Inspiration with a little perspiration

"A great visit - thanks to Mindbenders Asia Sdn. Bhd!"

By Loh Teck Hua
Lecturer, School of Business & Social Sciences

What inspires students to study? Their businessman father who made his first million at 21? Their mother who is the CEO in the office - and at home? The answer is quite simple: get the students out of the classroom! Take them out on a trip! Get them to ‘sweat’ a little.

KDU University College’s Business School did just that by taking 17 of its KeeleUniversity final year students on a field trip as part of their learning experience. The students who are currently taking the Keele University Marketing Communications Theory subject (MAN30004) had a first-hand exposure to marketing communications in action.

They spent two and a half hours at an advertising agency in Kuala Lumpur discovering the inner workings of the organisation. Mindbenders Asia Sdn. Bhd., the advertising agency for Giant Hypermarkets and Colgate-Palmolive products, played host and took the students on an educational trip, presenting their best works, explaining the minds, the people and the processes behind the creation of such marketing communication tools as TV commercials,radio advertising, billboard advertising, event marketing, product packaging and many more.Mindbenders Asia Sdn. Bhd. brought in its Creative Group Head, Accounts Servicing team, Copywriter and even their Creative Photographer to share their knowledge and experiences with the students.

The Way Forward for the School of Engineering

Written by: Farah Jasmine bt Abdul Jamel,
Lecturer, School of Engineering

KDU now is a University College. We are now moving forward and so is the School Of Engineering .We are going for a fresher look.

Flowing in that direction, on 19 November 2010, we invited Prof. Ir. Dr. Ramesh Singh to share his expertise with the School Of Engineering on Outcome Based Education(OBE).

Prof Ir. Dr Ramesh Singh

Prof Ir. Dr Ramesh Singh is currently the Director of the Research Management Centre and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer registered with the Engineering Council UK, a Professional Engineer registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia and Fellow of two prominent societies; the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK and the Institution of Engineers Malaysia. He is also an active panel member of the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) and has been since 2006. Getting ‘further insight’ information from an experience person like him has motivated the engineering team towards achieving our new goal.

Traditional Education (TE) vs. Outcome based Education (OBE)

The Malaysian education system has always adopted the Traditional Education (TE) approach. The term ‘spoon-feeding’ education has become synonymous with our education system. This approach has been proven to produce graduates who do not meet expectations or standards, upon commencing work in the industry. Lacking in soft skills, they are also unable to work independently, and they aren’t creative enough to provide engineering solutions. This is where OBE comes in. It’s a more innovative teaching and assessment approach where methods such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, case studies which includes literature searches, group projects and oral presentations are adopted.

It sure smells like Christmas!

Everybody loves Christmas, that's for sure. Check out our chefs' favourite recipes for the holiday season! 

Courtesy of Chef Gerhard, Chef Maharis and Chef Yin. 

RECIPES

Quail Stuffed with Chestnut & Giblet Bread with Giblet Gravy

Inspect-A-Gadget!

Fancy having a nifty gadget that helps you to spin-dry your mop, instead of having to do it yourself manually? Or what about an electronic stove monitor that helps to reduce kitchen fires? And if you love Sudoku, you would be thrilled with the digital handheld Sudoku player.

All these gadgets and more were exhibited recently at KDU UC School of Engineering’s 2010 Design & Innovation Expo. This ‘Design & Innovation Expo 2010’ initiative came about from the need of creating a platform in showcasing projects or products and devices fabricated and designed by the engineering students, as the School is moving heavily towards the Outcome Based Education model (OBE).

Students in teams worked on their projects, which would result in a functional product or device, with the aid of a supervisor and in the duration of at least one semester, and these projects would be judged and awarded by experts from industry. A total of 19 projects were showcased.

ACCA PREVIEWS

Microsoft Student Partners' Workshop