Some Thoughts on the Issue of Making the Liberal Science Courses More Appealing to Academics

By Khoon, Koh Aik Jalal, Azman

This paper traces the history of the Liberal Science courses and explores the mechanisms whereby the courses can be made more attractive to academics in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Introduction

The Liberal Science Courses or coded here as STPD courses have been in place in the Science Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) since 1984. They were introduced by a group of likeminded lecturers from the former science based faculties. The courses (see Table 1) are aimed at giving an extra dimension to the core science courses taught in the faculties. This is in keeping with the philosophy of UKM, which promulgates a liberal education. Works such as Lightman (2000), Gribbin (2004, 2005) and Halpern (2004), have been used as part of references to the courses.

Today, the lecturers who are still involved in the courses in various capacities come from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) itself, which was established in 1999 after the merger of four science-based faculties. They generally share the teaching load because the nature of the STPD courses demands specialties in a particular field such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Bioethics. Most lecturers volunteered to teach the courses because they feel they can contribute and for some of them (just a handful) their involvement has spanned almost two decades! This bespeaks a commitment that can be described as unfailing.

Meanwhile the number of students taking the various STPD courses has been on the rise and it can range from 50 to 500 and this imposes a heavy strain on the available resources and logistics found in FST. In the interim, lecturers for the courses come and go and the many who are still teaching are technically on retirement and are hired on a contractual basis. A few others are on the verge of compulsory retirement at the age of 56 years old. There is also a dearth of fresh lecturers taking over the courses due to one reason or another and this paper attempts to explore the various avenues whereby STPD courses can still continue and if possible be more successfully run and managed by a sustainable pool of lecturers from various age groups. To find out why academics generally are not keen to teach STPD courses, we must get to the roots of the problems and if possible do a SWOT analysis.

Reasons for Staying Out

Some academics may be of opinion that they are not competent enough to teach the courses because they do have the specialized knowledge and skill. Frankly not many are competent to teach ICT for example. Some may find the prospect of handling a bigger class daunting and challenging hence they prefer to stick to the smaller classes normally found at the final year undergraduate level or postgraduate level. Some may regard teaching STPD courses taking away too much of their time from research which is perceived to be more rewarding in terms of recognition. All these factors have to be taken into consideration so that STPD courses do not suffer due to extraneous factors but instead are given their rightful and respectable place as an integral part of the FST curriculum.

Mechanisms for Enhancing the Prestige of the STPD Courses

* If teaching STPD courses is perceived to be not conducive to promotional prospects then we suggest to turn it round so that teaching and involving in the courses will be duly considered when it comes to promotion. This demands a change of mindset as well faculty culture.

* Have yearly retreat for those involved in the courses so that lecturers have a chance to sit down and exchange ideas regarding the well-being of the courses. In short give the courses the much- needed injection of topical issues. It is a changing world and STPD courses should also move in tandem. The yearly appraisal from the retreat offers an opportunity for academics to refresh and reflect so that STPD courses do not go on in the same old rut. The spirit of camaraderie fostered during such annual retreat is beneficial to team morale.

* Carry out research on topics pertinent to what are taught in the STPD courses. The recent fiasco on stem cells research carried out in an Asian university can be a good Masters thesis on Bioethics and the frantic pursuit of a Nobel by aspiring Asia nations (Kang and Segal, 2006), The grants-giving system promulgated through IRPA (Intensification of Research in Priority Areas) can be another research problem. Science policy and management is a gold mine waiting to be explored in Malaysia.

* Invite renowned scholars to give lectures on topics, which are covered by the STPD courses. The spirit of good old discourse (wacana) should be revived. Stimulation of intellect is part and parcel of a life as an academic.

* Have a proper place for the STPD group with back up secretarial and technical support. Right now the STPD group is rather loose and scattered. We hardly talk to each other. Any visible display of organization chart or structure for the STPD courses should be in place. It gives one a sense of identity and belonging.

Concluding Remarks

Attracting talents or partners necessitates the offer of incentives, which are deemed to be appealing to the parties concerned. For academics any little steps that can work towards career advancement in terms of confirmation, extension or promotion will be given due attention and consideration. Academics will clamor to teach STPD courses if they are perceived to be value-added and have a respectable place in the hierarchy of the faculty (With the current demand for soft skills from graduates, STPD courses can play a meaningful role in this respect). Measures should be taken to ensure that there is always a constant supply of academics to teach the courses through some in-house training. The ultimate success of STPD courses depends on academics from FST itself. The aura of FST will be further enhanced if in its midst it has another jewel in the crown and that is the STPD courses that we are here to talk about.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank Prof. Dato’ Dr. Baharudin Yatim, Prof. Dr. Wan Fuaad Wan Hassan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kadderi Md. Desa, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rohani Abdul Kadir, Dr. Wan Zuhairi Wan Yaacob, Dr. Ling Choon Yeun for invaluable input towards this working paper. We thank Noor Hayati Nairn and Rokiah Uda for secretarial assistance.

Table 1: STPD Courses with respective themes

* History/Philosophy of Science

STPD 2013 History and Philosophy of Science

* Values and Ethics in Science

STPD 2023 Ethics in Science and Technology

STPD 3113 Bioethics

* Computer and Technology Competence

STPD 1113 Introduction to Computer and Information Technology

STPD 2113 Computer Applications in Science and Technology

* Management/Leadership/Communication

STPD 2213 Entrepreneurship in Science and Technology

STPD 3013 Scientific Communication

STPD 3313 Management of Scientific Research

References

1. Alan Lightman “Great Ideas in Physics”, McGraw Hill, 2000.

2. David Kang and Adam Segal “The Siren Song of Technonationalism”, Far Eastern Economic Review. Vol. 169 No. 2 pg. 5 11, 2006.

3. John Gribbin, “A Brief History of Science”, Eagle Editions, 2004.

4. John Gribbin, “In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat”, Bantom Books. 2005.

5. Paul Halpem, “The Great Beyond”, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.

KOH AIK KHOON AND AZMAN JALAL

School of Applied Physics

Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Copyright Project Innovation, Inc. Mar 2008

(c) 2008 College Student Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.