Impact of Participating AIMS Student Mobility Programme: A UiTM Perspective (Impak penyertaan Program Mobiliti Pelajar AIMS: Perspektif UiTM)

Zainab Mohd Noor, Asmahan Abd. Razak, Judith Gissip, -Ing Masria Mustafa

Abstract


ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) programme offers an opportunity for students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia to study abroad while undertaking degree programmes in a local university. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of students’ participation in AIMS programme at a prominent higher education institution in Malaysia. The study explores the impact of the programme on participants by highlighting personal and professional development. The participants in this study were 40 respondents who participated in the AIMS programme at the institution.  This study adopts a mixed methods research designs which integrates both quantitative and qualitative data to measure participants’experience. Data was collected and analysed from a questionnaire, observations, written report and video-recording to understand students’ learning experiences, cross-cultural skills, communication skills and critical thinking skills. The results show that AIMS programme develop positive social impact on students’ personal cross-cultural learning experiences and real communication skills, developments which are hard to gain in a monogamous campus social context.  The study also identifies the real-life skills set they acquired which can be used in their academic and their personal lives. The number of students’ outbound involvement in AIMS at the institution is low, due to limited fields offered in AIMS programme and also limited budget.  Therefore, a proper planning and continual revision on the course offered by each member institutions is recommended and an increase in financial support is desirable to support a larger student participation in the programme.

Keywords: Internationalisation; Mobility; Social impact; Personal development; Learning and cross-cultural experiences


Abstract


Program ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) menawarkan peluang kepada pelajar Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (IPT) di Malaysia untuk belajar di luar negara sambil mengikuti program ijazah di universiti tempatan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji impak penyertaan pelajar dalam program AIMS di institusi pengajian tinggi terkemuka di Malaysia. Kajian ini meneroka kesan program tersebut kepada peserta dengan menyoroti perkembangan peribadi dan profesional. Peserta dalam kajian ini adalah 40 orang responden yang mengikuti program AIMS di institusi tersebut. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah penyelidikan campuran yang menggabungkan data kuantitatif dan kualitatif untuk mengukur pengalaman peserta. Data dikumpul dan dianalisa dari soal selidik, pemerhatian, laporan bertulis dan rakaman video untuk memahami pengalaman belajar pelajar, kemahiran silang budaya, kemahiran komunikasi dan kemahiran berfikir secara kritis. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa program AIMS memberi kesan sosial yang positif terhadap pengalaman pembelajaran silang budaya peribadi pelajar dan kemahiran komunikasi sebenar, perkembangan yang sukar diperoleh dalam konteks sosial kampus yang monogami. Kajian ini juga mengenal pasti t kemahiran kehidupan sebenar yang mereka perolehi dan dapat digunakan dalam akademik dan kehidupan harian mereka. Jumlah penglibatan pelajar dalam AIMS di institusi adalah rendah, kerana bidang yang ditawarkan dalam program AIMS adalah  dan kos pembiayaan  adalah terhad. Oleh itu, perancangan yang terperinci dan semakan berterusan mengenai kursus yang ditawarkan oleh setiap institusi anggota AIMS disyorkan dan peningkatankos  pembiayaan adalah wajar untuk menyokong penyertaan pelajar yang lebih besar dalam program ini.

Kata kunci: Pengantarabangsaan; Mobiliti; Impak sosial; Pembangunan diri; Pengalaman silang budaya dan pembelajaran 


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