Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

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Name:

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Region:

Asia - Malaysia

Description:

The Distance Education Programme of the Universiti Sains Malaysia was established in 1971. It is the first public programme in Malaysia offering degree through distance education.

The primary objectives of this programme are:
- to help adults who had earlier missed the opportunity for a higher education to qualify for a degree;
- to narrow the gap of education opportunities amongst the various ethnic groups in the country;
- to take education to the economically deprived and geographically isolated areas;
- to increase the availability of skilled manpower;
- to improve the performance of those already in employment by up-dating their knowledge and skills.

The Programmes offered by the centre are: Bachelor of Science (Honours) majoring in Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics; Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) majoring in Political Science, Economics, Sociology and Anthropology; Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in History, Literature and Geography; Bachelor of Education (Honours); Bachelor of Management (Honours) and the Remedial Science Programme.

Address:

The Director
Centre for Distance Education
11800 Minden
Penang
MALAYSIA

Phone:

(+60 4) 860 3264

Fax:

(+60 4) 657 6000

E-mail:

dir_cde@usm.my

Telex:

USMLIBMA 40254

WWW:

http://www.usm.my

Admission:

The programme is open to all Malaysian citizens with the following academic qualification:
1. Candidates must possess SPM/MCE or equivalent qualification with a credit in Bahasa Malaysia;
2. Holders of HSC/STP or equivalent qualification ('A' Level) must have:
- passes at principal level in at least two subjects and a pass in General Paper; or
- a pass at principal level in at least one subject and passes at subsidiary level in at least two subjects and a pass in General Paper.
3. Holders of STPM must have:
- principal in at least two subjects and a principal pass in General Paper; or
- principal pass in at least one subject and passes at Grade R level in at least two subjects and a principal pass in General Paper.
4. Holders of Diplomas from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Institut Teknologi MARA and others in science subjects including Mathematics, are allowed to follow the Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree course only.

Other requirements:
- Candidates with STPM/STP qualification should not be more than 20 years of age;
- Applicants are expected to be confirmed in their position before admission.

Special requirements: All applicants must submit a letter of approval from their employers indicating that they:
- are allowed to follow the Off-Campus Academic Programme;
- are allowed to attend any annual residential school;
- can sit for any examinations required by the University.

Services:

Modules are the main teaching materials in the Distance Education Programme. A module is a set of printed materials consisting of teaching notes and activities which students work on independently. In addition, multi-media self-instructional teaching materials in the form of video-tapes, audio-cassettes, audio-graphics and slides are also provided.

To help students in their learning activities, 22 regional/study centres have been set up throughout Malaysia. These centres are managed by a resident tutor with the assistance of a core of part-time tutors who conduct weekend laboratory exercises and periodic tests, besides acting as occasional counsellors for students. The centres also serve as venues for discussion groups, and as examination centres for the various continuous assessments.

In addition to a postal lending service provided by the Universiti Sains Malaysia Library, a basic reference collection is maintained by the University in eleven regional public libraries, thus making available to students basic reading materials closer to their home.

Since August 1987 the Centre has introduced teletutorials through audio conferencing. Since December 1989, the system has been expanded to include audiographic facilities. In June 1995, a full-motion video conferencing system was introduced to replace the audiographic teleconferencing system. This system enables two-way communication between staffs at the Universiti Sains Malaysia campus, and the distance education students, at their respective regional centre. This interaction ensures immediate feedback. Teletutorials have been implemented in all regional study centres throughout Malaysia except for Sabah and Sarawak.

A compulsory residential school is held annually around September-October. It runs for two weeks a month, depending on the programme requirement and provides an opportunity for students to meet lecturers, attend lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes on the USM main campus or the engineering campus.

A special 25 minute radio programme on distance education is broadcast over Radio Malaysia's National Network every Sunday at 9.10pm.

The language of instruction is Bahasa Malaysia.

Registration:

The academic year starts in May and ends in February.

Languages:

Bahasa Malaysia

Overseas enrolment:

Statistical summary:

After 26 years of its operation, the University has successfully produced 4,000 graduates in the fields of Science, Social Sciences and Humanities. Total enrolment for the 1997/98 academic year is approximately 5,500.

Date:

26 June 1997 bb

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