The leaders at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) are always thinking about what happens after students leave the classroom.
Will graduates be able to keep pace with advancing technology? Will they have the skills to stand out in competitive job markets? Will they face industry changes with resistance or resilience?
Educators may not be able to teach students every skill they’ll need throughout their careers — but they can prepare those students to become self-sufficient, lifelong learners. That future-focused ethos is just one of the reasons UTAR partnered with edX.
Challenge: Strengthen student employability
As technology, skill needs, and industry conditions evolve, universities face mounting pressure to focus on more than traditional academic knowledge. Graduates don’t just need to know how to ace an exam or polish an essay; they need to translate their skills in professional contexts and scale steep, on-the-job learning curves.
“Industries are increasingly concerned with soft skills and demonstrable willingness to learn,” said MK Khaw, who is deputy head of UTAR’s Centre for Curriculum Development and Innovation.
At UTAR, a highly rated private university in Malaysia, 1 educators recognized that students who knew how to learn quickly, effectively, and continuously were the ones who would be most attractive to employers. If they could help students approach education as a lifelong practice — rather than a temporary means of earning a degree — the entire UTAR community would flourish.
With support from edX, UTAR established a clear objective: Increase self-directed study opportunities and cultivate lifelong learning skills for students. And students weren’t the only beneficiaries: The initiative would drive institution-wide innovation and help UTAR differentiate its offerings in a competitive educational environment.
Solution: Build a culture of self-directed learning
The edX partnership represented an important step forward for UTAR, in more ways than one. It would also be the first time the university offered students an online learning opportunity.
“We wanted students to have experience with online programs,” says Khaw.
Program administrators started with a modest pilot program, through which some students were granted subscriptions to the edX self-paced course library. Within a week, the word was out — and student demand for subscriptions was through the roof. Administrators added 70 licenses.
Encouraged by the successful pilot, administrators used edX’s vast portfolio to offer credit-bearing elective modules across the university. Their program balanced individual and institutional goals: Once students had completed one required course — one of 40 faculty-selected options in areas such as technology, entrepreneurship, and soft skills — they’d be able to enroll in any courses they wanted.
Faculty were active players at every stage of the progress, and key to the project’s success. They curated courses they knew would align with the university’s goals, and even participated in the courses alongside their students to foster a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.
Impact: Quality, relevance, innovation
Students, faculty, and administrators agree: The UTAR-edX partnership has yielded impressive results.
Student engagement, by the numbers
Here are a few of the outcomes the team is most excited about:
Putting students in the driver’s seat
Students are seeing firsthand how continuous learning can help them adapt, grow, and succeed in their future careers. With online education, they’re able to upskill on their own schedule and stay competitive as they enter the job market.
Prioritizing skills that improve employability
UTAR is equipping students with the right skills and the right mindset. Employers increasingly value candidates who demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow — a trait future UTAR grads will share.
Driving institution-wide innovation
UTAR is strengthening its reputation as an institution that provides effective and innovative learning experiences. That practice is helping the university distinguish itself from competitors and attract the next generation of forward-thinking students.
Expanding faculty development opportunities
Faculty members now have access to professional development opportunities that sharpen their skills, too. Foo Pik Yin, a lecturer in the UTAR Department of Commerce and Accountancy, says edX programs help academic professionals stay “up to date with the latest course content development, assessments designs, and course delivery practices, therefore further improving the quality of teaching and research.”
Improving student satisfaction rates
High participation rates suggest that students are enthusiastic about additional learning opportunities. In turn, universities can learn more about the kinds of content that attracts and retains future students.
Looking ahead
UTAR is more committed than ever to its institutional vision: To foster lifelong learning and enhance student employability. And the university has plans — big ones — to turn that vision into a reality. In the short term, for instance, UTAR intends to expand its partnership with edX and explore new avenues of innovation in curriculum development.
One thing is clear: UTAR’s proactive approach to education is one that will benefit students, faculty, and alumni for years to come.
- QS World University Rankings: South-Eastern Asia. (2024). QS Top Universities. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
