Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Indonesian Universities: Issues and Challenges

Academic leaders in Indonesian universities share a concern about the quality of teaching and learning in common with their colleagues in Western universities. Attention to the reform of teaching immediately raises questions of strategy.

Short courses in teaching skills and curriculum development have been conducted in the past but it is argued that the continuation of these alone will not have the desired impact on quality in Indonesian universities in the short‐term. A distinctive and profoundly unsatisfactory feature of universities around the world is that the majority of teaching staff have no training or qualifications in teaching. Means of addressing this issue, and the university culture that supports it, include the creation of educational development centres to provide a continuing focus for development and change, a reconsideration of what it means to be an Indonesian academic, and the careful linking of institutional needs, planning, and change with the professional development of all staff.     

Behavior,perceptions and learning experience of undergraduates using social technologies during internship

Social technologies such as social networking sites, Wikis and blogs have gained popularity not only in social communication but also in other areas, such as in enhancing learning experience among students in tertiary education. This study investigated how blogs and Facebook scaffolded students’ learning during their internships in tertiary education. A mix-method approach was employed to examine students’ perceptions of blogs and Facebook in improving their internship learning experience. The results showed that blogs and Facebook encouraged students and facilitated their engagement in problem solving, information sharing and knowledge construction during their internships. In particular, Facebook showed more promising results, assisting students in reflecting on their experiences. Moreover, students acknowledged that Facebook was a better platform for online interaction and collaborative learning than blogs. This study provides empirical evidence for the use of social media tools in pedagogical scaffolding and collaborative learning during internships.

     

课前指导与补充指导对学生网络学习的影响

马来西亚开放大学（OUM）90％以上的学生为在职人员。这些成年学生离开学校至少已经5年,而且大多数人的数学基础不好。因此,仅是在线学习加少量面授辅导的教学模式对他们来说还不能完全解决学习困难。学校试用了“课前指导工作室”与“补充指导”的教学方法,探讨了这一方法对学员的在线参与程度及考试结果的影响,运用源于探究团体模式的34项量表对在线论坛的内容进行了分析,结果表明,学员参加工作室与否同他们的期末考试成绩有很大关系。参加指导老师工作室及补充指导的学员与那些参加指导老师常规指导的学员相比,前者的在线参与程度及期末考试的平均分都存在着很大的差异。两组学员的数学探究团体模式平均分表明,两组学员在教学存在和认知存在方面有差异,但在社会存在方面基本相同。     

Progression in primary school children's conceptions of burning: Toward an understanding of the concept of substance

Children's conceptions of burning were explored through observation and discussion or a number of challenging phenomena. Analysis of written responses showed that children's conceptions are both specific and contextually based, and that there is little coherence in the use of any one conception across phenomena. Progression across the primary school years can be described, however, in terms of children's growing confidence with the idea of transformation of substances and the analysis relates this to a model based on changing commitments to the notion of substance defined by properties, rather than history. The conceptual trajectories described in the study are broadly consistent with previous studies of secondary school children.     

Students’ Quality Control Circle: a case study on students’ participation in the quality control circle at the Faculty of Business and Management

A pilot study on students’ participation in Students’ Quality Control Circle (SQCC) was carried out by the researcher at the Faculty of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), Shah Alam, Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to identify the importance of the Quality Control Circle (QCC) to students and hence use it as a basis of consideration for the inclusion of the SQCC as a subject in the future. Participants for the pilot study comprised students from the Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) majoring in International Business, Part Two since they have had prior exposure to studies on Total Quality Management. The students who participated did so on a voluntary basis. The process of SQCC took nearly a year since it was undertaken outside the students’ normal class hours. The students sent their report on the SQCC project which was subsequently published to the First International Conference on Students Quality Control at Lucknow, India in the same year. Feedback from the students who took part in the SQCC indicated that it was a suitable learning process and that it could be adopted as a subject. It is hoped that this will be taken up so that the students will be better prepared to face the challenges of working life after their graduation. This paper traces the researcher's experience as the facilitator for the SQCC and to present the feedback on the pilot study on the SQCC. It is recommended that a survey be made on the acceptance by potential employers on students equipped with QCC skills.     

Detection of human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Worldwide there has been a significant increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) etiologically attributed to oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). Reliable and accurate identification and detection tools are important as the incidence of HPV-related cancer is on the rise. Several HPV detection methods for OPSCC have been developed and each has its own advantages and disadvantages in regard to sensitivity, specificity, and technical difficulty. This review summarizes our current knowledge of molecular methods for detecting HPV in OPSCC, including HPV DNA/RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC), and DNA/RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) assays. This summary may facilitate the selection of a suitable method for detecting HPV infection, and therefore may help in the early diagnosis of HPV-related carcinoma to reduce its mortality, incidence, and morbidity.     

The Readiness of E-Publishing Among Malaysian Book Publishers

Advancements in digital technology are making waves in the publishing industry and e-publishing is starting to make its mark in the market. Although publishers view e-publishing as an opportunity to exploit products and new distribution channels, some of them are seeing this development as a risk rather than an opportunity, and thus are not willing to participate in these changes. This study was conducted to determine the readiness of e-publishing among Malaysian book publishers based on the E-Publishing Readiness Assessment Model. The results found that publishers in Malaysia are prepared in terms of infrastructure and human resources. However, only a small percentage of them are willing to practice e-publishing by publishing at least one e-book, while the majority is taking a wait and see approach before they start issuing e-books. Interviews with two companies displaying high levels of e-readiness and low e-readiness, showed a willingness depend on the decision of the company’s top management. In addition, external factors such as market demand, technological pressure, competition, consumer habits and police and government policies also affect the results of the top management to run e-publishing in their respective companies. Through these findings, the government and agencies involved in the publishing industry may be able to help find a solution when designing a strategy for improving e-publishing practices in Malaysia.     

论秦观与秦可卿——兼论曹雪芹对秦观的接受

纵观《红楼梦》中秦可卿与宋学士秦观的种种联系,可以说是映射出秦观其人其创作对后世文人的巨大影响。尤其是对曹雪芹的影响,曹公之于秦观,可以说不止是追慕,更是对其诗词创作的接受,实证可谓遍布＂红楼＂、处处皆是。     

Dual-mode teacher professional development: challenges and re-visioning future TPD in Indonesia

This paper presents the results of a two-year research project aimed at developing a teacher professional development (TPD) model in Indonesia. New government policies in this nation, its archipelagic nature, vast numbers of teachers and scarcity of support resources present a unique challenge to TPD. A needs assessment was conducted to identify teachers’ professional needs. Based on the results of this assessment, a dual-mode TPD that combines face-to-face sessions and online sessions was developed. Participation in face-to-face sessions was relatively high but the participation rate in online sessions was very low. Incentives, teachers’ autonomy as professional learners, ICT skills and infrastructure are important considerations when designing TPD in Indonesia. This study and an analysis of TPD policy allow us to suggest future directions for TPD in Indonesia.