Hadijah binti Jaffri

What I like about the current working style?

Previously (before COVID-19), there are many events conducted through face to face like the monthly engagement with Datuk VC. Now, we use online form such as FB live. So, at the comfort of my colleague’s office, I can do my work such as writing a post here, finishing a newsletter article and attending (listening) the monthly engagement. 3 in 1. I like my current working style: online plus physical format.

Note: Some might wonder why I am still using my colleague’s office but the thing is my office is still not in a suitable condition for me to use it (not for long). I will need to clean it first, get rid of the weird smell and so many things to be done. Some might wonder why it takes me so long to clean up my room. Well, the ceiling was finally replaced yesterday (10 August 2020, Monday) after more than one month since the unforeseen incident.

This picture was taken on 8 August 2020 (Sunday). Yup. There were more than 10 ceiling plates that need to be replaced. So for safety reason, I don’t even dare to enter my room for long, just in case anything fall from the ceiling (uhuk uhuk.. there might be rodents lurking somewhere).

My to-do list:

1) Get rid of the moldy shelves

2) Get rid of some of the books (I have tried to salvage it. I sent it for repair. But it cannot be done.)

3) Shop for new books (I need to replace few books that are not mine too. I borrow from my friend)

4) Spring clean (I will do it bit by bit)

What to write for the “Reflection” part in your OBE CAR?

What to write in the “Reflection” part in your OBE CAR? To be honest, it is up to you what to write in this part. But for me (since I am super lazy to think further), I will summarise what have been highlighted in the CQI for PO and CLO. This time around, I use the three headings: Analysis of data, Areas for improvement and Action Plan to emphasize my views.

Here is an example from one of the courses that I taught. Pssttt… if you want to copy-paste my example, it might be considered as plagiarism. So, it is up to you to remain ethical and uphold your integrity.

Analysis of data:

The students comprised of teachers (primary and secondary school) as well as others (counselors and just recently graduated their bachelor’s degree). I assigned them with assignments that challenge them to think outside the box. They were asked to think about an issue related to a topic assigned to them and they have to discuss the issue from relevant perspective using personality psychology theories or models. However, only some of them are able to relate relevant theories with personality traits. This can be exemplified through their writing in assignment and final examination (take home examination).

Few of the students are less critical and analytical in explaining the various concepts of personality psychology. Based on the assignment given to them, in general majority of students are able to explain, investigate and relate personality traits based on personality assessment scores and relevant theories. Some of the students are able to provide insightful criticisms and evaluation. Quizzes are given twice. One of the quizzes is given through ELearning and thus they can take the quiz multiple times (as formative assessment).

Areas of improvement:

Some students are struggling to understand with some concepts such as psychoanalysis and humanistic views of personality traits. They are not able to differentiate between various theories that explain various personality traits and domains. This can be exemplified in their quiz and final exam marks. This could be due to lack of reading since majority of them do not have a textbook (I have suggested the main textbook and other references that that they should refer to for this course).

Action plan:

To assist students to understand the various concepts better, I would encourage them to submit their report draft for feedback that they can use to improve the quality of their report (I have practiced this for several semesters but unfortunately, only few students took the chance to submit their draft for comments). In addition, I would also encourage them to take any quiz that I assign on the ELearning as a means to self-regulate their learning. Some of the students requested to have more than one quiz (but only the highest marks will be considered as the final marks for their quiz). Unfortunately, only few of them took this chance. So, perhaps, they need extra encouragement to try out the quizzes without feeling too much pressure while attempting it. In addition, I will encourage or semi-force the students to have a textbook.

Ringkasan pelepasan cukai ke atas individu bagi tahun taksiran 2020

Merujuk kepada Pelan Jana Semula Ekonomi Negara (PENJANA) seperti yang diumumkan oleh PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pada 5 Jun 2020,berikut adalah ringkasan pelepasan cukai ke atas individu bagi tahun taksiran 2020:

1. Tambahan RM2,500 kepada pelepasan cukai gaya hidup sedia ada (jumlah maksima pelepasan gaya hidup yang baru adalah RM5,000)

Pelepasan ini termasuk pembelian smart phone, notebook, tablet dan komputer bagi tempoh pembelian dari 1 Jun hingga 31 Disember 2020.

2. Pelepasan cukai untuk melancong dalam negeri (terhad kepada RM1,000)

Ianya termasuk perbelanjaan bayaran bilik penginapan serta tiket masuk tempat-tempat pelancongan (bagi premis yang berdaftar di bawah Kementerian Pelancongan).

Tarikh perbelanjaan dari 1 Mac hingga 31 Disember 2021.

3. Tambahan RM1,000 kepada pelepasan bayaran asuhan anak sedia ada (jumlah maksima yang baru adalah RM3,000)

Ianya terhad kepada pembiayaan anak yang berumur di bawah 6 tahun serta dipremis yang berdaftar.

4. Pengecualian Cukai Pelupusan Harta untuk penjualan rumah kediaman dari tempoh 1 Jun hingga 31 Disember 2021 (terhad kepada 3 unit rumah sahaja).

