Shaffe Mohd Daud

The Use of Infographics as a Tool for Facilitating Learning

Infographics is a combination of the words “information” and “graphics” used to combine the data into a design. It could help to facilitate individuals or organizations in spreading information to the audience concisely. It is known that the misuse of visual communication can affect the concept of communication that was aimed to be presented by using images. Weak design and unstructured images failed to convey ideas and information and the lack of knowledge about visual communication could hinder learners to accurately interpret images. Hence, this study examines the use of infographics as a tool for facilitating learning among graphic design and digital media learners in UiTM Melaka. Ninety-nine learners with similar demographic background have been selected using simple random sampling method. The data collection was via quantitative methodology and descriptive statistics with a set of questionnaire as the main instrument which has undergone content validity and reliability testing. A pilot study was conducted with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.884. The findings suggested that the difficult learning problems encountered by learners was to execute instructors’ assignment without proper guidelines, while others found that the use of too many slides presentation and too wordy information presented by instructors were a hindrance to their classroom learning. Besides that, it was also discovered that all infographics features including the use of images and symbols, good design, attractive colors, concise texts and diagram, or chart could encourage learners to understand better with any learning information delivered through it. Finally, the acceptance of learners about infographics application in facilitating their learning sessions was most appreciated due to its high suitability to make information concise and coherent, it enhances creativity and productivity, and improves understanding and concentration in the learning session. Therefore, infographics should be promoted as one of the tools to ease learners’ problems especially those that involve learners with tendency of having visual literacy skills.

Assessing students approaches to learning using a matrix framework in a Malaysian public university

This study aims to evaluate the learning characteristics of students using a matrix framework of learning approaches (MFLA) in a Malaysian public university. A survey form based on Biggs’s study process questionnaire (SPQ) was distributed to a total of 350 students. This study employed a descriptive correlation research design to address the research objectives. The findings revealed that Malaysian students are prone to applying the achieving approach in their studies. The achieving approach is the most preferable learning characteristic. The results also indicated that four of the nine hypothetical learning approaches exist, two of which are positive in nature. As a result, a proposed teaching method based on the MFLA was introduced to suit the needs of these major learning characteristics among students.

The influence of subjective norm on intention to use of learning management system among Malaysian higher education students

In recent years, the use of learning management system by universities has been increasingly growing. However, the results of several studies have revealed that students do not fully use the information systems. The present study proposes a model which investigates the influence of three constructs of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and subjective norm on behavior intention to use of learning management system. The sample size was 216 Malaysian undergraduate students. The results of the study revealed that the proposed model accounts for 31.1 % variance of behavior intention to use.

The contribution of institutional factors to course satisfaction with perceived learning as a mediator among student in Malaysian research universities

Distance learning in Malaysia has seen phenomenal growth especially in higher education where there are numerous universities offering online courses that have specifically provided access to students who were challenged by space and time constraints. Regardless of the dramatic increase of online courses and student enrollment, there are many indications that online courses are unsuccessful at meeting students’ needs and students are dissatisfied with their online course experiences, which brings about a serious concern regarding the dropout rates of online courses. For solving this issue, it is crucial that researchers identify and study the factors that lead to student satisfaction with online courses because course satisfaction is considered to be the largest determinant in reducing dropout in distance learning environment. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of institutional factors in terms of support including technical support, administrative support, and university support toward course satisfaction among 367 undergraduate distance students in Malaysian research universities. The result of the study revealed that institutional factors were a significantly positive, and strong factor associated with course satisfaction. Further, both direct and indirect effects of institutional factors on course satisfaction were significant, which means the effect of this variable on course satisfaction is partially mediated by perceived learning.

The resistance to change in implementation of total quality management (TQM) in Iranian schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of resistance to change in implementation of total quality management (TQM) in Iranian schools and investigate the influence of principals’ and teachers’ gender and years of experience on resistance to change. Design/methodology/approach – This study presents the results of survey research carried out in Iran. The participants of this study are secondary school principals and teachers. The researchers employed descriptive analysis on data collected. Independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in resistance to change based on teachers and principals gender, and one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H-test were applied to determine the difference in resistance of teachers and principals based on years of experience. Findings – The researchers found that the level of resistance to change in Iranian schools is medium; the most important factor for resistance to change is confidence in the status quo. Gender has an effect on resistance ...