In today’s rapidly evolving education landscape, blended learning has emerged as a powerful approach that combines the best of traditional teaching methods with the flexibility and innovation of online learning.
A new chapter in pedagogical innovation has dawned as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) introduces the revamped Blended Learning Reporting System for 2023. This advancement is a tribute to the diligent UTM lecturers who have embraced active blended learning and are making a mark in the education landscape.
The gateway to this transformative endeavor can be found at https://caps.utm.my/caps/. This digital pathway opens doors to a realm where educators are duly acknowledged for their instrumental role in shaping active blended learning initiatives. As an academic staff, you may log in using your email and staff number.
New Interface of UTM Blended Learning Reporting System
The UTM Blended Learning Reporting System serves as a platform to present your contributions to active blended learning. To get your certificate for The Award of Excellence, you need to comply all the way up to blended level 5 in UTM@E-Learning. It is marked by the active index, course outline, resource, activity, and assessment that you set in the UTM@E-Learning. You may refer to the picture below.
For the Semester 20222023-2, I received two certificates for the Award of Excellence in recognition of my valuable contribution to both Sections 4 and 5 for the course of Electromagnetic Field Theory.
Anyway, just to let you know from this system, you also could find your previous certificates from the blended subject records throughout your career as a lecturer at UTM. You can refer to mine below.
I personally feel that the Award of Excellence signifies more than recognition; it symbolizes a dedication to progressive educational practices. It’s a badge of honor that academic staff can wear with pride, showcasing their commitment to nurturing cutting-edge learning environments. Additionally, it acts as a motivational catalyst, inspiring awardees to continuously explore new dimensions of teaching and learning.
Amid the ever-evolving academic landscape, the UTM Blended Learning Reporting System and the Award of Excellence stand as symbols of appreciation for academic staff who are shaping the future of education. Whether you’re an educator or an advocate of academic progress, the UTM Blended Learning Reporting System offers a platform to contribute to this educational journey.
Embrace the opportunity – you might just uncover new horizons of education excellence!
An example MOSFET transistor circuit is shown in the video below. In order to be able to find the vital DC values in this MOSFET circuit, we are now going to perform DC analysis on it. For an analysis of the dc response of a MOSFET circuit, one must know the bias state (saturation or non-saturation).
When I was a kid, I always want to be a lecturer. For me, education can change the world and with that, I can create a better future not only mine but also the next generation that will lead the world.
As time goes by, after one year of Ph.D. thesis submission, praise to Allah the almighty, I was offered by First City University College (FCUC) to be a lecturer for teaching several subjects including Computer Architecture and Organization (CAO), System on Silicon (SOS) and also Programming for Engineers (PFE).
As a newbie in academia, I thought teaching is only a lecturer-centered approach. In other words, a lecturer directs students to learn through memorization and recitation techniques thereby not emphasizing enhancing their motivation, and developing their critical thinking problem solving and decision-making skills, especially in online class settings during the Covid’19 pandemic. Every day, I planned everything for my students to enhance their understanding of the topics thought without implementing a variety of teaching methods. As you can see in the next photo, this is an example of my teaching planning. Everything is all about the lecture notes 🙁
I would say, it was very rare for me to allocate some period of time for my students to actively engage in the class; no gamification and or video-based learning during the teaching and learning session.
I was eager to ensure my students understand the topic without realizing that I have to engage with the students to enhance their motivation to study. This is because learning is most effective when students are intrinsically motivated. Not to mention that at the end of the class, I asked the students to give me some feedback on my teaching. Nevertheless, the performance of my students was not hit my expectation. At that time, I realized I have to change the teaching approach to grab my students’ attention.
After serving FCUC for several months, I was offered as a part of the UTM academic staff as a permanent position. The reporting day as a Senior Lecturer (DS51) was the first day of the 2nd Semester for the 2021-2022 session which was 20th March 2022.
