MGT300

Exploring Ideas and Innovations in Higher Education

12th & 13th August 2009

Minister of Higher Education YB Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will officiate at the opening of the Ninth International Conference on Information (ICI9), to be held at Legend Hotel from 12 to13 August 2009.

Organised by OUM in collaboration with Eszterhazy Karoly College, Hungary, University Cadi Ayyad, Morocco, and Delta University for Science and Technology, Egypt, the conference aims to bring together innovators and practitioners on a common platform to discuss, share findings and experiences as well as to update on trends, practices and impact of technology on higher education.

Innovation in higher education is becoming more relevant in today's globalised world in view of the rising influence of technology in our daily life. The days where teaching and learning revolves around the classroom with the teacher being the focus of attention are numbered.

The revolution of the Internet and the advent of new technologies have enabled students to access knowledge more effectively. What is even more appealing is that it changes the way people learn by catering to the varied needs of learners.

Since different students learn in different ways and advance at different paces, the use of technology certainly helps to support learning. Changing technology and the rise of social sites, blogs, wikis and pervasive use of mobile devices will also have an impact on the way people learn.

These are some of the issues that will be deliberated at the Conference. With the theme. Learning Innovations in Higher Education, the conference will attempt to highlight new ideas and innovations in higher learning particularly with regard to e-learning, open learning and mobile learning. It will also discuss the impact of new and emerging technologies, their implementation as well as issues in the higher education setting.

Central to any educational setting is the question of assessment. The conference will deliberate on the types, methods, challenges, technologies and tools that can be applied for a practical and effective assessment system in higher education.

Conference director Prof Dr Zoraini Wati M. Abas said the conference is expected to draw about 150 participants primarily from Asia and the Middle East. Response to the conference has been quite encouraging. Todate, the secretariat has received about 45 paper abstracts from various countries.

Among the keynote speakers are Prof Jeremy Dunning from Indiana University, United States, Tan Sri Emeritus Prof Gajaraj Dhanarajan (Wawasan Open University Malaysia), Assoc Prof Margaret Wu (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Prof Dr Zoraini Wati M. Abas (OUM).

Prof Dr Zoraini said the conference is relevant to higher education providers including OUM as it highlights current trends in higher education particularly the impact of technology on learning.

The use of technology as a communication tool is prevalent in this era of tech savvy workforce, so it is imperative that institutions of higher learning move with the trend. Open distance learning (ODL) providers in particular must explore ways that can accommodate the learning needs of the present-day workforce for higher education to be made truly accessible.

Even businesses are looking at the new media like social sites, blogs, websites and portals to attract potential customers and maintain existing clienteles. Similarly, institutions of higher learning should draw on the experience of their more successful counterparts so that they can continue to provide quality education to the masses, she added.

Last Updated on 04-01-2010