Tak kenal maka tak cinta. Jom Kenali Universiti Awam (UA) Malaysia.
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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Future Trend of Jobs - “Trend” Your Choice For Further Studies

UPU (BPKP JPT): Malaysia's public university (IPTA) 2012/2013 academic session intake application results for STPM / Matriculation / Foundation / Diploma result-holders will be available in the second week of July, 2012. Read our previous post on how to check UPU results online, using SMS or call.
MINGGU KE-2 JULAI - STATUS KEPUTUSAN PERMOHONAN KEMASUKAN KE IPTA BAGI PROGRAM PENGAJIAN LEPASAN STPM/ MATRIKULASI / ASASI / DIPLOMA / SETARAF (IJAZAH PERTAMA) SESI AKADEMIK 2012/2013 (Laman Web Rasmi Kemasukan Ke IPTA)

Future Trend of Jobs

Written by Jason - Write a guest post and get featured here!

I believe it must have been a tormenting period for most of the STPM graduate to wait for the arrival of offer letters from universities or colleges. First of all, congratulations for those who finally gets into their desired course, congratulations!

As for those who are still at the junction heading nowhere, take a deep breath and reorganize your thought. Please don’t get panic. Choose the direction only when you keep a level head, unless you just want to follow suit and compete for the sheer piece apple pie being shared by mass (or called “red ocean competition”).

Play an active role to determine the path that leads you to a career, both satisfying and highly-demanded. Defining yourself with a fulfilling career is as easy as doing what your passion and be the master in it! You wouldn’t want to see yourself preoccupied with laboratory white mice, grunting at mundane lab life, only to find that you have a flair for engaging kids in your own stories, striking a difference in their lives- would you?

Let me give you some insights to help you make your right decision!

Living in constant change of trends, most of us might somehow feel as if a sand grain drifting with the wave, however hard we try. We can totally capitalize on the change of major trend, by understanding the cores of the change. Some of the cores entailed by future jobs are:
  • Efficiency in terms of speed and competitive cost 
  • User-friendly and portability 
  • Safety 
  • Environmental-friendly
  • Creativity
Having known about the cores- some of them have been emphasized as the mandatory requirements for most of the current jobs- you should start to connect the dots based on the area of your passion (*this can only be done after you have identified your own interest.)
By mapping out an overview of the areas that will rise as the future leading industries, it should be easier to help you narrow down your potential niches of interest. They are:

a.) Environmental-friendly applications and solutions to energy depletion
Global warming and deterioration of environmental quality in recent years sound the alarm bells in us, followed by a rise in global awareness regarding environmental conservation. Mankind’s exploitation of natural non-renewable energy resources due to unabated development sparks off the search for renewable natural resources, until recently most of the countries advocate sustainable resource management. Accept it or not, environmental-friendliness is penetrating through the cores of the future industries; this makes environmental-related expertise, consultation, and innovations highly sought after.
Suggested courses: Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, etc.

b.) Aging
As human population is shifting towards demographic with longer lifespan, there occurs an increasing demand towards services and products in relation this massive group. As a result, this will boost up healthcare related industries, social service, insurance, etc. Some of the suggested courses will be

Suggested courses: Anthropology and Social Science, Social Work, Human Development, Psychology, Counseling, etc.

c.) Biotechnology and nanotechnology
Budding in 21st century, both of these areas are perceived to serve as the mainstream technologies that address practically all the needs of humans. Not only widely applied in myriad of areas, for instance engineering, medicine and technology that require bioproducts, biotechnology also plays a vital role in boosting the above niches. Nanotechnology, on the other hand, can be vastly applicable to medicine, electronics, healthcare food products, and a variety of other areas.

Suggested courses: Biotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedic, Biochemistry, Genetic, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, etc.

d.) Holistic education
The era of “Hard work pays” gradually fades in the tide of history. In this age where intellectual economy predominates, creativity and problem-solving skills are the prerequisite in employment. On top of it, future employees are supposed to be equipped with social and communication skills as well. Are children well-prepared for these future challenges, given current education? Therefore, education system will undergo a revolutionary change, in the direction towards wholesome education- with core focus in academic, complemented with the development in creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, social and communication skills.

