The Teacher In-Service Program in
Malaysia
10 September 2006
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Moshe Kam
Educational Activities
A Few Words about IEEE

IEEE is the largest professional engineering
association in the world



Originally concentrating on power engineering
and communications IEEE at present spans
technical interests across the spectrum of
technology


367,000 members in 150 countries
A 501(c)3 organization in incorporated in New York
From nanotechnology to oceanic engineering
In many respects IEEE has become “the steward
of Engineering”
It all starts in Philadelphia… AIEE
In 1884 the Franklin Institute organized the
International Electrical Exhibition in
Philadelphia
The Operator, 15 April 1884
“The…exhibition would be attended by
foreign electrical savants, engineers, and
manufacturers...it would be a lasting
disgrace to American electricians if no
American electrical national society was in
existence to receive them with the honors
due them from their co-laborers in the
United States."
Thomas Edison, Elihu Thomson, Edwin
Houston, and Edward Weston
AIEE’s First Technical Meeting 7-8 October
1884, the Franklin Institute
Early Presidents
Alexander G. Bell
Elihu Thomson
Charles Steinmetz
Frank Sprague
A few more recent Presidents
Leah Jamieson Joseph Bordogna Michael Lightner Wallace Read
AIEE
IRE

Established 1884

Established 1908

An American Organization

An international Organization

Representing the establishment


Rooted in Power Engineering


First computers working group


Now the Computer Society
Open to students, young
professionals
Quick to adopt advances in radar,
radio, TV, electronics, computers
Proceedings of the Institute of
Radio Engineers (January 1913)
1963: Merger of AIEE and IRE to create IEEE
What is IEEE?

A membership organization

A major creator and guardian of technical IP

A mechanism to bring people of common technical
interests together
 both geographically and disciplinarily

Volunteerism as a core value of IEEE

A guardian of the future of Engineering

An implementer of technology-related public
Imperatives
What does IEEE do?

Publishes literature in engineering, technology
and computing

Organizes conferences

Develops standards



Gets engineers and technologists from different
locales together
Organizes professional activities among
engineering students
Educates the public about Engineering
What does IEEE do?

Publishes literature in engineering, technology
and computing

Organizes conferences

Develops standards



Gets engineers and technologists from different
locales together
Organizes professional activities among
engineering students
Educates the public about Engineering
Why is IEEE interested in preuniversity engineering education


Because it is in our stated and un-stated mission
Because in many IEEE Sections there is marked decline in
the interest of young people in Engineering


This is bad for the future of these communities and would
have a negative impact on their standard of living
Because we do not believe the problem is going to be
tackled effectively without us



Industry does not appear to be able to address the problem
directly
Governments do not appear sufficiently concerned (yet)
Other engineering associations look up to us
What is the Problem?

Flat or declining engineering enrollments in
most developed nations



Coupled with disappointing performance of youth in
Mathematics
E.g., “free fall” in Scandinavia
Insufficient number of engineers and
engineering educational programs in most
developing countries

Asia is far behind Europe and the US in number of
engineers per capita
What is the Problem?


Women & minority students
conspicuously under-represented
Public perception of engineers/
engineering/ technology is largely
misinformed

Resulting in early decisions that block
the path of children to Engineering
1999
2001
Science degrees include life sciences,
physical sciences, mathematics, statistics,
computer sciences, engineering,
manufacturing, and building
15.7
14.9
15.9
15
24.2
25.9
31.5
38.4
31
39.5
18.4
15.6
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
41.8
36
32.4
Percentage of Science Degrees
Awarded
South Korea
Germany
Czech Rep.
USA
Norway
2002
Source: Organization of
Economic Cooperation and
Development
BS Degrees Awarded (US)
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics
Higher Education in Malaysia
as seen by IEEE-EAB
Observations
Action items
Main sources:
StudyMalaysia.com
Malaysian Educational Statistics 2005, MOE
Government of Malaysia: Education and Social
Characteristics of the Population,
Population and Housing Census 2000
Moshe Kam
The Malaysian Engineering Education
System at a Glance
13 years of formal schooling



6 years of primary school
5 years of secondary school (SPM
– equivalent to GCE ‘O’ level)
2 years of pre-university (STPM –
equivalent to GCE ‘A’ level)
4 Years Tertiary Education
leading to BEng (Hons) degree
Source: presentation by Dr. H T
Chuah, EAB workshop Bangkok, 2004
The Malaysian Engineering
Education System at a Glance
University
PREUNIVERSITY
4 years
PRIMARY
6 years
0
7
SECONDARY 2 years
5 years
12
Source: presentation by Dr. H T
Chuah, EAB workshop Bangkok, 2004
17
19
23
AGE
(YEARS)
Basic Numbers

