Assessing and revising tertiary programs in the Malaysian context : the experience of the Faculty of Office Management and Technology, UiTM / Dr. Norlida Mohd Noor and Khiriah Ibrahim

Periodic assessment of goals is critical in maintaining an academic program. One of the goals set by the Faculty of Office Management and Technology, University Technology MARA (UiTM) is to produce employable graduates. The Faculty is committed to keeping its curricula up-to-date. It is the objective of the Faculty to find out what skills are needed in the workplace so that students are equipped with the tools to go out and apply their skills to the job they enter. A review of curriculum was made between 1998 and 2000 that proposed a new model of secretarial training for UiTM, one in which English language, information and communications technology, office administrative/managerial skills and on-the-job training is the focal skill areas in the curriculum. With this new curriculum the name of the program was therefore changed from a 'Diploma in Executive Secretary' (SSI4) to a 'Diploma in Office Management and Technology' (OMI14). This change was thought necessary if the needs of the target group of students are to continue to be met during their training and if they are successfully to compete with graduates from other institutions for local employment. This new program is responsive to the labor market but at the same time rooted in the needs of students and principles which underpin good education and training. Since the curriculum revision in the year 2000 there has not been a formal survey conducted therefore no indicator has been used to assess the effectiveness of this revised program.