A discussion on E-learning offered in Malaysia universities : Pros and Cons from the student perspective

E-learning is the modern process of education where part of the learning experience takes place without face to face communication between the teacher and his students. It is also known as distance learning. The most common method of e-learning is where the tutor or lecturer places several course modules on the university intranet, and students have free access to these materials as and when needed, as well as bulletin boards to keep them updated. E-learning was begun in the late 1980's in Malaysia. MARA University of Technology (UTM) is one of the universities that offering distance learning in 1990. In spite of all the hype surrounding online degree programs and e-learning, it is important to see this phenomenon for both its pros and cons.

Prons
E-learning provides accessibility to all students irrespective of their residence. E-classes help students to communicate with their tutors, get clarifications regarding their subjects and study
and access teaching materials through e-libraries.

Another advantage of e-learning is its time flexibility. One can get online resources, communicate with his tutor or class mates, send his query and write term paper at any time he can get access to the Internet. Students' interactions have become much easier than face-to-face communication.

Moreover, online students have the capability to study at their own pace. In a traditional setting, students need to finish their given assignments within a particular period of time, while through online education they can study whenever they are free. The online faculty assigns projects with a deadline and students can finish their projects at whatever time they find feasible within that particular deadline.


Cons
One of the biggest arguments about e-learning is that it makes students lazy and ineffective, due to being spoon fed by the educational institutions. With e-learning, most educational task is done either by the tutor or some sophisticated software, leaving students with the simple task of just downloading notes and reading them. Although this may make the learning process easier and more effective, it also runs the risk of creating dependent and lazy students. When these students graduate and enter the working class, they tend to expect all the information to be delivered to them, too. This time around, they may find that they need to aggressively seek information for themselves or be left behind fast. Since these students are so used to being spoon fed, they become cripples in the working environment, unable to move forward without constant help from others.

Furthermore, lack of face-to-face communication with teachers contributes lack of understanding between a student and a teacher. While a teacher cannot easily feel a student's demands, interests and motivations, a student can simply be lazy being non-motivated enough and having free time schedule for his e-learning. This may result a low scope of the student's knowledge and the teacher's accusation in lack of proficiency.

E-learning has become an integral part of this e-world and welcomes everybody who has willingness to learn and get higher education.

The following video shows the overview of e-learning

References:
http://www.articlealley.com/article_78603_45.html

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

Corporate blogging aimed to aid the organization by connecting to various type of user on the net. A corporate blog is used and published to reach its organizational goal.

Research has confirmed that social network and blogging are among the fastest tools to promote and brand a particular product, and is able to leave a recognizable image in majority of the user. It involves user participation from all level within the company as well as from the public.

One of the advantages of corporate blogging is to reach out to Internet user by getting them to explore and familiarize themselves with the products and services, and hopefully convert from interest to potential buyer or referral. With the entire major web browser supporting RSS technology, anyone who followed the blog could receive updates and read recent post on the blog without having to log in to the official site everyday.


There are a number of successful sites that utilizes the blog feature to keep their member updates and to attract more traffic through referral and blogging. Amazon Web Service Blog by Amazon.com would be the best example. Amazon helps to improve the communication and its customer services, attract more people to consume and discuss new products online. Besides, a blog allows viewer to leave comments where it could represent the public view on certain topic posted, participating in the corporate event or content, and even posting of suggestion and honest view on specific product or services.


Reference:
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/06/30/most-corporate-blogs-are-unimaginative-failures/

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/28/news/companies/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm

E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen's adoption strategies

Information Technology (IT) has changed the way most business units in the private sector conduct their operations. IT is now seeping through to the public sector which is labeled more conservative compared to the private sector through e-Government initiatives. MSC is Malaysia’s initiative for the global information and communication technology (ICT) industry. The e-Government initiative was launched in Malaysia in the year 1997 by the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as one of the seven flagships of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative. It will improve both how the government operates internally as well as how it delivers services to the people of Malaysia. It seeks to improve the convenience, accessibility and quality of interactions with citizens and businesses; simultaneously, it will improve information flows and processes within government to improve the speed and quality of policy development, coordination and enforcement.

MyGovernment

There are seven pilot projects of the Electronic Government Flagship Application:

Project Monitoring System (SPP II)
Online system that monitors the entire lifecycle of national programs, i.e. from project application to approval to implementation, mid-term review and completion.

Objectives:

• To support and monitor entire lifecycle of Malaysia's 5-Year development program.
• To have a quality projects
• To provide a platform for exchanging ideas and demonstrating best practices models in project implementation.
• To have an effective decision making based on analysis/forecasting of project information and auto-alert on problem projects (eg. Budget overrun)

Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
HRMIS is an integrated, technology-enabled Human Resource Management Information System for the Malaysian Public Service, incorporating Global Best Practices in HR that would enable the Public Service to successfully deal with the Challenges of the K-Economy.

Objectives:

• Effective staffing and right-sizing of civil service
• Up-to-date consolidated HR data for effective information planning
• Automate human resource managerial and operational processes
• Improve paperless HRM capabilities
• Open and flexible system
• Better communication, horizontal integration, streamlined processes and single window access.