Suggested courses: Education, Early Childhood Education, etc.

Risk breeds opportunity. This works exactly the same for the future career trend. If we are willing to pay more attention to the world issues daily, and think critically, it won’t be so hard for us to discover the glimpse of opportunities. Don’t have hard feelings to spare your money in investing yourself with the newspaper, magazines or potential career development seminars.  Strike it while it’s early!

Whatever choice you make, don’t live up to other’s expectation, and live for yourself!


► Read more on Future Trend of Jobs - “Trend” Your Choice For Further Studies

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Undergraduates Prefer 'Tutorials' In Dining Halls?

Editor's note: This is especially true during these few weeks as currently is the semester final examination season at most of the local public universities (IPTA). At University of Malaya (UM) for example, you can easily spot late night study groups at most residential colleges' dining halls. Nearby 24 hours Mc Donalds and KFC are popular spots for last minute study revision or preparation for exams too!

Undergrads Prefer 'Tutorials' In Dining Halls?

By Zulkiple Pbrahim, Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- During a recent visit to a residential college at a public university here, this writer saw students studying in the dining hall of the hostel at night.

Why study in the dining hall, as it is quite noisy in there?

"This is the best place for us to study, the hall is big and can accommodate many people. We can hold discussions with our course mates without disturbing others," said Razali Kamin, a science undergraduate who hails from Lumut, Perak.

What about the library or study room then?

"The library is located too far away and will be closed at 10pm. The available study room is too small and not all of us can study in our rooms, as some stay in dormitories.

"We feel 'suffocated' studying in our room. The dining hall is opened round-the-clock and this is the best place for us to do our revisions and assignments," explained the second year student.

FAST FOOD OUTLET

This writer had also visited a popular 24-hour fast food restaurant located in Section 2, Shah Alam, and found a similar scenario there where a group of university students were seen working on their assignments along with holding discussions.

Why study at a fast food eatery? Don't you get chased out by the restaurant staff? Those were some of the questions posed to the undergraduates there.

Mellie (not her full name) confided that she and her university colleagues felt that a fast food restaurant is a fun place to hang out at.

"We (undergraduates) can hold discussions here about our lectures and tutorials.

"Some of us cannot study at home. The reasons being it is too comfortable and conducive for sleep, rather than study. Therefore, we go outside to do our revisions and assignments instead," said Mellie.

But isn't the library or tutorial room quieter than the fast food restaurant?

"On the contrary, we found that we can be more productive by having group discussions or even tutorials in fast food restaurants," she said.

SILENCE

Another undergraduate, Amy said: "I used to like studying in noisy places. Fast food restaurants are a good choice of location.

"Anyway, I find the silence at most libraries oppressive. How can people concentrate that way? Those noisy places are nice.

"The various noises merge into a different kind of quiet that is actually very conducive for students like us to study.

"I really liked being here with the smell of burgers and other fast food, as well as beverages like coffee and the other students talking about politics and the current economic and sports news," said undergraduate, Ismail Darus.

Ismail said he hated to be at the library since he could ot stand the silence.

"When I suffer from insomnia, I even come to this restaurant at night to calm down and study.

"I choose a fast food restaurant where I will never feel lonely. There are many people around, there is some background music and conversations.

"However, this may vary from person to person. One individual may take the noisy fast food restaurant as the most optimal location to study, whereas another may take it the opposite way.

"As long as you want to study, actually the locations cannot distract you from outer attractions at all. You can still concentrate on your studies," he added.


► Read more on Undergraduates Prefer 'Tutorials' In Dining Halls?

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

STPM New Assessment System

STPM Grading System
The post below was first published at The Star Online on June 3, 2012.

IN accordance with the Education Transformation Programme, starting from the year 2012, the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC) will implement a new Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) assessment system to enhance the form six education programme.

