Azelin Mohamed Noor - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Azelin Mohamed Noor

The International Journal of Learning: Annual Review

The government, industry and the academia saw the importance of soft skills to engineering and te... more The government, industry and the academia saw the importance of soft skills to engineering and technology education. Lifelong learning skill is an attribute in soft skills; one of the thrusts in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan of Malaysia. This paper discusses how lifelong learning skill is imparted in a technical writing course at a private engineering and technology focused university. Their coursework is designed to hone this skill. It is found that students can be motivated to learn if the relevance of the course is clearly explained to them and if they are shown how it would be helpful to them once they begin to work. This study implies that lifelong learning skills can be taught in technical and non-technical courses as it transcends the curriculum.

Global Journal of Business and Social Science Review (GJBSSR) Volume 4 (2016: Issue-3)

Objective - This paper presents a discourse study on the print advertisements of a particular the... more Objective - This paper presents a discourse study on the print advertisements of a particular theme in Malaysia, that is, Malaysia Day, for social and commercial functions by a telecommunication company. Methodology/Technique - The print advertisements studied were analyzed in a detailed manner within a discourse analytic and cultural perspective. The data were analyzed qualitatively to seek for information along the dimensions of categories and characteristics stated in the research questions. Findings - Through linguistic features and semiotic approach (i.e. sense-making), the study revealed that the soft-sell advertisements employed a combination of the four language styles to reflect the norms and values of Malaysia's multiracial society. Besides language styles, some of the advertisements also included a number of semiotics such as the distinctive unity symbol, the national flag, landscape and historical building to represent the unity of the multiracial Malaysia's popu...

At the time where electronic books, or e-Books, offer students a fun way of learning , teachers w... more At the time where electronic books, or e-Books, offer students a fun way of learning , teachers who are used to the paper text books may find it as a new challenge to use it as a part of learning process. Precisely, there are various types of e-Books available to suit students- knowledge, characteristics, abilities, and interests. The paper discusses teachers- perceptions on the use of ebooks as a paper text book in the classroom. A survey was conducted on 72 teachers who use e-books as textbooks. It was discovered that a majority of these teachers had good perceptions on the use of ebooks. However, they had little problems using the devices. It can be overcome with some strategies and a suggested framework.

After the Terengganu state government decided to give a boost in teaching and learning through th... more After the Terengganu state government decided to give a boost in teaching and learning through the allocation of free ebooks to all Primary five and six students; it was time to examine the presence of e-books in the classrooms. A survey was conducted on 101 students to determine how they felt about using the e-book and their experiences. It was discovered that a majority of these students liked using the e-book. However, although they had little problems using the e-book and the e-book helped to lighten the schoolbags, these new-age textbooks were not fully utilized. It is implied that perhaps the school administrators, teachers and students may not be able to overcome the unfamiliar characteristics of the e-book and its limitations.

This paper presents the reinvention of the role of education <em>(tarbiyyah</em>) in ... more This paper presents the reinvention of the role of education <em>(tarbiyyah</em>) in the social influence of organizations focusing on the sustainability of a specific religio-political organization. The objective of the paper is to describe how the position secured by education could transform the organization while maintaining its objective and vision. The study employed the qualitative approach that involves data from conducted interviews. An analysis on the role political leaders play in educating the organization in the context of ideological struggle is also analyzed. The process description also evaluates how education could intellectualize its followers and members which inspires them to submit to their leaders and the organization. This extensive cultivation of religio-political doctrine could offer a new interpretation on politics.

Abstract-- The survival of almost all businesses is dependent upon the creation and utilization o... more Abstract-- The survival of almost all businesses is dependent upon the creation and utilization of new knowledge and it is therefore inevitable that knowledge needs to be shared. Knowledge sharing can be described as a series of processes that are adopted in order to help improve the overall performance of a community – whether corporate, small enterprise or localbased structures. The essence of knowledge sharing is to improve shared dialogue and communication between people within that community in order to encourage a more holistic approach which will consequently increase productivity. However, the sharing of information constitutes a major challenge in the field of knowledge management. One of the issues would be the existence of members of the community who do not share a common interest in sharing with others. This paper discussed some of the issues, problems and challenges pertaining to knowledge sharing

Recent Trends in Information and Communication Technology, 2017

Unlike normal users, the visually impaired need to rely on added technology that enables them to ... more Unlike normal users, the visually impaired need to rely on added technology that enables them to browse the Internet. Screen readers have been used to achieve this purpose in aiding this group of users. It is a software that has a programmed narrator which reads out aloud each item that appears on the computer screen. This paper aims to provide the visually impaired computer users an Internet search experience similar to normal users. We argue that accessibility of information from web content should be made equal to all users. An interview and a pilot testing were conducted for data collection from a group of visually impaired computer users. The study suggests that audio feedback could support comprehension of web content effectively and becomes more efficient with respect to several criteria that need to be considered in the development of a screen reader for the visually impaired computer user. Keywords: Accessibility Á Screen reader Á Visually impaired computer user Á Assistive technology Á Visual impairment Á Audio feedback

