Spearheading quality education
LOCAL private and public educational institutions have always strived to par graduates with their international counterparts.
A popular concern among industry circles is that graduates are not as skilled and competent as the industry demands them to be.
Open University Malaysia (OUM) is at the frontline in terms of providing business administration, management and marketing programmes via its Faculty of Business and Management.
OUM recently restructured its Faculty of Business and Management to OUM Business School (OUMBS) and is now enhanced by experienced instructors, sound support and excellent students.
Pro-chancellor of OUM, Tan Sri Azman Hashim, says despite competing with a variety of public and private institutions of higher learning that exist in this country, OUM still has a distinct advantage in terms of the virtual learning environment.
He adds that through the e-learning system provided, students are required to participate in the online forum to discuss among themselves and with their tutors on the subject and given assignments.
The Learning Management System (LMS) was developed by the staff of OUM when the university was formed. It serves as the main platform for the delivery of content by the university.
Azman, who is also the chairman of the AmBank Group, says he will ensure that the delivery methods follow the
Despite competing with a variety of public and private institutions of higher learning that exist in this country, OUM still has a distinct advantage in terms of the virtual learning environment.
— Tan Sri Azman Hashim
most innovative delivery approach using multimedia and technology. This is for OUM to maintain its reputation as a topnotch university.
“These are efforts on our part to ensure that no other institution can rival OUM in terms of offering quality education that meets the market’s demands. Most students today tend to choose programmes that are considered easy but do not meet the requirements of the market, thus causing an alarming increase in unemployment rates,” he says.
Another main national concern is that more than half of university graduates are weak in English and this is also a concern for Azman. He adds that OUM is tackling this issue by placing emphasis on mastering the skills of communication.
He says that OUMBS graduates who wish to become successful entrepreneurs must be competitive, possess self-confidence and have the ability to self-improve one’s communication skills in English.
“This is because in every business there is stiff competition and if graduates are not willing to level themselves in the field, they will be left behind.”
Meanwhile, the dean and director of OUMBS, Assoc Prof Dr Wardah Mohamad, says that the rebranding of OUMBS has seen a record intake of students since January.
She says that some of the popular programmes offered include the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) (Hons), Bachelor in Management (BIM) (Hons) and the Bachelor in Marketing (BM) (Hons). In its intake next month, OUMBS will offer the Bachelor of Banking and Finance (Hons) to meet the increased market demands.
“Our long-term goal is to meet the industry’s ever-changing patterns, in addition to producing good-quality graduates at the local, regional and global level. So far, the number of postgraduate students at OUMBS has increased because of operational efficiency, appropriate marketing initiatives and continuous programme quality,” she says.
Dr Wardah adds that with experienced lecturers in the fields of teaching, research and publication, OUMBS will also offer additional programmes that are relevant to the field of business.
“We also have lecturers who are PhD holders from both foreign and local universities,“she says, adding that OUMBS strives to be known as an institution that catalyses the knowledge and critical thinking skills of a person.
“Academic staff and tutors need to be continuously trained and upgraded in their pedagogical skills. Learners who are OUM’s most important stakeholder need to be fully trained to cope well in their online learning environment. This will catapult OUMBS as a producer of innovative and competent graduates.
The restructuring of a faculty is one of the university’s on-going efforts to internationalise courses. Few main campuses have been specifically chosen to be a national centre for a specific faculty.
For instance, the Sri Rampai branch is the national centre for the Faculty of Information Technology and Multimedia Communication (FITMC) and the Petaling Jaya branch, the Nursing and Allied Health Science Faculty.