Category: Other

English tuition 2023…. it’s back!!!

Several students received As on their SPMs this year. The first four are the “usual” ones. The predictable. I am quite pleased of them and their accomplishment. I was a tough taskmaster, especially when it came to the boys. For obvious reasons (no need to elaborate).

Ita stated that after they received their SPM results, they inquired as to why I was not present at school. The truth is that I had something I couldn’t escape at UTM and couldn’t leave. I went to school (without fail) when the SPM results were announced before the pandemic (2019 and 2020). There were a number of causes for this. One of them was that I promised “something” to those who improved their grades (trial and actual results). Given that some of them come from a particular background, a small monetary reward would be very welcomed.

This year 2023 will be my fourth year to be entrusted with teaching tuition class again. Yup. But this year, I’ve decided to try something new. I’ve created a self-exploration board game, notes, questions, and worksheets. Let’s see how things go this year! The students are unique, and I should take the time this year to get to know them better. Unlike last year, I believe I was a little aloof with them. I don’t want to form any attachments with them, but they could tell I had favourites among them. After all, I am a human person.

The student to whom I paid special attention was a little version of myself. A loner, quiet,….. (fill in the blank). She has these features with which I could identify as a younger myself. Looking at her brings back memories of taking SPM more than 20 years ago. It was one of the most difficult moments of my life because of familial issues I was dealing with at the time. But my late mother was a firm believer. She thought that as long as I learn something, I will not fail, regardless of my grades/marks. I miss my mom!

How to claim dental and spectacles (as in 2023)?

Here are the steps to make your claim if you (or your dependents such as children) receive dental treatment such as scaling.

  1. Log in to MyUTM portal
  2. Under Working at UTM section, scroll down and select “Dental and spectacles”.

3. Click Welfare and Services, then select Application -> Select Dental -> Select Application for Dental.

4. Fill in the details such as Clinic name and date of treatment. Save.

5. Add attachment of the scanned original receipt.

6. Click Treatment. Select the treatment or service that rendered to you in the Detail Treatment.

7. Add attachment accordingly (*compulsory). The attachment is the scanned version of the original receipt. So, make sure you scan/snap a picture of the receipt before you submit the original receipt to the person in charge.

Note: Make sure you print out the Borang Rawatan Pergigian. Fill in the form as necessary. To save you time from going to the dental clinic twice, before you get the dental treatment, print the form and bring it with you when you get the treatment. The form requires the signature of the dentist with official stamp.

To claim for glasses/ spectacles, you can follow the same steps of 1 and 2. Just choose “Spectacles” instead of Dental for Step 3. Unlike dental claim, (what I personally did) I printed out the form (Borang Tuntutan Pembelian Cermin mata) before collecting my new spectacles from the optometrist.

PENILAIAN PENGAJARAN DAN PENGALAMAN PELAJAR (ePPPK) DAN PELAKSANAAN ‘END OF COURSE SURVEY’ DALAM SISTEM ePPP

EPPP digunakan dengan menilai persepsi pelajar terhadap pengajaran pensyarah di akhir semester sejak 2009. Berdasarkan maklumbalas yang diterima, EPPP telah diubah dan ditambahbaik dari segi rubrik penilaian.  Mulai tahun 2023, EPPP ditukar kepada EPPPK (Penilaian Pengajaran dan Pengalaman Pelajar) dan soal selidik akhir kursus atau dikenali sebagai End of course survey akan menggunakan satu capaian yang sama bagi tujuan penilaian.  Pelajar tidak lagi perlu ke dua laman web berbeza untuk mengisi respons mereka.  

Satu sesi taklimat bagi pelajar akan diadakan oleh CDEX sebelum akhir semester ini di mana pelajar akan mengetahui EPPPK yang baru ini.  Bagi kursus sarjana muda, penggunaan AIMS akan dimansuhkan dan akan diganti dengan MyAIMS di mana pensyarah boleh memasukkan markah peperiksaan kursus sarjana muda di MyAIMS, bukan AIMS.  Tetapi buat masa ini, AIMS masih lagi boleh digunakan buat sementara waktu bagi tujuan memasukkan markah.    Bagi kursus sarjana, penggunaan GSMS masih lagi diteruskan bagi tujuan memasukkan markah (tiada perbezaan).  

Untuk maklumat lanjut, boleh rujuk slaid yang diberikan dan juga rakaman WebEx.

