Team UiTM Eco Planet

The UiTM Eco Planet team’s car, Lipas-Motive

TEAM UiTM Eco Planet is taking what they learnt from a previous project building an aircraft, and putting the knowledge to use in the Shell Eco-marathon challenge, in particular their belief in fuel cell technology. Team leader Mohd Izmir Yamin, 28, says it took them three months to create their car, dubbed Lipas-Motive. “This is something we have always wanted to do.

We have been told that fuel cells are expensive even though they are the most efficient in the market, about one or two times more efficient than petrol or diesel. “The only thing holding fuel cells back is the cost.

So we are taking this challenge to optimise and bring down the cost,” says the Universiti Teknologi Mara aerospace and mechanical engineering student. Team supervisor associate professor Dr Thomas A.
Ward adds that the team has built a fuel cell-powered unmanned aircraft before, a large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a 5m wingspan and GPS, as well as onboard camera. “It was a first in Southeast Asia.

A lot of the lessons and the students from that programme have been brought into this car project,” says Ward. Cost is the team’s biggest challenge, says Izmir and yes, the fuel cell is the most expensive part of the car.

It cost RM36,000. “Fuel cell runs on many parts, the most expensive being platinum as a catalyst to break down hydrogen atoms to produce electricity.

RM140 per gram and in the car we use up to 600g,” he explains. As for the car itself, it experienced an initial aerodynamic drag. “We built it from pieces cut using a CNC (computerised numerical control) machine.

We laid out the fibreglass by hand.

It was a very crude method but it worked for the budget we had.

Others used ovens to bake their fibreglass. “This is our first time fabricating a car body.

It’s difficult to achieve a water droplet shape.

At least we managed a smaller back part for this model but in future, we will make sure we come up with better aerodynamics,” says Izmir. Still, the car manages a speed of between 45 to 50km per hour, which meets the minimum requirement of 20km per hour.

“The acceleration was also good, as was the braking.

As for mileage, we expect to get 600km per tank of hydrogen,” says Izmir.

Read more: Science: Team UiTM Eco Planet http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Science_TeamUiTMEcoPlanet/Article/index_html#ixzz1UjR5hWk2

Universiti Malaysia Pahang Moves Forward with Oracle Solutions

Kuantan, Pahang – Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) has just announced that it has deployed Oracle Database 11g and Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) as part of its growth in technology infrastructure.

From L-R: Roslan Bin Awang Abd Rahman, Deputy Director, PTMK UMP; Saiful Lizam Mohd Khamis, Director of Technology Sales Public Sector and MRD, Oracle Corporation Malaysia; Prof Dato’ Dr Daing Mohd Nasir Daing Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor UMP; and Prof Dr Badhrulhisham Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic & International), UMP

 

The implementation of these Oracle solutions helps to provide UMP with fault tolerance to maximize the availability of the Main Academic Portal, Time Attendance system, Student Management system, Online Examination system and Financial and Human Resource (HR) Management system, which in turn will result in a better service level for students and staff alike.
Thanks to this new system, efficiency of the university's workforce is also improved as it offers automated management capabilities that frees up staff time that were previously spent on manual administrative work.
“To improve its service level, UMP undertook the project to ensure prompt and reliable delivery of critical campus services, while stabilizing and easing workload and as a result, we are able to increase efficiencies that bring benefit to our students and staff so they can focus more on their core competencies,” said Professor Dato’ Dr. Daing Mohd Nasir Daing Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Pahang.
For more information about Oracle solutions, please visit www.oracle.com.

Blue Coat Secures and Optimizes Web Experience for 8,500 Users at One of Malaysia’s Top Engineering Universities

Blue Coat ProxySG appliances optimize video and other rich-media traffic to reduce bandwidth consumption at the Universiti Malaysia Perlis

Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) is a fast growing institution of higher learning specialising in electronic-based engineering. Over the past eight years, UniMAP – situated at the northernmost part of the Malaysian peninsula – has grown from just 116 engineering students in 2002 to about 7,000 today enrolled in eight engineering schools offering 27 separate undergraduate programmes, as well as many postgraduate degree options.
As a modern and progressive institution, UniMAP has built up an extensive network which allows its nearly 8,500 staff and students to access the Internet through a comprehensive network that comprises a variety of Ethernet-based and wireless points that serve the various schools in UniMAP’s distributed campus model with a total Internet bandwidth of 66 Mbps.
However, it is critical for UniMAP to ensure that such ubiquitous access to Web content and applications is flexibly controlled and does not adversely impact its users. During the university’s infrastructure planning session, one of the key imperatives laid down was ensuring that both security and performance would not be compromised.

" As a result of the Blue Coat solution, we have deployed our staff more efficiently on other projects. Blue Coat products give me peace of mind while managing high expectations from academicians, students and administrators across a distributed campus."- Hj Nasrudin Abd Shukor, Director, Information Communication and Technology Center

“We have to protect our users and networks from Web threats, phishing and other attacks,” said Hj Nasrudin Abd Shukpor, director, Information Communication and Technology Center at the Universiti Malaysia Perlis. “Because of the heavy usage of the Internet, we also have to take measures to ensure optimal performance.”

ICT’s role in academic management.

In UniMAP, ICT is not only used to support numerous administrative requirements, but also to provide a comprehensive environment to sustain teaching-learning processes. The UniMAP ICT Centre is established to plan, develop, implement, and maintain the appropriate ICT infrastructure such as the University Information System and Campus Communication Network. The ICT Centre also provides consultancy and advisory services in this area, apart from helping to inculcate an overall ICT culture within the University
                                  
To date, UniMAP has apportioned as much as 15% of its management budget to build its ICT infrastructure, of which a substantial portion of this is solely to support teaching-learning interests. The University e-learning project makes up a big portion of this expenditure.