During the first semester teaching at UTM, I reflect on all my strengths and weakness in teaching in order to improve myself and learn the art of teaching methods. I joined teaching and learning sharing sessions and training organized by UTM during my free time as much as I could. For instance, Online Assessment Using New Technology (Quizizz) course, Engaging Students Through Class Cooperative Learning Activities, Empowering Students in Large Online Classes, Creating Online Alternative Assessment course, Alternative and Authentic Assessment Course, and many more as shown in Figure below.
After the session, I implemented all the knowledge in my class. Some examples can be referred to in the following links:
As a result, almost half of my students in SEEU2012 got A’s and I also got this Feedback and Testimony in e-PPP.
All in all, I do not expect any praise from my students, but for me, at the end of the day, the knowledge from my teaching could prepare my students to be change-makers in their professional workforces after graduation besides encouraging them to be open minds and creative thinkers who will meet the challenges of their generation.
As a lecturer, I am not only emphasizing the transfer of information and knowledge alone, in fact, I will give my priority to educating my students to be balanced and holistic as excellent human beings that can be change-makers in their professional workforces after graduation besides encourage them to be open minds and creative thinkers who will meet the challenges of their generation. I do believe that learning is most effective when students are intrinsically motivated and inspired. Therefore, I aim to create dynamic learning lessons that are engaging, and relevant to my students’ real lives, and encourage active discovery according to cooperative learning so they can grow to reach much higher levels of maturity, affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and social. Besides that, I work hard to motivate students by modeling an inspired, positive outlook on education every day for lifelong learning. I would like to diverge their perspective from “I want to learn” rather than “I have to learn”. Hence, I encourage them by sharing my own experiences during my undergraduate studies at UTM. For me, while it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.
My goal as a lecturer is I always want to see my students succeed even more than I did. As someone who comes from a low-income family where my late father worked as a rubber tapper and my mother was a housewife, I can sum up that education teaches me the value of hard work, helps us gain a better job, lets us develop, and makes our parents proud of us. Poverty may be a disadvantage but is not really an obstacle to our success. I can say that coming from a poor family has contributed a big part to my success and was an advantage to me to become the person I am today. Today, most of my students bring their own iPad or tablet to take notes, especially those born with a silver spoon. Because of this, I motivate to my students, especially from underprivileged families that the amount of effort they put in will directly affect the knowledge and gains they will achieve no matter where they come from. On the other hand, as an educator, I am committed to assisting my students acquire a wide range of general skills on top of the knowledge of specific subjects they have learned in the class. It is very important for students to be balanced between technical skills, soft skills, and knowledge. For this reason, I provide a forum platform in eLearning where students can share their ideas and take risks. In addition to improving their ability to explain and provide reasons, this activity can also encourage them to listen to opinions and suggestions from others. On top of that, I will embrace the different students’ learning preferences. I will create dynamic active learning to attract the student’s interest in the class.
As a lecturer, I cannot deny the fact that every student is unique, and have different learning preferences and different level of understanding. As we all know, learning takes various forms. Some prefer watching educational videos, listening, or hands-on, while others prefer reading the lecture notes and also recommending textbooks or asking questions during the lecture session. Hence, as a lecturer, I will try to embrace their differences. I apply various methods in the classroom to engage with my students. Sometimes, I implement different teaching and learning delivery methods such as gamification using Quiziz, Kahoot, Padlet, and so on to attract their interest in the topic. Other than that, I also will create video-based learning through YouTube so that my students could watch the content according to their own pace. Then, there will be time that I will write the content on my Blog on examples and summarize the topic of certain subjects.
Besides that, I will schedule for consultation session after each class session. I am always available for discussion with students. Taking this approach, I can get to know my students better and this allows me to reflect on my teaching method so that I can improve it from time to time besides improving my knowledge by attending several teachings and learning training organized by UTM and outside organizations.
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: A continuing charity, the knowledge that others benefited from, and a righteous son who supplicates for him”.