17 public universities

Including 6 with “Technology” or “Engineering”
in the title

11 private universities
11 private university colleges
5 foreign university branches

20 polytechnic institutions (technician level)

More than 500 of colleges




Many do not offer degrees but transfer coursework to degree
granting universities (overseas)
Models of Twinning, Articulation, and Credit Transfer with
foreign universities
Source: Malaysian Educational Statistics 2005, MOE
Basic Numbers

University-level students:



Government and government-assisted university-level
institutions: 312,165
Private universities: 89,664
Development of engineering programs is
relatively recent:


Started in the 1970s
Universities that offer degrees in engineering



1994 – six (6)
1999 – ten (10)
2006 – approximately 20
Source: Malaysian Educational Statistics 2005, MOE
Footprint in IEEE Xplore:
ECE/CS Research
Author affiliation
Number of
Number of IEEE
IEEE and IET and IET articles
articles per
million people
Singapore
Australia
Japan
2957
979
799
13166
19140
101515
New Zealand
534
2087
Korea
604
29179
Malaysia
112
2540
Thailand
34
2148
Footprint in IEEE Xplore:
Engineering Education
“Engineering
education” and…
Australia
Japan
Number of IEEE and IET
articles
238
108
Singapore
New Zealand
53
27
Korea
26
Malaysia
24
Thailand
10
Footprint in IEEE Xplore:
Engineering Education
“Engineering
education” and…
France
Mexico
Italy
Number of IEEE and IET
articles
91
79
76
Turkey
43
Malaysia
24
Greece
22
Hungary
20
Basic observations

A growing but still small higher education system



A growing but still small infrastructure for engineering and
technology education
A growing but still small fraction of the 20+ population
benefits from higher education (post-secondary, college,
university)


Compared to population size
8.9% in 1991; 16% in 2000
The role of foreign universities in educating Malaysian
engineers and technologists is more important than in
many other developing countries
What do Malaysians study?
(in the higher education system)



First: social science, business and
law (35.4%)
Second: engineering, construction
and skill training (22.6%)
Third: education (15.4%)
Comment on In Service Training for
pre-university teachers

Malaysia has a formal in-service training
program for teachers run by the Ministry
of Education




A 14-week program
Open to education service officers meeting
minimum qualifications
By application
Will it be possible to integrate the IEEE
TISP program in this official program?
Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia
http://apps2.emoe.gov.my/tayang.php?laman=latihan_dalam_perkhidmatan&bhs=en
References









A.A. Abang Abdullah et al.: Engineering education in rapidly
industrialising Malaysia, Engineering Science and Education Journal,
Volume 3, Issue 6, pp. 291-296 (Dec. 1994)
James D. Stevens: Malaysian Models for Engineering Education in the
United States, J. Profl. Issues in Engrg. Educ. and Pract., Volume 125,
Issue 1, pp. 25-28 (January 1999)
Education Guide Malaysia, 10th edition (Petaling Jaya: Challenger
Concept)
H.T. Chuah” Engineering Programme Accreditation System of
Malaysia, IEEE EAB Accreditation Workshop, Bangkok, Thailand
(2004): on-line:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/apc/cgaa/presentations/Malaysi
a-Chuah.ppt
http://www.studymalaysia.com
http://www.internationaleducationmedia.com/malaysia/
http://www.SchoolMalaysia.com
http://www.mohe.gov.my (Malay only)
http://www.moe.gov.my/ (English version)
Pre-university activities in IEEE
Who inside IEEE is active in this area?

The IEEE Educational Activities Board
(EAB)

The IEEE Regional Activities Board (RAB)

IEEE-USA
IEEE’s Pre-University Initiative

2005-2006 New Initiative


“Launching Our Children’s Path to Engineering”
Objectives


Increase the propensity of young people worldwide
to select Engineering as a career path
Build a sustained public awareness program, led
by IEEE, with broad support of corporations and
professional associations
Objective 1: Engineering in the PreUniversity Classroom

Institutionalization of IEEE Teacher In-Service
Program



IEEE Section engineers develop and present
technology-oriented projects to local pre-university
educators
Emphasis on volunteer-teacher interaction as opposed
to volunteer-student interaction
Ideally: a sustained program involving several thousand
teachers every year
Objective 2:
Engineering Associations, Unite!

