Raja Maznah Raja Hussain | Sultan Qaboos University (original) (raw)
Papers by Raja Maznah Raja Hussain
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice
With the emergence of COVID-19, many educational pillars have been altered from conventional ways... more With the emergence of COVID-19, many educational pillars have been altered from conventional ways to online solutions. The educational assessment has been administered in online environments despite all encountered challenges. This descriptive study aimed to uncover the online assessment challenges that were confronted. Furthermore, it intended to display the impact of these challenges on the assessment principles. A mixed-method approach was adopted for data collection. A survey was used to collect quantitative data from 60 academic staff at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with four of them. The study found some challenges when applying online assessment such as learners’ refusal to turn on cameras, heavy teaching loads, cheating, the long time required for developing online assessment instruments, impersonation/dishonesty, assessing practical experiences, plagiarism, grades’ inflation, assessing group’s work, academic integrity and a...
Leading Change in Teacher Education, 2018
Coaching as a method of professional development is now practiced in higher education to suppleme... more Coaching as a method of professional development is now practiced in higher education to supplement and replace the traditional methods of new faculty induction, workshops, and training programs. Coaching may be more appealing for Generation Y (millennial) academics as it allows for a more personalized professional development and takes into consideration individual needs for support in the early years of their career. Support offered through coaching allow young academics to set their own goals, focusing on what is important to them in regard to teaching, research, publication, and student supervision. Depending on what the goals are, a young academic may need to engage with several coaches who would facilitate and help to steer the achievement of those goals, whether immediate goals such as publication or long-term goals such as promotion. The coaching process requires trust and patience on the part of both the coach and the coachee to build a relationship that will drive transfor...
Handbook of Mobile Learning, 2014
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010
Web-based assessment is a general term which encompasses computer application and Internet in cla... more Web-based assessment is a general term which encompasses computer application and Internet in classroom assessment process. This paper reports the development and evaluation process of a Web-based Assessment in Teaching and Learning Management System (e-ATLMS). It was developed with a purpose to help teachers to manage examination questions, provide questions and define student learning. The findings discuss the reviewers' opinion, which supports the development of e-ATLMS and later give information about the strengths and the weaknesses of e-ATLMS. Although the scope of this study is limited, e-ATLMS can be used as an alternative tool for the implementation of school-based assessment.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010
Feedback is an essential tool in teaching and learning. To promote active learning, giving feedba... more Feedback is an essential tool in teaching and learning. To promote active learning, giving feedback is not limited to just the teacher. In the 21st century blended learning environment, the student should be empowered to the role as a feedback giver. This paper is a preliminary research which reflects the process of feedback among a class of 75 teacher trainees on a GOOGLE application platform. The qualitative research describes the role of teacher trainees as the feedback giver. Following that, the research also illustrates their experience in providing feedback for learning. Data are captured from two sources: (1) from the continuous feedback process given by the students on their assignment and (2) given questions on their current role of giving feedback. The analyzed data procured presents the issues faced while the student gives feedback, and subsequently what can be done to resolve the issues.
Many academic institutions in Malaysia commit themselves to eLearning because they believe in its... more Many academic institutions in Malaysia commit themselves to eLearning because they believe in its effectiveness as an alternative approach to the traditional classroom method of disseminating information. Preparing and managing eLearning is a complex process it requires a shift ...
International Journal of Instruction, 2021
This paper is based on an action research that aimed to explore students' reflective thinking thr... more This paper is based on an action research that aimed to explore students' reflective thinking through reflective collaborative learning. Drawing on multiple methods collected through focus group interviews, reflections, and online feedback, this paper examines the processes in which students develop their collaborative reflective learning to provide peer feedback to improve each other's reflective writing. Two moments of intervention were set during the project to improve students' critical questioning and reflective writing. Overall, reflective thinking via collaborative reflective learning promotes knowledge sharing, enhances pedagogical methods and theory, increases understanding of learner characteristics, and fosters professional self-development.
To design a personalized learning environment a teacher has to conduct a thorough instructional d... more To design a personalized learning environment a teacher has to conduct a thorough instructional design, models the ICT culture and behaviour and provides scaffolding that eventually frees the learners to be creative and to take responsibility for ...
Feedback has been lauded as a key pedagogical tool in higher education. Unfortunately, the value ... more Feedback has been lauded as a key pedagogical tool in higher education. Unfortunately, the value of feedback falls short when being carried out in large classrooms. In this study, strategies for sustaining feedback in large classroom based on peer learning are explored. All the characteristics identified within the concept of peer learning were assimilated into a teaching course, in order that the strategies could be properly investigated. Therefore, the outcome of the study is to propose peer learning strategies in sustaining feedback for large classrooms..
