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Even though Project-Based Learning is sound in theory but the implementation of this student-centred approach is often problematic due to varied factors. Hence, the aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of Project-Based Learning at a polytechnic in Malaysia. The research design used in this study was program evaluation. Program evaluation is systematic method to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of a program. A [Context, Input, Process, and Product] CIPP model was selected because it is a holistic and appropriate model for program evaluation. In terms of sampling, 43 supervisors and 118 students were selected randomly. The main instrument used in this study was a set of questionnaires validated in a pilot study. Key finding shows that most supervisors and students believe that Project-Based Learning is suitable for the students' senior project. They also believe that the supervisors possessed adequate technical knowledge and have implemented their supervisory duties effectively. However, the students perceived that the content of the Project-Based module was hard to follow and the students lack of creativity. The facilities in the polytechnic were also not optimal for the final project. Based on the empirical data, this study contributes a new framework for Project-Based Learning.

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This study examined personality profiles of technical students and non-technical students from a Malaysian university. A total of 125 students (54 technical, 71 non-technical) participated in the study. A translated version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment (MBTI) was used to assess personality profiles. The MBTI measures preferences in four dichotomies: extraversion-introversion, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving. Results indicated that the most common personality profile among both technical students and non-technical students was extraversion-sensing-thinking-judging (ESTJ). Also, whereas technical students displayed a mix of attitudes towards extraversion and introversion, non-technical students mainly preferred extraversion. Findings from this study may have implications for workforce readiness.

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The impact of globalisation and k-economy has led to a heightened awareness of the need to reform Technology and Vocational-Technical Education (TVTE) and training systems to prepare a dynamic workforce which could meet future challenges of the new era. The conference proceedings are a collection of papers presented at the 2001 International Conference on Technology and Vocational-Technical Education: Globalisation and Future Trends, organised by the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Malaysian National Commission for UNESCO. The sub-themes include: TVTE for all; Integration of [information and communications technology] ICT in TVTE; Preparation for k-economy; Partnerships and networking; Lifelong learning; Innovation, design, and creativity; Curriculum and pedagogy; and Teacher education. Seventy-seven papers are included in the proceedings which cover all topics in the sub-themes.

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The contents of volume two are: Technical and vocational educational program at Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn (KUITTHO): a new program for technical and vocational schools, community colleges and polytechnics, Ministry of Education, Malaysia / Ayob Johari and Sulaiman Hj. Hasan; Wanita dalam kerjaya vokasional-teknikal: isu-isu dari perspektif Islam / Ab. Halim Tamuri, Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani, Nik Mohd. Rahimi Nik Yusof and Khadijah Abdul Razak; How not to miss the boat: just -in-time training to meet marine industry needs / Jennifer Nevard and Christopher Chalon; Pembinaan sistem persidangan berkomputer: sidangkom-komponen manual bercetak / Rosseni Din, Siti Fatimah Mohd. Yassin, Siti Rahayah Arrifin, Ruhizan Mohd. Yassin and Kamarul Zaman Khalid; Tinjauan kaedah pengajaran program keusahawanan remaja mengikut persepsi peserta / Norasmah Othman, Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie, Mohd. Ibrahim Nazri and Robiah Ahmad Tarmizi; High skill economy and the future workforce: the revised role of TVE in preparing young people with key qualifications / Nematollah Azizi; Responding to needs in teacher development in Eastern Canada / George Hache; Penggunaan aplikasi internet dalam konteks pengajaran-pembelajaran: cabaran kepada guru-guru teknikal / Mohd. Safarin Nordin; Creativity, design, innovation and entrepreneurship education orientation in vocational and technical curriculum: towards global challenges / Nor Aishah Buang; Implications of information and communication technologies (ICT) on vocational-technical education (VTE) / Rozhan Mohammed Idrus, Mohd. Arif Ismail and Rosnaini Mahmud; E-pembelajaran: isu dan cabaran perlaksanaan di Malaysia / Rosmah Mat Isa, Rasidah Arshad, Nor Liza Abdullah and Rohayu Abdul Ghani;

