Undergraduate Focus: Student-centred teaching, learning environment

PROJECT-Based Learning epitomises the student-centred approach to education taken by INTI International University (INTI IU). In the past year, INTI students have successfully completed a total of 50 real employer assignments that were formulated to help develop in-demand skills such as problem solving, collaboration and effective communication. By providing an environment that focuses on student-centred teaching and learning, INTI IU empowers its students to become self-directed, motivated and independent learners.

“Many educational institutions in Malaysia tend to be very teacher-centred and traditional, where the teachers just lecture the students. There is very little interaction, participation and discussion of the subject matter, which is why we prefer the student-centred approach,” says Professor Dr Saw Sor Heoh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Office of Education, Quality and Innovation at INTI IU.

Aside from Project Based Learning, which is applied in many courses at INTI IU, student engagement takes place with initiatives such as First Year Experience to help students cope with tertiary education by providing academic development skills sessions in academic writing, mind mapping, note taking, preparing for examinations, library research and IT skills; peer-assisted study sessions by student leaders to help fellow students enhance their learning abilities; and entrepreneurship module to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship among students.

“Experiential learning is tied to the educational process at INTI. Past experience has shown that students really appreciate direct, hands-on exposure to activities and events that make learning fun and interesting. We also believe that our method encourages independent and practical thinking, a key quality of successful employees and entrepreneurs,” says Professor Dr Walter Wong, Vice Chancellor of INTI International University.

Other initiatives in place to help INTI’s students build up competencies and learn new skills include Enrolment to Employment (E2E) — a synergy with blue-chip companies including IBM and Ricoh, aimed at increasing the employability of every INTI graduate. E2E addresses critical market needs by tailoring courses together with the industry, which means that the curriculum and coursework activities at INTI are designed to be in tandem with the expectations of the industry, as well as being relevant to the market’s needs.

A unique component of E2E is the Business Leadership Series, which has seen prominent corporate leaders such as Google Malaysia’s Sajith Sivanandan, Media Prima’s Ahmad Izham Omar, Dell’s Bobbi Dangerfield, Microsoft Malaysia’s Ananth Lazarus, Frost & Sullivan’s Manoj Menon, IBM’s Ramanathan Sathiamutty and many others speaking to INTI students on the latest trends and developments in business and career opportunities on a global scale. The opportunity to be inspired by accomplished thought leaders on a regular basis is a privilege accorded to few students outside of INTI.

Students of INTI benefit not only from the institution’s more than 25 years of experience and strong track  record, but also gain from the global synergy and resources that Laureate International Universities provides. INTI is part of Laureate, the world’s largest private education network with a presence in 29 countries, with more than 60 accredited universities and 130 campuses, serving more than 675,000 students globally.

For more information www.newinti.edu.my