Innovative ideas
Three university teams present winning concepts to revolutionise learning at the Pitch For Progress 2.0 competition.
“WHAT do I study? Where do I go?” are common questions that haunt school-leavers once they’re done with their Sijil Pelajaran
M alaysia (SPM) or Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan M alaysia (STPM) examinations.
Knowing this dilemma all too well is team Mahsa Mavericks from MAHSA University. Its members faced the same problem when deciding on the courses to pursue after finishing school.
It came up with a solution – On Course – an apt name for its online platform. Team member Yoong Meei Yeng, 24, said it allowed anyone to have a “trial run” of any course at a tertiary institutuion before actually signing up.
Together with teammates Foo Guang Ian, 23, and Afreen Raj Dharani, 18, the trio were one of three winners of the recent Pitch For Progress 2.0 competition held recently.
Teammate, Guang Ian said their platform was to prevent someone from wasting his time and taking up a course he was not interested in”.
“A student might pursue a course he might be interested in but only to discover midway that that it is not what he wants to do.
“Our idea is for universities to upload virtual reality videos of their campus, introductory courses of the subjects they offer, and course information,” added Meei Yeng.
“The content should ultimately guide the student to decide and opt for the right course,” said Guang Ian, adding that someone can easily compare different institutions without having to be physically present on campus.
Team Inspire 4.0 from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), was also named a winner for its idea on completing studies at one’s own pace.
Dubbed Flex Pace, team member Jason Cheong Kah Lock, 23, said that: “With Flex Pace, students have the ease and convenience of choosinge their major and in deciding the number of subjects they want to complete in a particular semester.
He said that the current system in universities required students to take up a fixed number of subjects over a semester, but it slowed down the gifted students who were capable of completing the subjects over a shorter period of time.
He also said that together with his teammates Nor Syahirah Azahar, 22, and Fauriz Minarwan Basaruddin, 22, they came up with the idea when they realised many of their friends who were pursuing law at other universities were doing the same subjects, but during different semesters.
“It only shows that there’s no problem in executing the idea. With Flex Pace, a person is able to graduate sooner and start their career or pursue postgraduate studies even earlier, thus saving time.
Team Successors came up with the idea of a Lean Classroom where students can study in a more relaxed environment.
Comprising Universiti Sains Malaysia students Nabella Ridhuan Wau, 21, Nurul Atiqah Ahmed, 23 and Selva Raw Devadas, 22, the team’s objective was to break down the formal divide between lecturer and student.
“The classroom is managed differently. The students use their own gadgets to learn while the lecturer acts as the facilitator,” said Nabella, adding that students can even lounge on beanbags while scrolling through information on their electronic devices.
The three university teams were awarded RM5,000 each for their winning ideas that revolved around the theme “An Education Revolution”.
The competition was a collaboration between the Higher Education Ministry, the Organisation for National Empowerment, Asia Pacific University (APU) and OpenLearning.
After presenting the prizes, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said he was inspired after listening to the eight finalists.
“We listened to the students’ views on the new challenges they are facing in higher education and we’ve got a lot of ideas from these student.
“They can be included into the Education 4.0 Framework, that will be launched soon after we finish consulting and engaging with the stakeholders,” he added.
APU founder and executive director Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said it was amazing to watch the participants passionately pitch their ideas throughout the competition.
“The way you took on the subject, then translated to what you’ve experienced in your own classrooms and into what you think it ought to be, is great.
“There is a very strong desire to see education revolutionising itself,” he told the finalists.
The competition saw a total of 56 teams comprising 168 students from 30 higher education institutions across Malaysia participating.
Prior to presenting their ideas, talks on the future of education and ministry initiatives were held to give the participants a better idea of Malaysia’s education landscape.