Pentaksiran prestasi kanak-kanak menggunakan pembelajaran diurus komputer (computer-managed instruction CMI) dalam konsep biasan cahaya / Siti Rahayah Ariffin, Siti Fatimah Mohd Yassin, Aidah Abdul Karim and Nor Lizalina Mohamad; The uses of cipp models as a tool of evaluation: how effective on evaluating the teaching of technical drawing / Azizi Yahaya, Ahmad Johari Siher, Yusof Boon and Roslan Awang Mohammad; An internet learning exchange-virtual classroom / Manjit Singh Sidhu and C. H. Teoh; Keberkesanan dan masalah penggunaan teknologi dalam pendidikan bahasa Melayu / Zamri Mahamod and Mohamed Amin Embi; Some considerations on developing of web-based learning in engineering education / Abdul Wahab Mohammad and Meor Zainal Meor Talib; Web based teaching and learning in technical and vocational education: factor of IT integration / Mohamad Hisyam Mohd Hashim and Yusof Hashim; Assistive technology and learner independence / Manisah Mohd. Ali; Bahasa di tempat kerja: keperluan bahasa melayu khusus dalam pendidikan vokasional dan teknikal / Juriah Long, Khalid Abdullah, Zarin Ismail and Puteh Mohamad; How are qualified Saudi females employed in the Saudi private sector? / John R. Calvert and Abdullah S. Al-Shetaiwi; An instrument to measure Malaysian teachers' information technology (IT) preparedness / Wong Su Luan, Kamariah Abu Bakar, Rohani Ahmad Tarmizi and Ramlah Hamzah; Pemikiran dalam pendidikan teknologi dan vokasional: satu penilaian / Tajul Ariffin Noordin and Nor'Aini Dan; Training in the workplace: case studies in manufacturing / David S. Manterfield; A survey of the probability for transforming vocational senior high schools into community colleges in Taiwan, R.O.C. / How-Gao Hsu and Yan-Dan Lin;

The importance of teaching technology education in the foundation phase (pupils aged 6 to 9 years) in South Africa / Karen Ann Walstra and Alf Mitchley; In service educational training in technology in South Africa: a recommended short term approach / Alf Mitchley ; Supportive and suppressive factors in the improvement of vocational special needs education: a case study of Malaysia / Ramlee Mustapha, Manisah Mohd Ali, Safani Bari and Salleh Amat; Masalah pembelajaran pelajar pengajian kejuruteraan awam dalam tajuk struktur di sekolah menengah teknik, Negeri Kelantan / Widad Othman and Adbul Nasir Che Sulaiman; Technology education approaches: the Malaysian perspective / Ruhizan Mohamad Yasin and Ramlee Mustapha; Pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional di Malaysia: perkembangan dan halatuju / Mohamad Hussin Mohamad Yusuf, Ramlee Mustapha and Noriah Mohd Ishak; The imperative for lifelong learning: a view from Australia / Andy Smith and Alison Raggatt; National occupational skill standards development in Saudi: automotive technology education and training case study / Ali S. Al-Watban; Integration of computer into teaching-learning: a study of concerns and the managing ability among smart school teachers / Sathiamoorthy Kannan; A study of the manpower development trend of vocational education and training in Hong Kong / Michael Kin-Keung Fung; Enhancement of human resource development productivity through continuing education / Humood F. Al-Mudhaf; A comparison of instruction quality supervision between an academic high school and a vocational high school / Chih-Yang Chao and Shiow-Ling Hwu; A creative thinking instructional strategy for the practical specialty: cultivating course in the industrial junior colleges / Chih-Yang Chao and Chong-Ming Yu. Show less

