YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Launches KDU Youth Empowerment Plan at IOJ Volunteer Appreciation Day

YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn (centre) is posing with student-volunteers for JOM BEKPES. Joining are KDU’s VC Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang and Deputy VC Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hon Wei Min. 

We live in a world where good deeds are valued highly and as such, people should take care of each other and lend a helping hand whenever possible. This initiative to reach out to those who really need, is officially shouldered by a glorified Non-Governmental Organisation, Institut Onn Jaafar with its modest patron, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn. IOJ’s patron, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin officiated KDU University College’s Youth Empowerment Plan, together with KDU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hiew Pang Leang and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Associate Professor Dr Hon Wei Min, at the IOJ Volunteer Appreciation Day held on 18 December at KDU’s Utropolis Glenmarie campus.

As part of their commitment towards IOJ initiatives, KDU also pledged to channel its students taking Corporate Social Responsibility as a subject towards charity programmes organised by the NGO. KDU believes that one of the most vital traits of real world education in parallel with real world needs, is to work with surrounding communities. The institution interacts with a variety of communities and instils in its students the skills required to work with these communities effectively through compulsory subjects, such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-Curricular Activities & Community, in its programmes. The commitment is part of KDU’s Youth Empowerment Plan and is in line with the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) to produce all-rounder graduates with outstanding capabilities and interdisciplinary skills.

YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn (from left) and Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang exchanging T-shirt of IOJ and KDU. 

“For us here at KDU, we stay true to our ethos of real world education meeting real world needs, and ensuring our students become all-rounders with outstanding capabilities and interdisciplinary skills. This is an ongoing process within KDU, so the empowerment plan is actually not something new to us. However, there are always continuous measures to strengthen this empowerment plan. Therefore, the KDU Youth Empowerment Plan that was launched today is a reflection of that – our continuous effort to ensure our students develop the skills and attributes necessary for them to hit the ground running,” Professor Hiew explained.

Continuing, he said, “The National Education Philosophy’s vision aims to educate graduates to be ethically and morally upright, spiritually grounded, compassionate and caring; appreciates sustainable development and a healthy lifestyle. Our Youth Empowerment Plan is built around the MEB and what it hopes to achieve.” Together, let’s hit the ground running and strive to make this world a better place where good moral values are practised holistically in our everyday life.

YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn (from left) and Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang signing MOU of partnership on behalf of IOJ and KDU. 

KDU’s Jingle Mingle 2016 Where Game Developers, Talents, and Industrial Players Meet

We combined the element of fun, socialising, creativity and talent exhibition under one roof and amazing things happen as students showcase their talents, passion, and unique creative work to real industry guests, potential employers and other people from the games industry in hopes to land a fabulous deal with the big boys. It is a tradition for KDU’s School of Computing and Creative Media (SCCM) to organise Jingle Mingle, an annual event that creates opportunities for students to reach out to the real industry players and demonstrate their potential.

“This year, we’ve increased the number of games, improved the quality and showcased more outstanding games in the event,” commented Yee I-Van, Game Development Programme Leader, Creative Media Department of SCCM. “These games are fun and hold value to those that created them, from the perspective of the academic staff, we unanimously agree that the quality of the products on display make us proud!” continued Yee.

Jingle Mingle, a networking avenue organised by the School of Computing and Creative Media, KDU University College, aimed to showcase students’ works and project to the industry guests and potential employers.  

As this is part of SCCM’s continuous efforts to bring employment opportunities for the graduates, Jingle Mingle also served as a channel for game companies and studios to identify young minds and fresh talents for the booming industry out there. According to Global Games Market Report released in April 2016, it showed that gamers worldwide will generate a total of USD 99.6 billion in revenues in 2016, up 8.5% compared to 2015.

“We have always maintained a strong relationship with the game companies through networking. As such, we continued on this tradition to enable students to reach out to the real world upon graduation,” said Yee. With aims to produce graduates who are skilled in production processes and aware of what is needed to produce successful games, the academic team in SCCM are actively involved in the industry and are experts in their respective fields.

During the 5^th Jingle Mingle, all games produced by students throughout the course of the entire year, be it a PC game, mobile game or varying genres were put to the show. There were 32 games in total. Each project team had a short 10 to 15 minutes presentation to pitch their games to the audience. Games that were showcased included Combat Infiltration Droid (C.I.D), the first-person co-op shooter game which had clinched the MSC-APICTA 2016’s Best of Tertiary Student Category – Creative Multimedia prize two months ago. 