With facilities comparable to those in Putrajaya, UniMAP’s ICT infrastructure has gained the accolades of several external parties, including MAMPU. The k-Attendance System developed by the University was awarded the silver medal at the Institutions of Higher Learning Research and Development Exposition organised by the Ministry of Higher Learning in August 2005. This totally homegrown system has also attracted the attention of several ICT users from Europe and the Middle East, who saw added potential in its application when the system was demonstrated in Geneva in April, 2006.


UniMAP’s e-learning project

In UniMAP, all courses are conducted exclusively on-campus. E-learning here is defined as the delivery of selected courses or topics within some courses over the internet, which aims to enhance the customary face-to-face teaching-learning processes. It aims to supplement conventional, face-to-face teaching-learning methods.

It has to be noted that prior to the ‘official’ e-learning project described below, since the very beginning, the ICT infrastructure in the University has been sufficient to support the uploading of lecture notes onto the portal..

UMP Launches ICT Business Centre

           

Kuantan - March 9, 2011: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today strengthened its partnership with HeiTech Padu Berhad and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) with the launch of Malaysia’s first Academic Initiative On Campus “Center of Excellence".

The center aims to teach and develop skills specifically on IBM technologies to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills to meet the growing IT and business needs of the public and private sectors in Malaysia. It will enhance the capabilities of IT education at institutions such as UMP in producing graduates and postgraduates with high quality skills and professional IBM certification.

The Center of Excellence is the highlight of the System z Academic Initiative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between UMP, IBM and HeiTech Padu in June 2010.

The tripartite alliance signifies strong commitment by UMP, HeiTech Padu and IBM in supporting the Government’s aspiration toward human capital development, specifically in bridging the shortage in System z technical skills in Malaysia. It also aims to position Malaysia as a hub of skilled IT experts and mainframe specialists in this region.
Under the collaboration, UMP will provide teaching resources and facilities, whilst IBM will provide leading software, courseware, training and testing necessary to gain IBM certification. HeiTech Padu will also provide UMP with the hardware infrastructure, as well as internships and job opportunities for its graduates.

Students will be trained in IBM hardware and software technology, particularly the System z mainframe technology as well as DB2, WebSphere, and Tivoli software capabilities.

UMP Vice Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Daing Nasir Ibrahim, said, "The opening of the Center of Excellence in our campus will bring us one step closer to realizing our vision of becoming a world class technological  university. We are pleased to broaden our partnership with IBM and HeiTech Padu to add value and increase the number of local skilled computer science and software engineering graduates to contribute to the local and global ICT workforce”.

He continued, “We recognise the need for more IT specialists as they are essential to any enterprise, but are hampered by the current lack of such skilled resources. Responding to the demands of the market, and the increased requirement for research and development knowledge, the Center of Excellence is being established with the aim of producing such graduates with the required knowledge, ability and analytic skills to plan and manage IT effectively through innovative learning process and practical teamwork."

Ramanathan Sathiamutty, Managing Director, IBM Malaysia said, "IBM is proud to strengthen our cooperation with institutions of higher learning like UMP, that are committed to the development of information technology. The establishment of the Center of Excellence will enable UMP to produce graduates with relevant IT knowledge and skills, to contribute to the creation of valuable work, locally and globally.                                                            

He continued, “IBM will continue to seek out opportunities to collaborate with leading academic institutions to help build up the skill set of our students to enhance their employability and to meet the demands of the ICT industry.  This is an ongoing effort by IBM in bringing innovation and progress to the nation, and in supporting the nation’s quest to be a high-income, knowledge economy.” IBM celebrates its 50th anniversary in Malaysia this year.

Safiee Mohammad, President of HeiTech Padu Berhad said, “Cooperation between HeiTech, IBM and the UMP opens a new chapter in the country's IT development.  The launch of the IBM Center of Excellence today is a testimony of our commitment to assist the government in driving the nation's human capital development. I believe the combined expertise and experience of all the parties involved will able to position Malaysia as the hub for the development of IT specialists in the region.”

“To this end, a total of twenty-nine (29) students who were enrolled in System z Course were given the opportunity to visit HeiTech’s Data Centre in Shah Alam. We are also pleased to announce that in June this year, HeiTech will be launching a special industry training program for System z mainframe technology involving those students for the first batch and the numbers will increase steadily. These educational programmes will give exposure and experience to the students on real live data centre operations involving the use of System z mainframe technology," added Safiee.

Concentrating on the development of technological infrastructure, UMP is currently the first and only institution in Malaysia to teach its students capabilities of the IBM System z mainframe that comes with features that are fully in line with IBM’s vision of a “Smarter Planet”. The flexibility of the system integration provides distinction in terms of processing stability, contributing to lower costs and energy savings. Universities around the world are using the IBM System z mainframe as part of the teaching curriculum, with more than 500 universities and over 50,000 students who have been certified.

Usim Offers Dental Services to Local Community

Pandan Indah, 7 Oct 2009 – The Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM) took its first steps in providing services to the local community with the Faculty of Dentistry (FPg) opening a Dental Service Unit, a modern facility equipped with 37 dental chairs, X-ray machines and other dental equipment.

According to the Dean and Head of the e-Clinical system project, Prof. Dato’ Dr Wan Mohamad Nasir bin Wan Othman, USIM spent RM30 million in the 8th and 9th Malaysia Plan to install ICT facilities for teaching and learning purposes in accordance with the aim of USIM’s establishment which is to uphold Islamic based education.

The Dental Service Unit has several facilities such as the Dental Clinics, Dental Laboratories and the X-ray rooms. The establishment of this unit is part of the main necessities in the teaching of dentistry. It is the cornerstone of clinical practice at the undergraduate level. The facilities provided will also be expanded to accommodate clinical practices at the postgraduate level in various dental expertise.