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the elements that determine students’ succe... more Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the elements that determine students’ success as designers of an e-book by means of an authentic assessment in a collaborative learning environment. A total of 11 English Language Teaching (ELT) postgraduate students were involved as designers, writers and peer reviewers of the e-book project. Methodology – Data was gathered based on a qualitative methodological approach, via face-to-face discussions, WhatsApp groups, Moodle classes and reflections from students’ e-portfolios. The data was analyzed using content analysis procedures where it was read carefully to understand emerging themes. It was then coded and labeled manually in relation to the aims of the study and its theoretical framework. Findings – The analysis suggested that the students had positive experiences where they became self-publishers while engaged in designing learning experiences via integrating technology. The use of authentic assessments enabled them ...
Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a mobile Augmented Reality application... more This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a mobile Augmented Reality application in the geography unit for 10th-grade students on their achievements and attitude. The unit is part of the Omani’s social studies curriculum and entitled, “Environmental Problems and Hazards”. To achieve this purpose, a quasi-experimental study design was conducted. The instruments designed, validated and used to collect data were pre-post achievement tests and attitudinal scale. The participants were 64 male students, divided into two experimental and control groups. The field application period took four weeks in which the control group studied the unit using the normal teaching method, while the mobile Augmented Reality application, HP Reveal, with a website that supports its features, was integrated to teach experimental group. Findings show that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-field applications in terms of students’ achievement and attitud...
i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology
She teaches ESL methodology, reading and literacy development as well as research in education. H... more She teaches ESL methodology, reading and literacy development as well as research in education. Her publications focus on innovative approaches to ESL teaching and learning, learner-centred education, reading and literacy as well as action research. She is most active in her local area in Malaysia creating teacher research groups and conducting workshops on early literacy development.
i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Purpose-This paper proposes a framework of instructional strategies that would facilitate active ... more Purpose-This paper proposes a framework of instructional strategies that would facilitate active and reflective learning processes in the flipped classroom It is aimed at allowing one's maximum potential to be reached regardless of any individual learning style. As tertiary classrooms increasingly needs to be as active and social as possible, the needs of the more introverted student could have been unintentionally overlooked. Therefore, the objective of this study was to produce an instructional design that could accommodate different learning styles and preferences in the flipped classroom. Method-A design-based research approach was employed in three phases (preliminary research, prototyping phase and assessment phase) in a flipped communication studies course of 24 students. The instructional design, based on a literature review on the flipped classroom and Felder and Silverman's active-reflective learning style dimensions, was tested and refined over six iterative design cycles to produce a final design framework. Findings-Qualitative findings via observation showed that despite a learning curve, the finalized instructional design was able to facilitate different learning styles satisfactorily. Added benefits included learner empowerment, engagement, motivation and improved communication and thinking skills.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
An innovation is a bottom-up or grassroots approach of implementing changes to conventional proce... more An innovation is a bottom-up or grassroots approach of implementing changes to conventional processes. This paper discusses the innovation of teaching, learning and research implemented in a higher institution in Malaysia. The project, Graduate Entrepreneurship Training by Design (GET by Design) was mooted to meet the challenge placed by the Ministry of Higher Education; to have graduates learn skills towards self-employment or in the industry, whereby the core skill to be developed is selfgraduate students who enrolled in the Instructional Design and Development Course learn instructional design; through designing a pilot training of graduate entrepreneurs for their client. A design and development research approach framed the design decisions, implementation and evaluation. Findings from observation, interview and content analysis and supported by literature reveals that when teaching, learning and research are viewed as an integrated component in innovation, students gain important insights in knowledge, skills and attitude.
2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Education Media (ICEM), 2013
ABSTRACT The goal of higher education is to develop graduates who will be self-directed lifelong ... more ABSTRACT The goal of higher education is to develop graduates who will be self-directed lifelong learners. This is no exception in Malaysia. The purpose of education is the holistic development of character and capabilities, the acquisition of specific skills, the realisation of intellectual, physical and spiritual potential, and the training of human capital Ministry of Higher Education-MOHE, 2007. Therefore, the learning process needs to be re-engineered. This includes realigning the structure of the curriculum for the course-subject which will allow ample and continuous opportunities for the students to perform and receive constant suggestions for self-development. For that reason, assessment, specifically formative assessment is pertinent to students' growth during and after their higher education. Formative assessment has the ability to turn each item of assessed work into an instrument for further development on each student's learning. Furthermore, such opportunities can be captured via eportfolio. The eportfolio plays a significant tool for the students' development because it has the potential to be a learning tool, an assessment tool, and a record of achievement. Therefore this study explores how eportfolio was developed and managed as a formative assessment tool. The eportfolio platform for this research was Googlesites. Analysis was conducted from the observation data in the online platform and questionnaire data from the undergraduate students. The outcomes of the research are; (1) the students need to be informed and assisted on using the eportfolio as a formative assessment tool and (2) clear guidelines are crucial on setting up the eportfolio platform.
