OU project awarded $750,000 to improve US college completion rates

An international project that targets problems in learning mathematics in order to boost completion rates in US colleges has won a $750,000 award to help pilot its work.

The OU’s Open Learning: Bridge to Success (B2S) project, which offers free and open content to break down barriers to learn, has been awarded the grant through the first wave of the Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) programme.

NGLC is led by EDUCAUSE – a non-profit organisation that helps to develop the use of information technology in higher education. The project was selected from a field of more than 600 pre-proposals and 50 finalists.

B2S is led by the OU in partnership with a consortium of institutions, including Anne Arundel Community College, the University of Maryland University College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which will be piloted in at least 10 US colleges until June 2012. B2S will also offer open access so anyone can use it.

The award will help the project to address the problem of students in US community colleges dropping out of developmental mathematics courses.

Statistics show that roughly 60 per cent of first-year college students in the US are required to take at least one development course, however less than one quarter go on to earn a certificate or degree.

Furthermore, among more than 250,000 students in the US who required the most mathematics remediation, only 16 per cent completed the course requirements in three years, and less than 10 per cent of those passed a college-level mathematics course within that period.

The OU project will use Open Educational Resources (including OpenLearn and Openings material) to provide an online ‘safety net’ for developmental maths, enabling these students to get up to speed with their learning and therefore successfully complete their studies.

The project aims to reach 750 students directly through the pilot, but also expects its open education learning materials to reach as many as 30,000 people globally in the next year.

It also provides a great research opportunity for the OU to analyse the impact its OER work has on completion rates in the US.

OU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Denise Kirkpatrick said: “We are thrilled that the OU has been successful in the Gates Next Generation Learning Challenge. Getting students ready for college and ensuring they complete their course is a really big challenge in the US. Our project will provide open access to high quality education materials in order to increase the number of adults who are not only prepared to enroll in US colleges, but who also go on to pursue a degree or professional qualification.

“It is designed to provide a safety net to help students get up to speed with their learning and successfully complete their studies instead of dropping out. We hope to use the findings from the project to identify how we can bring measurable impact to the way we use open education resources for students in the UK.”

Proximity Malaysia’s HELP University College awareness campaign on Facebook Studio

Monday, 16 May 2011 12:22 Campaign selected for creativity and innovation on Facebook

BBDO/Proximity Malaysia’s outstanding “Glimpse Into The Future” awareness campaign for HELP University College has been inaugurated into Facebook Studio, a global initiative run by the social network to showcase agencies and marketers who are creating and innovating with Facebook.

Facebook Studio was launched to recognise the many ways the marketing community uses Facebook to drive business results. The HELP awareness campaign, launched in December, 2010 is one of the nine campaigns in Asia Pacific and the only Malaysian case study to make the cut.

Group Account Director for Proximity Malaysia, a digital marketing subsidiary of BBDO Malaysia, Karen Koay said the agency is proud to be included in the Facebook Studio gallery.

“Digital marketing moves at such a fast pace, and we want to constantly learn and share with our like-minded peers. As such we’re happy to do our part by contributing to the marketing community on Facebook Studio. We here at Proximity BBDO is committed to advocating digital practice and Facebook Studio is the perfect platform,” she said.

The “Glimpse Into The Future” campaign was developed to create interest in HELP University College's Open Day, an event where prospective students can learn about different courses HELP offers. Proximity Malaysia created a Facebook application that lets the prospective students read articles written in the future about their future career successes. Students were then urged to attend HELP’s Open Day to make these articles their reality and on the way to a great future.

Koay added that Proximity Malaysia designed the campaign for HELP to engage today’s youths on their terms. “Instead of talking directly at them, we engage them in a different way that they can relate. Today, brands are just facilitators, the ones that do it best will win consumers."

Other campaigns on Facebook Studio are Dorito's, World Aids Day and Mini USA's campaigns

A high-definition view of the nanoworld

22 July 2011

Professor Eugene Rabkin presents his findings on the physical and mechanical properties of gold nanoparticles.

