The Aptitude Challenge 2015 Creating Outstanding Profiles For The Business World

The winning teams of The Aptitude Challenge 2015 sharing their joy with organising committee and lecturers of School of Business, KDU University College

Knowing one’s strengths on various subjects and gaining insight in areas that suit them in the world of business, will help business students prepare well for their future career upon graduation. This was at the forefront of the partnership established by KDU University College’s School of Business and Bloomberg Institute, the education division of Bloomberg LP, when the two institutes introduced the Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT) to KDU students, which will assist students.

Being a free assessment itself, the Bloomberg Aptitude Test is available online at 3,500 universities and Bloomberg offices worldwide. In fact, KDU is only one of the eight higher learning institutions in Malaysia, which provides the BAT. The 2-hour long test, comes with 100 multiple-choice questions, comprising 8 different subject areas, which measures candidates’ aptitude in various aspects of finance, business as well as career skills relevant to any industry.

DIGI-KDU University College collaborate at KDU Glenmarie Campus, Shah Alam

The inaugural group of Digi-KDU UC Co-operative Education Programme and winners of the Sales Challenge Prize Awards

On 17 November 2015, KDU University College and Digi Telecommunications officially launched an academic programme together for KDU’s Diploma in Business students entitled the Digi-KDU UC Co-operative Education Programme.

The ceremonial event held in conjunction with the official opening of the Digi Store located at the KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie campus and the graduation of the inaugural group of the programme through the Sales Challenge Prize Awards with a grand prize of RM3,000.

The purpose of this programme is for KDU to provide students with learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls; to also increase collaboration between the industry “Digi” and academia; and to apply classroom theories in real world situations for students’ learning, growth and personal development. The means by which to achieve this real life learning programme is to put students through a series of training modules such as Classroom Orientations, actual working experience at a Digi Retail Outlet, conducting a Group Sales Challenge, to name a few.

Engineering students show prowess at KDU’s School of Engineering Robot Competition 2015

The winning teams of SOE Robot Competition 2015 sharing their joy with Ir. Dr. Matthew Teow Yok Wooi (right in front row) and the organising committee

The School of Engineering (SOE) at KDU University College recently organised its inaugural ‘SOE Robot Competition 2015’ on 28th October 2015 at the atrium of the Utropolis Glenmarie campus. This internal school competition saw 5 teams competing to challenge their proficiency in programming and manoeuvring the new Arduino Robot.

The Arduino Robot is the first official Arduino on wheels. The robot has two processors, one on each of its two boards. The Motor Board controls the motors, and the Control Board reads sensors and decides how to operate. Both Motor and Control boards are microcontroller boards based on the ATmega32u4, a low-power Atmel 8-bit AVR RISC-based microcontroller. Each of the boards is a full Arduino board programmable using the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The Robot has many of its pins mapped to on-board sensors and actuators.

KDU Pre-University students takes life and culture lessons from the Mah Meri tribe

KDU students and lecturers being “crowned” by the villagers with hand woven craft upon their arrival to Perkampungan Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun

An integrated and holistic education always goes beyond academic approach. Learning can be anywhere, and as such, the School of Pre-University Studies (SPUS) at KDU College ensures that its students are involved in experiences, both in and out of the classroom, that helps form their intellectual and social skills.

Recently, with the aim of developing the students’ organisational skills, as well as inculcating their awareness of community welfare and self-confidence, the SPUS went on a field trip to the Perkampungan Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun, an indigenous village located on Carey Island in Kuala Langat, Selangor. The trip was organised and led by a student committee from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Foundation Studies –January & March 2015 intakes, who also oversaw a donation drive for the villagers prior to the trip.

KDU Sports Carnival 2015 @ KDU Glenmarie Campus, Shah Alam

Congratulation! The Champion: Red House

The KDU Sports Carnival 2015 saw its opening ceremony held on 23 September 2015 at KDU University College’s flagship campus, Utropolis Glenmarie. Officiated by the organising community of the Sports Carnival, with the cooperation of Score, a known sports organisation in Malaysia, the ceremony was also graced by the Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berhormat Encik Khairy Jamalludin.