To ease the management of patient records, the e-Clinical system was developed as a means of support to enhance the quality of records used in two locations – the Students Health Unit at the Nilai campus of USIM and also the Dental Service Unit at the Pandan Indah campus. 

This system is fully functional as from July 2009 and it is a medical operation system that comes equipped with additional features like data entry, maintenance, inquiry and interactive reporting.

According to the Vice Chancellor of USIM, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Abdul Shukor Hj. Husin, the development of this e-Clinical system is another important effort in USIM’s strategic planning for ICT. Three parties, namely the Department of Knowledge Management and Information Technology (PPITM), the Faculty of Dentistry and the Students Health Unit, Department of Student Affairs, helmed the development and implementation of this system.

The statement was made by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Muhamad Muda  representing  the Vice Chancellor,  at the opening ceremony of the Dental Service Unit and e-Clinical system at the Pandan Indah campus.


The objectives of this e-Clinical project are to develop and implement an operational  solution to integrate the dental and medical records of patients in order to provide a more efficient service  to students, staff of USIM and the community.

The e-Clinical system is one of the technological advancements made in creating a paperless society and simplifying the management of patient registration and record keeping. This means that the process to analyse patient data and inventory can be done easily and continuously. 
It is hoped that the facilities provided will be utilised by all parties in making USIM one of the national referral centres for dental services and patient record keeping.

USIM Innovation at PECIPTA 2009

Kuala Lumpur, 9 Oct 2009 – USIM won one silver medal and three bronze medals in the International Institutes of Higher Learning Invention Conference and Expo (PECIPTA), organised by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education together with University of Malaya. PECIPTA 2009 was held for 3 days from 8-10 October 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mahir Mohamed Mokhtar’s “New Source of Citral from Lemongrass Flowers” won the gold medal whilst Prof. Salmah Yusof’s “Rush Tea-Roselle Tablet Tea” and Mr. Halim Mohd Hussin’s “Combat-PSDA” and “RecoTAC-E” won the bronze medal respectively. 

USIM submitted 12 designs and innovations in 4 categories, namely Bioscience and Biotechnology, Communication Information and Technology, Physics and Engineering Sciences and Social and Human Sciences. One of the innovations (Multi-class Traffic Packet Switching) by Prof Dr. Kamaruzzaman Seman was chosen to enter the competition at the Main Gallery.

As in past years, PECIPTA 2009 aims to exhibit designs and innovations by local and international universities. Apart from that, it also opens up opportunities to participants to form ties and partnerships for the development of prototypes and their commercialisation. 

Among the main objectives of PECIPTA 2009 is to support the government’s efforts in accelerating national growth through the emphasis on research and development. Other purposes include displaying products and designs by local universities that have been successfully commercialised and marketing research expertise that is competitive not only locally but also globally.

UPM and UM Enhance Learning Facilities and Empower Student Lives with 4G Mobile Internet

Kuala Lumpur, 13 September 2010 – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) today joined the Education Partner Program (EPP) spearheaded by YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms). Under the program, both universities will apply the power of 4G Mobile Internet campus-wide to give their students cutting-edge learning facilities and further enhance the quality of life on campus for both students and academic staff.

UM plans to utilise YTL's 4G Campus-wide Network to boost research activities and be among the top 100 universities in the world

UPM and UM are the third and fourth local university respectively to join the EPP program in the last two months after UTM and UTAR. All twenty of Malaysia’s public universities and selected private universities are expected to join the program by the end of the year.

“We want the students to access our enterprise, learning and research services from anywhere and at anytime and therefore we are pleased to partner with YTL Comms to give our students the freedom and the convenience of 4G Mobile Internet,” said Professor Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah, Vice Chancellor of UPM.

“We champion the model of Ubiquitous Learning at UPM. This means learning whatever, whenever, wherever. We call it www-learning, which is, incidentally, the way the real Internet should be, too”, said Associate Professor Dr. Suhaimi Napis, CTO and Director, InfoComm Development Centre (iDEC), UPM.

The Ubiquitous Learning Environment (ULE) at UPM, the brainchild of Dr. Suhaimi, relies on the Malaysian Research and Education Network (MYREN), a high-capacity broadband network that connects universities, colleges, research organisations and scientific laboratories. UPM was one of the founding proposers of this dedicated network that provides a platform for creating research communities and encourages them to exchange ideas and collaborate with international partners.

YTL's 4G Campus-wide Network is set to take UPM's model of Ubiquitous Learning Environment (ULE) even further

While UPM’s ubiquitous learning model relies on MYREN as the foundation, the university also has a number of cloud services that can support blended learning – a mixture of remote and on-premise education. For example, the video collaboration services, 1VideoBridge, make live virtual classes possible, with up to 160 laptops, desktops and other compatible devices connected at one time, where students can interact with the lecturer and each other. We also have uCast, modelled after a popular video-sharing portal to facilitate video-on-demand.

“All this innovation that supports the ubiquitous learning model can’t be fully harnessed by the students without high speed Internet access that is available everywhere and from any device,” said Dr. Suhaimi. “The power of 4G Mobile Internet will create new ways for education to be delivered and we are already working with YTL Comms to enable interoperability between our learning and research cloud services and all platforms, including new Android-based devices, which we are eager to explore.” He added.

Under the EPP partnership, each student will receive FREE converged data and voice services of 300 megabytes per user, on a monthly basis over a period of 3 years at anytime and from anywhere throughout the campus grounds. On top of that, the students will be able to top up their accounts at special student rates.

“UM is currently rated the top ranking university in Malaysia, but it is our mission to see UM among the top 100 universities in the world in the next five years. Our partnership with YTL Comms and participation in the EPP program is a major milestone towards realising this vision,” said Datuk Dr. Ghauth Jasmon, Vice Chancellor of UM.

