The latest state-of-the-art Tobii Pro Fusion Eye Tracker provides APU students hands-on experience in using the equipment to process human cognitive activity information through reading, scene perception and visual searching.
THE Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) fuses technology modules with psychology in its ground-breaking Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology, where students will be privy to conventional psychology training to understand the human mind, behaviour and different types of personalities, as well as cyberpsychology.
According to APU programme leader Wan Noraina Wan Abdullah, cyberpsychology is the study of human behaviour and mental processes in the context of human-technology interaction,
“The focus of this module is on the psychology of online behaviour, to uncover how the internet and digital technologies affect attitudes, emotions and the societal impacts of living in a digital age, such as the exploration of the motives and psychological makeup that contribute to cybercrime.”
Globally, the adoption rate of emerging technologies – including cloud computing, connected devices, mobile, robotics and blockchain – has grown at an exponential rate over the past decade.
As of April 2022, there were five billion internet users worldwide, which is 63% of the global population. Of this total, 4.65 billion were social media users.
What's more, the lines are further blurred between the physical world and the virtual world with the arrival of the metaverse.
Therefore, the transformation of psychology studies has introduced new ways to provide treatment or therapy, which has also affected the dissemination of knowledge and how research is conducted.
The main concept behind the design of the Centre for Psychology and Well-Being at APU is to create a professional-like high-tech centre that attracts students toward experiential learning, coupled with a comfortable
“In our modules, students will also be exposed to psychotechnology, to understand user experience (UX), cognitive workload and use these results to the solution of practical problems, especially for the industry,” said Wan Noraina.
With these modules, students will have vital skills and knowledge, enabling them to work in various sectors, such as e-sports, advertising and many more that need a deep understanding of its psychological impacts.
Moreover, to create a conducive learning and studying environment mirroring the professional setting that supports both counselling and clinical psychology needs, APU has invested significantly to set up the Centre for Psychology and Well-Being at its campus.
Assoc Prof Dr Devinder Kaur, head of the school who oversees the setting up of the Centre said: “APU’s Centre for Psychology and Well-Being is an innovative facility that houses advanced equipment embedded with state-of-the-art technology that supports psychology learning and research – which itself has set us apart from our competitors.”
“The main concept behind the design of the centre is to create a professional-like high-tech centre that attracts students towards experiential learning coupled with a comfortable learning environment.”
Together with the eye-tracking laboratory, the design of the centre includes psychobiological laboratory; psychoanalysis therapy suites for both individual and group therapy; psychological testing and measurement room; psychology group observation suite that is complemented with a one-way mirror and AV capture equipment; activity and discussion rooms, as well as classrooms that are tied to instructional learning and research activities.
The Centre for Psychology and Well-Being at APU is equipped with an electroencephalogram (EEG), which provides students with the essential opportunity to learn about how electrical activity in the brain is being recorded to study the changes in brain-behaviour relations.
APU’s psychology graduates are set to become tech-savvy and well-equipped for the competitive world of psychology with proficiency in using advanced technology, especially digital assessments.
Wan Noraina added: “Based on market demands, the combination of fundamental knowledge of psychology and digital skills will provide our graduates with unique skills to compete in the job market. Therefore, we are preparing our students to be in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and beyond.”
This is evident in the latest Annual Graduate Tracer Study by the Higher Education Ministry, which shows that 100% of APU graduates were employed upon graduation.
At APU, students will also have the option to opt-in for the APU-DMU dual degree scheme, where they will receive two sets of degree certificates and transcripts upon graduation: one from APU (Malaysia), and another from De Montfort University (United Kingdom) – which has 150 years of experience in providing higher education to students from around the globe.
For more information, visit https://www.apu.edu.my/.