YAB Khairy Jamaluddin launching the KDU Sports Carnival 2015

The opening ceremony was also held to commemorate Malaysia’s inaugural Hari Sukan Negara, which was set on 10 October 2015. The ceremony at KDU was vibrant and action-packed, with one of the highlights being the Body Combat session Score trainers had on the spot with KDU students alongside the minister. The minister also broke into warm-up moves of his own alongside the enthusiastic crowd cheering him on.

The KDU Sports Carnival 2015, which is an annual 2-week affair, began on 28 September, where the first sport in competition was Table Tennis. However, it was not all smooth sailing throughout the sports carnival as issues with the hazy weather raised for health concerns due to the high Air Pollution Index (API) reading. Some sport activities such as football and rugby were heavily monitored due to the unhealthy API reading and were cut shorter out of concern for the students’ health.

SOE Robot Competition @ KDU University College

KDU Mid Autumn Festival @ KDU University College

Ms. Loke demonstrating on how to make the mooncake.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival also known as the Mooncake Festival, an annual celebration of the harvest moon during the eighth month in the lunar calendar. The Mid-Autumn celebration includes lighting of lanterns and of course mooncakes, which have, without a doubt, become the main highlight of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a time for reunion for Chinese families, and as it is part and parcel of studying away from home, students may sometimes miss out the chance to celebrate certain seasonal celebrations with their families. Not wanting them to feel left out, the Student & Alumni Centre of KDU University College initiated a mooncake workshop recently on 23 September.

Minister of Youth and Sports Launches KDU Sports Carnival @ KDU Utropolis Glenmarie Campus, Shah Alam

Towards building a sporting nation and be part of 3 million Malaysians targeted to be involved in mass sport activities in conjunction with Malaysia’s inaugural National Sports Day on 10th October, KDU University College was proud and honoured to have its 2015 Sports Carnival officiated by Yang Berhormat Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, the Minister of Youth & Sports Malaysia, at its Utropolis, Glenmarie campus, on 23rd September.

Clad in full sportswear, YB Khairy was welcomed by Datin Teh Geok Lian, CEO of Paramount Education; Associate Professor Dr. Hon Wei Min, Deputy Vice Chancellor of KDU University College; Ms Susan Ooi, CEO of KDU College, amidst cheers and applause from the institution’s students and staff. After officiating the opening of KDU’s annual Sports Carnival, YB Khairy, together with the management, staff and students of KDU, took part in the Les Mills BODYCOMBAT® session organised by SCORE.

The Voices of Moderation

On 21st September morning, KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie campus, was delighted to host managing director of the Star Media Group, Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, and founder of Zubedy Publication, Anas Zubedy to participate in a discourse session entitled The Voices of Moderation.

With a hundred over KDU students in attendance, the objective was to enlighten these young minds of the growing social and political issues of Malaysia, how best to approach it, and inspire young Malaysians to act for a better and brighter Malaysia.

Seeding MY Hope

Organisers of campaign Seeding MY Hope decorate the coaches ahead of the train party. Photo: LOW LAY PHON/The Star

When the young people behind the Seeding MY Hope campaign started “storming” the LRT on the afternoon of Aug 31, there were a lot of annoyed glances from their fellow commuters. But by the time they were done with their guerilla-style stunt, people were singing along with them to the tune of Rasa Sayang.

“I think it was a bit of a gloomy National Day to begin with but once the train party began, we started seeing a lot more smiles and it definitely brightened the day,” said Suemitraa Thiagarajan, 25, one of the eight student collaborators behind Seeding MY Hope. All eight are from KDU University College.

The Leadership Journey

How can one determine if he or she has qualities fitting of a leader? How can one determine where their energy lies? Leadership skills is something that youths need to be exposed and trained into. Not only they will be the future of the nation, it would also guide them in the right bearing when faced with decision making situations.

KDU played its role as a guide in helping students uncover their leadership potential by hosting the Tune Insurance Industrial Talk at the institution’s iconic Utropolis Glenmarie Campus.