The Pandora game developed by (from left) Jonathan Choo Tun Jiat (character artist), Tan Kian Sheng (environment artist) and Chong Zhi Heng (programmer), stood out in the show. 

With no doubt, C.I.D has attracted a lot of industry players who appreciate the talents behind the great works used to utilize Unreal Engine 4 in achieving high-quality effects. It was developed by Roger Ng Khang Shen, Haw Jing Hann, and Wahid Dawod Mohammed Hamid. The trio are 2016’s graduates in the Bachelor of Game Development (Hons) programme.

Other games demonstrated include The Marketplace, a game art showcase built by a single game artist, resembling a scene from a popular PS4 game, Uncharted 4. Catastrophe Armageddon, Pandora and few other games also drew a lot of attention from the participants.

At the scene of game-demonstration, Pandora was favoured by few industrial players who not only tried out this game but extended their compliments and suggestions to the three developers – Chong Zhi Heng (programmer), Jonathan Choo Tun Jiat (character artist) and Tan Kian Sheng (environment artist). I took a closer look at the game myself and found it extremely fascinating as the details of the game seems professionally crafted and managed to bring life to the game. It reminded me of the earlier version of Tomb Raider back in the good old days! So kudos to the development team for bringing the reincarnation of the game in a totally different game and unique concept.

“We developed this game in 3 months, with many sleepless nights working hard in meeting the deadline. We delved into research and prototypes, and finally produced the final game using Unity Engine, 3Ds Max and Z-Brush. In this period, our lecturer tirelessly met up with us weekly, to check on our progress and make sure our project is alright. We truly appreciate all that he has done for us,” said Chong.

Talking about their expectation for the show, the trio expressed their hope of getting more feedback from the guests. Most importantly, they anticipated getting in touch with potential employers, and pave the way in making their dreams come true.

Apart from games presentations by the senior students, there was also a game art exhibition by the junior students. Nur Sabrina Syuhada Binti Nazri, Adel Tazhidinova and Natalie Nawie Anak Omar – three girls who are currently in the Foundation Studies (Art and Technology) programme, exhibited their group design work for the first semester. “The exhibition is the best proof that we could do something, we have been working hard for it and gained a sense of fulfilment throughout this process,” said Nur Sabrina Syuhada.

Adel Tazhidinova (from left), Nur Sabrina Syuhada Binti Nazri and Natalie Nawie Anak Omar – three girls from the Foundation Studies (Art and Technology) programme with their design work.

While the game stations set at the venue provided a time of leisure and entertainment, it also served as a hub for building rapport among the game talents and the invited guests. At the end of the show, a Christmas feast in buffet style was served which marked a memorable and fruitful finale.  

KDU Driving Dreams Scholarship for Local Artiste Ayda Jebat

Ayda Jebat performing her latest “Pencuri Hati” Dangdut Version at KDU University College

Who would have thought that you could do something that you are really passionate about and get rewarded from it! This applies to non-other than one of our favorite local artistes, Ayda jebat as she recently received the prestigious KDU Driving Dreams Scholarship from KDU University College to pursue a degree or diploma certificate in any programme with us. The award ceremony was in conjunction with the celebration of Ayda Jebat’s song ‘Pencuri Hati’ dangdut version, as well as the release of the OPPO F1s Ayda Jebat special edition.

As a pioneer in providing private tertiary education, KDU has seen thousands of spirited and hopeful youths from a different background, cultures, and countries teeming its corridors of vibrant campuses in pursuit of quality education for the past 34 years. KDU offers a wide range of home-grown and international programmes at Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Masters levels that include the American Degree Transfer Program, Pre-University Studies, Business, Communications and Creative Arts, Engineering, Game Development and Computing, Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Law, Professional Accounting.

