UCSI UNIVERSITY AND MAXIS TEAM UP TO BRING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET TO STUDENTS

Kuala Lumpur, 22 Apr, 2011 - UCSI University and Maxis Berhad are teaming up to offer University students high-speed Internet access. The two entities established a smart partnership today as part of the Maxis Integrated Partner in Education (MIPE) programme that launched last week. Under the agreement, Maxis will provide high-speed Internet to the University and become one of the University’s industrial partners. UCSI University Vice Chancellor, Dr Robert Bong and Senior Vice President for the Maxis Business Division, Mr. M Fitri B. Abdullah, signed a certificate of partnership in front of a crowd of nearly 200 students during a ceremony at the University.


In his speech, Dr Bong said the partnership is part of UCSI University’s commitment to bring in modern technology to augment its teaching and learning environment. He said the University is currently pursuing software that will allow lecturers to create virtual “classrooms” with lectures, materials and forums online.


“Our goal is to provide our students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in life in the most effective way possible,” he said. “With blended learning, we will be able to use a variety of tools to make both teaching and learning more efficient, more relevant and more accessible through modern technology.”


Under the agreement, Maxis will provide high-speed WiFi services of up to 50mbps that can be subscribed to directly using mobile phones.


The Maxis WiFi service will enable students to interact with their lecturers outside the normal classroom setting, combining the usual face-to-face learning with online delivery methods as part of the University’s blended-learning teaching philosophy, championed by its Faculty of Education and Centre for Learning Excellence. The high internet speed will also enable students to quickly download podcasts of their lectures, access online resources, conduct research and join online group discussions, enhancing their learning experience. The availability of high-speed internet access across campus grounds also increases student connectivity and mobility, creating a conducive environment for one to learn on the go. The WiFi service is currently on a free three-month trial basis, after which it will be available at a low daily, weekly or monthly rate for students.


The partnership with Maxis will enable UCSI University to enrich the university experience for its students, with the introduction of the University Hot Ticket, a supersaver prepaid card from Maxis, customised to suit the University’s academic, community and social events. Maxis will be contributing part of the sales for the prepaid cards to social causes and events championed by the students, heightening student awareness of and participation in, community and social issues.


Maxis and the University’s Faculty of Management and Information Technology are also working together to fulfill the MIPE commitment to developing student entrepreneurship. UCSI University is the first out of Maxis’ tertiary education partners, to deploy Hotlink dealership kiosk businesses on-campus. Currently, there are two kiosks in operation, offering students preferential incentives as well as further blended learning opportunity to put into practice lessons from business courses and to take away new experience from a current communications business model.


Mr. M Fitri B. Abdullah in his speech said, “On 5 April, Maxis launched its Maxis Integrated Partner in Education programme, a unique offering of an end-to-end array of integrated services to the university sector. Today, we are pleased to see the promise of education enabled by communications technology and partnership commitment, bearing its first fruit at UCSI University.”


“At Maxis we certainly believe in the power of integration of strengths from different areas to create a synergistic service ecosystem and unique customer experience which is greater than the sum of its parts. We can see that the committed and innovative staff and students of UCSI University also believe in the spirit of combining capabilities and of reaching across borders, to arrive at a form of knowledge and preparedness which will truly mark them out as the next digital native generation.”


New international students at the University will also benefit from the partnership, with a special bundled package made available by Maxis and UCSI University. They will receive both prepaid mobile services and broadband internet worth RM200 for free upon their arrival at the University. This ensures better integration for the international student community on campus with the local community while easing their transition to their new life in the country.


Through this smart partnership, Maxis will also be part of the University’s Co-Operative Industrial Placement Programme, which currently has close to 900 industrial partners. This allows internship opportunities for UCSI University’s students, who need to complete at least two months of industrial training in each academic year. This format, unique to the University, ensures students are constantly in touch with industrial practices, while applying what they have learnt in the classroom.


In conjunction with the University’s 25th Anniversary, UCSI University and Maxis also recently worked together on a major charity project worth more than RM40,000, which involved more than 200 students. The students and staff of Maxis visited 25 charity homes in a day to paint and clean up the homes, and also to interact with the residents in fun games and activities.

6300 Insaniah University College Students Get P1 4G Broadband Access

Alor Setar: 6,300 students at Insaniah University College ("Insaniah") now enjoy 24/7 broadband provided by P1 at the college campus and students' residential quarters.