Personal Growth Group by Student Alumni Centre

Group work in general is designed to foster a sense of belonging and to create a climate that supports individual growth. Previous research notes several benefits of growth groups: a) increased self-actualization b) increased self-esteem, c) decreased depressive thinking among college students and d) increased ethnic identity developments. In addition to these documented benefits, it is believed that training programs specifically focused on student growth are more likely to achieve this outcome than programs lacking this particular focus. In order to better understand the impact that growth groups have on students, it is necessary to understand their experiences in such groups. The two themes that emerged from these researches include: a) personal awareness and development; b) professional development.

Animex 2015 @ KDU University College, Utropolis, Glenmarie, Shah Alam

The Voices Of Moderation with Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai (The Star Publication) and Anas Zubedy (Zubedy)

Project Dream 2.0: Real World Learning for KDU Students in Organising Charity Campaign

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hon Wei Min (4th from left) proudly handing over the funds to Ms Megawati Md Rashidi (3rd from left).

SHAH ALAM, 10 August 2015 – The School of Communication and Creative Arts is never a quiet school. There’s always a project or campaign going on throughout the semesters. One such event is the Project Dream 2.0, a charitable-based project with a series of activities and events that took place in July and August. “These public events will push them to step out of their comfort zone and experience a glimpse of the corporate world beyond the university’s wall,” said Timothy Chan Liem Joe, a lecturer from the Communication and Media Studies Department, SCCA, whose students were the organising team behind Project Dream 2.0.

Loving Pets with a Sense of Responsibility @ KDU Utropolis Glenmarie Campus

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) brought their two pet dogs as mascots for the KDU Hearty Paw event. Of these two pets, Zoey (right), a handicapped dog with three functioning legs, had won the hearts of many attendees with her troubled past 

Animals are soul-soothing companions, created to be loved and act as our silent yet thoroughly understanding companions who never judge and love us all the same. However, the alarming number of dogs and cats being left to fend for themselves on the cold, cruel street leaves much to be desired. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and we can help shelter these innocent paws.

With this intention in mind, 9 students from KDU University College School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts’ MBA in Hospitality Business Management programme, took matters into their own hands in creating awareness among young adults, and educating the general public in owning and being responsible for their pets.

Relaxing Friday - Coping with Stress

Stress Wall— at the beginning of the workshop, students write down what actually stressed them. 

Stress management involves many aspects. From turning a stressful situation around in the best of our capabilities to carefully evaluating how we should react, there are many ways to manage stress in our daily lives.

Acknowledging that university days can be quite a feat with the amount of stress that one gets from studying alone, the counsellors at the Student & Alumni Centre organised a workshop on coping with stress, which covered topics from reducing its harmful effects to preventing stress from spiralling out of control again in the future.

A Sporty Collaboration Between KDU & ADIDAS @ KDU Utropolis Glenmarie Campus, Shah Alam

In a bid to promote a balanced study and sports life, KDU University College and Adidas Malaysia Sdn Bhd collaborated in making this vision into a reality, with its Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony held on 3rd August at KDU’s iconic Utropolis Glenmarie campus. The event saw the attendance of YB Tuan Amirudin Shari, the State Executive Councillor in charge of Youth Development, Sports, Cultural and Entrepreneurship Development, as well as representatives from both KDU and Adidas.

Professor Khong Yoon Loong, KDU’s Vice Chancellor, expressed, “This unique academic-industry collaboration is to realise our stance that KDU is a real-world university. While consistently providing great quality learning experiences, we strive to always provide room for education outside of the classroom. “

Adapting to Life in Malaysia together with the KDU International Students Society

Your university days are pivotal in shaping how you will eventually be as an adult. You’ll often find yourself faced with different obstacles and undergoing different phases, and if you’re an international student studying and living in a foreign country, chances are the adjustment period never comes that easy. Understanding these all too well, the KDU International Students Society (KISS) of KDU University College constantly organise initiatives and events to ensure that international students at KDU are provided with the support needed to lessen the ‘cultural shock’ and adapt living in a new country.

