KOTA SAMARAHAN: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak(UNIMAS) through the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts has succeeded in producing creative and Innovative graduates who produce a practical design through the work process which is realistic in line with the industry’s needs and current trends. To produce a holistic student, Challenge Based Learning is one of the methods of teaching which used in faculty at UNIMAS.
For that, Associate Professor Dr Musdi Bin Haji Shanat, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate, the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts has been invited to share his experience with the teaching methods in the series Training Programme for Academic Staff: Teaching without lectures held on April 4, 2018 at the CALM Training Center at Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, UNIMAS. Most courses offered by his faculty are hands-on and the use of Challenge Based Learning methods is an effective method for teaching in the classroom.
According to Dr. Musdi, through this method, the elements of learning in the 21st century which is collaborative and solves the problem in the real real world are widely practiced.
Students are given various critical questions, explores and build ideas in strategic planning, adapting a solution to a particular matter based on current practice and lifelong learning and reinforcing ownership of information so that it is unique(personalisation). Among the courses taught by Dr. Musdi such as Advanced Industrial 1 Course in Design Art that applies this method in total.
He collaborated with PUSAKA and iCREATE, UNIMAS in making this course a success. For example, students were given a task to design a furniture based on the wealth of Sarawak’s natural resources and culture. To help achieve this task, students are taught to think and come up with ideas, ideally, with minimal help from lecturer.
Activities like critique sessions with fellow classmates is often held to generate more interesting design concepts. Use of current technology as a catalyst for mixed learning is also implemented to open up more space for open-minded discussion .
PUSAKA’s involvement in teaching was also made to come up with product that has commercial value and competitive.
Through this class, designer of outdoor furniture also picked up where additional information such as consumer behavior and design sustainability and shared social responsibility and information that cannot be obtained through the reading of textbooks.
UNIMAS not only succeeds in increasing holistic graduates but also students who apply theory to practice and applied industry experience to solve real world tasks and real challenges.