Insaniah's Rector, Professor Dato' Wira Dr Haji Jamil bin Osman said that the investment in P1 4G broadband infrastructure is necessary in ensuring the college provides the best connectivity facilities to students and staff. He said 10 per cent of the college's information technology investment is allocated for broadband connectivity.

Mansor Mahmud, CEO of Insan System, the IT arm of Insaniah informed that the Kedah State Government- owned college selected P1 for various reasons.

Mansor said that prior to selecting P1 as its preferred broadband service provider; he and Dr Haji Jamil had made visits to other higher learning institutions in Malaysia and evaluated all the broadband operators. Insaniah eventually invested in a six megabyte P1 enterprise leased line also known as Priority Broadband to cover the college campus.

Michael Lai, Chief Executive Officer of P1, said P1 has the resources, infrastructure and creativity to provide customized solutions for its Education clients resulting in a win-win proposition for all parties involved. "Our two and a half years of experience in the 4G space gives us the leading edge and flexibility to meet our customers' needs. We work closely with our business partners to ensure they get the best solution and the best results," said Lai.

"Students can't live' unless they are connected 24/7," quipped Mansor. "When they are not studying they are still online! P1 is well known for delivering the best rich media experience in the country, so our students are happy we chose P1 4G. In fact, Insan System will extend the P1 4G service to other campuses in the near future," Mansor said.

"P1 understood our challenges and has the range of products and services to meet the college's needs. The leading 4G provider was chosen because its plug-n-play wireless service was easy to deploy considering the students do not have fixed phone lines in their residential quarters," Mansor said.

He added that P1 also offered pre-paid on-the-go devices for 4G broadband that caters aptly to the nomadic nature of the students.

Students can also enhance their broadband experience further by obtaining on-the-go prepaid high speed broadband from the Insan ICT shop located within Insaniah's campus," said Mansor.

P1 is the only broadband service provider in the country to provide both home and on-the-go 4G broadband services in one affordable package. Adding to P1 4G's wireless flexibility, the service provider also caters an impressive average of 10GB per user per month. That's equivalent to about 2500 song downloads.

THE-ICE Member: Taylor's University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Does Malaysia Proud With 'Education Leadership Award'

iStudent News July 2012 22/07/2012 00:41

Taylor’s University is proud to announce that its Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mr Pradeep Nair, has been conferred the “Education Leadership Award” by the World Education Congress in recognition for his outstanding leadership and contributions in the field of higher education.
At this year’s Congress, held in Mumbai, India, which brought together global academic personalities, Pradeep was acknowledged for his contributions toward the growth and development of higher education in the region, demonstrated in his capacity as Deputy-Vice Chancellor at the university. He was also recognised as a progressive thinker and a positive role model to others in the same sphere.

“It is an honour and privilege to receive such a prestigious award and I thank the panel of judges and organisers of the World Education Congress Global Awards 2012 for this recognition. It is also a testament that our efforts at Taylor’s to develop a unique model of higher education and proudly stand alongside the region’s top universities has been duly recognised. Our job as educators is to constantly move with the times, embrace change and ensure that our students and academic staff are at the centre of everything thing we do. This award will serve as added motivation for all of us at Taylor’s University.” said Pradeep.

Pradeep currently has oversight of 11 Schools and 3 Centres at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus and among others, leads the university’s efforts to introduce new teaching and learning standards and practices including widespread use of technology in lectures. He also lectures at post-graduate level and is a sought after corporate trainer.

“At Taylor’s University, we have always sought to inspire our youth and to stand out, to be top employers’ top choice University. The successes of Taylor’s University rely on the guidance of key individuals such as Pradeep, and because of this, we are proud to have such esteemed leadership within the establishment. His award is also a credit to Taylor’s University and to Malaysia.” said Taylor’s University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Dato’ Dr. Hassan Said.

In addition to his role at Taylor’s University, Pradeep was a key member of the development team that introduced the Hotel Industry Apprenticeship Scheme for the Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia. In 2008, the programme was awarded the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award for Education and Training.

He was the Chief Operating Officer of Taylor’s College, Petaling Jaya and Taylor’s College, School of Hospitality and Tourism, which rose to become one of Asia’s largest hospitality and tourism colleges. He led the college to win the Platinum Award for Hospitality Institution of the Year in 2009 and 2011 and in Regional Culinary institution of the Year Award in 2012 by the World Gourmet Summit.