This case study investigates the challenges of adult learners as they seek a master’s degree cour... more This case study investigates the challenges of adult learners as they seek a master’s degree course. Adapting the conceptual framework of Cross (1981), Hillage & Aston, (2001) and Mackeracher, Suart & Potter (2006), three main challenges were discussed; physical and material / situational, structural and attitudinal. Two instruments; diaries and interviews were utilized to uncover the challenges of three adult learners. Twenty varieties of challenges emerged from the data collected. All three categories of challenges were found as well as academic challenges. Although not fully generalizable, this study presents some interesting and constructive information. The challenges are the lack of support, health, multiple-conflicting responsibilities, job commitments, the lack of time, financial constraint, guilt, distance to be travelled, being unmarried, the lack of concentration, the lack of confidence, the lack of motivation, the lack of appropriate provisions, inappropriate schedules, ...

SHS Web of Conferences, 2021

Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards Environment (OCBE) is a construct that is increasingl... more Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards Environment (OCBE) is a construct that is increasingly being studied to explain voluntary green behaviors by employees. Performance of OCBEs by employees has been associated with positive outcomes such as improved environmental sustainability of organizations. Hence, promoting more of these behaviors is important for organizations both from an environmental and corporate sustainability perspective. Several studies have examined the influence of Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) and Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) however, there are still calls for more research into the influence of all these three variables; POS and Green HRM on OCB towards environment. The target respondents are executives in middle level management from the petroleum refineries operating in Peninsular Malaysia. Fixed-alternatives questionnaires are used as the research instrument in this study. The data from ...

AZKA International Journal of Zakat & Social Finance, 2021

This study reveals the currents social welfare which includes the uprising practice of Islamic ch... more This study reveals the currents social welfare which includes the uprising practice of Islamic charity, namely Infaq (voluntary alms giving), an instrument to help the unfortunate people (asnaf). It used qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews focusing on six themes with six respondents. They engage in Infaq during the MCO or Movement Control Order. The results showed that there was a rise of contemporary fame of Infaq among Malaysian middle-class Muslims and charity body or organisation that specialise in sedekah/Infaq programmes . These parties make use of the platform of social media to record their activities and raise funds activity to help the needy who demand immediate and non-bureaucratic donations especially in a form of material help like food and daily necessities. This indeed has changed the course of how sedekah or Infaq used to be done back then. More Muslims who perform these Islamic charities display their efficiency and transparency in their donati...

2016 4th International Conference on User Science and Engineering (i-USEr), 2016

Internet usage is rising at a frenzied rate as knowledge and information sharing becomes easy and... more Internet usage is rising at a frenzied rate as knowledge and information sharing becomes easy and time-saving. Regrettably, the visually impaired do not enjoy this liberty and they have difficulties in using the computer and the Internet to obtain any shared and published information. This difficulty is also faced by the visually impaired Bahasa Melayu (BM) language medium Internet users. Existing screen readers are unable to fully cater for users who need to browse webpages written in BM language. The inability of screen reader narration to enunciate BM words acceptably has limited the accessibility for the visually impaired to acquire any information in the BM language. Narration of the texts are done by non-BM speakers and the enunciation of those words confuses and often, do not help users. Thus, this paper addresses this shortcoming by investigating the difficulties faced by visually impaired Internet users to understand spoken texts when using screen readers with a non-BM language narrator or speaker. This study aims to reduce the time taken for the visually impaired to understand information written in the BM language and narrated by a screen reader. This paper highlights the processes involved in developing a prototype screen reader, which will read in the BM language and in a Malaysian accent. To achieve all the objectives, preliminary interviews and testing sessions were conducted to collect data to test the hypotheses made. The findings were then used as the main source of data to develop a prototype screen reader. From the built prototype, user-test was conducted with a sample group consisting of the visually impaired to test the functionalities and evaluate the effectiveness of the software. Results and recommendations are shared at the end of the paper as milestones for future enhancements.

Communication skills, on top of specialized technology competency are a competency valued by empl... more Communication skills, on top of specialized technology competency are a competency valued by employers. Universities are accountable in equipping adequate communication skills among graduates in preparing them to face the challenging and changing industry. This study investigates the communication skills (oral and written) of interns from a private engineering and technology focused university in Malaysia. A comprehensive perspective was obtained through two sets of questionnaires which are used to gather data from the interns and their respective industrial supervisors. Overall, the findings indicate that the interns possess high communicative abilities both in oral and written. Although the mean scores suggest that the interns had rated their communicative abilities higher than their industrial supervisors, t-test results show no significant difference between the two groups of respondents. Interestingly, there was no significant difference found among interns from different academic programmes. The findings of this study indicate that the university may have prepared and groomed its students adequately to meet the needs of the current industries. This paper will also discuss the findings in relation to the university's intake requirements, course syllabus, and university-industry collaborative initiatives.

