Bringing learning to your doorstep
UNIVERSITI Putra Malaysia (UPM) brings higher education to your doorstep through its distance learning (PJJ) programmes under
UPM Education and Training Sdn
Bhd (formerly known as Pusat Pendidikan Luar), usually referred to as UPM Education and Training, which was formed in 1995. Under
PJJ, students can pursue their studies at the diploma, bachelor or master degree levels.
The quest for knowledge cuts across boundaries as more working people from various professions sign up for the distance learning programmes offered by UPM.
UPM Education and Training is moving in tandem with the aspirations of the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry to spur lifelong learning and produce a knowledgeable workforce. The external programmes are designed for working people who feel the need to add value to their profession. By organising their time well, students do not need to quit their jobs to enrol in any of the programmes offered.
Convenience is the key approach used by UPM to help working adults obtain their first degree. The learning approach is more student-centred as they will study on their own except for tutorials. UPM Education and Training will provide students with any assistance required and students are to attend two face-to-face classes with UPM lecturers in a semester at the UPM campus or via video conferencing.
Tutorial classes are conducted at the respective learning centres for a total of 12 hours in a semester. The tutorials will be more discussion-oriented between tutors and students. Tutors with wide experience are appointed by the university to conduct tutorial classes at 16 centres under the purview of UPM Education and Training nationwide, including Sabah and Sarawak.
Combining the Internet and video equipment, the university has eliminated physical distance to provide real-time lectures to students at UPM off-campus centres through live recordings.
The video-conferencing system, also called Live-Interactive PPL (LIP), is becoming more common in tertiary education. The lectures are recorded and posted on the UPM Education and Training website so that students can refer to it whenever they need to verify their notes.
Internet connectivity is provided to widen its reach so that more people can obtain a university education.
PJJ programmes include the Diploma of Human Development. Bachelor’s degrees are offered in Agriculture, Human Development, Malay Language and Linguistics or English Language, Human Resource Development and Communications. Master’s degrees are offered in Human Resource Development, Malay Language, Education Malay Language, Education Management and Corporate Communication.
UPM Education and Training provides students with a study module according to their needs. This helps them in their learning, assignments and tutorials.
Application can be done online at any time and there is no age limit for distance learning in UPM. Retirees, state assemblymen, teachers, police and army personnel, journalists, newscasters, entrepreneurs and many others from miscellaneous backgrounds have enrolled as PJJ students.
Through 16 learning centres available nationwide, including the UPM main campus, students have the option of following the session at a location closest to them without having to worry about the difficulty of attending classes.
The learning centres are located in Kedah (Alor Setar), Perak (Ipoh), Selangor (Shah Alam), Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan (Seremban), Melaka (Ayer Keroh), Johor (Johor Baru), Pahang (Kuantan), Kelantan (Kota Baru), Sabah (Kota Kinabalu and Tawau), Sarawak (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri) and the UPM Serdang campus.
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