Center for Pre-University Engineering
Education


Ideally, the resource of choice for preuniversity education cooperation with
Engineering Associations
Ideally, a multi-association organization


With partners such as ASCE, ASME, IEE, SEE
It is about ENGINEERING, not Electrical Engineering
Objective 3: Strong On-line Presence

New on-line portals for students, teachers,
school counselors, and parents

Educational and entertaining



Focused on the audience
From lesson plans for teachers to games for
students
Ideally, the premier on-line resource on
engineering for pre-university students, school
counselors, teachers and parents
On Line Portal
TryEngineering.org
“Strong On-line presence”
The Web provides us
with high potential for reachability

A successful portal can become a major
resource for students, parents, school
counselors, and teachers


But success is difficult in an ever-crowded
medium
Effort needs to be coupled with more
modern tools

Instant messaging, podcasts
What information
is needed on line?

We met with school counselors and
Engineering Associations


Need on line tools for identifying formal and
informal engineering education opportunities
Engineering associations that participated in
our discussions

ACM, AIChE, AIAA, ASME, ASCE, IEE, JETS, SAE,
SEE, Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
What information is available on line?

We conducted a comprehensive review of
engineering education resources


By EAB and consultants
Conclusions:



Many “Engineering Resources” are actually
focusing on Science and Mathematics
Resources for teachers are largely inadequate
Wrong message is sent about the nature of
engineering and the life of engineers
From Collegeboard.com: Law
It helps to be…
fascinated by the
relationship between
law and society
Are you ready
to…
engage in intense
discussion of
thorny legal
problems ?
From Collegeboard.com:
Broadcast Journalism
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
sharp of mind and
quick of tongue
learn how to find
and interview
sources?
From Collegeboard.com:
Civil Engineering
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
A problem-solver
who’s creative,
curious, logical, and a
fan of math.
Spend hours and
hours working on
problem sets and
design projects?
From Collegeboard.com:
Civil Engineering
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
A problem-solver
who’s creative,
curious, logical, and a
fan of math.
Spend hours and
hours working on
problem sets and
design projects?
From Collegeboard.com:
Civil Engineering
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
A problem-solver
who’s creative,
curious, logical, and a
fan of math.
Spend hours and
hours working on
problem sets and
design projects?
From Collegeboard.com:
Mechanical Engineering
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
A fan of science and
math, a creative
problem solver, and
someone who likes to
take things apart to find
out how they work.
Rely on your math
skills? Master
difficult scientific
concepts? Take on a
heavy course load?
Spend five years as
an undergrad…
From Collegeboard.com:
Electrical Engineering
It helps to be…
Are you ready to…
A fan of science and
math who’s curious
about the way things
work
Spend hours
building detailed,
complicated
systems
Try, try, and try
again when at first a
project doesn’t
succeed
Good existing model

Tryscience.org



“Your gateway to experience the excitement of
contemporary science and technology through
on and offline interactivity with science and
technology centers worldwide.”
Science is exciting, and it's for everyone!
Partnership between




IBM
the New York Hall of Science
the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Science centers worldwide
Next step – TryEngineering.org

Companion site to tryscience.org

Comprehensive

Ultimate Audience: young people ages 8-18

Designed to convey excitement about
engineering and design




Can-do attitude
Hands-on experience
Positive image of the engineering process and
engineering
“Discover the creative engineer in you”
TryEngineering.org
A portal for students, parents, school
counselors and teachers
School search
By location, program, environment
Day in the life of an
engineer
Hands-on and virtual
projects
Lesson plans for teaching
engineering design
Ask an engineer:
Ask an undergraduate
student:
Brought to you by SAE
Brought to you by JETS
Games
Summer camps,
internship opportunities
Current status

TryEngineering.org is on line



We are having a “quiet launch” between June
and early September
Some statistics (as of 23 August 2006)







Please visit and provide us with feedback
6248= average # of visitors per month
40 minutes= average time a visitor spends on the
site
41,404= average # of page hits per month
1761= average number of university searches per
month
120= questions submitted to Ask an Expert
131= number of visitors from Malaysia (.64%)
Advertising campaign in mid-September
The Teacher in Service Program
“Engineering in the classroom”
Basics




IEEE Section engineers develop and present
technology-oriented projects to local preuniversity educators
Started at the Florida West Coast Section in 2001
Lesson plans in English and Spanish for teachers
and engineers
Lesson plans matched to educational standards
Basics (2)




IEEE Section engineers develop and present
technology-oriented projects to local preuniversity educators
Started at the Florida West Coast Section in 2001
Lesson plans in English and Spanish for teachers
and engineers
Lesson plans matched to educational standards
Rotational Equilibrium:
A Question of Balance
Demonstrate the concept of
rotational equilibrium, by building
and testing a Mobile
Build working models
with household items
Design and Build a Better Candy Bag
Lesson Focus

Demonstrate how product design differences can
affect the success of a final product


in this case a bag for holding candy.
Students work in pairs to evaluate, design, and
build a better candy bag
What have we done in 2005?