Pradeep remains an active contributor to the industry and is a member of the Human Resources Development Council Industry Advisory board and Curriculum Board for Polytechnics in the Ministry of Higher Education. He is also the Deputy Secretary General of the Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities and is the founding Secretary of the Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia and a member of the PATA Industry Council.

sources - Taylor University

Celebrating Media, Music and Arts at Taylor's Media Carnival 2009

For visitors who stepped foot into the Multi Purpose Hall of Taylor's University College, Subang Jaya on October 3, the sight of the crowd popping, locking and shuffling to the rocking riffs of the electric guitar and percussion beats, could have easily believed that they were in the middle of a live concert.

Featuring a host of famous local artistes, such as Indie Singer-songwriter Azmyl Yunor, pop band Estrella's Liyana Fizi and dance group Patrick & Co. and The Dynasty Crew, the rocking musical event represented one of the highlights of the annual Taylor's School of Communication (SOC) Media Carnival 2009.

Organised by a group of SOC degree students with guidance from their lecturers, the lively carnival themed "Communication through Media Arts", promoted the meaning of media to the masses, and the use of music as a communication tool. The event attracted over 200 youth from Taylor's and other colleges and universities.

The one-day carnival began with a bang as SOC Ambassador and the host of The Amazing Race Asia Allan Wu officially launched the event together with Pradeep Nair, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Taylor's. Speaking at the launch, Allan touched on the versatility needed to become a media host and shared with the crowd his many adventures and experiences in the industry.

Allan and Pradeep officially launch the event

Guests enjoy a photo opportunity with Allan

"Versatility is defined by being focused on what you really want to do and gaining the right foundation to succeed. For that to happen, one must have a good education, experience and networking skills," he said.

Another crowd-puller at the carnival was a forum that featured an interesting discussion on issues ranging from young people's support for the local music scene to the significance of satire in Indie music. In addition to Azmyl and Liyana, the forum also featured Juicemagazine's Ben Liew and XFresh programme manager Adly Syairi Ramly as guest speakers. It was moderated Bachelor of Arts (Communication & Media Management) student Akil Yunus.

"It was a privilege for me to moderate the forum and I enjoyed myself thoroughly," said Akil. "The speakers were very candid and knowledgeable, and I got to learn so much more about the independent music scene in Malaysia."

Liyana entertains the crowd

The forum in progress (from L-R) Azmyl, Liyana, Akil, Ben and Adly

Dancers liven up the event

Other attractions at the carnival included a fairground bazaar with vendors peddling everything from accessories to clothing, food and electronic gadgets; a photo montage-cum-art installation showcasing students expressing what media meant to them; a tribute animation video for the late film director Yasmin Ahmad; and a fashion show, where nine SOC students paraded clothing and accessories from Lah'Lah'Land, A Chic Store, Genesis Culture and Three Sixty.

Customers flock to the bazaar's food stalls

Known as one of the signature events in Taylor's School of Communication, the Media Carnival not only enhances unity in the SOC fraternity, but is also a perfect platform for student organisers to gain experiential learning and hone their skills in various aspects of public relations and marketing communications.

Programme Director Ms. Josephine Tan commended the organising committee for pulling the event off with class and enthusiasm. "Working together as a team, they displayed a high level of commitment, skill and expertise to organise such a vibrant event. This experience will certainly hold them in good stead when they graduate and enter the workforce."

sources - Taylor University

Transforming Swinburne

Date posted: 09 July 2012

Swinburne University of Technology's Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson today announced a transformation of the university to deliver on its vision to be a leader in science, technology and innovation.

"The changes we are announcing today are designed to support our vision for Swinburne in 2020," Professor Kristjanson said.

"Our future is as Australia's leading university in science, technology and innovation," she said.

"We are proud to be a university that is actively engaged with industry, producing world-class research and putting students at the heart of everything we do."

Professor Kristjanson said higher education course offerings at Swinburne will be expanded from next year in response to student demand.

This will position Swinburne for future growth and ensure it remains competitive and strong.

New bachelor degrees, as well as double degrees, will be on offer as part of Swinburne's higher education portfolio in 2013.

New degrees would include a Bachelor of Health Sciences with specialisations available in sports science, nutrition and psychology. New majors in disciplines such as forensic science will also be available.

