Persistence and Performance: Does Prior Learning Really Matter?
The open entry system introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2006 has paved the way for greater access into the Malaysian higher education and lifelong learning opportunities. The move was in line with the Strategic Plan of Higher Education 2007-2010, which focuses on the Intensification...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Published: |
2009
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/286/2/persistence_ici9.pdf http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/286/ |
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| Summary: | The open entry system introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2006 has paved the way for greater access into the Malaysian higher education and lifelong learning opportunities. The move was in line with the Strategic Plan of Higher Education 2007-2010, which focuses on the Intensification of the ‘Development of Human Capital’. Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia’s first open and distance learning institution was opportune to head start the implementation of open entry system in the country. Through open entry, individuals who did not meet the conventional entry requirements to enter into an institution of higher learning have now the opportunity to leverage on their prior learning and work experience for this purpose. Upon admission into the OUM programme, the open entry learners will not be differentiated in any manner from the normal entry learners. However, these learners who may have left school for a number of years, and lack some basic skills, such as languages and Mathematics, now face even greater challenges of meeting the demands of the academia as well as pressure to perform at par with their peers. The need to examine the persistency as well as performance for this group of learners becomes crucial to ensure that they are able to cope well in the new ODL environment and are able to sustain their motivation and commitment throughout their study programme. The study was conducted based on secondary data derived from the Admission and Record Unit and the Examination Unit of OUM. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The paper attempts to examine (i) the persistency level; and (ii) performance results of the normal entry learners and open entry learners and (iii) the extent to which differences may exist between the two groups. Findings from this early evaluation will provide useful insights in two aspects. Firstly, it will serve as a reality check on the effectiveness of the open entry practices in an ODL setting and secondly, it is important to learn about the success/failure rates of open entry learners so that the institution can make necessary and appropriate adjustments, particularly in its (a) student support provision and (b) attention to student success. (Authors' abstract) |
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