1001 Nights with the Youth of Deen Society

Different cultures come together to experience breaking fast together

In its efforts to play its part in the month of Ramadhan, the Youth of Deen Society, the Islamic society of KDU College, held an Iftar event with the theme ‘1001 nights’, in collaboration with KDU’s Student & Alumni Centre. The event was organised at the Multipurpose Hall located in KDU’s Utropolis Glenmarie campus, from 6pm to 10pm. The objective of this event was to serve as a platform for Muslims to share the experience of breaking fast with their non-Muslim friends during the holy month of Ramadhan, and to nurture harmonious relationship between the guests.

KDU UNSW Foundation Studies Students Organised Charity Iftar with Orphans from Rumah Bakti Cahaya Hati

A simple handover ceremony from KDU to the home.

SHAH ALAM, 21st July – Ramadhan is a month full of charity and generosity. The spirit of Ramadhan were well embraced by the students from the School of Pre-University Studies (SPUS ) of KDU College, Damansara Jaya, who seized this opportunity to contribute their love and care to the less fortunate.

A group of 30 students led by three lecturers, Ms. Shirley, Ms. Shazlina and Ms. Farihah, visited the Rumah Bakti Cahaya Hati orphanage in Bandar Tasik Putri, Rawang on the 4th July, to hold an Iftar (breaking fast) session with the orphans and channel financial aids to them in conjunction with the upcoming Aidilfitri celebrations.

Come To Join @ KDU Trip to Coca-Cola - Happiness!

Career Talk: What’s Next by Derek Toh from WOBB

Up close Q & A session

2nd July 2015, Thursday – The working life is a significant and often scary phase for students to transcend into. KDU University College’s Student & Alumni Centre understands this and strives to address the issue in order to facilitate the transition process for graduating students.

It was a privilege to have Derek Toh, founder of Working on Bean Bags (WOBB), a job app for the new generation, to share with students on topics regarding his motivation in life, how students can prepare themselves before joining the workforce, and more importantly, the skills or experience they can gain before they begin work in the media industry. WOBB advocates students, especially the Gen-Y, to look for the right career and look for jobs that they love.

Leo Members Building A Greener Future at the 42nd Multiple District 308 Leo Forum

Sub District 308 B1 Awards Presentation – Outstanding Environment Project

This year’s Leo Forum theme was centred on ‘You(th), Greener Future’. The objective of the Leo Forums is to uphold service activities among youth in the communities, which builds up the individual qualities in Leadership, Experience and Opportunity, while the main principle of this forum was to nourish the Leo’s knowledge and instil a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

Spearheaded by Leo Club KDU (PJ) President Leo Wee Jo Nee, three delegates from the Leo Club KDU (PJ) travelled down to Penang for the forum which saw some achievement for its members.

KDU IFTAR 2015 @ KDU University College Glenmarie Campus

RACING GLORY!

17 May 2015 saw our students Daniel Wong Kok Keong and Danial Hakeim bin Zulbahrin participating in a road race competition on behalf of KDU University College. The race was held in Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and saw 300 participants pedalling their ways to the finish line.

 At the start of the race, the first 40 kilometres saw the participants zooming past like bullet trains, all racing neck to neck with each other. Then the rain came when our KDU participants were almost at the last 20 kilometres of the track.

Give BLOOD, Save LIVES @ KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie Campus

Cyber Bullying Prevention @ Black Box, KDU College, Damansara Jaya

KDU GRADUATE Employability Initiatives for KDU students

#KDU4NEPAL - Raising Hope by KDU University College

April saw a devastating catastrophe striking Nepal in its heart. Many lost their homes and were made homeless with entire villages flattened in the recent massive earthquakes across many districts in Nepal. It was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake.

Determined to stand together with the victims, KDU University College launched the #kdu4Nepal initiative, which was organised by the KDU Student & Alumni Centre.

Through this initiative, KDU aimed to raise RM30,000 while working hand in hand together with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, for the Nepal earthquake victims to begin the healing and rebuilding process. As part of the month-long initiative, #kdu4Nepal t-shirts are sold with the proceeds channeled to the victims of Nepal earthquake.

