Teaching is the process of imparting skills, including knowledge, hard skills, and soft skills, through both formal (schools, universities) and informal (daily routines) methods. For me, teaching is more than a profession; it’s the foundation of success. I became a lecturer to help students discover their strengths and to contribute to the community by enhancing education.

I believe that the best learning happens when students actively participate and connect new information to their experiences, enhancing retention and understanding. My teaching philosophy centers on creating a dynamic, inclusive, and safe classroom where students can express themselves and take intellectual risks. I use diverse teaching strategies, such as project-based learning, interactive lectures, and technology integration, to engage students and develop critical and creative thinking.

Inclusivity and support are the pillars of my classroom environment. I strive to create a community that respects and values diverse perspectives, encouraging students to see themselves in the learning material. I set high expectations while providing the support needed to help students reach their full potential and embrace a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for development.

Assessment and feedback are crucial to my teaching. I use various methods, including quizzes, presentations, and reflections, to assess student learning and provide feedback that guides their progress. These assessments also inform my teaching, helping me adapt to meet students’ needs.

As an educator, I see teaching as an evolving process of growth and reflection. I seek feedback from students and colleagues, utilizing platforms like EPP (UTM platform) for anonymous input, and I am committed to ongoing professional development. My ultimate goal is to foster a love of learning in my students, equipping them with the skills and confidence to succeed and contribute meaningfully in a rapidly changing world.

In my capacity as an educator, this self-awareness is essential. It enables me to build a safe, accepting, and supportive learning environment for my pupils and to live up to the qualities I want them to have—like resilience, curiosity, and integrity. Knowing my areas of strength and weakness helps me be more modest and receptive to criticism. It also helps me to make the most of my teaching abilities. I think it makes me more relevant and humanising to my students when I am open and honest about who I am and my own learning process.

Being reflective and adaptive, continually assessing my decisions and conduct to make sure they support my values and my students’ needs. It enables me to tackle problems with a growth mentality, viewing each one as a chance to get better. The ability to be authentically myself ultimately drives me to be the best version of myself, both within and outside of the classroom, and directs my attempts to uplift, inform, and meaningfully engage with others.

A positive reputation of the institution results from the ethical behaviour exhibited by all employees, including the educators there. This is crucial for the brand and to draw in students, particularly those from locally and internationally.

Mutual respect is facilitated by the practice of good manners, which include being courteous, paying attention, and treating every student with respect regardless of their background or performance. An environment in the classroom that is conducive to open conversation and learning is fostered by respectful relationships.

University lecturers’ behaviour and morals matter in a number of ways. They support the preservation of the university’s positive reputation. A polite lecturer can do amazing things for the university’s reputation. Second, it is predicated on the humanistic view of interpersonal relationships. A lecturer’s stakeholders include the community, the government, parents of students, and other students. A professor who respects human behaviour standards can foster positive interactions with stakeholders, which benefits the quality of the university.

High standards of ethics can boost students’ confidence in their lecturers both within and outside the classroom, which in turn can improve performance and student trust. Fairness and equity are two of the codes mentioned in the UTM Code of Ethics’. In this way, a lecturer who maintains equity and justice can boost students’ trust in the procedures of instruction, evaluation, and monitoring. As a result, the lecturer’s professional credibility will increase.

By collaboration, supervision, and mentoring, lecturers and students frequently form close working ties. To prevent perceived impropriety, conflicts of interest, and favouritism, it is essential to uphold professional boundaries. It can be difficult to navigate these relationships, particularly when students ask for help or guidance outside of the classroom or when social media makes it difficult to distinguish between personal and professional contacts. A lecturer must establish clear guidelines for their availability, the extent of help, and the type of professional interactions the lecturer will have with students. Steer clear of circumstances when personal relationships could interfere with work obligations. Don’t oversee close friends or family members in a classroom. Consult the university’s policies regarding appropriate interactions with students, conflicts of interest, and professional conduct. Consult an ethical committee or a senior colleague for advice when in doubt.

All students must be treated equally by lecturers, without favouritism or bias based on personal traits such as gender, race, religion, or other characteristics. Trust and honesty must be upheld by guaranteeing fair assessment and equal chances for all students. Lecturer interactions, grading, and opportunity provision might be impacted by implicit biases, personal prejudices, or even unintentional favouritism towards specific students. Students may become unhappy as a result, file grievances, and lose faith in the educational system. The lecturer can take part in training sessions or workshops on inclusivity and unconscious bias to identify and lessen own prejudices. When grading and assessing, use transparent, objective, and unambiguous criteria. Give students thorough comments and rubrics to support their grades. Ask students for input on a regular basis to spot potential areas of inadvertent bias and take steps to rectify them.

It is the duty of lecturers to maintain academic integrity in their research, teaching, and evaluation. Avoiding academic dishonesty in any form—such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or misrepresenting study findings. They also need to stop student academic misbehaviour and deal with it. Some professors may be tempted to take short cuts in order to meet deadlines for research publications, stellar grades, and funding. Furthermore, a lack of knowledge about what constitutes academic dishonesty or pressure from peers may lead some students to try plagiarism. Teach students the value of academic integrity and provide them with a clear definition of plagiarism and other wrongdoing. To monitor student work and guarantee originality, use plagiarism detection software. Lecturers ought to be honest, properly credit their sources, and exhibit integrity in their work at all times.