KDU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor of Administration, Mr. Shanker Sathivellu presenting the Driving Dreams Scholarship to Ayda Jebat

The Driving Dreams scholarship is a full tuition fee scholarship awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership ability through active participation in co-curricular activities, social services or volunteerism. KDU chose Ayda Jebat as the recipient of the scholarship scheme for her relentless efforts in making her name in the local entertainment industry and pushing our local brand internationally to suit the taste of her fans. This scholarship is also given in acknowledgement of her recent reputable achievements such as winning the 2016 Anugerah Top Top MeleTOP Era Ke-3 (Female Category), Best Singer, Song and Actress award in the 2016 Anugerah MeleTOP Era Ke-3 and many more. Those are pretty outstanding achievements made by an individual in such a stiff and competitive industry if you ask me!

At the event, Deputy Vice Chancellor - Administration of KDU University College, Mr. Shanker Sathivellu, said, “This scholarship is not only to acknowledge Ayda’s talent, but also to  groom our local artistes so that they will be able to create a sustainable career in the future in this rampant entertainment industry.” He further added, “Ayda is a multi-talented artist who is shining in the industry. She’s an inspiration to students, and is can be a good role model especially to our students pursuing the entertainment arts programme.”

Ayda Jebat posing with her Driving Dreams Scholarship and a token of appreciation from KDU Student & Alumni Centre (SAC) 

KDU programmes are carefully designed and developed with insights from industry professionals, and its syllabuses are thoughtfully curated to keep students up-to-date with emerging practices and standards. KDU’s Diploma in Entertainment Arts ensures students are exposed to a variety of roles such as singing, dancing, acting and management skills to make them all-rounded talents. This vibrant programme offers hands-on experience with industry professionals who will teach and guide students how to brand, position and market themselves so they may steer their own career in this highly competitive space. Students will be guided to expand on existing talents and amass an impressive portfolio even before graduation.

Canon and KDU Organise Nature-Themed Photography Competition for Students

The flag-off of Seek & Snap: Chasing Nature on 26 November morning at Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam

Stop and take a look around you! Admire the nature and the beauty it possesses which could serve as a therapeutic element to take you away from the hectic life in the city. On the 26 November 2016, Canon and KDU had organised a nature-themed photography competition for students to nurture their love and interest in the natural beauty of the environment. Seek & Snap: Chasing Nature, an inaugural photography competition jointly presented by Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and KDU University College attracted over 650 participating students from high schools, colleges and universities nationwide. Participants, comprised of students aged 14 and above, raced around the sprawling grounds and parks at Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam, pitting their photography skills in a bid to win exciting Canon prizes worth over RM16,000!

The competition is aimed at cultivating photography as a healthy hobby among students, while giving them the opportunity to explore nature at a renowned tourist spot in Selangor. The event was also supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and Tourism Malaysia Selangor, in line with the Government’s focus on promoting domestic tourism and eco-tourism.

Participants were challenged to capture photographs as the answer for two riddles released throughout the day. In the first stage, participants were given the challenge to capture a photograph for the riddle, “What is the colour of envy?” (Answer: Green) within a given time frame. In the second stage, they were required to snap a photograph to answer the riddle, “What can run but cannot walk?” (Answer: Water).

Participants heading out to Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam to capture their nature shots after the flag-off

“Canon Marketing Malaysia is proud to jointly present this competition together with KDU University College and their undergraduates as a result of our ‘Academic Initiative Partnership’ collaboration. With the same format as our popular Canon PhotoMarathon which Canon has organised for 10 years running, Seek & Snap: Chasing Nature was specially crafted for students to encourage them to have fun with photography while exploring nature at the same time. The added twist to the competition was the riddles given which they need to figure out the answer to. This competition is one of the ways where we educate our users on the differences in capturing quality images using cameras compared to other imaging devices,” said Mr. Andrew Koh, President & CEO of Canon Marketing Malaysia.

“As an institution of higher learning, we strive to provide opportunities for our students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world application so that they become job-worthy graduates. Our undergraduates from our School of Communication and Creative Arts were involved in the planning of this competition, from planning to enrolling participants to execution. From this event, they have gained relevant soft skills such as working in a team, problem-solving skills, and communication skills which will help them do well when they join the working world,” said Professor Dr. Hiew Pang Leang, Vice Chancellor, KDU University College.

As part of their kyosei philosophy which means living and working together for the common good, Canon Marketing Malaysia also invited close to 100 children from charity homes to join in the fun of discovering photography on a day out with Mother Nature. They hail from Montfort Boys’ Town, Persatuan Kebajikan Komuniti Harapan Selangor (PKKHS) Daniel Training Centre, Pure Life Society, Pusat Kebajikan Rumah Victory Malaysia, Rumah Charis Children Home, Shelter Homes and Ti-Ratana Welfare Society. Canon Marketing Malaysia loaned compact cameras to the participating children, who ranged from age 14 to 20 years old, so that they also have the chance to participate in the competition.