UM sees 4G Mobile Internet as a perfect tool to enhance students’ lives on campus, too. “The combination of 4G Broadband & Voice service under one account is a great value proposition to our students. When every ringgit needs to be stretched, it helps that our students can use their 300 megabytes of free broadband to make free phone calls, too. Considering that the majority of their calls are made to friends and colleagues on campus, the savings they will be able to realize are substantial,” elaborated Dr. David Asirvatham, Director, Center for Information Technology, UM.

UM is Malaysia’s first public university and a Research University, as designated by the Government. As such, UM actively spearheads a number of research-intensive projects in ICT and Computational Sciences, Biotechnology and Bioproducts, and Health and Translational Medicine in which it applies the power of Grid Computing. However, due to the current bandwidth limitations, the Grid Computing can only extend to the servers at the time being.

“With the superior performance of 4G, that delivers connectivity in megabits instead of the kilobits we currently get with 3G, the power of grid computing can easily extend all the way to desktops and devices, too, significantly improving our research process,” added Dr. David.

“We are very impressed with UPM’s and UM’s vision to create superior academic environments and we are extremely pleased to be their partner in realising this vision,” said Yasmin Mahmood, Executive Director, YTL Communications. “We are building a better Internet for everyone, a 4G Mobile Internet network that truly empowers all people, and we want our students, the leaders of a better tomorrow, to be the first to experience this most advanced Internet technology available today.”

UTM to pioneer a high-speed 4G technology

Skudai, July 2^nd: A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and YTL Corporation Berhad to provide 4G campus-wide network in UTM Skudai.

               

Under this arrangement, YTL through their subsidiary company, YTL Communication Sdn. Bhd. (YTL Comms) undertook the following aspects such as to design, build, operate and manage a 4G campus-wide network for the provision of data and voice service within the Johor Bahru campus.

YTL Comms will help enhance UTM’s existing ICT infrastructure besides providing free broadband access to every student to allow data and voice services of 300 megabytes per user per month within the campus area.

The expectation will be high as this landmark was the first in an extensive programme spearheaded by YTL to bring 4G converged service, offering data, voice and mobility into all public universities in Malaysia.

As a result of this mutual understanding, UTM as the first public institutions will benefit from that available high-speed wireless broadband connectivity to more than 400, 000 students by year-end making it the first university in Malaysia to provide free high-speed internet connectivity.

The low latency, high bandwidth 4G technology supports fast data rates.  It is highly efficient and will develope a robust device ecosystem for web services.

This effort is in support of the National Broadband Initiative (NBI) aim to reach 50 percent broadband penetration rate by the end of 2010.

The agreement was signed by UTM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang and Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Francis Yeoh, Excutive Chairman of YTL Communications on behalf of YTL Corporation Berhad and witnessed by Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, Minister of Information, Communications and Culture.

“We are on the cutting edge of new technology, the first university in Malaysia to gain exposure to high-speed 4G broadband wireless connectivity,” said UTM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang during a press conference after the ceremony.

He also said that by having this 4G campus-wide network, UTM will be a unique public university.

“It provides a competitive edge to demonstrate to the prospective students that we are progressing in developing new technologies and providing current students with holistic learning,” he added.

The ceremony was held at Dewan Jamuan, UTM Johor Bahru campus on July 1^st, 2010.

The First 4G Outlet Launched in UTM

 

Yasmin demonstrates the use of 4G broadband to Dr Zaini after the launching of  the YES Campus Store at Arked Meranti.

Skudai, March 11 – “YES Campus Store”, the first 4G outlet at an institution of higher learning in the country is launched at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia today.

The UTM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang said, the initiative to open the said outlet enables the UTM community to get the 4G mobile internet services at an affordable rate.

 The package, Education Partner Program Campus Citizen Plan, facilitates the UTM community to use the 4G network which has been customised with a special package.

The Yes 4G mobile phone is also launched today exclusively for the UTM community.

The YES Campus Store was launched by Dr. Zaini.  Also present was the Executive Director of YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms), Yasmin Mahmood.

Although more than 80 percent of the student residential colleges have been provided with internet coverage through the installation of almost 1,000 wireless hot spots, the 4G broad band services will extend the students’ accessibility to the online learning materials and services.

The facilities enable more than 20 thousand students to utilise the advanced communication and information technology as part of their learning process. The initiative is in tandem with UTM teaching and learning policy which emphasizes the use of e-learning while focusing on the development of soft skills among students.

The expansion of the broad band and internet accessibility will give great impact to the students of UTM as it enables them to obtain the information required particularly in research and development speedily and promptly. Such facilities are most appropriate as many of the learning references and materials are made available through the internet.

In addition the technopreneur program will get the advantage of the services provided by YTL Comms through high speed internet.

Award winning research product, MMSKU launched

Skudai, October 27^th: UTM launched an award winning research product that can allow mobile users to send digital greeting cards with typed text through SMS or mobile portal.

The system, known as MMSKu, won the Maxis Mobile Content Challenge 2009 (MCC 2009) and is the brain child of two UTM students, Hasnol Ariff Hussin and Muhamad Bukhairi Samsudin and their lecturer-advisor Dr. Mohd Yazid Idris.

MMSKu is a system that enables users to create electronic Flash cards while on the go by selecting image, text, and audio through a mobile portal or Short Messaging System (SMS) request. The finished flash-based mobile greeting cards will then be delivered through the Multimedia Messaging System (MMS).

FSKSM Dean, Professor Dr. Abdul Hanan Abdullah in a statement said that the launching of MMSKu shows how UTM ICT students can go far with the knowledge they obtained in UTM.

 

“UTM ICT graduates are the most sought after graduates in this country, not just because of their expertise but also because of their creativity in developing and innovating products such as MMSKu”, said Abdul Hanan.