Existing STPM examination system

The existing examination is conducted based on one-and-a-half years of form six studies, comprising the lower six form and the upper six form.

The 2012 STPM examination

In 2012, the examination will be conducted in two modes. The first mode is for students who are currently in upper six form and will be under the existing examination system.

The second mode is for lower six form students in 2012 who will be the first cohort for the new assessment system. They will take the first term examination in November 2012.

New assessment system

In the new system, the duration of form six studies is similar to the present system. The allocation of teaching periods remains the same: eight periods per week for each subject (one period = 40 minutes).

The subjects offered remain at 23 subjects which are General Studies (Pengajian Am), Business Studies (Pengajian Perniagaan), Malay Language (Bahasa Malaysia), Accounting (Perakaunan), Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina), Mathematics (S), Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil), Mathematics (T), Arabic Language (Bahasa Arab), Further Mathematics T, Literature in English, Information and Communications Technology (Computing), Communicative Malay Literature (Kesusasteraan Melayu), Physics, Syariah, Chemistry, Usuluddin, Biology, History (Sejarah), Sports Science (Sains Sukan), Geography (Geografi), Visual Arts (Seni Visual) and Economics (Ekonomi).

The curriculum is divided into three parts based on topic areas. Each part will be taught and studied in either the first, second or third term. The total duration of study is one-and-a-half years.

Students’ assessments will be carried out each term with the results being released at the end of the term. The overall STPM results will be based on the best combined results of the three terms.

Soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, information management and ethics are included in the new curriculum.

There will be two forms of assessment: the School-Based Assessment (SBA) with a weighting of 20% to 40%, and the centralised examination with a weighting of 60% to 80% (the weighting varies according to subjects).

School-based assessment (SBA)

The SBA consists of project work, field study and practical work. The coursework question/task is prepared by the council and will be conducted either over three terms or as determined by the subject requirements. The assessment will be carried out by the subject teacher in government schools and government-aided schools. For private schools, integrity schools and individual private candidates, the examiner is appointed by the council.

The assessment moderation will be conducted by council appointed personnel at district, zone or state levels to ensure judgments of standards are comparable as well as a fair, valid and reliable assessment of students’ achievements. The council has also prepared a Teacher’s Manual and Student’s Manual for each subject as guidance and reference for all.

Examination

A centralised written examination is administered at the end of each term. Question papers are prepared by the council, and the marking of answer scripts will be carried out by council appointed examiners.

Grading

The grading system in the new assessment system is similar to that of the existing one. The score (at the question paper level) acquired by students for each term will be aggregated to determine the overall subject grade. There is no prerequisite minimum pass grade in each term for students to qualify to continue their studies in the following term.

Improvement of exam results

A special feature of this system is that students are allowed to improve on their first and second term results by retaking these term examinations at the end of the third term. Students who do not obtain satisfactory results for the third term may also re-sit it.

Advantages

Through the new system, students will have a lesser curriculum load to study and have more opportunities to obtain better results. The introduction of SBA is in line with the aspiration of the Education Ministry to develop human capital. This is also consistent with the ministry’s vision to strengthen and make the assessment and evaluation system more holistic, with an emphasis on outcome-based education that focuses more on students and is less exam-oriented.

Standards and recognition

In these terms, the new system is similar to that of the present one. In general, the curriculum content has not changed. A representative from Cambridge Assessment (CA), United Kingdom will attend the Standards Setting Committee meeting to endorse the results.

The CA representative will give his opinion on the analysis of the examination results for each paper and a collective decision will be made on the standards.

The Student Intake Management Division under the Higher Education Ministry has been briefed on the implementation of the new assessment system.

Vision

The system is expected to strengthen and enhance pre-university studies in order to attract more students to take up the programme, and to transform the assessment and evaluation to one that is more holistic in nature. For more information, log onto the MEC’s website at www.mpm.edu.my

KHAWARI IDRIS
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
THE MALAYSIAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL


► Read more on STPM New Assessment System

Monday, June 04, 2012

Form 5 Add Math Project Work Sample Answers for Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Pahang (Update: Pulau Pinang / Penang)

Enter your email address into the form below to join 50,000+ students who get all the latest SPM Form 5 Additional Mathematics (Add Maths) Project Work 2016 Sample Answers via email. You cannot afford to miss them! Join our email subscription list now!