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice
With the emergence of COVID-19, many educational pillars have been altered from conventional ways... more With the emergence of COVID-19, many educational pillars have been altered from conventional ways to online solutions. The educational assessment has been administered in online environments despite all encountered challenges. This descriptive study aimed to uncover the online assessment challenges that were confronted. Furthermore, it intended to display the impact of these challenges on the assessment principles. A mixed-method approach was adopted for data collection. A survey was used to collect quantitative data from 60 academic staff at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with four of them. The study found some challenges when applying online assessment such as learners’ refusal to turn on cameras, heavy teaching loads, cheating, the long time required for developing online assessment instruments, impersonation/dishonesty, assessing practical experiences, plagiarism, grades’ inflation, assessing group’s work, academic integrity and a...
Leading Change in Teacher Education, 2018
Coaching as a method of professional development is now practiced in higher education to suppleme... more Coaching as a method of professional development is now practiced in higher education to supplement and replace the traditional methods of new faculty induction, workshops, and training programs. Coaching may be more appealing for Generation Y (millennial) academics as it allows for a more personalized professional development and takes into consideration individual needs for support in the early years of their career. Support offered through coaching allow young academics to set their own goals, focusing on what is important to them in regard to teaching, research, publication, and student supervision. Depending on what the goals are, a young academic may need to engage with several coaches who would facilitate and help to steer the achievement of those goals, whether immediate goals such as publication or long-term goals such as promotion. The coaching process requires trust and patience on the part of both the coach and the coachee to build a relationship that will drive transfor...
Handbook of Mobile Learning, 2014
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010
Web-based assessment is a general term which encompasses computer application and Internet in cla... more Web-based assessment is a general term which encompasses computer application and Internet in classroom assessment process. This paper reports the development and evaluation process of a Web-based Assessment in Teaching and Learning Management System (e-ATLMS). It was developed with a purpose to help teachers to manage examination questions, provide questions and define student learning. The findings discuss the reviewers' opinion, which supports the development of e-ATLMS and later give information about the strengths and the weaknesses of e-ATLMS. Although the scope of this study is limited, e-ATLMS can be used as an alternative tool for the implementation of school-based assessment.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010
Feedback is an essential tool in teaching and learning. To promote active learning, giving feedba... more Feedback is an essential tool in teaching and learning. To promote active learning, giving feedback is not limited to just the teacher. In the 21st century blended learning environment, the student should be empowered to the role as a feedback giver. This paper is a preliminary research which reflects the process of feedback among a class of 75 teacher trainees on a GOOGLE application platform. The qualitative research describes the role of teacher trainees as the feedback giver. Following that, the research also illustrates their experience in providing feedback for learning. Data are captured from two sources: (1) from the continuous feedback process given by the students on their assignment and (2) given questions on their current role of giving feedback. The analyzed data procured presents the issues faced while the student gives feedback, and subsequently what can be done to resolve the issues.
Many academic institutions in Malaysia commit themselves to eLearning because they believe in its... more Many academic institutions in Malaysia commit themselves to eLearning because they believe in its effectiveness as an alternative approach to the traditional classroom method of disseminating information. Preparing and managing eLearning is a complex process it requires a shift ...
International Journal of Instruction, 2021
This paper is based on an action research that aimed to explore students' reflective thinking thr... more This paper is based on an action research that aimed to explore students' reflective thinking through reflective collaborative learning. Drawing on multiple methods collected through focus group interviews, reflections, and online feedback, this paper examines the processes in which students develop their collaborative reflective learning to provide peer feedback to improve each other's reflective writing. Two moments of intervention were set during the project to improve students' critical questioning and reflective writing. Overall, reflective thinking via collaborative reflective learning promotes knowledge sharing, enhances pedagogical methods and theory, increases understanding of learner characteristics, and fosters professional self-development.
To design a personalized learning environment a teacher has to conduct a thorough instructional d... more To design a personalized learning environment a teacher has to conduct a thorough instructional design, models the ICT culture and behaviour and provides scaffolding that eventually frees the learners to be creative and to take responsibility for ...
Feedback has been lauded as a key pedagogical tool in higher education. Unfortunately, the value ... more Feedback has been lauded as a key pedagogical tool in higher education. Unfortunately, the value of feedback falls short when being carried out in large classrooms. In this study, strategies for sustaining feedback in large classroom based on peer learning are explored. All the characteristics identified within the concept of peer learning were assimilated into a teaching course, in order that the strategies could be properly investigated. Therefore, the outcome of the study is to propose peer learning strategies in sustaining feedback for large classrooms..