Mohammad Syahim Ashraaf Mohd Sukri, 19, from Kolej Universiti Islam Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah (KUIPSAS) emerged as the Grand Prize winner and walked away with a Canon EOS 80D and EF-S 18-55mm kit lens worth RM5,499. His photographs were captured with a Canon EOS 1200D and EF-S 18-55mm kit lens.

“I am truly happy and excited to win the grand prize as it is my first time participating in a photography competition. I wasn’t confident to win because I observed that many other participants were using more sophisticated cameras and lenses compared to mine. However, I did my best in interpreting the answers to the riddles and put in the effort to capture something out of the ordinary. I get my inspiration from the internet as I love surfing the web and appreciating photographs,” quipped Mohammad Syahim Ashraaf.

Close to 100 students from charity homes were invited for the Seek & Snap: Chasing Nature photography competition as part of Canon Marketing Malaysia’s corporate social responsibility initiative

The First Prize of a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II went to Priyatharshini Nair and Second Prize of Canon EOS M10 with EF-M 15-45mm kit lens went to Muhammad Arif Fitri Azizan, while Chua Ai Lyn and Chong Kern Wei won the Third Prize (Canon PowerShot SX620 HS) and Fourth Prize (Canon Digital IXUS 285 HS) respectively. Five Consolation Prizes of Selphy CP1200 each were awarded to Abdullah BA Matraf, Tina Aalaei, Lee Li Sze, Elveena a/p Francis and Farah Fo'Ad.

Other sponsors for the event include Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam, Bro & Joe, F&N Malaysia, Legoland Malaysia Resort, Skytrex Adventure and Utropolis Marketplace.

MSC- APICTA Award Win Makes Memorable Graduation Ceremony For KDU Game Development Trio

Who would have thought that good things can happen one after another on the same day! It was just one day away from their official graduation ceremony on 22 October 2016, three graduating Bachelor of Game Development (Hons) at KDU University College – Roger Ng Khang Shen, Haw Jing Hann, and Wahid Dawod Mohammed Hamid, received an exciting news that they clinched the MSC- APICTA 2016’s Best of Tertiary Student Category – Creative Multimedia prize for their First Person Co-Op Shooter Game called Combat Infiltration Droid (C.I.D). This remarkable achievement marked a historical moment for both the dynamic trio and KDU University as we managed to secure the prestigious award.

MSC- APICTA 2016’s Best of Tertiary Student Category – Creative Multimedia award, a testimony of KDU connecting education to the real world. 

For readers’ information, The MSC- APICTA Awards are initiated by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) together with The National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) and have received the patronage of the Prime Minister since its inception in 1999. With aims to recognise outstanding achievements of those who have contributed to the development of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia for the benefit of the country, it acknowledges creativity, innovation, and excellence in Malaysian ICT. Sounds pretty legit right?

It is only natural that the contest for the award did not come off as easy as the competition was extended to individuals, students, entrepreneurs, SMEs and organisations who are involved in creative media from all across Malaysia making it one of the most challenging competitions for everyone who participated.

Ng, Haw, and Wahid teamed up and named themselves ‘C3’ during their final year project, as they started to develop the game together since a few months back, at KDU’s School of Computing and Creative Media (SCCM). Strongly encouraged by their lecturers, the trio handed the application for this contest in September.

“This is the first game we made together as a team. It takes place in a sci-fi, mixed culture world where the players play as a combat robot, surviving, completing objectives while combating enemies. It was initially designed to be a benchmark for AAA quality (high-end computer graphics), without the resources that an AAA quality game organisation has,” explained Ng on the winning factors and how had they impressed the judges with the game’s lifelike view simulation.

“The game was structured to be as grand as possible, providing awe-inspiring gameplay visual. Using strategised development methods and execution precaution, we produced C.I.D in the shortest amount of time. Eventually, we came out with multitude design elements which made the game as interactive as possible. I think these are the marks-scoring points we had,” continued Ng.