Technology is aiding an exciting new collaboration between Monash University and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa).
With the installation of high definition video-conferencing equipment at the Technion, similar to existing equipment at Monash, both universities are looking forward to closer research ties in the future.
Professor David Abramson, Science Director of the Monash e-Research Centre, said that the new technology will greatly support ongoing collaboration between researchers at Technion’s Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management and the Faculty of Engineering at Monash University.
“These initiatives mark a new point of presence for Monash University in Israel, and this seminar is just the first of many,” Professor Abramson said.
“Researchers from opposite sides of the world can now collaborate more effectively through these interactive seminars.
“Monash University is very grateful to the Victorian Friends of the Technion for providing financial support; and Professor Boaz Golani, Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Professor Dov Dori, Head of the Enterprise System Modeling Laboratory, and Professor Wayne Kaplan, Head of the Department of Materials Engineering, at the Technion for helping to bring both institutions together for this cutting-edge research,” Professor Abramson said.
In the first interactive tele-seminar linking the two universities, Professor Eugene Rabkin, from the Technion reported on his high-precision experimental studies on the physical and mechanical properties of gold nanoparticles.
Professor Rabkin’s findings will help Monash researchers in their work with the mechanical and physical properties of materials.
Professor Yuri Estrin who leads the Monash University’s Centre for Advanced Hybrid Materials said researchers at Monash are currently developing nanomaterials to enhance mechanical strength and biocompatibility of medical implants and the size and effects on strength discussed by Professor Rabkin is critical to these applications.

More seminars on a range of topics of mutual interest to both universities are planned over the coming months.

Also supported by the new Technion-Monash tele-seminars - which build on Monash’s tele-seminar links with the University of Warwick in the UK, the University of California, San Diego and the University of Illinois - is the exciting Monash Undergraduate Research Projects Abroad project – an eScience research internship program for high achieving third year undergraduates at Monash University.

“We are hoping to send students not only to the US this year, but also, Israel. The world just keeps getting smaller,” Professor Abramson said

SEGi secures quality IT links in partnership with Abertay Dundee

SEGi University College has further strengthened the worth and international recognition of its homegrown programmes through an academic arrangement with the University of Abertay Dundee (UAD), one of United Kingdom's leading universities.

Under the arrangement, students graduating from SEGi University College Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) programme will also receive a separate degree parchment issued by UAD, apart from their SEGi degree parchment.

UAD has a long history as one of Scotland's leading universities. Being among Scotland's top three institutions for research funding, UAD has an entrenched reputation for professionalism in offering career-driven higher education. It received top ranking by UK's Quality Assurance Agency when 79 per cent of graduates gave the "thumbs up" for the university's teaching methodologies and learning approaches.

All of the university's researchers are also involved in teaching and developing courses, giving students the chance to learn from world leaders every day.

Combine this with the fact that the university has an average of one lecturer for every 17 students and you have one of the best dedicated universities in Scotland.

In addition, the degree was recently boosted with IT Security components of the Certified Ethical Hacker programme through a collaboration with the EC-Council Academy.

"Cyber attacks are frequent and efficient. There are financial frauds, data breaches, cyber threats and attack news reported daily. Cyber attacks towards organisations increases steadily over the years, even with increased IT infrastructure investment every year.

"Organisations today are taking note on the importance of well- trained IT Security professionals on maintaining and securing the business and reputation of an organisation.

Archive for category Information communication & Technology (ICT)

Sunday April 10, 2011

Best in industry

By KANG SOON CHEN
educate@thestar.com.my

APIIT Education Group did the education industry proud when it was honoured with the Prime Minister’s Industry Excellence Award 2010 by the International Trade and Industry Ministry during the awards ceremony recently.
It was the only organisation selected for the prestigious award from 27 others receiving awards in eight categories.
The group also received the Export Excellence Award (Services) for 2010 under the Education services category.

Dr Parmjit (right) receiving the award from Najib while UCTI Board of Governors chairman Shahriman Shamsuddin (centre) looks on.

The group comprises the Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI) as its flagship university, as well as the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT).
APIIT Education Group CEO Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh, who accepted the pivotal award from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said the accolade was a recognition of the education industry’s contribution in driving the country’s economy.
“APIIT’s success lies in our ability to meet the market’s needs. Our courses are up-to-date and in tandem with the evolving technology in IT,” he said.
Asked on what gave APIIT the edge over its competitors, Dr Parmjit said the organisation had undergone a major transformation over the last five years.
“The most significant achievement is when APIIT registered an exponential increase in the number of foreign students enrolled. From around 200 foreign students at APIIT five years ago, we now have 5,000 of them as of last year,” he said.
APIIT was established in 1993 to address the shortage of IT professionals in Malaysia and the region. The institution has also set up overseas campuses in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.

Celcom Axiata inks pact with Oracle

Celcom Axiata Bhd has signed a three-year software licensing agreement with Oracle Corporation Malaysia to enhance customer satisfaction and overall experience.

In a statement today, Celcom said it will use the Oracle Database 11g and Oracle Real Application Clusters as the technology foundation to standardise its operations across marketing, sales, after-sales and call centre functions.