Get A T-Shirt And Make A DIFFERENCE!

COME JOIN @ TEO SOON PIN INTERSCHOOL ASIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE 2015, DAMANSARA JAYA CAMPUS!

Diversity & Inclusion Workshop @ KDU University College, Glenmarie

#KDU4NEPAL for the Nepal Victims

“KDU4Nepal” project aims to raise RM30,000 for the family of Nepal earthquake victims, in order to kick out with the healing and rebuilding process for them. Here's a message from all KDU students to the Nepal victims: "you are heroes in our heart!"

Please watch the video about their message done by KDU students below;

Say Goodbye to Anxiety!

Stress no more! Participants at the Anxiety Workshop were all smiles!

More often not, anxiety is afflicted by stress of life in the modern world. There are many factors and causes, but one that is close to home (and likely faced by students all around the world) is final examinations! In a bid to help students overcome anxiety at the end of their final examinations, KDU’s Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) organised a workshop as part of its Relaxing Friday series of events, to boost interaction and self-improvement amongst students, as well as help them unwind at the end of a particularly tiring week.

Conducted by Ms. Chloe Wong, the interning counsellor attached to the SAC, this workshop was held on the 17th of February 2015 (Friday), at the Utropolis Glenmarie campus.

“Seeing how people nowadays, especially students, are frequent victims to the antsy feeling of anxiety, the talk was particularly relevant and helpful to them,” said Ms. Chloe.

Acquire Monetary And Psychological Intelligent By Saying "NO" to Smoking

Written By: Student and Alumni Centre

Mr. Ko Teik Yen explaining the 4Ds strategy to quit smoking.

The first four months of 2015 has been a fruitful period for KDU University College’s students as they had gained much knowledge and information courtesy of medical experts, in line with the institution’s quit smoking campaign. Organised by KDU’s Health and Wellness Centre under the Student and Alumni Centre (SAC), the quit smoking campaign is the institution’s continuous effort to get students and staff alike to quit the habit, in order to lead a healthier lifestyle. Talks and exhibitions were organised in both the Utropolis Glenmarie and Damansara Jaya campuses, to help achieve the objective of the campaign. The most recent ‘Stop Smoking and Start Saving’ talk held on 8 April at the Utropolis Glenmarie campus, saw experienced clinical hypnotherapist Mr. Ko Teik Yen, speaking about the financial benefits of quitting the stick.

Mr Ko Teik Yen is also the Parenting Educator Principal of Academy of Asian Parenting, and a visiting Consultant Hypnotherapist at the Choric Pain Clinical Research Programme, Orthopaedic Surgical Department, University Malaya Medical Centre.

KDU Freshies' Night - Just Beachy @ MPH, KDU Utropolis Glenmarie

KDU Students Open Hearts and Minds in Diversity and Inclusion Youth Camp

Ms Hany Cheng, Senior Counsellor of Student and Alumni Centre, KDU College Damansara Jaya campus (right), as facilitators for the camp posed with KDU students as participants. 

Written By: Anna Yan

It is undeniable that the world we live in is a melting pot richly interwoven with various culture, heritage and nationalities, and it is integral for students to understand, embrace and celebrate these diversities. As such, 5 students of local and foreign nationalities from KDU University College, accompanied by two of its Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) staff as facilitators, participated in the 3rd Diversity and Inclusion Youth Camp 2015. The aptly themed ‘Open Hearts and Minds’ three-day stay-in camp was held in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, from 26th to 29th March 2015.

The KDU entourage convened with more than a hundred participants from local and overseas national and private institutions of higher learning, including students from Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

In partnership with Harmony Works, the organiser with incorporation of several private universities and individual volunteers, hoped to create a safe, positive and nurturing environment for the participants, where they can understand more about diversity and inclusion. A group of trained facilitators spent time with participants to examine their own prejudices, and instil the values of mutual acceptance and respect within each individual. Speakers from Harmony Works, Ms Hamidah Marican and Patricia Nunis, inspired participants with new thoughts and insights.

