Johor Bahru, 22nd September 2016: Sr. Dr. Sarajul Fikri Mohamed from the Department of Quantity Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has won GOLD medal award at the International University Carnival on e-Learning (IUCEL 2016) held on 20 and 21 September 2016 at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru Malaysia.
International University Carnival on eLearning (IUCEL) 2016 permits academician and students to showcase their product on teaching and learning innovation and compete in the Invention, Innovation and Design on e-Learning (IIDEL). In the IIDEL competition, there are 156 participants from various higher learning institutions.
Dr. Sarajul Fikri developed an innovative and systematic online teaching approach using Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) system to enhance students’ understanding and engagement in the classroom activities. This course is inherited from common Mechanical & Electrical Works Measurement (SBEQ3213) course that conducted using project-based learning approach. Currently, there is 910 students enrolled in this course and in addition, 259 registered students are international students, who have come from 52 countries.
Heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to Prof Amran Hamzah who has been elected as an IUCN Regional Councilor during The World Conservation Congress that was held in Hawaii from 1 to 10 September. There were more than 10,000 registered participants at the congress that ended with elections by about 1,300 members representing government agencies and non-governmental organisations to elect the President, Treasurer, 6 Commission Chairs and 28 Regional Councilors (5 from Asia).
Nominations for the various positions started around nine months ago involving a rigorous process and Prof Amran, the outgoing Co-Chair of the Theme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas (TILCEPA), was the only candidate from Southeast Asia. Prof. Amran is now one of the 28 Regional Councilors elected for the 4-year term from 2016 to 2020 and the first Malaysian to be elected. With his election, Prof. Amran will become a member of the IUCN Council, which is the principal governing body of IUCN responsible for setting the strategic direction and policy guidance for the work of the Union and provide oversight and guidance on the performance of IUCN.
IUCN stands for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and it is the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. It has more than 1300 Member organisations worldwide and the input of around 16,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
When contacted, Prof. Amran said that “I have held several positions in IUCN for the past 6 years at the regional and Commission levels and I am honoured to be given the mandate and trust during this Congress as a Regional Councilor. I would like to thank those who voted me in, which came not only from Asia but also from the other regions of the world. I believe that my proven track record and good networking with IUCN members across the world had helped me in getting elected and I am in good company given that the former Ambassador to Malaysia, Masahiko Horie, has also been re-elected. Alhamdulillah but I am also very well aware that this prestigious position comes with a huge responsibility.
This 26th Congress also brought extra joy to me because I became a grandfather for the first time two days before being elected as a Regional Councilor”. Prof Amran ended by indicating he was ready for the challenge and would certainly do his best to represent Asia, Malaysia and UTM. Learn more about IUCN at https://www.iucn.org/.