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the elements that determine students’ succe... more Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the elements that determine students’ success as designers of an e-book by means of an authentic assessment in a collaborative learning environment. A total of 11 English Language Teaching (ELT) postgraduate students were involved as designers, writers and peer reviewers of the e-book project. Methodology – Data was gathered based on a qualitative methodological approach, via face-to-face discussions, WhatsApp groups, Moodle classes and reflections from students’ e-portfolios. The data was analyzed using content analysis procedures where it was read carefully to understand emerging themes. It was then coded and labeled manually in relation to the aims of the study and its theoretical framework. Findings – The analysis suggested that the students had positive experiences where they became self-publishers while engaged in designing learning experiences via integrating technology. The use of authentic assessments enabled them ...
Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a mobile Augmented Reality application... more This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a mobile Augmented Reality application in the geography unit for 10th-grade students on their achievements and attitude. The unit is part of the Omani’s social studies curriculum and entitled, “Environmental Problems and Hazards”. To achieve this purpose, a quasi-experimental study design was conducted. The instruments designed, validated and used to collect data were pre-post achievement tests and attitudinal scale. The participants were 64 male students, divided into two experimental and control groups. The field application period took four weeks in which the control group studied the unit using the normal teaching method, while the mobile Augmented Reality application, HP Reveal, with a website that supports its features, was integrated to teach experimental group. Findings show that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-field applications in terms of students’ achievement and attitud...
i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology
She teaches ESL methodology, reading and literacy development as well as research in education. H... more She teaches ESL methodology, reading and literacy development as well as research in education. Her publications focus on innovative approaches to ESL teaching and learning, learner-centred education, reading and literacy as well as action research. She is most active in her local area in Malaysia creating teacher research groups and conducting workshops on early literacy development.
i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Purpose-This paper proposes a framework of instructional strategies that would facilitate active ... more Purpose-This paper proposes a framework of instructional strategies that would facilitate active and reflective learning processes in the flipped classroom It is aimed at allowing one's maximum potential to be reached regardless of any individual learning style. As tertiary classrooms increasingly needs to be as active and social as possible, the needs of the more introverted student could have been unintentionally overlooked. Therefore, the objective of this study was to produce an instructional design that could accommodate different learning styles and preferences in the flipped classroom. Method-A design-based research approach was employed in three phases (preliminary research, prototyping phase and assessment phase) in a flipped communication studies course of 24 students. The instructional design, based on a literature review on the flipped classroom and Felder and Silverman's active-reflective learning style dimensions, was tested and refined over six iterative design cycles to produce a final design framework. Findings-Qualitative findings via observation showed that despite a learning curve, the finalized instructional design was able to facilitate different learning styles satisfactorily. Added benefits included learner empowerment, engagement, motivation and improved communication and thinking skills.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
An innovation is a bottom-up or grassroots approach of implementing changes to conventional proce... more An innovation is a bottom-up or grassroots approach of implementing changes to conventional processes. This paper discusses the innovation of teaching, learning and research implemented in a higher institution in Malaysia. The project, Graduate Entrepreneurship Training by Design (GET by Design) was mooted to meet the challenge placed by the Ministry of Higher Education; to have graduates learn skills towards self-employment or in the industry, whereby the core skill to be developed is selfgraduate students who enrolled in the Instructional Design and Development Course learn instructional design; through designing a pilot training of graduate entrepreneurs for their client. A design and development research approach framed the design decisions, implementation and evaluation. Findings from observation, interview and content analysis and supported by literature reveals that when teaching, learning and research are viewed as an integrated component in innovation, students gain important insights in knowledge, skills and attitude.
2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Education Media (ICEM), 2013
ABSTRACT The goal of higher education is to develop graduates who will be self-directed lifelong ... more ABSTRACT The goal of higher education is to develop graduates who will be self-directed lifelong learners. This is no exception in Malaysia. The purpose of education is the holistic development of character and capabilities, the acquisition of specific skills, the realisation of intellectual, physical and spiritual potential, and the training of human capital Ministry of Higher Education-MOHE, 2007. Therefore, the learning process needs to be re-engineered. This includes realigning the structure of the curriculum for the course-subject which will allow ample and continuous opportunities for the students to perform and receive constant suggestions for self-development. For that reason, assessment, specifically formative assessment is pertinent to students' growth during and after their higher education. Formative assessment has the ability to turn each item of assessed work into an instrument for further development on each student's learning. Furthermore, such opportunities can be captured via eportfolio. The eportfolio plays a significant tool for the students' development because it has the potential to be a learning tool, an assessment tool, and a record of achievement. Therefore this study explores how eportfolio was developed and managed as a formative assessment tool. The eportfolio platform for this research was Googlesites. Analysis was conducted from the observation data in the online platform and questionnaire data from the undergraduate students. The outcomes of the research are; (1) the students need to be informed and assisted on using the eportfolio as a formative assessment tool and (2) clear guidelines are crucial on setting up the eportfolio platform.