TOWARDS A BETTER CHANGE: Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching, Deputy Minister of Higher Education applaud UCSI University for its effort in organising ICISC 2015.

WORD IS WISDOM: Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, Vice-Chancellor and President of UCSI University emphasised on the need to continuously improve education.

TEACHING EXCELLENCE: Professor Ray Land, Director of the Centre of Academic Practice & Professor of Higher Education, Durham University, United Kingdom spoke on enhancing quality in an age of uncertainty.

WITH RAPT ATTENTION: Delegates from over 20 different countries listening on as keynote speakers delivered their speeches.

WHERE GREAT MINDS MEET: Speakers and delegates joined Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching (middle) in a group photo.

KUALA LUMPUR: UCSI University (UCSI) joined efforts with UCSI Extension – a wholly owned subsidiary of UCSI Group – and Methodist Pilley Institute – one of the pioneering private higher learning institutions (IPTS) in Sarawak – to host the inaugural International Conference on Innovations, Shifts and Challenges (ICISC) in Learning & Teaching 2015. The event happened on 20 and 21 November 2015 on campus grounds. 

Notably, the Conference was officiated by Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education. 

In her speech, Datuk Yap mentioned that the Conference is a step in the right direction as it corresponds to the ministry’s focus on educational reform. 

“Education must be redefined, revamped and constantly improved upon to ensure the best learning experiences and outcomes,” she said. 

She added, “That is why this Conference is important. It is a platform to share our ideas and views on the shifts in education – from the large-scale delivery model to an innovation model that is driven by technology, especially in expanding the access to education in accordance with the students’ aptitude.” 

Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, Vice-Chancellor and President of UCSI University echoed Datuk Yap’s emphasis on the need to continuously improve education. One of the ways to do so, he shared, was through collaboration and exchanging ideas with universities around the globe. 

“UCSI is privileged to engage with some of the world’s renowned keynote speakers from the UK for today’s Conference,” he said adding that UCSI has collaborations with universities including Harvard University, Imperial College London and RMIT University. 

As an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary conference, ICISC 2015 provided opportunities for educators, researchers, practitioners and education professionals from different disciplines and countries to share their research and practice. 

The two-day Conference was participated by almost 200 delegates from more than 20 different countries. 

ICISC 2015 featured keynote speakers from across the globe including Professor Ray Land, Director of the Centre of Academic Practice & Professor of Higher Education, Durham University, United Kingdom; Professor Dr Alma Harris, Professor of Educational Leadership at the Institute of Education, London & Professor and Director, Institute of Educational Leadership, University of Malaya, Malaysia; and Senior Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, FASc, Vice-Chancellor and President of UCSI University, Malaysia. 

During his presentation, Professor Land spoke at length about the increasingly uncertain nature of education in an age characterised by globalisation and the digital revolution. 

“In an age of uncertainty, educators have to prepare students who can go out in the world and thrive in it. There is a need to develop pedagogies of uncertainty to provide students with the capacity to deal with the challenges of a diverse, complex world,” he said. 

An ideal occasion where great minds meet, the two-day Conference also saw plenary speakers – Professor Dr Glenda Marian Crosling, Dean of Quality, Sunway University, Malaysia & Director of Education Quality and Innovation, Monash University, Malaysia; and Dr Daniel Tan Tiong Hok, Group Chief Learning Officer, Taylor’s Education Group, Malaysia presented their abstract.