UTMSPACE is short for Universiti Teknologi Malaysia School of Professional and Continuing Education. Its slogan - “Shaping Minds. Building Careers” is embodied in the academic and professional programmes it offers.
UTMSPACE International Week was held from Jan 22 to Feb 16. The main objective of the annual event is to promote Malaysia, UTM in particular, as a perfect destination for higher education. During the course of the five-week event, a variety if interesting programmes were carried out, including a Study Abroad Programme by Yangtze University, China; Passage To Asia (P2A)-Journey on-campus UTM which involved students from Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore; as well as a Winter School Programme by students from Providence University, Taiwan.
The first of the mentioned programmes involved 25 students and two group leaders from China. They were exposed to Malaysian culture, including Malay traditions and Muslim religion. The “Malaysia-China Study Abroad Programme” was said to help improve students’ use of the English language (thanks to UTMSPACE lecturers), and enhance team-building and leadership skills.
The entourage from Singapore was 32-student strong and two group leaders. Coming from the Diploma in Game Design & Development background, they were introduced to a variety of technology and innovation elements and experiences via UTM’s Media and Game Innovation Centre of Excellence (MaGICX). While the feedback received was that the information and knowledge-sharing sessions were useful and relevant, none declined invitations to the exciting field trips and culture tours.
Last but not least, the team from Taiwan was represented by 10 students and a group leader. The Winter School programme this group participated in helped improve their English communication skills, as well as team-building and self-development capabilities.
All participants were also taken on a tour of UTM’s campuses in Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur, as well as tourist attractions in both states. In all, besides gaining knowledge and information relevant to their respective fields of study, all participants benefitted from the valuable out-of-classroom rich educational experiences, including hosts UTMSPACE students and teaching staff.
