OUM focusing on quality of assessment, services for admission to degree programs

TAWAU: Open University Malaysia (OUM) is now focusing specifically on the quality of assessment, processes and services relating to Flexible Entry and Accreditation of Prior Experiental Learning (myAPEL).

Director of OUM Tawau, Vera Voo Mui Yin, said the Centre for Assessment of Prior Learning (CAPL) of OUM was established in the following year to cater to initiatives relating to prior learning recognition.

In 2015, CAPL was upgraded to the Institute for Learning Recognition & Accreditation (ILRA) to resume a wider role of providing recognition and accreditation to adult learning. This includes facilitating admission and the award of credits through formal and experiential learning.

Vera said OUM plays a significant role in supporting the nation’s aspiration to enhance and widen educational opportunities among Malaysians.

Through the provision of APEL, individuals can capitalise on their work experience and prior experiential learning to gain admission into OUM’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) have given their approvals for OUM to implement admission through APEL (formerly known as Open Entry) since 2006. To date, more than 19,000 learners have gained access to higher education through this pathway.

To be eligible, individuals must fulfil the entry criteria outlined by the MOHE and take the APEL assessment to determine their level of competency and readiness for enrolment.

With APEL, not only can working adults gain admission into OUM by leveraging on their prior learning experiences, they can also use their experiences to earn credits in order to shorten their study duration.

Through APEL, experiential learning gained through informal or non-formal means are assessed against specified course learning outcomes for learners to obtain APEL credits.

With these credits, learners are given exceptions from sitting certain courses which will help them to complete their studies faster. Kindly visit APEL website at http://apel.oum.edu.my/ to know more.