29. Effective School Management System Using ICT in Education
Content
Effective School Management System using ICT in Education: Educational Resource Management On-line Management System of School Resource Centers in Malaysia Lucia Quek Sai Gearn Head of Educational Resource Management Educational Technology Division Ministry of Education Malaysia
This paper describes the latest implementation (2009) of an on-line monitoring system of the ten thousand school libraries in the country by the Educational Resource Management Sector, Educational Technology Division (ETD), Ministry of Education. This is a systematic approach taken to monitor the progress, development and management of the School Resource Centers (SRC). Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online management system called the index-Quality of SRCs also known as iQPSS was deployed via the ETD intranet service line to speed up the process of collecting, validating and analyzing the data. This online management system of the SRC has made it possible for the Educational Resource Management Sector to plan, coordinate, evaluate and improve the development of the School Resource Centres in terms of physical infrastructure, book collection, management system and training in line with current technology as well as the information literacy and reading programmes. This paper will also look into the issues and challenges of its implementation. Recommendations for further enhancement of the system will also be discussed in this paper.
1
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING ICT IN EDUCATION: ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN MALAYSIA 1.0 INTRODUCTION Malaysia (马来西亚) is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of 329,845 square kilometres (127,354 sq. mi). The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 27 million inhabitants. The country is separated into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia-Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. The country is located near the equator and experiences a tropical climate. Malaysia's head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (a term that is similar to King), an elected monarch, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The government is closely modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system.1 In line with the country’s information and communication technol ogy (ICT) Master Plan and Vision 2020 , which envisages its longer-term development, Malaysia is aware that the transformation of its education system is fundamental to achieving its objectives. The Ministry of Education (MOE), with the participation of non-governmental agencies, is focusing on the development of new media for use as educational, organisational and partnership-building tools, and as a means for bridging the country’s digital divide and empowering learners. Due to its belief that ICT can revolutionise education and learning, the MOE has integrated ICT into education on a fundamental level, incorporating systems to facilitate management, information gathering, access, and various forms of communication. 2
1
http://en.wikipedia,org/wiki/Malaysia, accessed on 20/10/09
2
The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Countries, Case Study Guidelines, 2-3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.
2
2.0 NATIONAL ICT STRATEGIC PLAN The National IT Agenda (NITA) formulated in 1996 vision is to utilise ICT to transform all of Malaysian society into an information society, then to a knowledge society and finally to a values-based knowledge society. With the theme "Turning Ripples into Tidal Waves", NITA focuses on the development of people, infostructure and applications to create value, to provide equity and access to all Malaysians, and to qualitatively transform our society into a values-based knowledge society by the year 2020. 3 The Malaysian economy has undergone structural changes from agriculture and mining-based economy to manufacturing-based economy and is currently in the stage of a knowledge-based economy. Current plans such as the Ninth Malaysia Plan and Third Industrial Master Plan envisages that as Malaysia moves into the knowledgebased economy, the service sector will play a dominant role in the wealth creation of the nation. ICT has and is expected to play a key role in this wealth accumulation, both in terms of a sector and enabler. For this reason, the National Strategic ICT Roadmap will provide a framework to enhance the productivity of key sectors of the economy and promote the development of new ICT-based and knowledge-intensive industries.4 3.0 ICT IN EDUCATION POLICY The Ministry of Education, Malaysia has focused on three main areas in its ICT in education policy: ICT will be used as an enabler to reduce the digital divide between the country’s schools by enabling ICT access for all students;
3
http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788. Accessed on 22/10/09
4
Website:MOSTI Strategic ICT Roadmap for Malaysia: Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation; https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.php., accessed on 22/11/09]
3
ICT will be used as teaching and learning tools in education, taught as an independent subject and integrated into others; and ICT will be used to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of management in education.