As a lecturer, it is my goal to ensure that my students can be better-quality intellectuals, professionals, and scholars by integrating the qualities of faith, knowledge, and good character to serve as agents of comprehensive and balanced progress as well as sustainable development in Malaysia and the world. Therefore, I believe knowledge and education are the foundation for them to meet the challenges of their generation. Hence, in order to achieve this goal, there are several elements and values that I want to inculcate and impart to them including (1) Think positive to stay focused and (2) Build good study habits.
Think positively to stay focused
To maintain a positive mindset toward learning while striving for excellence, it is important to focus on tasks that need to be done and learn new information. Therefore, as a lecturer, I always encourage my students to manage time their properly to avoid any stress by setting and tracking their own goals. Even though I really want my students to excel in their examinations, I also prioritize their mental health. I motivate them not to fear mistakes so that they can learn and that’s how they grow. In fact, I will schedule 20 minutes for consultation sessions after each class session every day. I am always available for discussion with my students and always available to communicate with them effectively. Taking this approach, I can get to know my students better, and at the end of the day, I believe the chemistry between lecturer and students can benefit students’ performance.
Build good study habits
As a lecturer, I am committed to helping my students express themselves and accept themselves as they are as well as embrace the differences of others. The student in my class is first divided into groups of six to eight learners for group learning. For me, group learning is important because I believe it helps students express, challenge, and refine their thoughts. Students can also gain insight from their peers by listening to new perspectives and discussing to improve their knowledge. This can help expand their horizons and enrich their own knowledge. At the same time, I want to inspire my students to think outside the box, challenge their everyday assumptions, and leave them with more questions than answers. Within their group learning, my students are required to solve the complex tutorial questions that have been assigned in the lecture notes. Concurrently, I asked my students to produce a video presentation to show the calculation and solution BRIEFLY. Then, they have to upload it to YouTube. At this point, the other groups could learn a different variety of questions through YouTube in an effective way without spending a lot of time on all tutorial questions.
Overall, as a lecturer, my success is the success of my students. I will always have high expectations for my students. While teaching, I believe in their potential to succeed, and I will make sure I push them to their limits. Even when they fail, I will keep motivating them to try again and to work harder. This goal of students’ learning will help me to pull them out of their comfort zones. They can pursue success knowing that I am there to pick them up each time they fail.
Have you heard about the “UTM Graduates Attributes”? As an alumnus and current lecturer at UTM, let me share the aspects included in UTM Graduate’s Attributes.
Communication Skills
Thinking Skills
Scholarship
Leadership and Teamworking Skills
Adaptability
Global Citizen
Enterprising Skills
During my degree and Ph.D. studies, UTM encourages me to participate in many activities in and out of classrooms, in co-curricular activities, and through various informal contacts. For instance the University Social Responsibility Program in Palembang, Indonesia, Global Outreach Program in Taiwan, Robotics Competition in Fukuoka, Japan, the academic exchange program, the student club society, and others.
The photos below show several moments of mine captured while participating in national and international programs as a UTM student.
As an alumnus, I would say those were really worth the experience and those similar opportunities perhaps will be grabbed by my students from UKQE3001.
Hence, I asked 10 groups of my students from UKQE/UKQT 3001 Extra-Curricular Experiential Learning (ExCEL) – Section 10 to share their video proposal of an extracurricular activity/program that can enhance UTM graduate attributes among students based on their experience and also a case study.
The group project-based learning approaches in the learning and teaching process are utilized in order to graduate competent, creative, and versatile professionals who are guided by high moral and ethical values in the service of God and mankind.
At the end of the day, I hope our future generation to function effectively in a wide range of social and professional contexts.
Here are several video proposals that have been created by my students to enhance the graduate attributes among UTM students based on the case study projects.
What about your experience with the activities have you participated in to enhance your graduate attributes at UTM during your study?
The invention of the transistor was the beginning of a technological revolution that is still continuing. All of the complex electronic devices and systems today are an outgrowth of early developments in semiconductor transistors. Two basic types of transistors are the bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and the field-effect transistor (FET), which we will cover later.
The BJT is used in two broad areas—as a linear amplifier to boost or amplify an electrical signal and as an electronic switch.