** Peringatan : Sila simpan invois, bil dan tiket sebagai bukti dokumen untuk menyokong tuntutan pelepasan cukai yang dibuat.

Sekiranya diaudit, ketiadaan bukti boleh menyebabkan anda dikenakan penalti.

Nota: Kakak saya (Anisah Sabirin Jaffri) merupakan seorang akauntan. Dia yang membantu saya dalam urusan mengisi borang LHDN bagi pelepasan cukai tahunan. Dia yang memberikan saya maklumat ini.

Example of CQI for OBE CAR: Based on CLO

This is an example of CQI that I wrote for the courses that I teach this semester (Semester 2, 201920) based on Course Learning Outcome (CLO).

CLO1: One student failed to submit the final examination (take home examination). There other students who seem to struggle to link concepts relating to various theories of personality with life events. It perhaps due to misconceptions or overloaded information that they have to digest within shorter period of time especially if they do not have continuous revision on their own. So, students will be guided to have continuous revision through weekly online quizzes which will prompt them to revise consistently.

If I can break down the above CQI reporting based on three things: 1) Analysis of data, 2) Areas for improvement and 3) Action plan, you will see that I organise the sentence structure according to such order.

1) Analysis of data,

One student failed to submit the final examination (take home examination). There other students who seem to struggle to link concepts relating to various theories of personality with life events.

2) Areas for improvement

It perhaps due to misconceptions or overloaded information that they have to digest within shorter period of time especially if they do not have continuous revision on their own (in this sentence, I believe one of the areas for improvement is continuous revision. So, I highlighted this aspect which I will take action in the future).

3) Action plan,

So, students will be guided to have continuous revision through weekly online quizzes which will prompt them to revise consistently.

Example of CQI for OBE CAR: Based on PO

This is an example of CQI that I wrote for the courses that I teach this semester (Semester 2, 201920) based on Programme Outcome (PO).

PO1: In general, with PO1 = 87.5%, it shows that on average students get above average mark (A range). It seems that students performance for this PO is better than the previous semester (PO1 = 79%). What is different in this semester is students are forced to be more independent in their learning due to COVID-19. With support from the instructor for class notes (Prezi, Powerpoint notes with audio recording), extra ungraded quizzes (that they can take and convert into their carry marks for quiz = 10%) and such, students are scaffolded accordingly regardless of the limitations or challenges that they might experience throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO). In the future, students will be given continuous formative assessment such as online quizzes which are non-graded assessment to assist students to revise and identify which concepts that they are still struggling with.

1) Analysis of data,

In general, with PO1 = 87.5%, it shows that on average students get above average mark (A range). It seems that students performance for this PO is better than the previous semester (PO1 = 79%). What is different in this semester is students are forced to be more independent in their learning due to COVID-19 [in this sentence (italic) is a personalised insight based on what I observe for this particular cohort].

2) Areas for improvement

With support from the instructor for class notes (Prezi, Powerpoint notes with audio recording), extra ungraded quizzes (that they can take and convert into their carry marks for quiz = 10%) and such, students are scaffolded accordingly regardless of the limitations or challenges that they might experience throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO).

3) Action plan

In the future, students will be given continuous formative assessment such as online quizzes which are non-graded assessment to assist students to revise and identify which concepts that they are still struggling with.

How to write CQI for OBE CAR?

How to write Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) for Outcome based Education Course Analysis Review (OBE CAR )? That is the question that I asked myself few years back. Being a novice, I struggle to find out what is needed for me to improve my teaching. So, I did some reading and after that, I just do whatever I think is suitable and appropriate for me to improve my teaching based on my reading. Sometimes, I discuss with my senior colleagues about how to improve my teaching, asking them to review my rubrics, assignment instruction and such.

For the CQI, it is basically based on what I did, do and plan to do in class. It is really as simple as it it. Pssttt…. of course passion for teaching is one of the key ingredients in this case. Another thing is, since it is our own teaching practice, we have to be honest in reporting what we did and do in class. I have seen some examples of colleagues who “borrow” the idea of teaching practice from looking from others CQI report and in fact, they don’t even practice that in their teaching or class. So, it is not right to do so just for the sake of reporting.

In my case, based on what I did and do in class, when I write the CQI for OBE CAR, I will look at the programme outcomes (PO) and course learning outcomes (CLO). So, my CQI will be based on that.

In the column where it is required for us to write an overall CQI, I will summarise what I find (based on data i.e. students performance), what I did in class that can be improved (class activities, tasks given to students etc.) and what I want to do in the future.

So, basically, I will put it under these three headings:

1) Analysis of data (What do I find from this cohort of students?)

2) Areas for improvement (What did I do in class that can be improved?)

3) Action plan (What are the things that I want to do in future and how to do it?)

For more details, I provide

* an example of CQI based on PO and

* an example of CQI based on CLO.