 

The product was launched in conjunction with the ICT Innovation Day organised by the Faculty of Computer Science and Information System (FSKSM) with the collaboration of Maxis, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) and the Ministry of Information Communication and Culture (KPKK).

 

The event highlights work, research and software products developed by UTM ICT final year students, staff and researchers.

 

Also present during the launching were Rostam Hashim, Head of Content Channels and Industry Development, Maxis Berhad and Roslan Mohamad, the SKMM Director of Content and Industry Development.

UTeM, Cisco develop learning environment

KUALA LUMPUR, 7 MARCH 2011 - Malaysian technical university Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and networking solutions firm Cisco have rolled out a 20-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) network to create a connected learning environment.

UTeM Computer Centre directors Mohd Isa Mohd Dom said the network in its Durian Tunggal campus, which houses 8,000 students, would simplify operations as well as provide connectivity on any device. "UTeM is the first university in Malaysia to roll out such a robust campus-wide network, which aims to be a model for other universities in the country in the planning and implementation of information and communications technology (ICT)."

"We believe the network is crucial in enabling a future-proof technology environment that contributes to academic excellence, innovation and creative technical education," said Isa. "With a network powered by Cisco equipment, we are ready to welcome into the campus latest technologies such as unified communications, video conferencing facilities and lecture-on-demand applications."

"A connected learning environment has been recognised throughout the world as the key in enabling a better-quality and knowledge-led educational process," said Cisco Malaysia managing director, Anne Abraham. "Today, the network is the platform for transforming universities and educational institutions, not only by empowering collaboration but also by increasing greater access to quality education."

"This move is consistent with the Malaysian government's education policy, as announced by the Ministry of Education, which called on educational institutions to embrace ICT as the main tool for teaching and to ensure that the education ICT practices in Malaysian schools meet international standards," said UTeM's Isa. "With this implementation, UTeM will transform its existing ICT environment to allow the integration of many other useful innovation-driven applications."

Implementation and Strategies for Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (UiTM) :: e-learning at higher education

in initiating and implementing e-learning on a campus wide level. The main function of the centre is to implement and provide services to create a learning environment where lecturers provide Web-based contents and online learning activities.  Universiti Teknologi MARA, with fifteen branch campuses spread throughout the country offers indeed vast untapped resources as far as expertise and infrastructure.  This article attempts to describe the University's efforts to embark on e-learning in a big way after a span of only one year of implementation efforts.

In Malaysia, e-learning is no longer  a new phenomenon, but it has not ceased to be a hot topic. It has established itself as an option in all level of education, especially in tertiary education, where it is poised to take a larger role. The diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled existing and new institutions of higher learning in Malaysia to offer their educational services to a wider market place and in many instances, beyond geographic locations. The demand for education, on the other hand has been growing so rapidly in the last few decades most particularly among adults.  This phenomenon is closely related to the change from the industry-based economy to the emerging knowledge-based economy, which focuses on the development of the human capital as the major contributor to a holistic development.

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) is Malaysia's premier institution of higher learning that has experienced a phenomenal growth since its inception in 1956. The university has expanded nationwide with 3 satellite campuses, 12 branch campuses, 6 city campuses, 25 franchise colleges and a smart campus for the future. Its formation is based on a vision of outstanding scholarship and academic excellence that is capable of providing leadership in all fields of internationally recognized professional study.

The university has the broadest range of disciplines that any one university can boast of-from hotel and tourist management to accountancy to communication and media studies to medical and health technology, encompassing 25 faculties and 250 academic programmes spread over Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities and Business Management.

Moving some activities online for example tutorials, discussion, announcements and assessment online and out of the classroom not only reduces demands on buildings but also creates efficiencies as digital materials are much faster, cheaper to produce, copy, distribute, adapt and share than other formats anywhere anytime

Today, the university has an enrolment of nearly 100,000 students spread through out the country registered in all the different modes of study and disciplines. UiTM being a pioneer institution of higher learning is totally committed to producing a significant number of Bumiputra professionals who are skilled in a broad spectrum of competencies covering a wide range of industrial and vocational requirements and therefore when given the mandate by the government that UiTM students enrolment will be expected to increase to 200,000 in ten years time, the university responded positively as it will contribute towards development of the human capital and increasing the national productivity of   the country.

E-learning: The new age solution
To respond to the challenge of 200,000 student enrolment and internationalisation of higher education, the management of the university is confident with the potential of the technology, most especially the growing availability of Internet connections. E-learning could be the solution to the growth of the student population for the university within the time given and the promotion of life long learning by taking advantage of the technological opportunity.  

For UiTM, e-learning will create an extended learning environment that supports, complements and enriches face to face classroom teaching and learning for the on-campus programmes as well as distance learning programmes. Now learning can extend well beyond the classroom in a blended learning powered by the virtual capabilities of e-learning. Academics now can put course materials online for students to access and also create online activities and discussion to improve students understanding and encourage deeper learning. Besides, moving some activities online for example tutorials, discussion, announcements and assessment online and out of the classroom not only reduces demands on buildings but also creates efficiencies as digital materials are much faster, cheaper to produce, copy, distribute, adapt and share than other formats anywhere anytime. E-learning is also easier for mature students and post graduate programmes.

The distance learning initiative for UiTM began since 1973 with the establishment of the Off Campus School which provides off campus learning opportunities (for certificate and diploma programmes) to individuals aspiring for higher education and improved  qualifications but who are unable to take advantage of traditional modes of education. In 1990 the function and responsibilities of the Off Campus School were expanded to include distance-learning programmes through the use of study manuals and audio recordings. In 1995 the Off Campus School name was changed to 'The Institute of Education Development (InED)' and since July 2000, it began to offer online   programmes (diploma, degree and masters) via the Internet. Currently, the Institute has an enrolment of 8,000 students and has successfully produced 3,000 graduates since its establishment.