Pilot study in Region 3 (Southeastern US)


65 participants, from 23 Sections, in Atlanta, GA
Whole day workshop on lessons, association with
educational standards and working with schools


Plus half a day of a simulated TISP session
Feedback: multiple groups organizing training
sessions in Southeastern US and Jamaica
What are we doing in 2006?

A Region 3 refresher

Expand to




Region 1 (Boston, MA)–held in March
Region 4 (Indianapolis, IN)—held in
June
Region 8 (South Africa)– held in August
Region 10 (Malaysia)
What will we do in 2007?

Expand to




Region 2 (Baltimore)
Region 5 (Dallas)
Region 9 (Peru and Argentina)
Region 8 (Slovakia?)
What do we want
to achieve in Malaysia?

Establish TISP as a permanent program run by the IEEE Malaysia
Section








Reach 400 pre-university teachers in one year
From across the country
800 teachers in the next two years
Investigate the incorporation of TISP in the formal program of the
Malaysia’s Ministry of Education In Service Program
Make TryEngineering a popular resource among teachers, school
counselors and students in the primary through university level
communities in Malaysia
Augment the TryEngineering University Search with school
information in Malaysia
Create a page on university accreditation in Malaysia
Ask to add links on Ministry of Education website links page
www.moe.gov.my/tayang.php?laman=links&bhs=en and on
www.schoolmalaysia.com, www.doctorjob.com.my/,
www.studymalaysia.com
Questions and comments
TISP Background and Scope
Workshop Goals




Empower Section “champions” to develop or
enhance collaborations with their local preuniversity community to promote applied
inquiry-based learning.
Enhance the level of technological literacy of
pre-university educators.
Encourage pre-university students to pursue
technical careers, including engineering.
Increase the general level of technological
literacy of pre-university students for many
years.
Short-Term Benefits




Participating teachers will acquire additional
knowledge and materials necessary to enhance
their science, math and technology curricula
Participating teachers will be able to add
practical, applicable content to their curricula
Engineers and educators will be able to meet
and learn about each other
Participating teachers will have a greater
understanding of technical careers such as
engineering, which they can impart to their
students
Long-Term Benefits




The overall level of technological literacy of
educators and their students will be positively
impacted for many years
There will be the potential for future
enhancements in school curricula
Engineers and educators will be given
opportunities to meet and develop future
collaborative relationships
Minority and female students will be exposed
to engineering and other technical
professions
Just What Is In-Service Training?




“Pre-service education” - Training teachers receive
before beginning their teaching careers.
“In-Service education” - Training teachers receive
after entering the classroom.
In Florida, teachers must accumulate
120 in-service points every five years
to renew their teaching certificates.
An in-service point is similar to the professional
development hours (PDH’s) many states require
for renewing PE licenses.
Why Participate in a
Teacher In-Service Program?
Enhance the level of technological
literacy of:



Teachers
Students
The local school community
Why Participate in a
Teacher In-Service Program?

Enhance the standing of IEEE and the
engineering profession in the eyes of
pre-university educators and students.

Promote engineering as a career choice.

Encourage IEEE member participation.
Why Participate in a
Teacher In-Service Program?
Have fun.
TISP Presentations by Section













Chattanooga, TN
Miami, FL
Florida West Coast
Santa Clara, CA
Philadelphia, PA
North Jersey, NJ
Republic of South Africa
St. Louis, MO
Central Indiana
Jamaica
Atlanta, GA
Richmond, VA
Central North Carolina
Metrics To Date




Forty presentations to date
More than 890 pre-university educators
have participated
Science, technology and mathematics
educators
These educators represent 90,000+
students
Metrics To Date Cont’d
Over 90% of the respondents agreed:


They would use the concepts
presented in their instruction
Doing so would enhance the level of
technological literacy of their
students
Counting the Cost
Re-useable materials and hardware.
Counting the Cost
Expendables
Counting the Cost

Reproduction costs


Often donated in kind.
Refreshments.
How to Begin?
Two pronged approach:


Build relationships with school
districts.
Build interest in members.
Mobilising volunteers
Recruiting Volunteers

