Designed to succeed globally
Prof Britton (in blue shirt) and fashion head Jennifer Kong (in green) overseeing the work of their Fashion Design students, who have a wide range of materials and industry-standard equipment, to work with. AT Raffles University Iskandar (RUI), students are well-trained in their fields of study and graduate ready to take on the world.
This is accomplished through an innovative and stimulating syllabus which places equal emphasis on theory and hands-on experiences.
RUI president Prof Dr Graeme Britton said the aim is to produce professionals who are both passionate and competent in what they do, while also having vital soft skills that will allow them to thrive in the workplace.
Five faculties in the future The institution is currently operating from temporary premises at Menara Kotaraya in Johor Baru, and is in the process of developing an ultra-modern campus on a 65-acre plot in EduCity in Iskandar Malaysia.
“It will ultimately be a fivefaculty university, including art and design which is our core area of expertise, alongside business and social sciences. We're still in discussions about the remaining two faculties and will announce them later.
“We're also looking at bringing in design and business-related partners to make RUI a centre of excellence for these fields in this region,” Prof Britton said of the upcoming campus, which can accommodate 6,000 to 10,000 students.
Currently, RUI offers bachelor's degrees in Psychology, Accountancy, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design and Multimedia Design.
There are also foundation courses in Business and Liberal Arts, diploma programmes in Business Studies, Interior Design and Visual Communication, and a master's degree in Business Administration.
The layout of RUI's temporary premises underlines its teaching ethos of ‘doing while learning, and learning while doing’.
Special learning spaces
It has many learning spaces called ‘studios’ where students put what they learn into practice.
“Around 80% of what we do involves handwork away from the computer. This is to ensure students properly develop the core skills.
“This is very much in line with the current art and design education trend in the UK, which is becoming more and more practical and less theoretical,” Prof Britton explained.
Among the studios are several dedicated to design, drafting and drawing, filled with all the relevant equipment, furniture and supplies including a 3D printer.
This ensures that Interior, Graphic and Multimedia Design students are adept at producing sketches and understand all the intricacies of design from the relation of colours and shapes to the importance of typography and crowd appeal.
Meanwhile, Fashion Design students have a wide range of fabrics, industry-standard sewing machines and presses, dress forms and more, to create their wearable masterpieces.
Psychology and Business students have areas for role play which simulates real-world scenarios, and this trains the students to handle problems.
“We often bring in industry experts to critique students’ work. It may be hard on some at first but in the end, they understand it is meant to help them improve their work and grow as a person.
“This develops their presentation skills and gets them comfortable in pitching their work to various audiences. We want students to be excited by what they've done, and let people know about it.
“We also have many engagements and collaborations with companies and NGOs that get students involved with realworld projects, experiences and research,” highlights Prof Britton.
RUI also emphasises personalised learning which lets students learn anywhere and anytime, and they can be given different assignments and tasks while studying the same theory component.
This is to encourage creativity and critical thinking.
RUI is one of the few universities in Malaysia to receive accreditation by the Association of Chartered Certified Accounts (ACCA) which allows graduates to receive exemption from nine fundamental papers.
About Raffles University Iskandar (RUI)
RUI is a joint venture between the Government through Educity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Raffles Education Corporation (REC), a multi-national educational company.
REC was invited to be a partner in EduCity because of its international expertise and reputation in design education.
Students can expect a vibrant experience that will see their transformation into world-class professionals.
Since establishing its first college in Singapore in 1990, REC has grown to provide a full spectrum of services via a vast network of 25 colleges and universities in 23 cities across 13 countries.
For more details, visit www.raffles-university.edu.my.