The achievements at i-Lec shows 60% of lecturers registered as active instructors and 1600 courses delivered onto the portal accessible to students anywhere anytime by the end of April 2006. Beginning June 2006, data of all full time students has been successfully integrated into the system and through the i-student portal they can access the i-learn portal and course content

With the explosive growth of the Internet, in 1999 the university  began to consider incorporating e-learning into its education offerings and not only limited to distance learning but also to complement on-campus programs. The main challenge was how best to create a potentially powerful learning environment that could enhance full-time on-campus education in the shortest time possible. The university embarked on a pilot project with twenty lecturers from different faculties selected based on their interest and commitment on e-learning and use of technology in teaching. The  platform chosen and used by this pilot group was Lotus Learning Space 5 (LLS 5).  Subsequently two more ICT group of lecturers were trained and efforts were drastically geared towards equipping faculties with technology-enabled classrooms to encourage lecturers to adopt technology in their teaching. However, feedback from the pilot group members was not satisfactory regarding the platform. It was too cumbersome and unfriendly for them and students to get started on their own. The achievement of the project was limited due to infrastructure and software limitations and time constraint to train all lecturers as content developers. After three years, 23 courseware of highly multimedia interactive mode were completed and uploaded online.

Unimas researchers to preserve indigenous languages digitally

KUCHING: Researchers at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) hope to preserve the state’s indigenous languages through the use of information and communication technology (ICT).
Led by associate professor of information systems Alvin Yeo, the Sarawak Language Technology Research Group (SALT) is working on various research projects to digitise indigenous languages and develop tools such as spell checkers, online dictionaries and machine translation.
“We’re focusing on how to ensure that the indigenous languages of Sarawak will still exist. For a lot of these languages, the number of speakers is getting fewer.
“According to Sarawak Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), there are 63 known languages in the state and 76% of these languages have fewer than 10,000 speakers,” he said.
According to Yeo, one reason for the declining number of speakers is migration from rural to urban areas, where people will mostly speak English or Bahasa Melayu.
“In addition, the younger generation is exposed to a lot of television and other media which are generally not in their local languages.
“Another factor is inter-marriages. For example if a Bidayuh marries an Iban, maybe one of the languages will be spoken but sometimes neither of the languages is spoken and English or Bahasa Melayu becomes the language spoken in the family instead,” he told reporters after giving a talk on SALT’s work at Sarawak Development Institute here yesterday.
As such, he said the research group aimed to use ICT to create resources which would be able to record and store information on indigenous languages, which could then be shared through the Internet and further developed into useful tools.
Yeo said various research projects were being undertaken by Master’s students at Unimas under SALT. These include developing machine translation for Iban into English and vice versa, a spell checker for Iban and Melanau and the Singai Dialect Online Project to compile a Bidayuh glossary and document the community’s traditional songs and stories.
“We are still in the early stages of these research projects, which we started one or two years ago. We hope that in about a year or two we’ll have some prototype which will be workable.
“For example, the machine translation tool is not perfect with an accuracy rate of about 60%, so we’re continually trying to improve,” Yeo said.
He said the researchers welcomed feedback and assistance from the indigenous communities and language experts to collect the necessary data and help ensure its accuracy.
SALT is currently collaborating with other local and foreign universities, the Tun Jugah Foundation, DBP, Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak, the State Library and various community associations.

UKM to Acquire Latest Technology to be Among the World’s Best University

BANGI, 18 July 2011 –UKM has drawn up its ICT Strategic Plan for the period 2011-2015 to be spearheaded by the Information Technology Centre (PTM) as part of its efforts to become a world renowned university.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Student and Alumni Affairs, Prof Ir Dr Othman A. Karim said the latest technology is needed to help spur the university’s principal activities to be on par with other institutions of higher learning on a global scale.
There needed to be comprehensive planning to achieve this, he said when opening PTM’s ICT Day here today.
He is confident that PTM will be able to meet requirements for the latest technology under the Strategic Plan, a blueprint that provides guidance for the implementation of ICT projects in a cost effective way in line with the need for priority to be placed on management and operational requirements within a specified period.
“This Strategic Plan also identifies the initiatives that will be supported by applications systems, technology, human capital development and ICT-based administration in supporting UKM’s mission and vision,” Prof Othman said.
In describing ICT as the driver of UKM’s transformation exercise, Prof. Othman said the level of ICT usage among UKM’s staff and students is high in view of the facilities and services that are being provided.
Even so, he hoped PTM will always seek feedback from the users of its services and look for ways to improve its delivery. He described the ICT Day as one such avenue for feedback and a way to re-evaluate the current technology, study problems that arise and ways to overcome them.
Prof. Othman was proud of the achievements of PTM in providing a wide range of facilities in terms of ICT infrastructure to help nurture research, teaching and learning while ensuring administrative excellence at the university.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin in her message for the ICT Day said that PTM, as a major service centre at UKM, has improved the quality of its service provisions in a comprehensive manner.
In 2010, PTM was awarded the ISO 9001:2008 certification, which she described as proof that PTM succeeded in meeting its KPI, and she hoped that efforts to build upon this would be continued through control and monitoring mechanisms so that improvement in service quality is achieved more effectively.
PTM Director Associate Prof Dr Mohamad Shanudin Zakaria said the era where ICT was seen as a technical facilitator to overcome the technical issues facing organisations is over. ICT’s primary role now is to develop and provide services that are suited for the world of business, he said.
“This requires intellectual transformation that is geared towards the realisation of a knowledge economy,” he stressed.
“For this purpose, ICT must be regarded as the driver in powering smart partnership and not just focussed on resolving issues in terms of content and hardware.”
Among the exhibitors at the ICT Day are the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu), the OSS (Open Source Software) community, the amateur radio community, Telekom Malaysia, Symantec Corp (Malaysia) and Avaya (Malaysia).

