Abstract:

As the Malaysian education system in higher learning migrated gradually into an outcome-based system, higher education provider (HEP) finds its way to align with the need of the education mode. The main focus of an outcome based education is to pre-determine student’s behaviour during and after a learning module. In a learning module outline, learning outcomes are designed based on cognitive, psychomotor, affective domain, and soft skills. Learning opportunities should be strategized and uphold the learning outcomes. Therefore, fair and relevant judgement and assessment methods should be set forth as a worth, valid and reliable achievement indicator to both student and teacher. Final grade that is awarded at the end of a module is merely an accumulation figure from a set of coursework and test marks. Students’ achievement is then being discussed in an examination committee mainly to endorse the grade given. As each learning outcome carries its own meaning and purpose, a single grade will not be able to uncover the actual occurrence of each outcome. Thus, a Course Learning Outcome Monitoring (CLOM) system was designed and introduced in 2011 to provide a potential indicator for each of the learning outcomes. The indicator, known as CLOM index provides a value to indicate the achievement of each outcome and overall achievement as well. Those indices are generated through an integrated system that contains pre-set mapping of learning outcomes and type of assessment. In the system a teacher is kit out with 1) each individual index; 2) overall achievement index; and 3) suggestion and feedback form. The suggestion and feedback form is designed to provide teacher with a formal platform to share ideas and comments with head of department. By doing so, important ideas, useful suggestions and identified needs can be used to leverage the university’s quality. Indirectly, an essential impact for teacher is the encouragement to reflect their teaching and learning activities. By studying the index obtained, teacher may reflect their classroom practice and plan other solutions to improve the practice. Survey showed that teachers understand the meaning of outcome based education, agree that the CLOM system helps them to improve teaching, understand the needs of aligning learning outcome and assessment, understand the significance of index in learning outcome monitoring and agree that CLOM system helps them to improve their practice. Thus, CLOM is a potential system for guiding a teaching and learning improvement after reflecting the practice using CLOM index as an indicator.

Keywords:

Learning outcome monitoring, assessment, reflection, outcome based education.