Driving UTM’s Research Mission Through eJournal Management and Academic Commitments

Posted on September 18, 2025 ·

Management Meeting of UTM eJournal No. 1/2025

This afternoon, I attended the UTM eJournal Management Meeting No. 1/2025, held at the Meeting Room of the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International), Sultan Ibrahim Chancellery Building (BCSI), UTM Johor Bahru. The meeting began at 2.30 p.m. and was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siti Rahmah Bt. Awang, Director of UTM Press.

As the Chief Editor for the ASEAN Journal of Engineering Education (AJEE), which is published under Penerbit UTM, I joined fellow editors and committee members to discuss matters related to the strategic direction, quality assurance, and operational management of UTM eJournals. The meeting also revisited the minutes from the 2024 session and deliberated on action items to strengthen UTM’s academic publishing ecosystem.

The importance of this meeting cannot be overstated. As a research university, UTM places strong emphasis on knowledge dissemination and impact through scholarly publications. The UTM eJournals serve not only as platforms for academic exchange but also as benchmarks for quality, visibility, and global engagement. Effective management ensures that these journals uphold international publishing standards, attract high-quality manuscripts, and contribute significantly to UTM’s reputation and standing in the global academic community.

A Side Note on Today’s Tasks

Besides the meeting, today was also filled with several key responsibilities related to teaching, research management, and academic service:

  • ✅ I made substantial progress in preparing the final exam paper and answers for Occupational Safety in Energy System (METE1153). The paper is about 90% complete, with the exam scheduled for next week.

  • ✅ I invigilated an online test for a student who missed the METE1153 test conducted two weeks ago, ensuring fairness and academic integrity.

  • ✅ I responded to the Laporan Perkara Berbangkit (LPB) for the upcoming Management Committee on Research Grants (JKPD) meeting, scheduled for Monday.

  • ✅ At 11.30 a.m., I joined a Pra-JKPD meeting with the Director and Registrar of RMC to finalize preparations ahead of the main session.

  • ✅ I requested the preparation of the project monitoring report to be tabled at both the JKP and JKPD meetings.

  • ✅ I also took some time to watch the Vice-Chancellor’s speech, Amanat NC 2025, streamed live via Facebook, which provided valuable insights into UTM’s direction and strategic priorities for the year.

Reflection

It was a productive day that balanced editorial responsibilities, academic commitments, and research management duties. Being part of the UTM eJournal Management Meeting as Chief Editor of AJEE further reinforced my appreciation of how crucial collaborative effort is in sustaining UTM’s publishing excellence. At the same time, attending to exam preparation, student assessment, and research governance matters, while keeping abreast with the Vice-Chancellor’s vision for UTM, reminded me of the multifaceted nature of academic life, where teaching, research, service, and leadership converge.

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 2 Research, 3 Writing, 4 Publication, RMC Tagged With: , , ,

A New Challenge: Designing METE1153 for the Short Semester

Posted on August 3, 2025 ·

About three weeks ago, I received unexpected news: students had registered to take Occupational Safety in Energy Systems (METE1153) during the short semester break. I was honestly quite shocked, as I had been hoping for a well-deserved academic break—especially considering the heavy administrative workload currently on my plate.

Over the past academic year, my teaching responsibilities have been intense. I taught 6 credits in Session 1, followed by another 6 credits in Session 2. Last year during Session 2 alone, I carried a 12-credit load, which included multiple versions of METE1153 (full-time, part-time, and ODL) along with METW1153: Quality Management. Given that context, it’s clear why I was hoping for some breathing space this time around.

However, as it turns out, this will be my first time teaching a course during the short semester. My goal is to structure the course in a self-learning format, allowing students greater flexibility while managing the compressed timeline. There are currently 7 to 9 students enrolled in the course, and I’m hopeful this approach will work well for them.

Today, I spent some time setting up the eLearning platform for METE1153, using the ODL model as my reference. In fact, I’m also working on enhancing the full METE1153 ODL version in parallel. Should I be assigned to this course again next year, it would mark my third time handling METE1153—but that’s still eight months away.

Right now, the pressing challenge is how to compress a traditionally 14-week syllabus into just 8 weeks, without compromising learning quality. I believe I’ve managed to prepare at least 50% of the content and structure for students to begin their self-learning journey today. I hope that they’ll find the materials engaging and beneficial, and that this short semester will still provide meaningful learning, despite its condensed format.

Other official tasks today include coming out with a new novel review paper idea to collaborate with someone from Australia. InsyaAllah.