"Armed with this information, we will be able to further improve on our customer service and can be more agile in deploying new solutions, as well as optimise costs and efficiencies across the board," said its chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly.

Celcom is investing to fuel its information technology (IT) and business growth plans with key Oracle products including, the Oracle Database 11g, Oracle Real Application Clusters, Oracle Partitioning, Oracle Tuning Pack, Oracle Diagnostics Pack and Oracle Change Management Packs.

It said the partnership was to promote standardisation of the technology platform within Celcom.

With the standardisation, Celcom said it is able to provide better user experience for customers and business partners, such as the billing system, customer relationship management system and online solutions. -- Bernama

TM SUBSIDIARY WINS AWARD AT TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS REVIEW ASEAN AWARDS 2008

Telekom Sales & Services Sdn Bhd (TSSSB), a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) was recently honoured with two (2) major awards in the telecommunications retail category during the Technology Business Review ASEAN Awards 2008 held in Putrajaya.
TSSSB received the Corporate Award for the Telecommunications Retail Services category. In addition to the accolade, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TSSSB, Ahmad Khairul Razi Ismail also clinched the Chief Executive Officer Award for the Telecommunications Retail Services category. The Corporate Award was presented by Fadillah Yusuf, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation whereas the CEO Award was presented by Y.B. Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, Deputy Minister of Rural & Regional Development.
The Corporate Award for the Telecommunications Retail Services recognizes TSSSB’s outstanding performance in various areas, such as profitability, adaptation of new technologies, innovation, governance, human resources development and corporate citizenship. The CEO Award for the Telecommunications Retail Services category was evaluated and awarded to Ahmad Khairul based on the outstanding financial results achieved under his leadership.
Ahmad Khairul Razi Ismail, who was present to receive both awards said, “I am very honoured to receive these awards on behalf of TSSSB. I would like to thank the organizer, Technology Business Review, and the evaluation committee of TBRA Awards 2008, for honouring us with this recognition of our leadership and organizational excellence. We hold this award in high esteem because it is from a leading Business publication in Malaysia, and one that has its pulse on business industry. We will definitely continue to strive to exceed the standards, which has won us this award, as part of our continuous efforts in providing the best in telecommunications retail services to all Malaysians. On behalf of TSSSB, I would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the Board of Directors of TSSSB, the management of TM Group, and all our business partners for the support throughout the years.”
The Technology Business Review ASEAN Awards 2008 was organized by Technology Business Review, a leading business-to-business magazine in Malaysia and the South East Asian region. Nominations for the awards were open to companies operating in 16 sectors within the ASEAN region. Among the sectors recognized by the award were the telecommunications, oil and gas as well as banking and finance fields.
The Technology Business Review ASEAN Awards 2008 recognizes corporate excellence in Malaysia for companies operating in the ASEAN region. The Selection Committee consists of senior personalities in the corporate world and members of government agencies with many years of experience across a diverse range of business sectors and industries.
“This win is testament to TSSSB’s development in becoming a major player in the information technology and telecommunications industry as well as the customer premises equipment retailing business. These awards will be a push-factor for us in moving forward to bigger and better things in 2009,” added Ahmad Khairul.
More than 1,500 guests comprising well known personalities in the corporate world were present at the event award presentation dinner. During the night, over 65 awards were presented to various companies and organizations as a mark of their success in the ASEAN region.
About TM
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia’s leading integrated information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. As a market leader in the broadband and fixed-line businesses, TM is driven to deliver value to its stakeholders in a highly competitive environment. The Group places emphasis on continuing customer service quality enhancements and innovations.
With its extensive global connectivity, TM is poised to position Malaysia as a regional Internet hub and digital gateway for South-East Asia. In line with this, TM is evolving into a Next Generation Network service provider enabling the Group to enhance its efficiency and productivity while providing enriched products and services.
On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, the Group has always been a major corporate contributor towards responsible activities in the belief that these practices are a fundamental tenet of good corporate governance. The Group promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, sports development and community/nation-building. Under education, TM has spent some RM800 million to develop Multimedia University into one of the top universities in Malaysia with more than 20,000 students. TM has also provided scholarships to over 10,000 graduates pursuing academic programmes locally and overseas. On the sports front, TM is actively contributing towards the upliftment of football at all levels while under the community/nation-building platform, the Group contributes towards causes that bring value to the community and nation at large. TM was awarded the prestigious STAR-BIZ ICRM Corporate Responsibility Award under the workplace category for 2008.