Professor Kristjanson said the university was also pursuing the relocation of the Faculty of Design from Prahran to Swinburne's Hawthorn campus.

"Geography is holding us back from achieving better connections between design and our other areas of teaching and research strength," Professor Kristjanson said.

"Moving our Faculty of Design to Hawthorn will improve educational opportunities for our students and harness greater opportunities for industry-focused research collaboration."

Consistent with Swinburne's long-term vision, the TAFE course portfolio for 2013 has been reshaped to better align with Swinburne's focus for the future.

Programs in areas such as hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism will no longer be offered. Courses that are no longer viable, or have low student demand, will also be discontinued.

As a consequence of the reshaping of its TAFE course profile, Swinburne will offer up to 240 voluntary redundancies for TAFE teaching staff and general staff across the university.

Fewer TAFE courses that can be viably offered, coupled with a decline in demand for higher education at Lilydale, means it will no longer be sustainable to continue to offer courses at Lilydale from 1 July 2013.

"Our need to refocus what we do means that we have needed to make difficult decisions across the board," Professor Kristjanson said.

"Ceasing operations at Lilydale is certainly the hardest decision of all."

Students will receive information to provide them with certainty around their studies and fees for the remainder of 2012 and for 2013.

A range of advice and support services is available to Swinburne staff and students to assist them during the period of change.

"We have transformed ourselves since our very beginnings one hundred years ago as a local provider of technical education to a world ranked university," Professor Kristjanson said.

"I am confident that with these changes, we will transform ourselves again and that the Swinburne of the future will be even stronger than it is today."

sources - Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus

Developer impressed with students' 3D directory for shopping mall

Date posted: 10 February, 2012

KUCHING – One thing students at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus can look forward to in their studies is hands-on, real work experience. Recently, a group of undergraduates majoring in bachelor of multimedia design completed an interactive three-dimensional directory for Kenbest Sdn Bhd’s upcoming CityONE shopping mall.

The directory, which will be located at the ground floor of the mall, allows patrons to find their way around the complex, locate stores or catch the latest promotion by certain stores and more, all by merely tapping the touch-screen of the display system.

Stephen Long, the managing director of Kenbest, and his colleagues were impressed with the quality of the work and offered the final year students positions with the company during the presentation, recently.

The construction work of CityONE, one of the biggest malls in the city, is on schedule and is expected to be launched in October this year.

The multimedia design students were given 12 weeks to complete and present the three-dimensional project to the company, a property developer with a reputation for building a string of shopping malls around Kuching.

“There were a number of challenges for the students when the project was proposed but with proper guidance the students, led by team leader Samuel Liau, managed to resolve them,” said John Hii, a design lecturer at Swinburne Sarawak who supervised the students.

“We learned what it’s like to work on a project with an actual company. There were 20 of us, so it wasn’t easy and we had to work as a team. We divided the tasks among ourselves and organised ourselves into ‘departments’ and worked from there. We also had to learn a new software but in the end we managed to deal with all the obstacles and fulfilled the requirements of the company,” said Liau.
“The exposure also helped to prepare us in dealing with people at all levels, such as senior management, and it is certainly helpful for my current work,” said Liau, who now freelances as a videographer.

The Kenbest directory project was part of the students’ final year assignment where they were required to engage with an actual company to gain industry experience.

sources - Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus

SEGi works with SKALI to boost IT workforce

A Memorandum of Understanding signed on 13 March, 2012 will see SKALI working hand-in-hand with SEGi University College to train SEGi students in one of its latest IT solutions modules. SKALI is known as one of Malaysia’s established e-solutions provider with many high profile clienteles.

This move is also in line with SEGi’s continuous effort in strengthening its industry linkages in order to ensure its students are equipped with current and industry relevant know-how. To boost its Information Technology graduates’ market value, SEGi engaged SKALI as its industry partners for training.

SKALI’s Group CEO & Co-Founder, YM Tengku Farith Rithauddeen says that SKALI realizes the importance of building a knowledge society. To support this cause, SKALI Group collaborates with SEGi University College with the primary aim of sharing our technical expertise and industry experience through Strategic Training Programmes.

“There is a fundamental need for higher education institutions to produce quality industry certified knowledge workers to the country’s need especially in ICT industry. We are very pleased to join forces with SEGi University College, who took bold step ahead of others, to collaborate with SKALI to improve competency level of future graduates.”