To ensure the success of these areas, the Ministry of Education has implemented the following strategies: Preparing appropriate ICT equipment and infrastructure for all schools; Introducing ICT curriculum and support for ICT integration into general teaching and learning; Upgrading the ICT skills and knowledge of both teachers and students; Increasing ICT use in educational management; and Upgrading ICT maintenance/management in educational institutions. 5
The implementation of the Ministry’s policy in ICT can be seen through several major ICT in education projects: The implementation of the Smart School project which was scheduled to go through four waves, viz; the pilot project (1999-2002), the post-pilot (2002-2005), making all schools smart (2005-2010), and consolidation and stabilization (20102020); the equipping of schools with Computer laboratories (to date 6633 schools) School Access Centres (3025 schools with 70% rural schools and 30% urban schools distribution); the Teaching of Mathematics and science in English (provision of 132,649 laptops, 78,333 LCD projectors, 67,439 screens, 63,254 mobile trolleys, and 9,662 printers), training of more than 200,000 teachers in basic ICT skills and using ICT in teaching and learning); introduction of WebTV (via the internet, reaching almost 96% of the schools as well as
available outside school hours); the SchoolNet providing internet accessibility to
5
Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia
4
9654 locations; and transforming all the schools into smart schools by the year 2010.6
4.0 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SPS) In January of this year (2009), the Ministry of Education embarked on a journey to deploy a single School Management System for the eighty-eight Smart Schools in the country. The system is known as Sistem Pengurusan Sekolah or SPS in abbreviation. SPS based on open source technology fundamentally Java J2EE and MySQL, is aimed to provide a single platform for the Smart Schools to manage school, student and teacher data, in contrast to the current practice where the information is managed by different stand alone software. With the integrated data, SPS is able to facilitate other school operations such as time table scheduling, co-curriculum activities, student academic management, school resource center and facility management, etc. SPS is built as a real-time system where all information captured can be transmitted for other intent instantaneously allowing schools to manage their operations in an effective and efficient manner. In total, there are twenty two modules in SPS to assist the school. The system is currently undergoing some customization work based on schools’ feedback to ensure that it will be able to cater for the Smart Schools’ operating environment. All the customization work is anticipated to be completed by end of October 2009. It is hoped that the SPS for the eighty-eight Smart Schools will be a starting point to transform our education environment. Upon success, the SPS will be rolled out and provide a platform to enable our schools to: Integrate knowledge, skills and values for the Information age; Unify the communities of students, parents and educators; Empower the educational communities with self-service capabilities; and Enable access to real-time information, relevant assessment tools and online educational resources.
6
Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia
5
5.0 THE USE OF ICT IN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS
The cornerstones of a good library facility design reflect a vision of how the school library and school library media specialists contribute to the complex process of learning and teaching in physical and virtual school library facilities. The new library spaces exist virtually and physically where students may explore, wander and seek new information and acquire information literacy, critical thinking and practical life-long skills. The AASL’s 21st Century Library Learning Standards describes skills students should possess (AASL 2007). These include: Using a variety of information literacies to gather meaning from information presented in any format. Demonstrating mastery of technology tools to be both productive and critical thinkers Collaborating with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
These standards encourage student academic and lifelong skill mastery that will enable students to be productive in an increasingly global environment. ICT is more than just another tool. It is also an enabler in facilitating learning and accessing information. Its potential for increasing the range, relevance and accessibility of information and communication used in schools is significant. Equally important is its potential for supporting teacher librarians in their everyday roles and in their continuing training and professional development. A wide range of ICT tools are now available, e.g. computers, the Internet, CDRI and other software, television and radio, video, cameras and other equipment, to aid the teacher librarians. Through the advances made through technology, the walls of the classroom and the library have expanded to include the entire world. One could say that we have a global internet library.7
7
Breivik. P. S., & Senn, J. A. (1998). Information literacy: Educating children for the 21st century. ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association.
(2nd
6
6.0 SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA: MALAYSIAN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS The School Resource Centre (SRC), which forms an integral part in any school today, has come a long way. To raise the standard of library services in schools throughout the country, efforts were taken to develop school libraries in Malaysia since the early sixties. The early initiatives involved obtaining the services of a number of visiting advisors who were attached to the Ministry of Education (MOE). In 1962, the MOE established a one-year course for Teacher-Librarians at the Specialist Teachers’ Training Institute. In the seventies, national attention was given to the school library sector. A Blueprint for long term planning and development of school libraries was badly need; hence, the publication of the Blueprint for School Library Development in Malaysia in 1979. The Blueprint provided the basis for book stock provision, staffing, organization and use.8 In preparing the Blueprint, the government’s educational policy was kept constantly in focus. This policy, originally expressed in the Razak Report of 1956 and the Educational Act, 1961 was designed to satisfy the needs of the nation and promote its cultural, social, economic and political development. Furthermore, it stated that any attempt to assess current school library provision and future needs must be made in the light of these educational objectives. Particular attention was paid to the general development of school libraries especially in the smaller and more rural schools and to the input of such libraries to academic and social progress. With the progressive implementation of the recommendations in this Blueprint, it would be possible to develop model school libraries – centres of excellence – able to show, through example, the range of services, and the value of the inputs that can be made to quality education by well-equipped, functionally efficient and adequately staffed school libraries.
