IN view of the changing times, universities can no longer afford to be content with being mere creators and purveyors of knowledge.
Universities, said Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) president Datuk Parmjit Singh, need to see themselves as providing an ecosystem and an overall experience that foster creativity and innovation, while at the same time ensuring that students are able to make that transition from school-leavers to highly accomplished professionals within a very short time.
ParmjitDescribing Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s vision of a new model of campus life – which he shared in his New Year message to ministry staff – as “spot-on and very timely”, Parmjit said universities can no longer take a “back to business as usual” approach and will need to do a lot of rethinking to transform themselves, starting with their visions, missions and strategies, as well as their educational models, curricula, delivery systems and inevitably the look and feel of their campuses.
“They should balance the achievement of intellectual outcomes with the aim of producing graduates who are keenly aware of how knowledge gained may be applied in the real world and how they will be able to make a real difference,” said Parmjit, who is also Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) chief executive officer.
In his message delivered on Jan 30, Mohamed Khaled said in addition to studying diligently, students can work, do business and explore many other opportunities.
“They can even develop a startup. There is no need to postpone their aspirations until after they graduate.
“We want students to enjoy life, be independent, do business, be innovative, find friends and acquaintances, develop financial survival and, at the same time, seek useful knowledge beyond the scope of textbooks,” he said.
Citing Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Instagram, Grab and Gojek founders, who mostly created their ideas on campus, he said some of them even left campus to focus on the startups they were developing because the “teaching” they were receiving was not able to fulfil their creativity.
Commenting on Mohamed Khaled’s envisioned model of campus life, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) president and chief executive officer Prof Datuk Dr Ewe Hong Tat said it would be a welcome move for university students, many of whom are already information technology-savvy with some even earning small incomes through online businesses, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The current model, he said, is focused on academic achievements, textbook-based knowledge acquisition, traditional academic activities, examinations, co-curricular activities and the standard sports activities, which are all part of character building.
“The inclusion of, and active engagement in, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, however, is still lacking in many aspects. The provision of support for, and the creation of, an entrepreneurship culture on campus has a lot of room for growth,” he said.
Prof Ewe is of the view that there must be “a committed and consistent culture and practice over a long period” to attract the interests of creative students to showcase their talents on campus.
“We need to provide a conducive environment, culture and atmosphere to facilitate daily creative learning and hands-on experience in normal classrooms and labs.
“Learning must extend beyond the classroom to include current industry trends, and the latest technology and resources, to develop a growth mindset, empathy and lifelong learning to face the challenges of the artificial intelligence era,” he said.
Prof EweEchoing Prof Ewe’s sentiments, educationist and former Universiti Malaya (UM) professor Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu pointed to a lack of emphasis in universities on the acquisition of soft skills and general knowledge, as well as the initiative to seek new knowledge and to develop or discover.
He added that a problem with the structure of the curriculum is that it limits the time students have to indulge in their endeavours.
While students are encouraged to become entrepreneurs and be involved in the workforce, he said, the initiatives taken are still insufficient.
“Achieving the ideal campus model can be a challenge as it would involve a paradigm shift that requires our society to adapt to changes in the education system,” he said.
Vice Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities Malaysia chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi said there needs to be a holistic educational model that fosters graduates who are able to preserve, build and enhance five types of capital: human capital, social capital, emotional capital, economic capital, and natural capital.
“Our universities traditionally focused on the development of human capital through theoretical knowledge acquisition that is measured by examinations.
Marimuthu“A holistic educational model will require the reimagination of campus life as an integral part of the process of human development,” he said.
Also Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) provost and chief executive officer, Prof Mushtak added that making the new model a reality will require five shifts, namely, in mindset, skill, curriculum, assessment, and culture (see infographic).
These shifts, he said, are part of a purpose-driven education approach that Heriot-Watt University pioneered, and that is incorporated through the varsity’s EmPOWER programme, which is a structured way to ensure that all its students are able to discover their purpose and mobilise it into a positive impact on the world.
The six domains covered by the programme, according to Prof Mushtak, are global citizenship, leadership and impact; emotional intelligence, resilience and happiness; people skills; creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; critical thinking and decision-making; and employability and industrial relevance.
The words “campus life”, he went on to say, implies that authentic learning and development will happen through real-life experiences.
“Done right, the new model of campus life has the potential to transform the higher education system in the country, and support the cultivation of the necessary talent that will make Malaysia a high-income nation and contribute towards making the world a sustainable, equitable and enjoyable place,” he said.
He asserted that this can only be achieved through integrating academic learning and assessment into campus life, rather than seeing campus life as merely an extracurricular activity.
“It is said that it takes a village to raise a child; the campus needs to be the village and the community that will nurture, support and stimulate our youth to achieve their full potential,” he said.
UTAR, Prof Ewe said, has already implemented its entrepreneurship programme and is changing its model of learning on campus to include innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, information and communication technology, research and development, and character building.
Among the programmes incorporated into its students’ learning curriculum on campus are the UTAR Soft Skills Development Certificate (USSDC) programme, the Community and Voluntary Engagement (Care) programme, the undergraduate research programme, industry sponsored labs, international student exchanges and study tours to other countries.
Other initiatives implemented in support of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship include the Unovate Uni entrepreneur programme, where students can enrol for a three-month training on entrepreneurship, and the UTAR Business Incubation Programme, where an entrepreneur startup scheme provides co-working space, guidance and mentorship for students with seed funding provided for those who qualify.
Prof MushtakLearning, Prof Ewe emphasised, must be related and linked to the real world with real-life experiences.
“It is very important to have a vibrant and dynamic campus life, with opportunities for more exposure and experience for students to learn and connect to society and the world,” he said.
Given the changing world of work brought on by rapid technological advancements, Prof Mushtak said the higher education system, including the model of the campus, needs to evolve in parallel in order to remain relevant.
That said, he added that it is essential to describe the broadlines of the new campus life model and allow different universities to explore with the system rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.“Accepting an experimental approach and providing space for students and staff to innovate will be very important. “Encouraging partnerships between public and private universities will be highly desirable and engaging with the industry to bring the industry to campus will be essential for the success of this initiative,” he said.
Agreeing, Parmjit said university campuses need to be designed as integrated campuses that enable the coming together of expertise from across multiple domain areas and diverse cultural backgrounds into a truly unified learning approach.
The entire campus environment and ecosystem, he stressed, should be designed to support student ideation, creativity and the development of real-world solutions with commercial potential.
“This needs to be done together with the industry in a truly immersive manner, where students are constantly exposed to both success and failure, and very quickly develop entrepreneurial mindsets alongside their academic, professional and employability development.
“The entire student experience on campus – encompassing teaching, learning and assessments, as well as their overall engagement with university non-academic functions – should also be highly technologically enabled to create a truly personalised and adaptive experience,” he said.
He added that in the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), the new generation of students entering universities seeks greater influence on how and what they learn, and what they can do with the knowledge and skills gained during their studies.
“They want to be able to chart their own future, where working for others may not necessarily be an automatic or even preferred aspiration.”
In ensuring the successful implementation of the new model of campus life, Marimuthu urged students, universities and society to come together in a joint effort.
Charis, 20, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For more information, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