“The camp was a great eye opener to see things in better perspective. During one of the quiet time we had on the last day, I was made to realise how I took certain things for granted, and everything has to begin from me and no one else if I wanted change to happen. I treasure the time spent there and will teach others what I learnt in the camp, and be an ambassador of diversity,” said Dorcas Precious Pandala, a student of KDU’s Foundation in Engineering.

As for Boey Zhi Xuan, a Cambridge A-Level student from KDU’s School of Pre-University Studies, she realised how easy it was for one to ‘climb up the ladder of inference by resting on assumptions’ when she engaged in frequent conversation with participants from all over the world. In order to hold a meaningful, satisfying conversation, she will determinedly make an effort to listen without discrimination in the future.

Group picture of participants of 3rd Diversity and Inclusion Youth Camp.

For Foundation Studies student Aisha Limamu, the Cultural Night held on the final night of the camp impressed her very much. “The night was so nice, there were so many different cultural costumes with various performances from different groups of people. This has helped me understand more about diversity and inclusion,” she quipped.

“I can conclude this with a quote from an Indonesian student – ‘One flower doesn’t make a bouquet, many do’. Diversity is very closely tied to an art. One colour does not make the painting an art, two is always better than one. A mixture of colours will, for sure, make the painting an art. With that, I will always keep in mind that Earth, can’t be spelled without ‘art’,” enthused A-Level student Yusheila Sheralyn.

It was definitely a fruitful learning experience for the KDU entourage, who not only gain new knowledge and experiences, but also created lifelong friendships and indelible memories.

UNITY & DIVERSITY @ KDU School of Communication & Creative Arts

Psychological Strategies To Quit Smoking @ KDU Damansara Jaya Campus

Come to JOIN KDU FRESHIE'S NIGHT @ KDU Damansara Jaya Campus!

Stop Smoking And Start Saving - Health Talk @ KDU University College, Ultropolis, Glenmarie

Voices of Moderation - Youth Campaign @ KDU University College, Utropolis, Glenmarie Shah Alam

KDU Student Empowerment Programmes - SUPPORT GROUP: A JOURNEY TO GROW

The KDU Counselling Unit under the KDU Student Empowerment Programmes has launched its first Support Group to enhance students’ emotional well-being and help them to deal with life challenges and difficulties in a supported environment. Being in a group is a natural extension of the way we live our daily lives. We encounter and are involved in varying types of groupings, such as, being a member of a club, work group, class and families. We learn from others in a group and build meaningful relationships with each other.

Besides, supporting groups provide great opportunity for its members to share life experiences, learn new perspectives, explore and experiment with new behaviours in a safe and supportive environment. We aim to create a great place for students to experience growth and positive change. Most of the members have not only received enormous understanding, enrichment, and encouragement; they also have changed some perceptions, gained new ideas, and viewpoints through their discussion. Some of our participants shared that they experienced anxiety at first, but at the end, they felt that the group experience was helpful and fun beyond their expectations. Here are what our participants have to say about the support group.

"I like the support group and was able to meet up with a lot of cool kids."

"I always thought that a support group is very much like a workshop or class, boring and having limited communication among participants, but my support group experience was warm, encouraging and also fun."

“I felt the group members are connected and the group discussion strengthened our bond.”

The support group is designed based on requests and needs from students. Students are welcome to drop us enquiries and register for this support group. You do not want to miss this opportunity to connect with others as well as to understand yourself better.

Effects Of E-Cigarettes @ KDU University College, Utropolis, Glenmarie Campus

#CampusJobFair @ KDU University College, Utropilis, Glenmarie Campus

KDU Aerials - KDU University College @ Utropolis Glenmarie Campus

Credited to DosFellas - www.dosfellas.com

KDU Empowerment Programme: Partnership for Success

The Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) in support of the 3Es initiative launched the KDU Empowerment Programme. The programme kicked-off by introducing a mentorship programme carrying the theme, “Partnership for Success”. The programme aims to bring value to students by contributing significant support to students’ success.