Global Classroom brings UMP and Kansai University students together

KUANTAN, 30 June 2021 - The experience of participating in a global classroom gave pleasant memories for the students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Kansai University (KU), Japan, when they met online at Kansai University - Digital Transformation (KU-DX) involving several international universities including the United States of America, the Philippines, Taiwan and Korea along with media representatives from Japan.

The online collaboration programme involved 28 students of the Materials Technology programme, Faculty of Science and Industrial Technology (FSTI), UMP and 10 KU students.

The participants were divided into five groups in the Advanced Materials course (BSP3452).

It was conducted by the FSTI lecturers, Dr. Saifful Kamaluddin Muzakir (UMP), Ts. Dr. Muhammad Hafiz Mazwir (UMP), Professor Dr. Keiko Ikeda (KU) and Associate Professor Dr. Masato Ueda (KU).

According to an FSTI student, Nurhuda Fatinah Abdul Samad, 22, the five-week programme had opened their minds to see problems through a global perspective.

 “It was also fun when we can communicate with friends from the land of the rising sun using English.

“In the weekly meetings, each group was given different tasks during the brainstorming sessions.

“Among the main topics were the impact of COVID-19 on the way of thinking for survival, the need for technology as a tool to improve the quality of life, and the responsibility of students as an educated group towards universal well-being,” she said.

Although the programme was scheduled only every Friday, they were always connected through Telegram, WhatsApp, Zoom and Padlet to complete the assigned tasks.

They also had the opportunity to exchange ideas on hobbies, customs, and cultures during their free time.

Meanwhile, her friend Rihashni Thivagaran, 25, was very excited because it was her first time participating in the Global Classroom collaboration programme.

She said the programme triggered the appreciation of learning through the digital world and created a virtual environment conducive to bilateral discussions.

This Kedah-born said, the outside-the-classroom learning platform is in line with the needs of the new norms to meet academic planning and as a tool for moral and emotional supports for participants during the pandemic recovery phase.

“I hope that one day the learning system will enable students and academics to work as a global community that shares resources, technology and expertise based on the latest technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality,” she said.

The initiatives demonstrated by both universities are the first step towards that dream.

The Global Classroom collaboration programme is an online learning platform used to share resources, knowledge, ideas and expertise.

The core of this collaboration focuses on building a strong working network between participants from both institutions.

By: Nor Salwana Mohd Idris, Corporate Communications Unit, The Office of The Vice-Chancellor
Translation by: Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, Engineering College/Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology