European Journal of Education Studies
ISSN: 2501 - 1111
ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu
10.5281/zenodo.160233
Volume 2│Issue 6│2016
OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION:
A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
Norhayati Mohd Zain1*i,
Asma’ Abdul Hadi1, Khairiah Abdul Hamid1
Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Health Sciences,
1
KPJ Healthcare University College, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Abstract:
The transfer of education system from the traditional approach to Outcome Based
Education (OBE) had given a significant change in many educational institutions
worldwide. In Malaysia, most of the education institutions had implemented OBE in
their system and had shown an increment in the students’ academic achievement. The
reform in the health services that stresses on professionalism had brought the necessity
to adopt OBE in allied health education. Thus, the Faculty of Health Sciences in KPJ
Healthcare University College (KPJUC) implemented OBE on 2014 and positive result
had been showed. There is a notable paucity of studies that focused on the students'
perception on the educational system. This study focused on students' perception on
OBE system in terms of students' understanding and their academic achievement. The
student’s perception is the most crucial part as they are the medium of the system. They
are the ones who undergo the system thoroughly, and they are the final product of the
OBE system. This study used a descriptive method of research wherein the quantitative
data were gathered using questionnaires. The participants were 19 graduating students
from Bachelor of Medical Imaging (BMI) and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPY). The
study showed that the perception of students regarding the program outcomes was
good and this finding will help to improvise the lacuna in the system and can be the
stepping-stone to a better education system in future.
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved
Published by Open Access Publishing Group ©2015.
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
Keywords: Outcome Based Education (OBE), student’s perception, education system,
health sciences
Instruction
The tertiary level of education nowadays is the most crucial part in preparing an
individual in order to face the real world crisis. The system is not only to create and
disseminate knowledge, but also to harness the competence that will enable people to
work together and solve problems in an increasingly unpredictable and interconnected
world (Fukahori, 2014). Problem-solving is the basic human impulse to actively engage
in changing and improving human knowledge in the adaptation to changing global as
well as local contexts of relevance and importance (Armstrong, 2012). Individual with
higher education level are getting better wage policies and employment as they were
expected to be more qualified and better equipped with knowledge and skill. There is
gap between graduate attributes not only in their employment readiness but also in
their employability skills (Freudenberg et al., 2011).
Outcome-based education (OBE) system is the part of system that prepares those
students to be qualified in the field that they will be involved. OBE system is an
education approach in which the curriculum or program outcomes are constructed by
the outcomes the students should unveil by the end of the course holistically;
particularly in professional knowledge, skills, abilities, values and attitudes. Thus, each
of the program outcomes of the course has its own reason and purpose. Different
understanding on how aims, goals or learning outcomes relates to instructional design
difference among educators were the major challenge in implementing the system
(Bolander et al. 2006; Morcke and Eika, 2009). Likewise, it is reasonable to assume that
when OBE is implemented, educators have different interpretations of such an
approach and hence different solutions can be applied (Asma’& Norhayati, 2016).
OBE system opens a new door for the students to understand and learn better as
it focuses on the outcomes to be achieved rather than the traditional approach, as
different individual has different ways and strategies of learning in different
circumstances. In the OBE system, students are given freedom to study the contents of
the course in any sort of methods they are comfortable with. In OBE, the major content
should firstly by identify, followed by the method of learning them (Borsoto et. al,
2014). The clear, straightforward outcomes provided by OBE form a framework for
decision making and guidelines for assessment and program evaluation (McNeil, 2006).
OBE has been adopted in various countries since 1990s, some had become
successful and some met with failure, but most of the institutions gain benefits from
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
OBE. This is because OBE is not only about education; it also focuses on building an
individual to operate competently in their future job. However, many of the goals are
affective, which means that they concern attitudes, values, feelings and emotions rather
than academic achievement. The masters of OBE have gained control of the educational
system virtually everywhere in the nation, and have established legislation,
implementation plans, schedules and educational goals that are identical from state to
state. In short, OBE approach should have a clear definition of the outcomes that
students are to achieve, and the efforts that must be made to indicate the priority of
each of the outcomes.
In Malaysia, the implementation of OBE at higher learning institutions, both
public and private, has been particularly emphasized. As a result, the Ministry of
Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) initiated the Quality Assurance Department at
currently known as Malaysia Quality Agency (MQA) in 2007. MQA is responsible for
the accreditation of courses offered by the educational institutions. In the OBE system,
there are three learning domains, namely, cognitive, psychomotor and affective aspects
determined by the MQA. Furthermore, eight domains of learning outcomes are
provided and the domains are essential to quality and standards of higher education
system in Malaysia (A. Karim et al., 2013).
In 2014, KPJ Healthcare University College (KPJUC) had implemented OBE at
Faculty of Health Sciences. The OBE implemented are currently being practiced in the
Bachelor of Medical Imaging (BMI) and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPY) programs.
OBE had changed the focus of education institutions from the syllabus content to the
students. OBE is able to serve as a benchmark to measure a success of a university
(Mohayidin et al., 2008). This study was spawned from the lack of research of
determining the student’s perception toward OBE system (Asma & Norhayati, 2016).
The student’s perception is the most crucial part as they are the medium of the system
and relevant for continual quality improvement.
Methodology
The questionnaire was prepared to determine the student’s perception on OBE system
and to correlate with their academic achievement. The participants of this study are the
graduating students, first cohort of 2016 from BMI and BPY in KPJUC who had
undergo OBE curricular since 2014. A total of 19 students participated in the study, 13
(12 female and 1 male) students from BMI and six (5 female and 1 male) students from
BPY. The questionnaire was adopted from the program learning outcomes shown in
Table 1.
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
The questionnaire consists of; Part A: demographic data including current GPA and
CGPA, Part B: questions related to extent of achievement of all program learning
outcomes with the scale as follows: 1 - Weak; 2 - Moderate; 3 - Good; 4 - Very Good; 5 Excellent.
Table 1 : Program Learning Outcomes (PO) of BMI and BPY program
PO1
Demonstrate fundamental knowledge and skill in Physiotherapy & Medical Imaging
PO2
Perform procedures safely and competently
PO3
Demonstrate the ability to seek, adapt and provide solution to address challenges in the field
PO4
PO5
PO6
PO7
PO8
PO9
Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and other healthcare professionals to provide
quality patient care
Ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals and perform as an effective team
member
Practice within the ethical framework of the profession and comply with the legal and professional
code of conduct in department
Conduct research under supervision utilizing ICT skills and embracing life-long learning
Demonstrate
awareness
and
understanding
of
management,
business
practice
and
entrepreneurship
Demonstrate leadership skills and develop individual growth and responsibility to citizenry.
Results
Respondents were generally satisfied with the program learning outcomes (PO) as
shown in Figure 1 and 2. In BPY, PO1 obtained about 60% rating for excellent and very
good. Program learning outcome 2 and 3 (PO2 and PO3) obtained non excellent rating
but received more than 60% for very good rating. Similarly, PO4, PO5, PO7, PO8 and
PO9 obtained above 80% for excellent and very good. Only PO6 obtained 67% rating for
excellent and very good and there was 17% for both good and moderate rating.
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
BPY Program Outcomes (PO)
100
90
83
80
67
70
60
50
50
40
30
67
33
3333
50
50
33
17
0
0
50
33
20
10
67
17
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Moderate
17
0
PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8 PO9
Figure 1: BPY students’ perception of their respective achievements based
on programme outcomes.
While in BMI, generally most POs received good rating. Program learning outcome 1 to
3 (PO1 to PO3) obtained above 45% for excellent and very good. Program learning
outcome 4, 5 and 9 (PO4, PO5 and PO9) obtained more than 65% for excellent and very
good rating. On the other hand, PO7 obtained 46% for excellent and very good rating
and there was 18% rating for moderate.
BMI Program Outcomes (PO)
100
90
80
70
60
53
54
50
40
30
31
23
46
23
46
23
38
31
46
38
Excellent
54
38
31
23
38
31
Very Good
Good
Moderate
20
10
0
PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8 PO9
Figure 2: BMI students’ perception of their respective achievements based
on programme outcomes.
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
Discussion
In terms of reaction, most of the respondents from BPY reported that OBE did increase
their fundamental knowledge and skills in physiotherapy (83% rated excellent, very
good and good in PO1). As for BMI, 100% rated good to excellent as OBE provide
adequate sources and time throughout the courses. Program learning outcome 2 (PO2)
that focuses on competency in performing procedures in safe environment shows high
rating from BPY (83% rated very good), while BMI had only 54% of them rated good. In
this case, BPY shows a higher rating due to difference in the field of work, where most
of the procedures in physiotherapy are by hands-on which is practicable in the
university campus ground. While for BMI students, most of the procedures require
skills in handling machines effectively but unfortunately only a few machines were
available in university campus. Competencies are defined as the “integration of skills,
abilities, and knowledge as focused on a particular task” (U.S. Department of
Education, 2001, p. 1) and are easily measured (Voorhees, 2001).
Problem solving skill can or should be generally linked to the thinking process
and methods of inquiry. Any kind of human problem-solving process is a creative and
complex learning process (C. Richard, 2015). The respondents from BPY responded that
OBE did improve their ability to adapt and solve problem (100% rated very good to
excellent for PO3 from BPY). Only 8% of BMI students rated moderate for PO3. This is
maybe due to the complex and challenging problems that evolved in response to
development of science and technology.
Respondents also reported that ability to communicate effectively with
community and at professional level were improved through simulation and practical
session during studies. All respondents (100%) rated good to excellent for PO4. The
communication skills were also the most frequently mentioned as being crucial across
being employees. There are different forms of communication, such as; verbal
communication (speaking), non-verbal or written communication and having empathy
to listen to patients, were mentioned as the key aspect of communication skills
(McLeish, 2002). This finding implies that 1 year of real on-site practicum session
accommodated in the curriculum is effective.
The respondents from BPY may had a little difficulties in collaborating with
other healthcare professionals (17% rated moderate), possibly due to different job scope
between different departments, while respondents from BMI reacted well for PO5
showing that teamwork is incorporated in their education which was valuable in the
clinical practice. According to a study, interactions are required between intra and inter
professional groups for the benefit of the patient (Shepperd et al, 2001).
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Norhayati Mohd Zain, Asma’ Abdul Hadi, Khairiah Abdul Hamid OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION: A PERCEPTION FROM PRIVATE HEALTH SCIENCES
GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
Response toward PO6 which is abided by the ethics and professional code of conduct of
the health science profession was good from BMI (100% rated good to excellent) but
17% BPY respondents rated as moderate. The students need to get the input of
knowledge in professional practice and reinforcement through visits and simulation
sessions (Hancock 2010). Higher moderately rated percentage was received for PO7
from both BPY and BMI (17% and 15% respectively), implying research conduction
under supervision utilizing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills
and embracing life-long learning. This may be due to poor ICT skills and due to the first
cohort ever to undergo research course in the program. Conducting research really
need a full commitment and much requirements and details which may incur some
difficulties to the students.
Entrepreneurship skill is one of the components designed in the program
learning outcomes in the faculty of health sciences to inspire entrepreneurship potential
in students as they need to design, launch and run a new business plan. Most of the
respondents were pleased with PO8 (Only 17% rated moderate from BPY). The result
showed that the students may have interest in entrepreneurship and business course.
Respondents also responded well to PO9 which is related to leadership skill in order to
develop the next generation leader and develop individual growth and responsibility to
citizenry.
Overall teaching, learning and assessment strategies are well-thought out for the
programs. The cycle of program delivery assessment and continuous improvement
ensures quality governance of the program on a term by term basis. Blended learning
and aided technology based education also help to improve the teaching-learning
approach.
Conclusion
The findings in this study suggest that, in general the students rated a high percentage
of good rating in relation of their academic achievement to the program outcomes.
Nevertheless, it is recommended that further research be undertaken in the other side of
view, which the teacher or educators being assess to explore about their perception on
OBE. Further research in this study would also be a great help in order to reach an
excellent rating from the students.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to who have contributed to
this study formal and informally.
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GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
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GRADUATING SCHOLARS IN MALAYSIA
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