Sarawak Add Maths Folio | Add Math Project Work Perak | Sample Add Maths Project 2014 (Selangor) | Complete 2014 Add Maths Project Work (Johor) Sample Answer | Contoh Jawapan Folio Matematik Tambahan Pulau Pinang (Penang) | Sample Add Maths Project Work (Sabah)

PMR and SPM Tips 2012: Do not miss a chance to get 10 per cent marks EASILY for co-curriculum by taking part in 1Malaysia Essay Writing Contest 2012 jointly organized by Pos Malaysia Berhad and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC or SKMM), with cooperation from the Information Communication and Culture Ministry and Education Ministry. All you need to do is to write a informal letter in Bahasa Melayu on topics given. Open for all students from Standard Three to Form Five. All participants will get a certificate of participation and secondary school students will get 10 per cent marks for co-curriculum because this is considered participation in national level competition. Deadline: 15 June 2012. More info on the contest available on Pertandingan Menulis Surat 1Malaysia 2012 Facebook page.

Editor's Note: As most of the SPM 2012 students have already submitted the form five add math project work to their teachers, we compiled a list of sample model answers / solutions (contoh model jawapan) below to serve as the references for next year students looking for SPM Form 5 Additional Mathematics (Add Math) Project Work 2013 / Kerja Projek Kursus Matematik Tambahan SPM 2013.

Update: Due to popular requests, sample answer for add math project work Sarawak has been included in this post. Please do not enter your email into your comment to avoid getting spam / junk in your email inbox! Please share this post with your friends at your Facebook and Twitter if you find it helpful and resourceful.



Negeri Sembilan +Maths Project Work
Statistics
Functions

Kedah Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan
Question Paper: Suspension Bridge and Healthy Diet
Contoh Jawapan Projek Statistik Siap
Kedah Add Math Project Full Answer (including question paper, guidelines for project implementation and rubric) - Download (password: aatif)

Sarawak Additional Mathematics Project Work
English: Question 1 and Question 2
Bahasa Melayu: Soalan 1 dan Soalan 2
Additional Mathematics Project Work 2/2012 Sarawak

Add Maths Project Work 2012 Sarawak (Part B) Answer

Perak Additional Mathematics Project Work 2012 Sample Answer - Statistics

Johor Additional Mathematics Project Work 1/2012 (Kerja Kursus Add Math) and Solution Outline for Project Work (Contoh Jawapan) 2/2012

Kelantan Add Maths Project Work 2/2012 Answer Schema

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (KL) / Putrajaya / Labuan Add Math Project Sample Answer

Add Math Project Kuala Lumpur (KL) 2012 (Popcorn Add Math Project Answer and Working)

Malacca Additional Mathematics (Add Math) Project Work 1/2012 (Kerja Kursus Projek Matematik Tambahan SPM Melaka)

Project Work Add Math Pahang 2012

Update: Kerja Kursus Matematik Tambahan Pulau Pinang 2012 / Penang Add Maths Project Work


► Read more on Form 5 Add Math Project Work Sample Answers for Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Pahang (Update: Pulau Pinang / Penang)

Friday, June 01, 2012

Complete Guide to Malaysia Matriculation Programme (Program Matrikulasi)

The guest post below was written by Marc Raphael Parrikal, who has completed his matriculation programme (program matrikulasi) this year and is currently waiting for enrollment into local public university (IPTA). You too, can share with us your secondary, pre-tertiary or university life at school, college or university by writing a guest post!

LIFE AT MATRIKULASI

A guide/memoir, by Marc Raphael Parrikal

I’ve decided to institute some order to this post by giving it subheadings where appropriate. This also means you can read/skim the stuff you want and ignore the rest.

Now let’s get to it, shall we?

