| Azlan Othman |
UNIVERSITI Brunei Darussalam (UBD) will be introducing more lifelong learning programmes across its five faculties this August, the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) of UBD Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Sadiq @ Lin Naing revealed to the media yesterday.
These faculties are Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education; UBD School of Business and Economics; Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences; Faculty of Science; and the Language Centre.
According to the assistant vice chancellor, the faculties will offer seven lifelong learning programmes: Master of Education, Master of Teaching, Master of Management, Master of Islamic Finance, Master of Economics, Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Petroleum Geoscience, seven language modules (Arabic, Dusun, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Malay), and four communication skills modules.
“UBD established the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L) and started teaching the first lifelong learning programme, BSc Digital Economy since January 2017. In August 2017, the centre offered the university’s second lifelong programme, the Master of Government,” he said.
Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Sadiq added that the aim of lifelong learning is to give an opportunity to the public to continue their education, develop their professional skills (reskilling and upskilling), and improve their job prospects.
“This is highly important, as we are looking at education or learning from an Islamic perspective and aiming for full inclusiveness with the step we are taking. We will be focussing more towards this direction and implementing more programmes based on this,” he said.
The key features of lifelong learning can be summarised with ‘3Ps’.
The first ‘P’ is ‘Flexible Place’. Lifelong learning programmes are delivered through blended learning (meaning via online and face-to-face), online video lectures, online reading materials, online discussions and online coursework assessments. Flexible learning times and locations are afforded to students, and they can undertake a large portion of their course at home or any location with internet access.
The second ‘P’ is ‘Flexible Pace’. A traditional programme, for instance a fulltime Master’s course, normally takes students two years to complete. However in lifelong learning, programmes can be studied according to an individual’s preferred pace and available time. Students are even permitted to take one module per semester, but the requirement is that they need to complete the programme, ie graduate, within 10 years.
The third ‘P’ is ‘Flexible Pathway’. Here, an individual may be interested in taking a module as a ‘short course’.
Each of the modules in the nine programmes the university is offering under lifelong learning mode can be taken as ‘short courses’.
Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Sadiq added that for these short courses, the university will give students official transcripts and credit units upon successful completion.
“If they change their mind, they can always come back and take more modules in a programme, then graduate with a graduate diploma or continue till the end and graduate with a Master’s degree. This means a student may start with a short course, then change their mind and complete their studies with a particular qualification,” he explained.
“This is what we call ‘flexible pathway’. The only thing is that students have to finish the programmes within a 10-year timeframe. And I would like to emphasise that in taking a module as a short course, we are more flexible with our entry requirements. We also count and value the applicants’ work experience rather than previous academic qualifications alone.
“We have a great experience in running the Master of Government programme. At least three students are taking modules (short courses) even though they didn’t meet the entry requirements. They are in the same class as those who satisfied the entry requirements, and despite this, they are top in the class. Their work and life experience, and interest in the subject, really matter in the lifelong learning programmes.”
Another big advantage of these lifelong learning programmes, Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Sadiq added, is the diverse professional backgrounds of the students, which really enriche the learning environment.
UBD will be holding an Open Day for the programmes on April 21-22 at The Mall, Gadong, from 10am-10pm. The event is open to all members of the public.
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