UKM is working on six Artificial Intelligence projects

PUTRAJAYA, 28 June 2011 – Preserving old Malay manuscripts through a home-grown software called JawiWare and developing a medical data mining system are just a couple of the projects UKM researchers are involved in as the country’s premier research university strives to make its mark in the rapidly-advancing world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Among other current research projects are on Fuzzy Tabu-based Optimisation for Job Shop Scheduling, University Timetabling, Malaysia Medical Data Repository, and MYNDA: A Data Mining Application Generator.

UKM Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tan Sri Dato' Wira Dr. Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin listed them when she opened the 1st International Multi-Conference on Artificial Intelligence Technology (M-CAIT 2011) here, which was organised by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Technology (CAIT) at UKM’s Faculty of Information Science and Technology.

The three research groups at CAIT -- the Pattern Recognition Research Group (PR), the Data Mining and Optimisation Research Group (DMO) and the Knowledge Technology Research Group (KT) -- combined three conferences into one.

These are the International Conference on Pattern Analysis and Intelligent Robotic (ICPAIR 2011), the 3rd Conference on Data Mining and Optimisation (DMO11) and the 1st International Conference on Semantic Technology and Information Retrieval (STAIR2011).

Prof. Tan Sri Sharifah Hapsah hoped that a sharing of ideas among  researchers, developers and practitioners at the multi-conference will not only disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge about Artificial Intelligence but will also help the three main research groups at CAIT to refine their application of AI techniques and methods to support various disciplines through research, teaching and consultancy.

With ICT being one of UKM’s niche research areas, she said the conference allows the researchers to exhibit UKM’s strengths in existing and new areas of ICT, specifically in Artificial Intelligence.

“At the same time we want to learn from the expressiveness and complexity of Artificial Intelligence technology for the benefit of the people whose lives can be enhanced by them,” she added.

 

Stressing that the research/innovation interface is very important to the university, Prof. Tan Sri Sharifah Hapsah said UKM has engaged vigorously with initiatives to develop a vibrant and sustainable R&D portfolio.

USM PLANNING NEW ICT PEDAGOGY

PENANG, 23 Feb – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is planning on using a unique teaching and learning methodology in the field of information and communication technology. This new methodology will allow the students to understand the lessons in their own way and at their own pace.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said that the idea of using this methodology came about after a study by an ICT expert from India had shown that self-study has a positive effect on students.

He added that this methodology can transform the current style of teaching and turn ICT into a field that will have a wider impact on the creativity and knowledge of students.

“In the study carried out by the ICT expert, a computer was placed in an open space, where students could use it without any fear or specific instruction. The students had to independently learn to use and understand the instructions from the computer according to their own creativity, including understanding learning materials saved in the computer,” he said.

Prof. Tan Sri Dzulkifli added that the previous generation learned a lot of things on their own using trial and error. So if this strategy could be applied to the present generation, it is believed that the results would be very encouraging.

At the press conference after launching the ”Facilitating Effective ICT – Pedagogy Integration Workshop”, he explained that specific groups, including the indigenous community would benefit from the use of this technique.

He added that this methodology would be tested in an indigenous community in Banding, Perak. This indigenous community was adopted by USM after the ICT expert from India agreed to collaborate on this effort.

He further explained that learning ICT using this method would enhance the quality of teaching and learning, in addition to fulfilling the needs of the ‘bottom billions’ to equip themselves with the requisite ICT skills.

“According to the ICT expert, with only need minimal resources, this methodology is guaranteed to meet the learning needs of students, whose numbers might cross the billion mark. We have invited the ICT expert to USM to share ideas and implement this concept among the indigenous community in Malaysia by May 2010. If this is carried out successfully, it will fulfill another of our social responsibilities as a institution of higher learning,” he explained.

Meanwhile the three-day workshop, organized by The School of Educational studies (PPIP) was held in conjunction with the launching of the ICT UNESCO Bangkok Resource Centre- a collaborative effort with Unesco Bangkok for more systematic and effective ICT-Pedagogy integration.

Also present at the function that was attended by more than 50 lecturers and educators, were UNESCO representative, Dr. Molly Lee; Head of the Academic Sector of the Penang Education Department, Che Fatimah Othman; and The Dean of PPIP, Prof. Dr. Abdul Rashid Mohamed.

UNESCO Bangkok will set up the ICT Resource Center with the i-SMARTLAB – Integration of Smart Media in USM with funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

University of Malaya students chosen to pilot Cisco Industrial Training Programme

A total of 35 undergraduate students from the University of Malaya have been picked to pilot the Cisco Industrial Training Programme (CiTP), an undergraduate internship programme developed in collaboration between Cisco and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).

The programme, currently in its pilot phase, hopes to establish an undergraduate internship programme to identify and train skilled information and communications technology (ICT) networking specialists for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The chosen interns are third-year computer science undergraduate students at the University of Malaya who are currently undergoing the Cisco CCNA curriculum and have an excellent academic record.
Cisco will prepare the interns through an intensive two-week training programme where they will learn business soft skills to complement their technical knowledge.
At the end of this training, students will be assigned to an SME in the MSC Malaysia (formerly known as the Multimedia Super Corridor) to manage and maintain the company´s ICT and networking environment for six months. These participating SMEs would be appointed by MDeC and 30 companies have been identified.
Cisco Malaysia´s managing director, Anne Abraham, explained that there were two main goals for CiTP -- equipping students with real-world business experience and providing expertise that can provide strategic business and technology contribution to participating SMEs.
"The interns will be exposed to and work on resolving real situations in a live work environment, often regarded as unique in IT requirements and challenges. The programme would certainly accelerate their learning curve and experience, and eventually cultivate a higher-quality talent pool for the ICT workforce," she said.
"On the other hand, CiTP provides SMEs with the opportunity to realise and reap the benefits of having qualified networking interns and the right talent managing the organisations´ network, systems and business."
The preliminary training prior to the placement in June will begin in May where a panel of experts will induct the interns on applicable and useful strategies, technologies, solutions and soft skills for SMEs.
"While we are setting the standard for a rounded internship programme, and the success of CiTP will determine the scale of implementation moving forward. Eventually, our ambition is to take it further, widen the opportunity, and establish it as an ideal model not only for our peers in the ICT sector, but also across industries in the market," Abraham added.