How to write teaching philosophy for UTM TESDCP?: 2020 Version

What a buzz! I was elected as a facilitator to assist others on how to write teaching philosophy. My first reaction was “What a heck! Armed with a PhD and yet we need someone to assist us to write our own teaching philosophy?” Sound negative, right?

Well, personally, I feel like a fake or impostor or fraud when I am entrusted and assigned as a facilitator. “Oh come on! Who am I to assist my highly esteemed colleagues with vast knowledge and experience to write their teaching philosophy.”

When I write my teaching philosophy, I write it from my heart and soul (of course I use my brain to think about the wording). How can I assist others to write their own teaching philosophy? We are different in so many ways. Some are even better teachers/instructors/supervisors than me. My passion for teaching is different from them too. In short, they could be a better educator and more passionate about teaching than me.

How on earth am I going to assist them? Don’t you think that I am a fake. What a baloney!

But here are some of the things that I use as a guideline to write my teaching philosophy. The guideline is taken from the headings on TESDCP. In short, just write from your heart based on each category. There are four categories:1) Goals of Student Learning, 2) Personal Philosophy, 3) Belief and Practices of Assessment and Evaluation and 4) Self-reflection of Teaching Development over time and how this relates to future goals.

I ask myself certain questions before I write each part.

1) Goals of student learning (Before you write this part, think about this question “What do you want your students to be and become?”, “What kind of value that you want to inculcate and impart to them?”)

2) Personal Philosophy. When I am writing this part, I emphasize on two points: Vision and Teaching Approach.

a. Vision as an educator (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you see yourself as an educator?” What is your perception about your roles as an educator?”)

b. Teaching approach (Before you write this part, think about this question “What do you normally do in class? “What do you hope that your students will learn from the activities that you do in class or the assignment/task that you give to students?”)

3) Belief and Practices of Assessment and Evaluation (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you assess your students?, How do you give feedback to students for improvement?”)

4) Self-reflection of Teaching Development over time and how this relates to future goals (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you assess your teaching?” – it is not about relying on your students’ feedback or EPPP per se but on personal level, how do you assess yourself as an instructor/supervisor?”, “What are the things that have changed over certain period of time?”)

Am I becoming a Youtuber?

It is never in my wildest dream to be a Youtuber. Nope. But with COVID-19, I was challenged to learn new skills or to upskill my existing knowledge and skills. I was feeling hopeless, helpless and frustrated with myself. Indeed.

But, I take a baby step. Some of the video editing is learned from training. But I also learn from watching countless hours from Youtube. I follow the tips and step by step process.

Here are some of the videos that I have created so far

TESDCP or TES, here it comes again (2020)!

Ok. Like last year, we have to fill in the TESDCP or TES (new label) again this year. But unlike last year, the term that was used – “TESDCP”. This year, it becomes TES (don’t be fool by the labelling). The things that you have to upload are still the same.

Wait, isn’t it the same with Teaching Excellence System?

Confused? (Who doesn’t, right?) But, don’t worry. We are in this mess (uhuk uhuk) together.

How to differentiate between the new TES (old version it is known as TESDCP) and Teaching Excellence System (it is no longer called as TES now?)?

Based on my observation, the ONLY observable difference that I can see when I search both things from UTMPORTAL is the icon of TES and Teaching Excellence System.

The icon for Teaching Excellence System is a person pointing on a board. This is the system where you can find your Blended Learning (this is from your ELearning), OBE, NALI & HIEPS and E-content.

The icon for TES has pictures of a mortar board, an apple, hands (holding or shaking), a light bulb and a science icon (on the center).

If you ask me why both are called the same i.e. Teaching Excellence System?

I also asked the same question to some people but they also do not know the answer. So, I don’t have any answer to that question. I don’t want to speculate anything here. Let’s somebody else do the thinking.

So, are both the same systems or different?

The label used is the same: Teaching Excellence System. But clearly, both are different systems in which both have different information and things that you have to upload.

How to select (and reselect) your DCP track?

1) After you have log in to UTMPORTAL, select Working at UTM (left side corner – click that) and then choose UTMHR.

2) On Sistem Penilaian Prestasi (the blue one), select Pemilihan Major ELPPT (click that)

3) You will see a box “Tambah Major” (Add major) and click that. Scroll down Tahun (Year) and Pilihan Major (Selection of Major) and select accordingly.

4) After you have selected the Year and Selection of Major options, click the button Simpan (Save). To get out from this page after you have saved your selection, click Kembali (Back). To double check, repeat the 2nd step again. This time around, you will see the year of which you have selected your Major. To submit, click the button Submit.

Why do I use the word “reselect”?

Well, somebody might have a change of heart and wants to change the major. I am not sure if you can do so. But if you look at the system, as we have to select our Major every year until 2021 (yup – 3 years in a row), it is as if we have a choice to select our Major until 2021. Errmmm….

Note: Apparently, we have to redo (renew) this process every year. When I wrote the post in 2020, we were informed that we have to redo this process up until 2021. Now, it is 2022 and we have to do the same process again. It seems it will be an annual thing that we have to do other than ELPPT.