Author’s Perspective

1 year ago, almost to the day, I arrived at the gates of Negeri Sembilan Matriculation College (KMNS), far from eager to embark on what I expected would be a dreadfully dull year of “college life”, if you can even call it that.

12 months later here I am, alive and well, offering you what I can by way of advice and experiences to expect.

I hope you bear in mind throughout this post that I’m writing from a non-bumi POV. As you probably already know, matrics is only 10-15 % non-bumiputera, and getting in requires that you score fairly well in your SPM. Consequently, you’ll find that non-bumis make up much of the nerd crowd at matrics. If you’re non-bumi you’ll probably need a perfect CGPA (don’t piss yourself, it’s easily done) and high koko marks, otherwise it’ll be hard getting into your preferred course later on.

Orientation Week at KMNS (I don’t know if the exact same applies to other colleges)

HATEFUL.

That’s the first adjective to pop up when I attempt to describe orientation week. Don’t get me wrong, the week is important. It’s when they explain things like college rules, how the system works, dos and don’ts, basically everything you need to know. Every question you could possibly have will be answered in a series of lecture-style sessions with the relevant staff (for example, the college librarian will conduct a session on library usage procedures, koko teacher will brief you on importance of extra-curricular involvement and how to get marks etc). These sessions will be spread out across the week.

So why then did I despise it? Because for reasons I could never fathom, they seemed bent on turning what could easily have been a relaxed yet informative week, into an exhausting nightmare for everyone. It was infuriating. Needless activities like the “boys vs girls cheer competition”, and “sesi bersama mentor” will saturate the timetable and leave you with no room for rest between talks. Sometimes they make you all sing the Negaraku for fun, just to mess with you. They know that you’re new, scared, friendless, and ultimately helpless. Suffer in silence, that’s what we all did.

That said, orientation week is also your chance to make some friends. You’ll need friends to get you through this, trust me.

Orientation only lasts a week, so there’s no point in dwelling on it for too long.

After orientation you jump right in to lectures, tutorials, labs…...matrics life.

My Life As a Matriculation Student

Me with the guys of my class. (I'm bottom row, in black)
Overall, I really grew to like the “boring” lifestyle at matriculation. No hassle. For me it was just studying half the time, and chilling out on the internet the other half. I didn’t have to worry about family matters, friends bugging you to go out all the time, social events etc. I appreciated being away from it all in that tiny little town of Kuala Pilah.

But all good things come with a price, obviously.

You can’t go out on weekdays over here. It’s a little ridiculous once you think about it. There we were, legal adults at the mature age of 18, and they just caged us in 24/7 because they thought it was best for us. Even weekend outings are sometimes disallowed because they want to hold some event/activity and they need you to make up the numbers. I hope you’re getting the picture here. They treat you like school kids. If you thought you’d be enjoying the same liberties as your friends at private colleges, you can forget about it. Unlike private institutions, matriculation colleges aren’t looking to profit from your fees, so they really don’t care if you’re unhappy and want to leave. Leave, by all means. About a million others would do anything for your spot.

My days were spent mundanely, mostly behind books or my laptop screen. After all, what else was there to do? Sports facilities were present, but I never really got into that because it’s so crowded most days, and unless you hang with the right people, you may never get a chance to play.

If you’re like me, then evenings = sleep, and night = study. Chilling out with friends is usually between classes, during meals, or on weekends. Assignments are brutal, but complete them (or not) at your own will and risk. I’m no exemplar for hard work. I barely ever did tutorial assignments, just concentrated on what I was weak at. But of course, this all depends on how strict your lecturer is. I had no male teachers, so lucky me I guess. =D

How To Score

Okay don’t worry, I’m not going to be one of those people who defend the standards of matriculation and compare it directly to STPM.

Let’s get real. This sh*t is easy. Anybody can do well here. Trust me.

First thing you want to do is drop Bio if you’re uninterested and it has nothing to do with your course ambitions. Don’t plague yourself with it. Last year, when presented with that option (switching to Module 2), many were apprehensive and chickened out because Module 2 meant taking Computer Science instead. At the time, CS was a new introduction, so many didn’t dare.

