Proficiency  in  English  speaking  skills  in  the  engineering  profession  has  become  an   unspoken concern among employers lately. Students of engineering who sit for the Malaysian University  English Test (MUET) often face anxiety due to their inability to perform well in the speaking  component. The objective of this study is  to develop a prototype speaking game incorporating MUET  speaking skills as a novel strategy to assist the engineering students  in improving their speaking  skills. The study also looks at the benefits engineering students gained while using the prototype  developed to improve their speaking skills. A survey design was employed to carry out the study.  The findings of this study revealed a significant agreement from the students on using the   prototype  which  helped  them  to  improve  in  terms  of  using  new  words,  grammar  and  vocabulary. Thus, it can be concluded that polytechnic engineering studen.....

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This paper discusses the importance of holistic assessment in the teaching and learning process at all levels ofeducation, both in schools and in higher education institutions. Redesigning classroom assessment for holistic learning to improve student learning is not a new idea. Educators conduct assessment for a variety of purposes such as determining the level of student academic achievement or identifying weaknesses and strengths of students. Educators need to be equipped with ways to maintain these processes to determine the quality of student achievement. Assessment should reflect the understanding that learning is a complex process by engaging a varied selection of techniques, comprising those that require real and authentic performance, utilising them over a period so as to disclose evolution, progress, and emergent steps of integration. The assessment should be continuous and balanced. Implementing holistic assessment benefits the students, teachers and stakeholders. Educators s.....

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This study investigated the implementation of portfolio as an assessment tool for learning in selected Malaysian ESL (English as a Second Language) secondary classrooms. It was also conducted with the intention of constructing a model of portfolio assessment for ESL teachers to integrate assessment with teaching. It also investigated students' response towardsthe use of portfolio as an assessment tool on learning and factors that influenced ESL teachers to use portfolio as an assessmenttool. Qualitative approach specifically, a case study was employed so that a detailed information could be obtained from the teachers' experiences in the natural context of implementing portfolio as an assessment tool. Data collected through interviews, observations and documents were analysed inductively using the data analysis approach expounded by Miles and Huberman (1994). Data from interviews, observations and documents were analysed inductively for dominant issues and categories. The portfolio asse.....

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Purpose – The study was aimed at exploring and analysing the current assessment practices of lecturers in selected Malaysian higher learning institution classrooms. The focus was the different modes of assessment used in the classroom and to make recommendations on using a variety of assessment modes that would be well-aligned with the intended learning outcomes. Methodology – A qualitative approach using a descriptive case study design was employed in developing the study. Subjects of the study were selected based on a voluntary basis and 15 lecturers teaching in eight programmes from two higher learning institutions participated in the study. Classroom observation was the main method of data collection, while data analysis employed thematic analysis. Each lecturer was observed twice. Three instruments were used in data collection, namely: pre-observation form, observation form and video recordings. The data was analysed through the opencoding process. The notes in the observation.....

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Students in higher learning institutes in Malaysia face some difficulties in expressing themselves in English language and show lack of competency in speech. They perform poorly in the English language during examination held in the university and also interviews. Based on the problems encountered by the weak students, it was deemed necessary to provide some form of guidance to enable the ESL students to speak confidently. The guidance comes in the form of a cooperative interactive learning module for teaching speaking to weak ESL students. The purpose of the study is to develop a cooperative interactive learning module as a teaching approach that could benefit ESL students at the university. This study also investigates the attitudes of the students before and after using the cooperative interactive learning module concerning speaking.The research comprises of two stages namely instructional design, ADDIE model (to develop the module). A quasi-experimental design was carried out to lo.....

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