8
Fatimah Jusoh. (2002). School libraries in Malaysia. Paper presented at IASL Conference 2002, Petaling Jaya, 4 – 9 August.
7
7.0 ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES The management of the SRCS require a range of activities dealing with the input of new materials, such as ordering, processing, cataloguing, classifying; the provision of services, such as loan recording, storing special temporary collections; promoting the SRCs and reading habits; and the training of student librarians, to name a few. The management of the SRCs is run by Teacher-Librarians, who are also full-pledged subject teachers. Teacher librarians of SRCs in Malaysia now take care of all educational technology resources, media, ICT, and lately access centers in the schools. Not only does this cover books and teaching aids, but also multimedia resources and equipment for teaching and learning, produce or organize library-based learning activities such as treasure hunt/quizzes/information gathering from sources available in the library, monthly subject exhibitions/demonstrations/read a book and share-book reviews/visits to other resource centers/bigger libraries /universities
8.0
ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN
MALAYSIA: THE iQ-PSS. (index Quality of School Resource Centers) The Educational Technology Division (ETD) of the Ministry of Education is responsible for the enculturation of the use of educational technology in the teaching and learning process in schools. One of ETD’s main functions is developing the School Resource Centers (SRCs) throughout the nation. Developing and bridging the gap between rural and urban 9,844 SRCs is a mean feat. Therefore, the ETD has to come out with innovative ways in delivering quality educational services. With the assistance of ICT advancement, the ETD proposed the use of management information system (MIS) in giving effective and efficient services. This is also in line with the MOE’s implementation of making all schools smart.
The ETD and its network at state and district levels i.e. The State Educational Technology Divisions (STEDs) and Teacher Activity Centers (TACs) coordinate and encourage the use of educational technology in schools. In order to keep tab of the
8
progress and development of SRCs, they need to be evaluated.
Therefore, a
systematic and smart approach must be taken so that the data collected are current, meaningful and can be used to give quality services to schools. A comprehensive instrument which is based on five main areas was developed to identify Key Performance Indicators of each SRC. They are infrastructure and facilities, the organization and management of SRC, services, strategic planning and the national reading programme (NILAM). Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online management system called the iQ-PSS was deployed to speed up the process of collecting, validating and analyzing the data. It also meant saving time and money. Based on the evaluation, the MOE is also able to run programmes such as SRC Star-Ranking, SRC Assistance Programme and SRC Excellent Awards to help and motivate the schools to continue developing the SRCs for the benefits of the children. The MOE in its government circular no. 10/2000 dated 20 April 2000 stressed that all School Resource Centers in the country should be properly managed. This is in line with the National Education Philosophy aimed at developin g the individual’s potential and equipping the younger generation with the skills necessary to face challenges of the 21st century.9 Over the years, various programs have been carried out to encourage all schools to raise their efforts in upgrading their resource centers physically, equipped with enough furniture and resource materials, management and supervision, as well as using the SRC for teaching and learning processes.
9
Excellent SRC Awards Excellent Reader Awards Assistance to SRC program Coordination meetings with ETD network (STEDs and TACs)
“Tahun Pusat Sumber Sekolah 2000.” Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 10/2000 20 April 2000.
9
Publishing of SRC guidebooks/manuals/handbooks
A systematic mechanism was designed to gauge the standard and status of SRC. As a catalyst for SRC to achieve excellence status As a form of recognition As a filter to identify assistance for any SRC that need aid.