As it turned out, Computer Science was probably the easiest subject in the entire matriculation program. Loads of useful tech knowledge too (and programming!). I highly recommend it. I know so many people left kicking themselves for not taking the chance. Instead they were all stuck with Bio, many late nights, and tonnes of regret. If you want a more relaxed experience at matrics, do yourself a favour and take my advice. Also, NO LAB REPORTS FOR CS! What more could you ask for?

As for studying practices, to each his own. But keep in mind, matrics is fast-paced. You’ll be breezing through chapters and it can overwhelm you eventually. Sometimes I wonder if anybody has time to digest anything. Lecturers rush through stuff during lectures, but many make up for it in tutorials (which are like tuition classes I guess haha). Try to keep up. If you can’t, you’re expected to go see them personally.

If your English isn’t too bad, you should really make use of reference books for better explanations. I can’t stand people who don’t bother buying reference books, preferring to rely solely on condensed lecture notes, then start complaining about not being able to follow what’s going on in class. Some lecturers give great notes, some don’t. It’s important that you recognise the difference. The library also has foreign references if you want a deeper understanding of things (especially Physics and Chemistry). You can also download them if you know where to look  ;D

30% of your grade will come from “PB”, i.e. Penilaian Berterusan (a.k.a. Penilaian Bonus). Update from anidha's comment: PB only accounts for 20% of the marks, another 10% from UPS (mid-sem exam). Just hand in your assignments when they ask you to, don’t cut class, finish those annoying lab reports, and you’re well on your way to that A.

If you find that your classmates are lagging behind, help them out. Like I said before, not everybody can keep up, so don’t be an as*hole by letting the people around you fend for themselves. It’s not their fault everything is in English and they sometimes need a little support. They’ll be grateful, and you will have made yourself some awesome friends. I grew very attached to my classmates. After all, you spend so much time together, just the 20 of you.

Koko Marks

This was the only thing that bugged me throughout. I really wasn’t that involved. But fortunately, as I came to realise later, the point accumulation system they used made scoring very….errr...easy? Seriously, STPM students rage when they read this. Here’s what I mean:

Activity among hostel block members? Considered district level.

Activities within college? Considered state level.

Competitions against other colleges (e.g. KAKOM)? Considered national level.

If you win anything, you immediately get even more as markah pencapaian. Tournaments/programs will be organised throughout the year, so just get involved. Chess tourney, Scrabble tourney, calligraphy contest, Mini-KAKOM (many diff sports, competition within college), KAKOM (many diff sports, inter-college competition), Battle of the Bands, you name it. There are so many to choose from. Take part in one or two at least.

Maybe I should have run for JPP (student council thing). Seriously, it’s very easy to get on. Elections are a joke. There were 21 seats to be decided, and only about 25 candidates dared to run. As you can see, you really can’t screw this up unless people really hate you for some reason. So if you don’t mind giving one small campaign speech, I highly recommend running for a spot. Huge koko marks up for grabs.

STPM will soon be a 3-part course, and maybe it’ll be easy to get good grades there too. But even then, I can’t see STPM students amassing the koko marks on offer here at matrics, so that’s something you should definitely consider.

Little Myth I’d Like To Debunk

YES, it is possible to gain admission to premier foreign universities with your matriculation qualification. Here’s an official list (non-exhaustive) by Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

A friend of mine even got an offer from Imperial College London (amongst several others), and he’s currently waiting on scholarship replies before he decides on whether or not to go there.

Thanks For Reading

Just for LOLs, here’s a pic of my roommate trying to get to sleep while I’m still studying
I don’t regret my time there. It was a learning experience (interacting with people from all over the country, many different backgrounds). Well worth it.

Sorry if I’ve left a lot of stuff out. I was rushing to get this done. If you have further questions, leave it in the comments please. Thanks for reading.


► Read more on Complete Guide to Malaysia Matriculation Programme (Program Matrikulasi)

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