Articles placed in Section newsletters

Announcements





At chapter meetings
At section executive committee meetings
Informal contacts with members
Members can choose to be presenters or
coaches
GOLD & Life members are good candidates
How do I get involved
* the mindset



Be proud of what your profession does
Be aware of the importance of engineering for
the development of our country and make it
known
Get involved in educational issues




your children’s school
the IEEE - your professional society
your HR department
Convince your employer and others of the
importance to help education departments
My experience
- promoting my profession

Employer


IEEE, conferences etc


met similar minded people
Gateway Discovery Centre




we need engineering students
having a vision
fundraising
practical implementation
Industry

Energy efficiency - CFL’s
Contact with educationalists




Join forces with your education
department
listen to them and heed their advice
Keep in contact with fellow engineers
who share your vision
Always evaluate what you are doing
and ask for feedback
Qualities Needed



Tactful communicator. Willing to play
the role of classroom assistant.
New methods of teaching - with less
telling and more doing.
Enjoy immediate gratification.
Choose Topics


Tie to national education expectations.
Choose topics of interest to section
members.

Emphasize “hands-on” activities.

Think low cost

While working with school departments
simply ask teachers, curriculum supervisors,
curriculum specialists, etc., what topics are
needed.
Sample Teacher In-service
Presentation Topics





“Rocket Cars and Newton’s Laws”
“Build Working Models With Household
Items”
“The Orbit of Planet Gamma”
“Learn to Program and Test Robots For
Classroom Use”
“Everything You Wanted To Know About
Electric Motors But Were Afraid To Ask”,
Sample Teacher In-service
Presentation Topics Cont’d

“How Do We Communicate Using Radio
Waves”

“Get Connected With Ohm’s Law”

“Effective Lighting”

“Build Your Own Robot Arm”


“Simple Machines”
“Light Waves and Spectroscopes”
Plan Times and Places

Special Events




USF Engineering EXPO, all day, February,
prelude to Engineer’s Week
Teacher Conferences, e.g. technology,
mathematics and science teacher
conventions by province or nationally
National teacher organizations that happen
to meet nearby
Places

College Campuses, school lab
Follow-up Activities/Metrics






Count the number of educators who
participated in your teacher in-service program
Be sure that teachers complete the 12 item
questionnaire
EAD will tabulate the results
Follow-up with teachers to determine the level
of implementation of the concepts and
activities
Consider a sign in sheet to include an email
address
Consider sending a follow-up postcard to
attendees
Lessons Learned



Have telephone or cell
phone numbers for at least
two contacts at the school.
If possible, visit the
presentation location
several days before the
session.
Use a cart for moving
materials from volunteers’
cars to meeting rooms.



If your presentation
requires electric power,
bring several extension
cords and multi-outlet
power strips.
Exchange cellular
telephone or pager
numbers among all the
section member volunteers.
Provide each section
member volunteer with
good directions to the
meeting location.
Teacher In-service Presentations
Design and Build Your Own
Robot Arm
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Nico Beute, South Africa Section
Douglas Gorham, Educational Activities
Yvonne Pelham, Educational Activities
September 2006
Principles & Standards
for School Mathematics

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Geometry:
 Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric
modeling to solve problems
 Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and threedimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical
arguments about geometric relationships
Problem Solving:
 Recognize and apply geometric ideas in areas outside of
the mathematics classroom
 Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies
Communication:
 Communicate mathematical thinking coherently and
clearly to peers, teachers, and others
National Science
Education Standards
Standard E: Science and Technology
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Abilities to distinguish between natural objects
and objects made by humans
Abilities of technological design
Understandings about science and technology
Communicate the process of technological design
Interactions of energy and matter
Motion and force
Standards for
Technological Literacy
Students will develop an understanding of…
Standard 7. the influence of technology on history.
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Standard 8. the attributes of design.
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Standard 9. engineering design.
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Standard 10. the role of troubleshooting, research and
development, invention and innovation, and
experimentation in problem solving.
Students will develop…
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Standard 11. the abilities to apply the design process.
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Standard 19. an understanding of and be able to select
and use manufacturing technologies.
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Outline and Procedures
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Divide into teams of 2
Brainstorm and create a sketch of your
design
Build a model of your design with given
materials
Test your model
Discuss and agree upon a redesign, if
needed
Rebuild your robot arm
Retest your model
Answer reflection questions as a team
Reflection
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What was one thing you liked about your
design?
Did you use all of the materials provided?
Why, or why not?
Are there algebraic principles that can be
applied to this activity?
What is one thing you would change about
your design based on your experience?
How might you incorporate this activity into
your classroom instruction?