International Business Research, 2013

This paper aims to explore and profile industry-relevant competencies of graduate architect in Ma... more This paper aims to explore and profile industry-relevant competencies of graduate architect in Malaysia. Content analysis conducted on online job advertisements offering positions for graduates were collected and analyzed to determine the common competencies listed in the recruitment of graduate architects. Competencies are divided into three main components: knowledge, skills and personal traits. Findings revealed a cluster of key competencies deemed necessary by the architectural firms in Malaysia. This competency profile is useful as a guide for architectural graduates towards meeting the employers' expectations. It can also provide information for architecture schools in reassessing possible competency gaps of their graduates and to realign their curriculum towards meeting the industry requirements. Finally, it is recommended for extending the content analysis for a longer duration and to include newspaper and magazines advertisements to further validate and strengthen the competency profile identified in the current study.

International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 2014

This paper focuses on the micro-entrepreneurs of Malaysian Malays who are involved in very small-... more This paper focuses on the micro-entrepreneurs of Malaysian Malays who are involved in very small-scale business activities. The study seeks to identify the impact of marketing and financial competencies on their success and what needs to be rectified. This quantitative study is conducted on 173 Malay micro-entrepreneurs (MEs) and 58 Malay failed micro-entrepreneurs (FMEs) involved in all range of businesses throughout the state of Perak, Malaysia. The main aims are to present the pathway of successful Malay entrepreneurs the factors that could motivate them to start a micro business and the skills required to run a business and keep growing. This paper also identifies the gaps between the FMEs and existing MEs and the problems faced among FMEs. The results reveal that the MEs had strong motivations, better marketing approaches and better financial competence as compared to FMEs. Furthermore, the FMEs failed in business ventures mainly due to lack of sales and marketing skills, poor competitive abilities to keep up with rivals and poor financial literacy.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012

The electronic books, or e-Books, offer students, teachers and schools an additional medium or to... more The electronic books, or e-Books, offer students, teachers and schools an additional medium or tool of instructions that can support or enhance the learning process. All this while, the use of e-Books is limited to college students. Using e-Books as text books in the classroom at schools is a new paradigm especially in developing countries. As with all books, there are various types of eat an e-Books is, and its advantages, limitations, strategies and framework of using it as a text book in classrooms.

2013 13th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC), 2013

ABSTRACT Indulging the values towards sustainable environment has become the main priority in the... more ABSTRACT Indulging the values towards sustainable environment has become the main priority in the National Philosophy of Education and being incorporated into the Malaysia Education Curriculum. Students are taught to appreciate the earth and its natural sources at a young age through various activities. A study was taken place to gauge the environmental education pertaining the understanding and practices of 3R's among secondary school students from five states in Malaysia. Data was collected from 468 students ranging from 13 to 19 years old using a survey questionnaire. It involved the major races in Malaysia from both genders. The results showed that students have a good understanding on 3R's with the most understanding on the Recycle followed by Reuse and Reduce. Urban students understood Reuse the most as compared to rural students who understood Recycle the most. They were also aware of the benefits gained from 3R's. In terms of sustainable behavior, students from both areas practiced the 3R's weekly and monthly. Some main statements regarding the practice of 3R's were obtained from students. The results also showed that schools were the main source to 3R's followed by electronic and printed media.

International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2015

Pollution is one major problem that has never been completely solved up until now. Though it has ... more Pollution is one major problem that has never been completely solved up until now. Though it has been discussed and debated for over decades, these continuous acts are becoming more harmful to human beings as well as the environment. As the seriousness of the matter started to capture world's attention, solution such as recycling has been put forward. Imperative as it is, the responsibility falls on human attitudes to apply recycling in daily life. Among the matter discussed is paper usage which is indisputably very prominent in human life particularly teenagers. With 408 teenagers as respondents, the objectives of this paper are to identify the perceptions' of teenagers in reusing as well as recycling papers in their life. The findings indicate that even though they were aware with the need of reusing and recycling, they did not practise it in life.

International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2014

This paper aims to gauge the use of e-books in primary schools in the state of Terengganu, Malays... more This paper aims to gauge the use of e-books in primary schools in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Surveys were conducted among 73 teachers from 14 schools and 101 pupils from five primary schools. The findings revealed that both teachers and pupils showed positive feedback, perception and reception towards the use of e-books as text books. Based on the findings, the paper proposes a framework that enables the effective use of e-books as textbooks in the classroom among pupils and teachers .

2010 2nd International Congress on Engineering Education, 2010

... abilities: The industrial internship experience Hairuzila Idrus Department of Management and ... more ... abilities: The industrial internship experience Hairuzila Idrus Department of Management and Humanities Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Tronoh, Perak ... Hezlina Mohd Hashim Department of Management and Humanities Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Tronoh, Perak ...