The MoU would be a value added benefit for students as they will also have the opportunity to gain various types of specalised certifications through SKALI. This development would, no doubt, contribute towards strengthening the Malaysian human resource in the IT industry.

Among the programmes which SEGi University College students will enjoy through SKALI at a discounted price are Liferay Developer (Elite) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

SKALI will send representatives among its EXCO members to conduct talks at the SEGi campus for IT and MBA students.

“It is our fervent wish that this collaboration will further assist Malaysia in its vision of achieving high-income status by 2020, as more skillful future workforce can be produced,” concluded YM Tengku Farith.

Signing the MOU are SKALI’s Group CEO & Co-Founder, YM Tengku Farith Rithauddeen and SEGi University College Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhamad Awang at SEGi University College.

sources - SEGI University College

SEGi Produces Ethical Computer Hackers

The pervasiveness of computers is continuing to grow at an exceptional rate. As we become increasingly dependant on technology across all aspects of our life, we also become increasingly susceptible to security threats, which can occur hourly in a computers system.

Computers are systematically being victimised by epidemic hacking. As the rate of hacking attacks gradually increases around the world, it becomes a major concern within organizations regardless of their network infrastructures.

However, this threat also presents a great opportunity for those who are versed in the field of ‘ethical hacking’. Ethical hacking is the scientific approach of understanding tools, techniques and methodologies used by malicious hackers with the aim of developing a security system which is non-hackable.

In recognising this opportunity, SEGi University College collaborates with EC-Council Academy to integrate EC-Council IT Security Programme, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), into the Bachelor of IT (Hons) programme and offer the CEH course to its students as an industry skill course.

To formalise this collaboration, an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between SEGi University College and EC-Council Academy was held on 14 April 2011 at the SEGi flagship campus in Kota Damansara.

Signing the MOU was Emeritus Professor Dr. Muhamad Awang, SEGi University College Vice-Chancellor, and Wilson Wong, EC-Council Asia Pacific Managing Director. Also present to witness the signing was Professor Dr. BC Tan, SEGi University College Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, and Chin Yuen Kin, EC-Council Academy Centre Director.

During his welcome address, Professor Muhamad said, “We are all guilty of being increasingly dependent on technology in our everyday lives. We rely on it in both our work lives and personal lives to do anything from gathering and storing information, to retrieving and sending it. I am sure that for most people present today it has become pervasive – from your smart phones and tablets to your company networks and servers.

“This increasing dependence on information technology is creating a need to improve the confidentiality and integrity of electronic information, to ensure that computer and communications systems are less vulnerable to intentional and accidental error or misuse. The key is for those professionals who are in change of overseeing the security to think like a hacker, thus always staying one step ahead.”

In addition to the CEH course, the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) offers a whole spectrum of industry-standard IT Security and E-Business programmes to address these critical issues across all industries. The EC-Council certification programmes combine both business and technical training to impart solid background necessary to build successful e-Businesses.

Following Professor Muhamad’s opening address, Mr. Wong spoke about the collaboration with SEGi and the importance of computer security.

“Cyber attacks are frequent and efficient; there are financial frauds, data beaches, cyber threats and attack news reported daily. Cyber attack towards organizations increases steadily over the years, even with increased IT infrastructure investment every year. Organizations today are taking note on the importance of well-trained IT Security professionals on maintaining and securing the business and reputation of an organization. The industry is in urgent need for cyber warriors to deal with cyber attacks that may occur anytime,” added Mr Wong.

“According to MSC Malaysia Supply-Demand Study of the ICT Industry by Frost & Sullivan, The MSC cluster is poised to add 50,000 new knowledge workers over the next three years (2010-2012). The MOU today reflects SEGi University College and EC-Council Academy contribution of producing a pool of highly skilled cyber warriors as the country gets closer towards its ambition to be a developed nation by 2020.”

To date, SEGi Education Group is the largest private institution of higher learning in Malaysia with more than 23,000 students across its six campuses in Kota Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya, Penang, Sri Kenbangan and Kuching.

SEGi Education Group offers programmes from foundation and diploma level to bachelor and master degrees in information technology, medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, nursing, health sciences, business, engineering, built environment, creative design, hospitality & tourism, education and social sciences. They also offer the popular American Degree Program as well as the Doctor of Business Administration.

sources - SEGI University College