UTAR team awarded silver medal at Festival of Teaching & Learning Ideas 2025

Demonstrating excellence in pedagogical innovation, a team from UTAR was awarded a silver medal at the Festival of Teaching & Learning Ideas (FoTLI 2025), also known as Hari Inovasi PPAL 5.0. The event, hosted by the Pusat Pendidikan Asas & Lanjutan (PPAL) at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, took place on 11 November 2025 and celebrated creative approaches to advancing teaching and learning across higher education.

The award-winning project, titled Mortal Combat Your Writing through “Flip Book”, was led by Dr Hooi Chee Mei from the Department of Modern Languages, Faculty of Creative Industries, together with student assistants Tan Kye Wen and Kuik Rui Luan from the Department of Computing, Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science. Their interdisciplinary collaboration produced a novel educational module designed to enhance student engagement and mastery of professional writing.

At the heart of this innovation is the strategic use of metadiscourse elements. These are language features that help guide the reader’s interpretation and interaction with a text. The project addresses a recurring challenge in academic writing: the lack of reader involvement. Drawing on principles of constructivist pedagogy, the team developed an interactive module that includes pre- and post-assessments, writing prompts, and sample texts. This module was then transferred onto a digital platform called “Flip Book”, creating a dynamic and accessible learning experience for 44 students enrolled in UTAR’s Basic Professional Writing course. The platform provided learners with the opportunity to practise, receive feedback, and apply their understanding of metadiscourse in meaningful ways.

Reflecting on the achievement, Dr Hooi shared that the innovation is designed not only to enhance students’ writing abilities but also to serve as a long-term teaching resource. It aims to foster independent learning and critical thinking, offering educators a practical digital tool that aligns with evolving educational needs.

Dr Hooi (front), Tan (back left) and Kuik (back right) with their awards