The School of Mathematical Sciences Holds Annual Academic Excursion

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The School of Mathematical Sciences Holds Annual Academic Excursion

The School of Mathematical Sciences at Sunway University held its annual half-day academic excursion today, with a focus on the school's education agenda.

Our Associate Dean of Education, Dr Jane Teh Kimm Lii, briefed colleagues on the 2023 Curriculum Framework that recently took effect for our new intake of BSc Actuarial Studies and BSc Industrial Statistics students. She presented the subject outline for the 3-year program and emphasized the impact of these changes, and also reminded colleagues of the importance of continuous improvement in teaching. On behalf of the School, Dr. Teh also congratulated Dr. Lai Kee Huong and Ms. Lay Guat Chan for their awards at the ASEAN Quality Assurance Conference 2022 and Teaching & Learning Poster Competition 2022 at Sunway University.

Colleagues were invited to share their best teaching practices. For example, Ms. Low Ann Ann shared her experience with project-based learning and recognition at the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Asia-Pacific Actuarial Teaching Conference (ATC) in December 2022. Dr. Lai Kee Huong also demonstrated how he incorporated LinkedIn learning into his course materials on eLearn and created a playlist of videos for students to watch.

The School then discussed academic integrity issues, with a focus on the rise of AI and its potential impact. A live demo was given by Associate Professor Dr. Jason Ng showcasing the capabilities of ChatGPT, which prompted a robust discussion on how assessments need to be refined to maintain academic integrity. The education sector is rapidly evolving, and the School discussed the need to continuously adapt and innovate in the field.

In the second half of the excursion, colleagues from the Academic Enhancement Division (Annyza Tumar, Dr Ann Rosnida Md Deni, Ms Caroline Yap CPA (Australia), SFHEA and Ms Farhana Azhani) conducted a refresher and training session on incorporating a blended approach in a flipped classroom model. They also demonstrated how H5P (HTML-5 Package) can be used to create interactive learning materials. Keeping up with the fast-paced advancements in learning technology is crucial for academic staff in delivering a relevant curriculum.

The day concluded with a group photo and a lot of educational takeaways for colleagues to consider.