ITU-UUM PENCETUS KEWUJUDAN ‘RACIM’ DI MALAYSIA

ITU-UUM sekali lagi telah berjaya mengumpulkan beberapa ahli radio amatur di Malaysia dengan mengadakan satu mesyuarat post mortem pada 24hb Julai 2011 yang lalu bertempat di Bilik Mesyuarat, Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) Cyberjaya, bagi membincangkan perkara-perkara berbangkit ketika berlangsungnya Seminar Kebangsaan “Synchronizing Emergency Communication In Disaster Management Among The Radio Amateur Community In Malaysia 2011” (RACIM EmCom 2011) yang telah diadakan pada 30hb April hingga 2hb Mei  yang lalu di Hotel Seri Malaysia Bagan Lalang, Selangor. Seminar tersebut adalah merupakan hasil kerjasama diantara  ITU-UUM dan SKMM serta ahli-ahli Radio Amatur Malaysia yang terdiri daripada pelbagai persatuan dan kelab yang telah berdaftar dengan SKMM.

Seminar tersebut adalah merupakan seminar yang julung kalinya diadakan khas untuk  ‘Radio Amateur Community In Malaysia’ (RACIM) bagi membincangkan segala isu-isu terkini dan permasalahan yang dihadapi serta memberikan pendedahan tentang kepentingan komunikasi radio dan peranan RACIM ketika menghadapi bencana apabila semua kemudahan telekomunikasi tidak dapat digunakan atau gagal berfungsi seperti sediakala.

Antara perkara utama yang telah dibangkitkan dan dipersetujui  di dalam mesyuarat post mortem tersebut adalah :

1. Menjadikan Seminar RACIM ini sebagai acara tahunan kerana ia merupakan platform atau medium yang terbaik untuk semua ahli Radio Amatur di Malaysia membincangkan segala isu-isu yang berkaitan dengan mereka dengan mudah dan efektif.
2. Menjadikan ITU-UUM sebagai Pusat Stesen Radio yang utama di wilayah utara.
3. Mewujudkan satu penyelidikan mengenai permasalahan dan isu yang dihadapi oleh komuniti radio amatur  di Malaysia.

Diharapkan dengan usaha yang telah dilakukan ini, ITU-UUM mampu menjadi jambatan kepada semua ahli radio amatur di Malaysia untuk bergerak dengan lebih efektif dan bekerjasama diantara satu sama lain.

ITU-UUM MEMPERKASA ICT DI LUAR BANDAR - Utusan Malaysia

KUBANG PASU 9 Ogos - Hasil kajian mengenai pembangunan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) di kawasan luar bandar oleh sekumpulan 15 penyelidik dari Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), dipilih untuk dibentangkan pada satu bengkel antarabangsa, baru-baru ini.
Kumpulan itu diketuai, Prof. Dr. Zulkhairi Md. Dahalin yang mewakili Malaysia membentangkan kajian tersebut di Bengkel Antarabangsa Mengenai Pembangunan Luar Bandar di Krabi dan Bangkok, Thailand.
Bengkel tersebut adalah anjuran Asian Development Bank (ADB) dan International Telecommunication Union (ITU) dengan kerjasama Kementerian Teknologi Penerangan dan Komunikasi Thailand.
UUM dalam kenyataannya berkata, pembentangan tersebut adalah mengenai projek pembangunan ICT luar bandar yang mengambil masa dua tahun sejak 2009 yang dibiayai oleh ADB.
"Ia melibatkan sembilan buah negara di seluruh Asia Pasifik, seperti Kemboja, China, Indonesia, India, Korea, Mongolia, Malaysia, Filipina dan Thailand," katanya di sini hari ini.
Bagi projek di Malaysia, kajian kes mengenai perkara itu dijalankan dari Januari 2010 hingga Mei 2011 dan ADB melantik Zulkhairi sebagai perunding tempatan dan sekali gus mewakili Malaysia dalam sesi pembentangan tersebut.
"Pada sesi itu juga, salah seorang daripada 15 penyelidik yang terlibat dalam projek itu iaitu Dr. Mohd. Khairudin Kasiran turut membentangkan kajiannya," katanya.
Kenyataan UUM menambah, terdapat pelbagai isu dan cadangan berkaitan status ICT di luar bandar bagi setiap negara telah dibincangkan pada bengkel tersebut.
Katanya, antaranya ialah strategi, polisi dan peraturan, faktor ekonomi dan sosial, pembangunan modal insan, pasaran dan inisiatif akses ICT luar bandar serta rangkaian dan program kerajaan terhadap pembangunan ICT luar bandar.
"Beberapa contoh kajian kes beberapa negara terutamanya Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Filipina dan India telah dijadikan model untuk diadaptasi oleh negara-negara yang masih dalam proses meningkatkan ICT mereka di luar bandar seperti Mongolia dan Kemboja," tambahnya.
Katanya, bengkel dan forum berkenaan adalah platform perkongsian ilmu dan percambahan idea berkaitan pembangunan ICT di luar bandar dari pelbagai perspektif yang secara tidak langsung mewujudkan jaringan sosial antara negara-negara ASEAN dan Asia Pasifik.