Type of BJT Analysis
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) Structure
The BJT is constructed with three doped semiconductor regions separated by two pn junctions, as shown in the epitaxial planar structure in Figure 1(a). The three regions are called emitter, base, and collector. Physical representations of the two types of BJTs are shown in Figure 1(b) and 1(c). One type consists of two n regions separated by a p region (npn), and the other type consists of two p regions separated by an n region (pnp). The term bipolar refers to the use of both holes and electrons as current carriers in the transistor structure.
Figure 1: BJT construction. The substrate is a physical supporting material for the transistor [1]
The pn junction joining the base region and the emitter region is called the base-emitter junction. The pn junction joining the base region and the collector region is called the base-collector junction, as indicated in Figure 2(b). A lead connects to each of the three regions, as shown. These leads are labeled E, B, and C for emitter, base, and collector, respectively. The base region is lightly doped and very thin compared to the heavily doped emitter and the moderately doped collector regions. Because of this difference in doping levels, the emitter and collector are not interchangeable. (The reason for this is discussed in the next section.) Figure 2 shows the schematic symbols for the npn and pnp bipolar junction transistors.
Figure 2: Standard BJT (bipolar junction transistor) symbols [1]
BJT Basic Operation Region
Hereby, I share the lecture notes on BJT Basic Operation Region for you to understand before I further discuss the example and circuit analysis of BJT.
Bear in mind, the current will flow in a conductor as long as voltage, the electrical pressure, is applied to the conductor. For the case of BJT CE configuration circuit as shown in figure below, the current will flow from positive terminal of VCC to the ground in two different paths according to the Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) namely IB; the current that flow through the base of the BJT and IC; the current that flow through the collector of the BJT
Notes: To solve the circuit analysis of BJT, the capacitors need to be relocated and replaced with an open circuit.
Example 1
Here, you can locate two (2) main loops which are the base to emitter (BE) loop and collector to emitter loop (CE) by using the Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (known as KVL).
From BE loop (1), we can deduce an equation as follows:
(A) VCC – IBRB – VBE = 0 —> Rearrange the equation to calculate IB
Meanwhile, from CE loop (2) using the KVL the equation will be like this:
VCC – ICRC – VCE = 0 —> Rearrange the equation to calculate VCE
(B) IC = BIB
Substituting (A) with (B) to get (C):
Now, lets try on this example!
Find IBQ, ICQ, VCEQ, VCQ, VEQ and VBQ
Solution:
EXERCISE 1
Find IBQ, ICQ, VCEQ, VCQ, VEQ and VBQ
Do send to me your answer through my email at nurnajahatulhuda@utm.my You can earn KFC voucher as a reward if you get all correct answer. All the best!
BJT AC analysis
Now, lets move on the other type of BJT analysis which is AC analysis. Hereby, I share the lecture notes on BJT AC analysis for you to revise.
After doing some revision on the attached material, you are required to solve the tutorials below in group. Concurrently, I ask my students to produce a video presentation to show the calculation and solution BRIEFLY.
Some of my students asked me…
” Why we need to work in group?”
“I think I can do it alone”
Study groups encourage members to think creatively and build strong communication skills which also help in refining understanding of the material. It has been proven that those who participate in study groups feel more confident and comfortable about reaching their academic goals.
From time to time, I will update the solutions solved by my students. Stay tuned!
Solutions Question 1, 2 and 11
Correction on the answer, the first one is not the saturation region. It is cut off region. This is because for silicon, the value is 0.7V. Since the VBE is not reach 0.7 V which is only 0.3 V, therefore it is considered reverse bias, NOT forward bias. Hence, the answer is cut off region. Make sure you know the operating region of BJT.
But, if the type of BJT is Germanium, it is saturation region.
Solutions Question 3, 4 and 5
Solutions Question 6, 7 and 8
Solutions Question 9 and 10
Now, what you have learnt from this topic?
Let’s click on the to test your knowledge through Quiz!
