademik dengan memantapkan kualiti akademik pensyarah daripada aspek pengajaran, penyelidikan, penerbitan dan perkhidmatan profesional. Laluan kerjaya pensyarah juga perlu mirip kepada universiti ternama dunia, bukan lagi terikat konsep pilih, latih (lanjutkan pengajian PhD), khidmat dan maju jaya.

Persoalannya sejauh mana komitmen melaksanakan program pemantapan kualiti akademik secara komprehensif sekali gus realistik? Sejauh mana pula penerimaan komuniti akademik untuk meningkatkan komitmen melaksanakan misi dan tanggungjawab kesarjanaan? Apakah segala-galanya perlu diumpan dengan imbuhan kewangan dan skim perkhidmatan lebih lumayan?

Jawapannya pelbagai. Namun, secara ideal mesti berasaskan konsep pendidikan dan matlamat universiti kerana universiti sebenarnya komuniti ilmu yang berkumpul untuk memperdalam kefahaman serta penghayatan dan memacu kecemerlangan ilmu menerusi penyelidikan, pengajaran serta penerbitan. Matlamat universiti tidak terungkap secara kebendaan dan diukur dengan petunjuk jangka pendek, sebaliknya bersifat ketamadunan dan pembinaan generasi masa hadapan.

(Penulis ialah Naib Canselor Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) dan penulis buku Mengangkasa Pengajian Tinggi)

(Sumber : Berita Harian)