e-Learning Issues in Malaysian Higher Education. Skudai: Penerbit Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

ISBN: 978-983-52-0560-6

E-LEARNING IN EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA Supyan Hussin1 & Mohd Fuad Mohd Salleh2

Emergence of E-Learning E-LEARNING has been a catchy word to many educators and trainers especially in the developing countries. To some people, e-learning is a magic word that may give some positive meanings or great values to them and/or the organization they work for. Yet, the definition and scope of e-learning is relative. To some people, e-learning is nothing more than the use of electronic devices for teaching and learning. Others look at e-learning as a new way educating and training their staff, customers, which includes students and trainees, using various electronic gadgets. Supyan (2008) offers an operational definition and conceptual definition for e-learning. According to him, conceptually, e-learning means a form of learning whereby learning process takes place in an environment which employs electronic technology, in network-based (local area network, LAN and wide area network, WAN) and non-networked, i.e. independent of network such self-directed learning materials in a form of CD, DVD, MP3/MP4 players. To reiterate the concept, the e connotes a tool or an environment; it helps teachers to facilitate the learning process. However, what more important in e-learning is the learning itself, not the e that focuses on the technical aspects. In its operational definition, e-learning simply means the use of various electronic items including information technology and communication (ICT) in a class or a training program. The use of such items is always associated with the technical aspects of the technology. Therefore, most people would claim that they are already e-learning practitioners since they use World Wide Web (WWW), e-mail, chat, forum as well as DVD and webcam in their classes or training programs. What makes a difference between the two is that e-learning is not about what people use in e-learning but how and why they use or adopt certain technologies to meet their specific purposes in e-learning. Understanding the difference between the two definitions and the scopes is
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Associate Professor at UKM Associate Professor at Unisel

very crucial because it determines how technology is used in specific contexts. Thus, we may find some people would spell this magic word as e-Learning, while others spell E-Learning or E-learning. The former is related to the conceptual definition of e-learning; whereas the latter is related to the operational definition. In education, the former definition implies the needs for pedagogical applications in the use of e-learning. Educators should know how to apply pedagogical principles appropriately in their teaching when they employ any form of technology in e-learning.

Development Of E-Learning In Malaysian Education For the purpose of the discussion in this paper, the terminology e-Learning will be used. e-Learning in Malaysia is not new in Malaysia but the intensity of its usage is not very remarkable. If we look at the development of technology in education in Malaysia, we can divide the e-Learning into two phases (Supyan, 2006). In phase 1, e-Learning focuses on any form of electronic gadgets that are used as teaching aids to facilitate the teaching and learning process. During this phase, the Internet is not part of the e-Learning. Teachers used electronic items such OHP (overhead projector), direct projector, slide projector, video, cassette player/recorder, radio and TV broadcasting, electronic books, and CDROM. These technologies share one thing in common, i.e., they are unidirectional in the sense the learning materials being projected or displayed are not interactive. All these items are used to show illustrations, explain the concepts being taught, to demonstrate certain processes, and to ease comprehension among the learners. Telephone is also used in this phase 1 for tele-conferences that involve discussion between teachers and students who gathered at several centers in the country. During this phase, USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia), who pioneered the off-campus degree program or also known as distance learning program, in Malaysia, used some of these technologies in their teaching activities. Following USMs modus operandi, UiTM (Universiti Teknology MARA, or formerly known as Institut Teknologi MARA) started to offer off-campus program in all its 13 branch campuses in the mid-70s. Later, in the second phase of e-Learning in Malaysia, the Internet was introduced in early 1990s, in networking forms (LAN, WAN) and now with wireless connection. If the term e-learning in the phase 1 is associated with electronic gadgets, e-learning in phase 2 is closely linked to the Internet. It is during this second phase, the e-learning development in Malaysia education

