A nationwide comparative study between private and public university students’ soft skills

The main function of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) is to produce skilled and knowledgeable workforce who are able to not only function with minimal guidance but also to contribute effectively to the hiring organizations. Many studies have indicated that most HEIs have somewhat similar course content and thrived at producing students with good academic achievement. But what differentiated them from one another is their ability to develop knowledge workers with the right employability skills or ??soft skills?? such as communication, problem-solving, interpersonal and other skills deemed important as the foundations by which they require to function at work regardless of the nature of employment. This paper reports findings of a large-scale study looking into the soft skills attainment of Malaysian HEI graduates. A quantitative survey design was employed whereby data were obtained through the administration of an instrument called the Malaysian Soft Skills Scale (My3S). My3S consists of 180 items covering seven elements namely Communications, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Teamwork, Moral and Professional Ethics, Leadership, Life Long Learning and Entrepreneurial aspects. The mean scores for the seven My3S subscales were found to be between 6.3 and 7.8 from the maximum possible score of 10. Specifically, comparisons were made between graduates of public and private institutions with respect to the seven elements. Findings of the study suggest that, in general, students of public HEIs scored higher in all seven skills. With respect to gender, male students scored higher than female students in all elements except for teamwork skills and moral and professional ethics. A comparison between fields of study showed that for both types of HEIs, technical students scored the highest in all skills except for moral and professional ethics. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that in addition to offering specific courses to improve soft skills attainment, HEIs need to embed soft skills in their academic curricula.     

Semantic support environment for research activity

Scholarly activities are a collection of academic related activities such as research, teaching and consultation work which result in research outputs such as journals, theses and articles in proceedings. The output will then be disseminated to researchers all over the world by means of the WWW. The four pillars of this scholarship i.e. discovery, teaching, application, and integration of knowledge are supported by research activities which often start with the process of identifying key research questions. The ocean of information available on the interact could sometimes cause the scholars to be ＂lost in Cyber Ocean＂ Thus, this study aims at recognizing the key research questions and suggesting a support environment for scholarly activities for novice researchers. A structured interview was conducted among researchers to capture three pertinent aspects of research activities： becoming proficient in the new field of research, reviewing a research paper and identifying special research interests in specific research areas. The analysis of the interview shows pertinent questions that scholar make while carrying out their research. The feedback provides an overview of the range and altitude of support needed by scholars in seeking information especially in the electronic joumal environment. Based on the result of the study, a proposal for system prototype and future work will be discussed.     

Overview on agent application to support collaborative learning interaction

Collaborative learning involves students working together to aid their learning and is considered an effective method to implement learning goal. However, it involves complicated processes such as have inconvenient assistance to manage the increasing demand for information and support extension of interaction and how to activate collaboration interaction and communication between different types of interactions. A collaborative learning model based on agent can improve learaing effectiveness and give good impact to learning process. This paper discusses the definition, classification and roles of agent to support collaborative learning interaction in E-learning. It overviews the rapidly use of agents to support collaborative learning and describes the types of interaction and communication tools to enhance interaction between all participants. We identify three types of major agents used in collaborative learning interaction; interface agent, information and internet agent, and collaborative agent.     

Implementation of co-teaching approach in an inclusive classroom: overview of the challenges,readiness, and role of special education teacher

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship aspect of the challenge, readiness, and the role of special education teacher (SET) in implementing common approaches in inclusive classrooms. Experiences as a moderator were used to see the effect of the co-teaching component. This study used a sampling method that involved 240 respondent’s representatives of the population of SET in Malaysia. The findings of this study showed that there was a high positive tendency in choosing the approach that is likely to progress than the existing ones. In this area, there were challenges and readiness of positive selection than teacher experience. Overall, this study could impact the implementation of co-teaching approach than the implementation of the existing programme.     

A Correlational Study of Foreign Language Anxiety and Library Anxiety Among Non-native Speakers of English: A Case Study in a Malaysian Public University

This study examines the correlation of the dimensions of foreign language anxiety and library anxiety among undergraduates at a public university in Malaysia. The Malay translated versions of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and the Library Anxiety Scale (LAS) were completed by 147 students pursuing a Foundation in Science course. Analysis revealed a significant correlation in all the dimensions of library anxiety with three of the dimensions of foreign language anxiety, namely speaking anxiety, self-evaluation anxiety, and learner anxiety. The findings in this study will enable librarians to be aware of the anxieties faced by students which can help in the planning and delivery of services and instruction.     

Users' perceptions of library effectiveness: A comparative users' evaluation of central libraries of AMU,BHU, ALU and BBRAU

This study examines user perceptions regarding level of satisfaction with library collections, organization, facilities as well as traditional and IT enabled services. A questionnaire was administered to the faculty members, research scholars and students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Allahabad University (ALU) and Baba Bhim Rao Ambedkar (BBRAU). Overall, respondents indicated that library collections are adequate. In the case of newly centralized university libraries, users were dissatisfied with library collections, particularly at BBRAU, though they were satisfied with the existing infrastructure. Overall, satisfaction levels of users at old centralized universities are good.