The emerging and growing interdependence among nations has created a wave of excitement about globalization. As the wave of globalization reached almost every corner of the globe, each nation should be prepared to meet its challenges. One of the challenges is the critical preparation for the future workforce. In preparing a competitive workforce for 'a global marketplace', vocational education and training (VET) has played an important role. In Malaysia, VET is accorded a high priority in the nation's industrialization agenda. With the vision of becoming an industrialized nation in 2020, Malaysia must prepare a well-educated, skilled and competitive workforce. Thus, the government has placed human resource development as a major emphasis and a strategic policy to enhance Malaysia's competitive edge over other developing countries. In the era of globalization and k-economy, the future of Malaysia's competitiveness depends on the skills of its workforce. Therefore, it is critical to assess the impact of globalization on technical-vocational education and training systems in Malaysia. This paper will discuss several major initiatives, such as, the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) that has placed Malaysia within the global interconnectivity with other developed nations in the world. Efforts are currently being made to fully utilize [information technology] IT in transforming the Malaysian society into a knowledge-based society. The advancement of the internet and the multimedia technologies has been increasingly visible in the government and corporate sectors. The impact of globalization and k-economy has led to a heightened awareness of the need to reform the technical-vocational and training systems. This paper also attempts to address the specific implications of globalization and k-economy on VET in Malaysia. Several recommendations will be provided.

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Malaysia’s industrial development will require a high quality workforce. However, rapid industrialisation and skilled worker shortages have highlighted the need to reform the vocational education and training systems. In this article, the authors describe school-to-work initiatives and vocational training in Malaysia. It is suggested that Malaysia’s industrial development will be seriously affected by the failure of the school system to generate workers with the necessary technical skills to satisfy the demands of the high-tech labour market of the future. It is recommended that education and training at the secondary and post-secondary levels be restructured and expanded, especially in the vocational and technical areas, to meet the demand for skilled workers in engineering and technical occupations. School-based education could also play a role in meeting workforce development needs by embedding more work-based components in the curriculum. Show less

In this paper, the authors describe the civil service in Malaysia as undergoing a paradigm shift and having embarked on developing a quality culture. Total Quality Management (TQM) has been adopted as the approach needed to facilitate this change. All public sector agencies, including public schools, are now required to comply and a new, dynamic and internally-driven quality mechanism must be put in place. The purpose of this paper is to develop an appropriate quality model for Malaysian secondary and primary schools based on existing models. Show less

Organisational learning is the cornerstone of the culture of learning. A learning employee is a valuable asset in any organisation. In this regard, learning means continuously improving competencies that can benefit the organisation. A review of the literature reveals that organisational learning involves a complex and multi-disciplinary approach. Therefore the measurement of the degree of 'learningness' of an organisation is not an easy task. In this paper, learning as a process is discussed. The linkage between market-orientation and quality-orientation is highlighted and the paper explains how these factors influence and reinforce organisational learning. Finally, a model to measure the extent to which learning is occurring in an organisation is proposed. Based on the model, the learning orientation index (LOI) is proposed to provide a performance indicator for organisations to assess their learning performance and compare it with other firms. Show less

This chapter contributes to an examination of workforce education and development (WFED) systems in various countries around the world, based on a common conceptual framework (indexed at TD/TNC 82.65). The framework combines the input (political and environmental factors, human and social capital, and economic status) with the process (the public and private education and training system) to produce the output in terms of the labour force. The chapter provides a discussion and analysis of a variety of WFED systems in the Asia Pacific region with a focus on eight countries: South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Fiji. These countries have been chosen for analysis because of their unique features in terms of their significant contribution to the growth and development of the Asia Pacific region and the availability of data. It is concluded that most Asia Pacific countries are aware of the crucial importance of workforce education and have made substantial investment in it. The information presented in the chapter demonstrates that input and process are significant factors influencing the product, with a nation’s political stability and economic resilience directly enhancing employability and quality of life for its people.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 82.63. Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 82.64 to TD/TNC 82.75. Show less

Given that technical schools are responsible for preparing a skilled workforce for the Malaysian economy, the need for teachers to be information technology (IT) competent is immensely critical. This study investigated the level of IT competency among English language teachers in Malaysian technical schools. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires and interviews. The results indicated that the majority of English teachers in Malaysian technical schools were novice users of IT. Reasons why teachers had not advanced beyond the novice level included low levels of computer competency, less focus on new computing skills, limited training programs, technofear, and limited infrastructure and support.

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The information revolution has changed the way the global economy operates as well as the way people work and learn. In the new knowledge economy, physical and natural resources are being replaced by knowledge as the key to economic development and there is a need to review education systems and human resource development (HRD) policies. This article discusses the impact of the knowledge economy on Malaysia’s HRD and offers recommendations for enhancing Malaysia’s competitiveness in preparing its future workforce. Show less