Aimed at incorporating innovative and effective teaching methods in STEM education, the 10th annual Symposium on Science Education (SoSE) 2023 was successfully held at UTAR Kampar Campus on 9 September 2023.

The one-day symposium saw the attendance of about 200 participants comprising STEM educators from national schools, private and international schools as well as pre-university and universities. The symposium was also opened to individuals and organisations involved in the advancement and progress of STEM education.

Held for the 10th time since 2014, SoSE 2023 was jointly organised by UTAR and Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Kinta Selatan, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Through sharing and talks by various speakers, the symposium aimed to showcase different ideas and techniques for innovative and effective teaching methods in STEM education.

Themed ‘Integrating Technology for Active Learning in STEM Education’, this year’s SoSE took cognizance of the fact that digital technologies are integral to innovative teaching methods, especially in facilitating STEM teaching and learning, particularly during the pandemic era.

Apart from talks by the invited speakers, the symposium also involved the sharing of teaching methods and tools by winners of the Malaysia Toray Science Foundation (MTSF) Science Education Award.

Present at the event were Keynote Speaker and Assistant Director of the Teacher Professionalism Division under the Ministry of Education Malaysia Dr Khairul Anuar bin Saad, District Education Deputy Officer of the South Kinta District Education Office Tuan Shamsul Fadzali bin Hussein, UTAR Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ts Dr Faidz bin Abdul Rahman, representing UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Advisor of SoSE 2023 Organising Committee and Chairperson of UTAR Centre for Learning and Teaching Dr Wei Chooi Yi, Chairperson of SoSE 2023 Organising Committee and Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern Languages under the Faculty of Creative Industries, UTAR Dr Saraswathy Thurairaj, esteemed guests from the South Kinta District Education Office under the Perak State Education Department, honoured guest speakers and sponsors, participants of the symposium from various schools and universities, and UTAR academics and staff.

The keynote speaker, Dr Khairul in his speech emphasised, “Malaysia is expected to produce many scientists, engineers and technologists in the future. Although demand is increasing for STEM-related roles, the supply side is worrying as the number of students taking STEM subjects has decreased from 47.18 per cent in 2020 to 40.95 per cent in 2022. In the face of this challenge, the Ministry of Education is focusing on getting teachers to follow the paradigm shift by launching a new framework for STEM teachers’ competency work, which will shape how future STEM teachers are trained and assessed.”

He added, “The Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) which was introduced in 2013-2025, represents the government’s commitment to improving the education system over time. The main objective of this Action Plan is to provide Malaysian students with a holistic education and ensure they reach their full potential. The action plan offers suggestions on how the education industry can grow. To encourage education reform, it sets eleven transformational shifts as well as six student aspirations and five system aspirations. This Action Plan targets five goals which are access, quality, equity, unity and efficiency for the Malaysian education system as a whole. It is important to take action in each of the five areas, and no effort should hinder or undermine progress in other areas.”

Tuan Shamsul spoke about the importance of STEM education. In his speech, he said, “STEM is the future; a new economic driver, producing creators, innovators and problem solvers. Innovation-based economies require the talent of future scientists, innovators and inventors. The issues with STEM education are the decreased percentage of student enrolment, lack of awareness about STEM education among parents, pupils and teachers, lack of hands-on activity in STEM subjects, and students’ perception of STEM education.”

Prof Faidz in his welcome speech said, “Nationwide, there is a steady decline in the enrollment of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects and courses. This is a cause for concern because the advancement of science and technology plays a pivotal role in defining the country’s progress towards achieving its national key result areas. This trend has been recognised by education policymakers as well as institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. In response to this concern, UTAR aims to make a difference. It is our mission to ensure that student interest in STEM subjects and courses remains a prominent and lasting feature wherever they are offered.”

The Organising Chairperson of SoSE 2023 Dr Saraswathy said, “SoSE has become the main focus not only at the university level, but also in the context of Malaysia as a whole. It has brought together educators, students, and experts in the fields of STEM to explore opportunities for technology integration in active learning in our country. I would like to say a big thank you to all the participants who participated in this programme. Your efforts and involvement in learning and sharing ideas have made this programme successful and meaningful. Through various discussion sessions, experience sharing, and demonstrations of the latest technology, we have opened the door to new opportunities in STEM education in Malaysia.”

The symposium also featured three other important talks and five workshops related to STEM education. Among the talks conducted were “Simple and low-cost ripple tank controller (RTC)” delivered by Malaysia Toray Science Foundation (MTSF) Award 2022 Winner, Cikgu Dayang Anni binti Baharom from SMK Desa Perdana, Kuala Lumpur; “Visualisasi program dan pengaturcaraan secara berpasangan untuk meningkatkan kefahaman pelajar terhadap pengaturcaraan Python” delivered by Excellent Innovative Teaching Award Winner (MARA Junior Science College Level) 2022 Ts Cikgu Syahrul Affendi bin Abdul Rahman from MRSM Kuala Klawang, Jelebu; and “STEM and IR4.0 in modern adventures classroom” delivered by Excellent Teaching Award Winner (Secondary School level) 2022 Dr ChM Lee Saw Im from SMK Seri Bintang Utara, Kuala Lumpur. Dr Lee is also an MoE Iconic Teacher and Edufluencer, and Naib Presiden Persatuan Guru STEM Malaysia.

Among the workshops held were “Robotics: Now or never” by Cikgu Goh Kok Ming from SJK (C) Hua Lian 1, Taiping; “Excel with MS Excel” by Dr Kavitha Subramaniam from UTAR Faculty of Science; “Engaging microscale chemistry workshop” by Cikgu Komathy Veerasinghan from SMK Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh; “ChatGPT in teaching learning” by Assoc Prof Ts Dr Ooi Boon Yaik from UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology; and “Engaging student to achieve learning through stem based approach: Success or failure?” by Cikgu Veronica Francis from SMK Kampar, Perak.

The SoSE 2023 was supported by KLESF, Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Perak and TORAY.