#20242025 Day 034

#Sunday

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 1 Activity 1 Day, 10 Administrative, 11 Personal, 2 Research Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mock VIVA of our PhD Student on a Sunday

Posted on July 27, 2025 ·

Today is my day off (Sunday), but I’ve set a few important tasks to accomplish. First on the list is to complete the marking for my METE1153 ODL course. I also have a mock PhD viva session scheduled with Tan, which I hope will be a valuable preparation for his actual defense. Additionally, I need to prepare for the RMC Strategic Planning meeting, which is scheduled for tomorrow. There are a few other tasks that I plan to tackle as well, depending on how much time I have left in the day.

Because of time limitations and my intention to attend the Pengajian Kitab after Subuh, I brought my laptop to the surau. While listening to the pengajian—specifically the Kitab Faridatul Faraid—I took the opportunity to continue my marking tasks simultaneously. It was a meaningful way to balance both spiritual enrichment and academic responsibilities.

Other tasks performed on this off-day:

  • Submit ICLCA2025 paper correction
  • Insert METE1153 student mark
  • Read/check Izwan’s draft thesis
  • Read/check Suhaila’s paper

#20242025 Day 027

#Sunday

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 1 Activity 1 Day, 2 Research, 6 Supervision Tagged With: , , , , ,

Invigilating Final Exam for METE1153 ODL: Occupational Safety for Energy System

Posted on July 13, 2025 ·

It’s a peaceful and fulfilling Sunday, a day off in the calendar. My day began with attending the Pengajian Kitab (Kitab Faridatul Faraid) at my local surau after Subuh. I returned home shortly after 8:00 a.m., mentally preparing for the final examination of METE1153 – Occupational Safety in Energy Systems, which I am conducting for the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) cohort.

This semester, 28 students are enrolled in the course, spread across various parts of Malaysia, with one student even based in Europe. I initiated our Webex session at 8:35 a.m., and to my pleasant surprise, half the students were already present, waiting patiently and punctually for the session to begin.

By 8:45 a.m., I conducted a short briefing on the final exam procedures, ensuring clarity and alignment with the students. Since everyone was ready and there were no pending issues, we agreed to start the exam slightly earlier at 8:55 a.m., with a scheduled end time at 11:55 a.m.

Delivering ODL for METE1153 this time has been both rewarding and challenging. One major challenge was the fact that both the students and I are still relatively new to the ODL format. In addition, my hectic academic and administrative schedule added complexity to planning and execution.

However, there is much to be grateful for. I now have a clearer vision of what needs to be improved. With the help of:

Past trainings I’ve attended,

  • Feedback and support from the METE course coordinator,
  • Comments from students, and
  • My own reflections from two years of teaching experience in ODL,

…I am confident that I am better equipped to deliver an improved ODL experience in the next cycle. InsyaAllah, the next offering of this course will be a significantly enhanced version.

So, stay tuned. Better things are on the horizon.

#20242025 Day 013

#Sunday

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 1 Activity 1 Day Tagged With: , , , ,

Marking Test for ODL METE1153 Course

Posted on July 6, 2025 ·

It has been very tough for me to pursue this personal mission – that is to download and mark the test for ODL METE1153 Course – Occupational Safety for Energy System. This was mainly due to my super extravaganza hectic schedule. However, I forced my self, squeezed some time in a peaceful Sunday morning to mark as much as I can. I am pleased with what I did today. There are 10-15% more of marking to be completed, which will be done tomorrow.

In the evening, I was having a second mock presentation for my three FYP students (Tsai, Amy and Syahmi). I can say they have improved their slide and presentation. InsyaAllah they will do better tomorrow, during the official FYP 1 presentation.

#20242025 Day 006

#Sunday

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 1 Activity 1 Day, 2 Research Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Past Final Exam Papers for METE1153

Posted on June 29, 2025 ·

Here are 2 past final exam papers for METE1153 for your reference and exercise. All the best 2025 ODL student. It’s a pleasure having you as my students.

Past Final Exam 2223Download
Past Final Exam 2324Download
Filed Under: 1 Academic Tagged With: , , ,

Day 82 Task – FRGS Correction and Finalizing METE1153

Posted on March 22, 2020 ·

I thought my FRGS initial correction was fine, but I received a message that it still require some touch of correction. Well, that’s fine. I just spent some time to view and scrutinize the part that require corrections. I uploaded more quotations on the research materials as well as corrected some part of my V29000 descriptions. Nothing major. Luckily i managed to complete the correction and resubmit the FRGS proposal once again.

On top of the FRGS improvement efforts, I also redesigned the Course Information for Occupational Safety for Energy Systems (METE1153). This is course is going to be designed in such way that Micro-Credential (MC) will be integrated together with the course offered. I found this interesting and it ended up that I reshuffled all the originally designed weekly plan of the course. I am happier with the outcome. Alhamdulillah.

 

Read all my “1 Official Task Per Day Record Challenge for 2020” —> https://people.utm.my/zakiyamani/category/1-activity-1-day/

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 1 Activity 1 Day Tagged With: , , , ,