moves at a tremendous speed. UNITAR (Universiti Tun Abdul Razak) was set up with hi-tech facilities to run courses online and to maximize the use of modern technology in their teaching and learning activities. At MMU (Multimedia University), courses are also offered online in addition to a very minimal number of face-to-face meetings in the classrooms. The amount of communication between educators and students, among students, and among educators has been increasing exponentially through e-mail, chat, forum, and now weblog. In early 2000, OUM (Open University Malaysia) was set up by a consortium, consisting of representatives from seven public universities, to run academic programs online by exploiting the potential of ICT facilities. These 3 universities are considered as the leading institutions in e-Learning in the country, but OUM has the largest number of students who are required to engage in e-learning environment frequently. Other universities in Malaysia, at this point of time, have employed a mix of e-learning facilities in their academic programs, and yet face-to-face class meeting is still dominant. The integration of e-Learning at these universities is not as rigorous as the one at UNITAR, MMU and OUM. In particular, OUM has successfully run its academic institution to cater for the largest working through its open and distant learning program (ODL). OUM is now extending it ODL program to other countries especially in the Middle Eastern countries. This development is illustrated in Figure 1 which shows the parallel development of technology in education and the development of e-Learning in Malaysia. Figure 2 shows where does e-Learning in a larger context of education. Evolutionary, e-Learning is a form of distant learning, which was conducted using low-level technology (paper-based). Next, the off campus program or distant learning program moves to electronic-based and digitalbased before it adopts network-based learning. Soon mobile learning will flood the education setting.

Figure 2: A continuum of technological integration in education in Malaysia In spite of this great development of e-Learning, Marlia (2006) found that there was no national policy of e-Learning in Malaysia that serves as a guide to Malaysian universities to integrate e-learning into their academic programs. In fact, local universities also did not have e-learning policy but only a master plan for ICT. The adoption of e-learning has taken place earlier at Malaysian universities before the policy on e-learning is drawn up. Universities in Malaysia are free to move on at their pace with the integration of ICT, including e-learning. UKM for example has just prepared its e-learning documents in 2008, although UKM has been integrating ICT in education since late 1980s. While other foreign universities in the USA, European counties, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea have started to conduct their elearning activities using podcasting, Wikipedia, YouTube, and Second Life facilities in the Internet, Malaysian educators are still grappling to master eDistance Education learning facilities in their teaching.
Distance learning

Correspondence Based
(non-interactive)

Electronic based

Both

e-Learning
Network-based (e-learning or online)
(interactive)

Printed materials

Non-Networked (E-learning)

Correspondence + Electronic-based
(ODL)

Isolated/Indep. Packages
(Unidirectional)

Inter, Intranet Packages online

(bi-directional)

4
Both

Figure 2: The position of e-Learning in education Generally, the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) such as synchronous tools (chat, audio- and video-conferencing) and asynchronous tools (e-mail, forum, weblog) is becoming common among Malaysian educators. Still, online self-directed learning (SDL) materials, developed by local university educators, are rarely available for students to learn on their own (Supyan 2005). Unlike online class notes or class lectures, SDL materials are structured and unstructured but bi-directional or interactive in nature; they provide series of challenging materials that offer hints, feedbacks, and achievement records for each student who uses the materials (Supyan, 2001). SDL materials promote autonomous learning among students to master specific concepts or ideas that are learned in the lecture. Today, we hear about the fast coming of mobile learning that does not rely on Internet connection. Learning is no bound by the four walls or the lab or the computer connection. Students can access learning materials via mobile phones that are compatible with multimedia computer interface. Thus, wherever they are, they can view lectures and class notes in multimedia format using Podcasting or YouTube facilities; communicate via e-mail, SMS (short message system) or MMS (multimedia message system) or messenger (MSN, YM); access materials that are formatted for mobile learning from the WWW; and exchange files. A logical but crucial question we should ask is Are Malaysian educators ready for mobile learning?