Generic Office Environment (GOE)
Powerful document and office management solution that enables users to effectively and efficiently manage their office environment. It is fully web-based and has been customized based on local developed package, DRDok.

Obejctives:

• Efficient preparation and storage of documents
• Fast search and retrieval of documents
• Effective and productive collaboration and sharing of information
• Secure and traceable access to documents

Electronic Procurement (EP)
An electronic procurement system, which enables suppliers to sell goods and services to the Government through the Internet. Suppliers "open shop" on the World Wide Web (WWW), advertise their pricing, process orders and deliveries.

Objectives:

• Enables accountability and transparency.
• Creates more skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
• Equips the workforce with the latest technology at minimum cost.

Electronic Services (E-services)
A services provided by the government to enable the citizens to make payment thru Internet services, reducing the time and increase the efficiency of the entire progress. For example, e-filling provided by Malaysia's Inland Revenue Board (IRB), services provided by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through various convenient channels such as the eServices kiosks and internet.


Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)
ELX is one stop-centre for labor market information, as supervised by the Ministry of Human Resource (MORH), to enable employers and job seekers to communicate on the same platform.

Objectives:

• Enable an effective and integrated job matching process.
• Provide an effective center of labot market information and references.
• To improve mobilisation of the nation's human resources and to ensure that manpower utilisation is optimized.

E-syariah
E-syariah is the seventh project under the Electronic Government flagship application of the MSC. A case management system that integrates the processes related to management of cases for the Syariah Courts.

Objectives:

• To improve the quality of services of the Syariah Courts
• To improve the effectiveness of JKSM (Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia) in coordinating and supervising related agencies under its jurisdiction.
• To improve the productivity and efficiency of the management of the Syariah courts throughout the country.
• To upload the splendors of Islam through the use of ICT (Information of Communication and Technology)

Citizens Adoption Strategies

There are no doubt that the fast growing of E-Government is getting much more attention from the public. E-Government adoption requires that citizens show higher levels of satisfaction and security with the online service provided by the government. In order to achieve the objective, the designed websites should be made user-friendly. Everyone who uses it will find it easy to learn and sooner or later the importance of this service can be popular to the public. A higher level of customer satisfaction will increase the rate of e-Government adoption because the citizens are comfortable of the protected privacy and confidentiality of the user's information. Perceived risk refers to security and privacy issues of the Internet while perceived control is to ensure that citizens can transact online securely and their personal information will be kept confidential.

Lastly, the government should do more advertising through radio and tv, and organizing workshop in a strategic location in order to create awareness and convenience for problem solving as they are full-focus in providing the best services to its citizens.

References:
http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/myBayar/Pages/OnlineLembahKlang.aspx

http://www1.american.edu/initeb/ym6974a/egovernment.htm#E-Government%20Overview

Review a local, transactional e-commerce site

E-commerce essentially covers all online activities aimed at inducing Internet users to purchase products and services online. However, has e-commerce really taken off in Malaysia?

On one hand, there are so many Malaysia citizens have bought airline tickets via Air Asia online system. On another, how many of you have really bought something else by online? You will roughly know the answer as you can ask the same question to those not so tech-savvy people. It does not reach the critical mass level yet but we cannot deny that there is some sort of growth in the local market, and these factors are pivotal in fulfilling the potential.

In Malaysia, there are quite a number of local e-commerce sites doing the online retailing transaction. Here I would like to introduce a local e-auction and online trading website which is Mudah.my

Mudah.my is a great and free way for you to post up your items for sale, whether it is your gadgets, furniture, property, car or even services that you offer. They’ll like your help to spread the word - so it is a great chance for you to let your readers know on an interesting service being offered, as well as earn through this sponsored post.


Mudah.my has a simple idea which is buy and sell basically everything for example cars, houses, mobile phones, and computers for sale in your region conveniently. This e-commerce site has established in Malaysia several years ago. Mudah.my allows the users to have online Internet auction and trading for various types of products or services such as electronic products, computer, services and so on- even the houses or cars. Beside that, you may find and getting a job as there are some job available and posting on that website. To give their users more convenient, Mudah.my has provided search engine in order to help the users easily find out the item they are interested in.

Furthermore, this e-commerce site also allows you to open your own “store”. The page loads fast and clutter free, unlike the complicated interface of eBay.com.my or the very user-unfriendly and advertisement-laden page of Lelong.com.my. Its major selling point is that it is completely free for buyers and sellers alike. You only need to fill in basic details, like the region where this advertisement is affected, emails, phone number, product detail and picture , etc. There is an option to hide your phone number as well to protect your privacy. After you upload the advertisement, it took less than 24 hours to activate. Once the ads are reviewed, the ads will then able to be displayed.


Of course, we can’t denied the fact that the potential for fraud of the online trading transaction is also higher as any person can advertise their wares in that website. An unsuspecting buyer could end up being victim to these online crooks. Therefore, basic common sense must still be applied when trading here, like meeting for a face-to-face before committing to a purchase, especially when a big amount of money is concerned.

Lastly, online trading can be good or bad, it is depending on how you use it efficiently.