Category: Other

E-Content UTM 2021

I just had a session with Dr Nurbiha about e-content. There is a difference of marking this year for video that you create and upload on Youtube (as an example of platform where you share your material) which you can get 2 marks for that. Make sure you make it “Public”.

Well, honestly I do not know what I got last year but this year, since we are only allowed to upload 5 e-content materials, so I will upload within that limit.

What are the things that I plan to upload this year? I plan to upload these 4 materials.

  1. Gamification (one of my Quizziz questions – I used for last semester’s class).
  • Just make sure that if you want to claim any Quizziz (category: Gamification), the questions that you have in one set of quiz must be at least contains 10 questions (which equivalent to 10 marks if it is one mark for each question or 5 marks if each question is equivalent to 0.5 marks). If you have 3 questions, it might not be enough. Logically, normally the quiz that we give to students might be at least 5 marks or 10 marks. It is quite rare to give students 3 marks for a quiz (unless you give 5 mini quizzes in which each carries 3 marks and only have 3 questions per quiz – but it does not sound like a normal practice, isn’t it?)

2. Video based learning (one of my Youtube videos). Any video that you create and share publicly is 2 marks.

3. Collaborative tool (my Padlet page for MPPU1024 class that I taught with my colleague).

  • For Padlet, to get better marks, make sure you have a class note (you create your own – like a PowerPoint note) and post several questions that your students can answer and generate discussion. Better yet, give a specific instruction for students to give their opinions based on other’s response/answer. You can discuss the answer through synchronous session or students can read other’s opinion asynchronously. In this way, students would interact with the materials (class note plus questions) that you put in a Padlet page and by answering the questions that you post, students have to answer the questions (this is interactive) and when you give a specific instruction to students to give opinion to other’s answer/ response, indirectly you prompt students to interact with each other.
  • Example of instruction that I give to students (pssst… you can copy paste the instruction too for your class). This is the instruction that I gave to students using Padlet.

a) Read your class note (note: make sure it is your class note that you create)
b) Answer the questions based on the given scenarios.
c) If you agree or disagree with your friend’s answer, give your own justification.  Write in the comment box.  You can either remain anonymous if you wish or can write your name.  

  • So, how many marks that I can get for this? Well, I am not the evaluator so I do not know in definite but I can assure you, it will not be 1 mark (tongue in cheek remark!).

4. Communication tool (one of my Prezi notes – just receptive, not interactive even though there was an activity that I posted within the note). This is a recycle from last semester but I added few more slides for more extra information. I was told that you can recycle the same materials provided you add new information, pictures etc. on the latest version. I am testing it this year by recycling old notes which I added new information and changed the background and layout.

There you go. Only 4 materials that I will upload this year. If I get 5 bonus marks for all four materials that I uploaded, I will share with all of you next year, In sha Allah.

Getting 5 marks for e-content materials

It is a bit cliché to say that “Just do your best to create teaching materials for your class”. Well, everybody aims that but the real thing is, how far we are engaging students in learning process with the materials that we give or with the instruction that we give?

I never get full marks. That is the fact. But I never aim to get full marks when I create or craft my teaching materials for my students. It is just that when people ask me about “how to get 5 marks” for ELPPT bonus, I feel sad because I could not help them much in this thing.

But nevertheless, even though it is stated that the materials should be interactive yada yada yada, I do not know what it means. I am a bit slow in this but for this semester, one of the experiments that I do to improve my teaching is to use Padlet as a platform for students to showcase their presentation as well as discuss about the topic of presentation using asynchronous mode since some of them have to share devices and there are many of them have internet accessibility issues.

This is the example from one of my classes – CLICK. This is not considered as e-content.

Why does it not being considered as e-content?

ONE: Padlet is only used as a platform to collect and share students’ assignment. There is no interaction UNLESS we give an EXTRA instruction in which they have to give feedback on each assignment which is showcased in the Padlet. I did not do that. So, it is not considered as e-content.

TWO: The instruction given is too generic. You have to be more detail in giving the instruction. How to do this? First, think about “What is the thing that you want to accomplish – Is it students’ interaction? Is it just sharing information? Second, use simple, compact and concise wording. This is the most challenging part, for me personally. I am struggling with this. What I normally do is, I will brainstorm with another colleague how to rephrase the instruction. Sometimes, to have another person to brainstorm ideas is better than doing it alone. I am blessed to have such colleagues around me even though there are just a handful of them. Well, they are the best. It is most important. Quality. Not quantity.

E-content: Why is it confusing?

*sigh* There is amendment (betterment??) for the e-content.

Previously, I was told that Padlet which is interactive/active can get 3 marks. But, now, it is 2 marks. What the _________ (fill in the blank of your preferred word).

The rules of the game has changed this year (2021). To whom it will benefit? How does it use to assess me as an instructor? Does it mean that if I able to produce materials whatever that I use in my class, I am a good instructor? What if I am so fed-up with this game and decide that I just could not be bothered by it anymore and do not upload any materials even though I have it, in this case, am I no longer considered as a good instructor?

I will stop asking existential questions. I rest my case.

Where can I get the Blended Learning certificate ?

For those who got band 5 (the rating for blended learning), you can download the certificate which you can upload later on for your ELPPT – Bonus (Anugerah Pengajaran) here for 2022. You may find your old certificate for session 2020/21 onwards. So, if you want to find the older certificate for session 2019/2020 or 2018/2019, you might not find the certificate in the current system.

  1. Log in by using your email and staff number
  2. You will see the list of courses and blended learning level. Only level 5 will have the + button (blue color) activated where you can download your certificate.
  3. Click the + button to see the button where you can download your certificate

Just do your best to improve your teaching. Remember: “We teach not to attain glory but to educate future generations for the betterment of ummah” (it sounds cliche, right? But it is one of the things that I learned from great mentors of IIUM).

COVID-19: 1st dose of vaccine

On 24 July 2021, my eldest sister told me that there was a special quota vaccine registration at Kompleks Penghulu before 12pm. So I rushed with my other sister to register ourselves. While queuing up, there was an announcement that the registration was meant for those above 30s. There was a couple behind us that said they felt relieved they are in their 30s. Since we were wearing face mask, our faces were partially hidden and people might think that we are in our 20s. Nope. We told the couple that we are in our 40s. Long gone the days when we were in our 30s and 20s. As we went nearer to the registration counter, there was this PIC who suddenly asked one of the people who was queuing. Apparently, he is under 30s. So, even though he has been queuing for around an hour, he could not register. Well, it seems this vaccination drive was meant for certain age groups.

I got a call on Thursday asking me to come to the Dewan Raya Kg Sg Tiram at 11pm on 30 July 2021 (Friday) for vaccination. I went with my sister. Unlike others who said their vaccination process only took less than 45 minutes, mine took more than that. All in all, from the moment I arrived to the moment I got injected, it took more than 30 minutes. With the observation time (15 minutes), everything was done in an hour. There was a booth to take pictures and whatsnot but since there were more than 5 people were taking pictures (non-stop posing etc.), I told my sister that we should give it a pass. It is better to be safe than sorry since the place is a bit crowded and so many people were holding the placard and whatsnot.

What did I feel after that? I felt hungry, tired, and pain on my left arm. I also sweat profusely. I did not feel feverish but I took Panadol before I went to sleep. Just in case. On the second day, I could not raise my left arm above shoulder length. I felt tight on my left arm. I don’t force myself to stretch or anything like that. On the third day, Alhamdulillah I feel ok. I still feel a bit sore on left arm but now I can raise my left arm straight. So, I think I just got a mild side effects. Alhamdulillah.