The Need For Retraining Among Educators Many present educators who graduated for more five years ago have been exposed to technology in one way or another. Yet they have rarely been exposed or introduced to the pedagogical aspects on how-why. Although many know what technology can be used in their e-Learning program, most are not equipped with knowledge and skill on how to use the technology
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appropriately and effectively in education and why they use such technology. Therefore, as technology changes very fast and new technologies are introduced every year, educators should undergo continuous training and retraining if they were to use the technology effectively in their courses. Does this mean that the need of training is technological driven? Yes and No. Since education is dynamic, not static, and new discoveries are continuously accumulative, educators cannot afford not to acquire new knowledge and skill in their teaching profession. They need keep up with most recent developments in teaching and learning, and deliver their tasks in their courses more effectively. In fact, the present and future generations are surrounded by push-button technology (computer technology, mobile phone technology, PDA, PS, MP4 and so forth), and are expecting the learning culture in education will offer such technologies. Hence, it has become a demand on educators to equip themselves with the most recent knowledge and skill on how to use such technologies with appropriate pedagogy. In other words, the demand from the learners becomes a need for the educators. At the same time, educators should not use any technology for the sake of using the technology. Educators should not jump into the bandwagon without knowing how and why we use such technology. The rule of the thumb here is that technology should be used in specific contexts, and be used appropriately. The success of e-Learning in any institution does not only rely on good infrastructure, good SDL materials, good computer literacy among students, but also good computer literacy among educators. Since educators are agents of change, they should show a good model of users. A common expression that says, yesterday technology may become obsolete the next day because technology changes every day, and would the present educators become obsolete the next if they fail to equip themselves with latest technological knowledge and skills? One of the areas that educators should be exposed to is the instructional design in materials development. In e-Learning, educators need to be aware of the instructional design principles and know how to apply the principles in the design process of the learning materials. There are many models in instructional design systems or models such ADDIE, ASSURE, Dick and Carreys model, Alessi and Trollips 8-steps model. However, all these models share 4 processes in common, i.e., PDIEU: preparing, designingdeveloping, evaluating, and upgrading. Table x shows the tasks that are to be carried out in each process. However, the evaluation process is not summative but formative as shown in Figure 2. Evaluation should take place at every stage and in every process in the instructional design system. In each process,
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educators should always consider the potentials and limitations of the technology that they want to use.

Table 1: Tasks in the design processes Process Preparation

DesignDevelop

Implementin g

Evaluation

Tasks Analyze the needs (all stakeholders) Analyze the target audience Collect and prepare the materials (texts, graphics, animations, audio clips, video clips, photos) for the content List the general goal of the learning materials Outline learning objective Indicate the kinds of learning activities Design storyboard Transform the materials into the digital, interactive forms Ensure compatibility of the interface Pilot the materials in different settings and with different groups of the target groups Conduct learning activities for different group of students for a period of time Conduct formative and summative evaluation Provide feedbacks to designer so that the materials can be improvised and upgraded Revise and modify the content and the system design Upgrade the interface and design for present needs

Upgrading

Equally important, the methodology of delivery in e-Learning requires educators to know what best practices in specific disciplines or fields. Again, knowing pedagogical principles will help educators to determine how and why they should use certain techniques in their teaching. Some disciplines require more visuals than texts such as science, technology, medicine, engineering, while social sciences, although the best way to learn is when multi-sensory channels can be provided in the learning process. At the beginning stage of e-Learning in Malaysia, there have been many trials and
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errors among educators who have adopted a few technologies in their courses, and these experiences have been reported at seminars-conferences and in publications. Thus, educators could learn from one another on best practices in e-Learning.

Figure 2: The 4-processes in Instructional Design System The above discussion implies that teacher training program for pre-service educators should ensure, at least, a specific course on ICT and/or e-Learning is made compulsory one of the academic semesters. For those who are already in service, attending this type of course should be a must for the next job promotion at work place or for confirmation in service.