Nota: Sebarang pertanyaan boleh diajukan kepada pihak CDEX atau Profesor Madya Dr. Mohd Nihra Haruzuan bin Mohamad Said.  Maklumat yang dinyatakan di sini adalah rumusan dari sesi taklimat yang diadakan pada Isnin, 15 Mei 2023 (pukul 10 pagi).  

TES dimansuhkan berkuatkuasa mulai tahun 2023

Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Universiti Bil. 6/2023 bertarikh 21 Mac 2023 telah bersetuju agar komponen penilaian bagi sistem LPPT dilihat semula dengan mengambil kira keperluan semasa dan penilaian berasaskan kompetensi staf. Sehubungan dengan itu, berkuat kuasa mulai tahun 2023,penggunaan sistem penilaian kualiti pengajaran iaitu Teaching Excellent System adalah dimansuhkan.

 

Good Clinical Practice

A friend inquired whether I was interested in attending a three-day course on Good Clinical Practice. The costs of RM1100 are a tad pricey, however. In addition, a certification examination would be administered on the third day. 40 multiple choice questions. To obtain the certificate, we must earn at least 32/40 points. Yup. There can be no more than eight errors, which is equivalent to 80%. Tough? You bet.

My friend gave me a copy of the book which I can use so I could start studying earlier before the course.  But, between the exam, grading assignments since early February 2023, and other things, it was difficult to find time to study. I determined to study the book from cover to cover no matter what. So, I arrived slightly early for the next couple of weeks in order to study for at least an hour or two. While invigilating examinations, I diligently attempted to finish reading and studying the book. But, reading a book containing legal words is difficult.   So, I decided to create notes for myself using concept-map format.   I do not now how it would help me to improve my memory but I need to do something.  Knowing how ________ my hand-writing is,  I need to have something that I can read with ease.

The exam on Wednesday at 1130am lasted only one hour and consisted of forty questions. Time passes quickly? Indeed. I had limited time to double-check the entirety of the questions. I just reviewed the OMR form and ensured that I had answered all questions. “At least, I answered all of the questions” I said to myself. That was my determination. After the exam, I could hardly recall the questions I had answered. When some of us were discussing the questions, I did my best to recall them, but it felt like a dream. I have no memory of answering the questions.

Now, the only thing I can do is pray that I would pass the exams the first time around. That’s my hope.

 

Food poisoning: It is bad

To avoid food poisoning, you must know what you consume. Do not consume expired/bad/moldy etc. food/drink. That is the common information that we already know. But I miss one aspect: how the food is prepared. I ate pisang goreng last Sunday. It was raining and I stopped for a while to buy lunch at 3pm (it was a late lunch indeed). I saw this small stall selling pisang goreng with no customers for more than 15 minutes. I felt sad. “Why not buy something?” I said to myself. With RM2 worth of pisang goreng, the seller gave me more than what I paid. Little that I know it was the beginning of a nightmare that I experienced for a few days.

After eating a few pieces of pisang goreng, I felt weird. “This is unusual” I thought. Around maghrib, the stomach pain became unbearable. While performing maghrib prayer, I nearly fell down as I prostrated (sujud). “Is this the way how my life ends?” I thought to myself as I performing sujud. My cat sensed something was not right. She did not leave my side as I prayed. When I lay down on my bed, she plopped herself besides me and purred. My cat, Robyn always does that when she senses that I am not feeling well or I am sad. By the time Isya’ prayer, I found it difficult to stand without clutching my stomach and my legs started to tremble. I could not stand still.

I tried to find whatever ointment that I could put on my stomach to each the pain. I found my late mom’s minyak kayu putih (eucalyptus oil). At this point, I just couldn’t care to check the expiry date. I attempted to endure the unbearable pain for as long as I could. I started to vomit several times through out the night. I googled symptoms of food poisoning. What I experienced was just vomiting within hours after eating pisang goreng.  Diarrhea may follow but I didn’t experience that.  I asked my niece (an MD) the cure to food poisoning. She told me that normally food poisoning could stop within 24 to 72 hours with no medication. She advised me to avoid solid and spicy food. I ended up of not eating anything, just drink to keep myself hydrated for around 2 days since the first symptom appeared.

But by the third day, the stomach pain still persisted. So I went to homeopathy clinic. Why homeopathy? Well, I just wanted to try out alternative treatment. Alhamdulillah after taking the medication for one day, the stomach pain was gone. No vomiting. But I had to deal with the aftermath of food poisoning. I could not take any spicy food for a while. My stomach becomes sensitive towards specific food. This is not good. But I guess this is life. There are things that I have to let go and no longer can enjoy.