While expressing how glad they were for having to take part in the enormous scale competition with a respectable amount of participants, the trio was also proud for being able to bring this award to KDU for the first time. “This time we managed to represent KDU on our best efforts as a team. This victory boosted our confidence as developers for the gaming industry,” Haw chimed in.

Marked as the proudest achievement, this victory is not only dubbed as a cherry on the cake for C3’s graduating-joy but also regarded as an evidence of excellent real-world academic training provided by KDU.

From left to right: KDU SCCM students Haw Jing Hann, Wahid Dawood and Roger Ng Khang Shen, posing with their proud achievement.

“KDU SCCM has helped us to develop our skills through its facilities and academic line-up, which provided us the necessary resources and feedbacks in developing C.I.D. The game was mostly done on campus. The development stages range from brainstorming ideas, constructing solutions and getting feedback, which all, in the end, played a vital role in creating C.I.D,” explained Wahid, who is an international student from Egypt.

“Our time in KDU, the School had nourished our skills dramatically, preparing us to be ready for the working environment. We would like to take this moment to express our gratitude to the academics, Mr. Yee I-Van, Programme Leader of Game Development Programme, Creative Media Department; Mr Chong Wei-Shern, Mr Yap Chun Fei, Mr Luso Teh Yong Quan, Mr Wong Chin Foo and all faculty members for their support and guidance throughout the project,” said Ng.

When asked about the aspiration in achieving their dreams in the multimedia industry, the trio stated that they wish to be more involved in multimedia events and to have a better understanding of the industry. “Primarily, we want to be part of the entertainment community, and hope that we can translate the knowledge gained to create better content and to build on the success of  C.I.D,” they said.

“This is the first time that KDU University College has won this prestigious award. The students may also be given the opportunity to represent Malaysia at the annual International APICTA Awards in Taipei, Taiwan, at the end of the year. We at KDU are very proud of the students’ achievements with the hopes that they will make all Malaysian proud of their achievements,” said Tan Chin Ike, Head of the SCCM, KDU University College. 

KDU Fitspiration Week Inculcating Fitness with Compassion to the Community

Love Life campers playing dodgeball in Jumpstreet.

Have you ever wonder what will happen if we combine two words into one? At KDU we spelled awesomeness when did that and created a yearly event for everyone to celebrate as a result of combining the words “fit” and “inspiration” transforming it into “Fitspiration”. The KDU Fitspiration Week is in line with the key initiative to instil the spirit of compassion within the community by putting up numerous activities that aimed to enhance students’ physical and psychological health for a balanced lifestyle here at KDU University College Utropolis Glenmarie campus.

Dodgeball players focusing in the tournament.

The Fitspiration celebration lasted for a whole week but the programmes run for the whole year as it is the spirit of cultivating a balanced lifestyle between studying, work, and sports for the community here at KDU that we meant to achieve together. There were many sport activities and games planned throughout the year 2016 to encourage students’ involvement.

The highlight of this event was the KDU Fitspiration Scholarship Ceremony held on 13 October 2016 at the Utropolis Glenmarie campus. Honoured Paralympic gold medalist, Mohamad Ridzuan Puzi, who clocked 12.07 seconds in the T36 100m sprint, made an exclusive appearance at the event together with fellow para-athletes from the Rio Olympics 2016 contingent, Mohd Shamil Bin Md Saad (107kg powerlifter) and Jong Yee Khie (97kg powerlifter). KDU University College has proudly announced the first scholarship fund for the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) to recognise the hard work and efforts of all para-athletes.

Apart from this, Peer to Peer (P2P), a mutual help community for emotional and psychological needs, also organised a camp from 14 to 16 October 2016, with the theme “Compassion”. The camp was called “Love Life”, and aimed to encourage students to cultivate compassion in their daily lives. In the “Love Life” camp, several activities were designed to educate the campers to further understand “Compassion”, such as visiting a home for disabled children, games revolving the 5 senses, movie screening and visiting Jumpstreet.

Sexual Health Workshop conducted by Ms Sarah, Counsellor.

We hope to bring this sort of event every year for our community in order to develop a healthy balanced lifestyle here at KDU and most importantly for them to enjoy life as it is.To find out how you can hit the ground running with KDU University College, log on to www.kdu.edu.my or call 03-5565 0538 (KDU University College, Utropolis, Glenmarie) / 03-7953 6688 (KDU College, Damansara Jaya).