9.0 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY iQ-PSS or better known as Index Quality for School Resource Centers is used as a standard measurement to gauge their performance. iQ-PSS is used to interpret the qualitative criteria of the achievements of SRC with the quantitative criteria so that the performance of each SRC can be measured uniformly and analysed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the SRC in its planning and management of corrective actions and continuous improvement from the point of management, budget planning, supply of resource materials for the SRCs, physical facilities including furniture, training, effective reading and information literacy programs. The iQ-PSS is based on the evaluation instrument which was formerly administered manually by officers throughout the country. It covers the following areas: Section A – Physical facilities, equipment and materials A1. Location of main SRC, Audio-Visual Room & TeachingLearning Materials Room A2. Arrangement of Room / Space / Corner A3. Furniture and Accesories A4. Additional Facilities A5. Printed materials A6. Non-printed materials A7. Electronic equipment A8. Security Features
10
Section B – Management and Administration of SRC B1. Organizational Charts B2. Annual Planning B3. Management of SRC’s finance B4. Management of SRC’s Documentation and Records B5. Management of Collection’s Documentation and Records B6. Management of Equipment’s Documentation and Records B7. Management of SR Physical Attractions B8. Involvement of the school / community / NGOs Section C – SRC Usage C1. Opening hours C2. Timetables C3. Circulation C4. Usage Educational TV Programs C5. Exhibition Activities C6. SRC Motivational Activities C7. Self-Access Learning Center C8. Promotions / Publicities C9. Information Literacy C10. Production of Resources Section D – Reading Program (NILAM) D1. NILAM Program D2. Involvement D3. Documentations dan Records D4. Achievement D5. Reward and Recognition Section E – Improvement Programs E1. Strategic Planning E2. Other financial sources E3. Human Resource Development Programs E4. Evaluations Section F – Special Features F1. Additional attractions / innovations not covered in previous sections
Teacher Librarians go online and fill in all the information in the various categories listed in the iQ-PSS at their own workplaces or schools, or they can go to the nearest Teacher Activity Center )TAC) or State Educational
11
Technology Division (SETD), to key in information about their SRCs and their actiivities and programs carried out. It is mainly self-access. Officers from the TACs and SETDs, then go on-site to verify the information given by the Teacher Librarians. SCOPE iQ-PSS involves the following resource centers at state, district levels and all schools in the country.:
Educational Technology Division (ETD) 15 State Educational Technology Divisions (STEDs) 367 Teacher Activity Centers (TACs) 9,844 School Resource Centers (SRCs)
Figure 1 Organizational Chart of iQ-PSS Implementation
10.0 PROCESS iQ-PSS involves the process of standardization of SRCs in Malaysia. This
process involves all teacher-librarians (TLs), officers from the TACs, STEDs and ETD. The work process can be seen in Figure 2.
12
Figure 2 iQ-PSS Work Flow
11. 0 METHOD The method used in managing the iQ-PSS activities is as follows: A fixed standard Index Quality PSS (iQ-PSS). Survey using self-access. Used yearly based on information available now and before the new year. Awarding of star-rating (1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, 5-star) to all SRCs Certification: Awarding of certificates to give recognition to SRCs, TACs and SETDs resource centers based on the iQ-PSS.
13
12.0 INPUT Input that is needed: 13.0 OUTPUT Output from the iQ-PSS program is as follows: Level of iQ for all SRCs (KPI) Statistical Analysis of the iQ-PSS based on schools, TACs, SETDs and ETD. This analysis can be used for the following purpose: i). Choosing the best or excellent SRC in the country under the SRC award scheme. ii). Fixing the total per capita grant for all SRCs iii). Fixing the total and kinds of resource collection to all schools iv). Fixing the physical needs of all SRCs. v). Planning staff development needs. vi). Planning Information Literacy programs. vii). Star Ranking of SRCs to gauge the performance of all SRCs. Basic informaiton of the school and SRC (9,884 schools) Basic information of TAC (367 TACs) Basic information of SETD (15 SETDs) Level of achievement ( iQ for all SRCs)
14.0 STATUS REPORTS OF iQ-PSS The online management system of SRCs can be found at the following website: http://btp.tarantula.my/index.php. The following are some of the pdf files on the modules in the iQ-PSS. They are : i) SRCs rating activity status, (ii) statistics of SRCs by
location, (iii) overall standard of SRCs, (iv) overall standard of SRCs according to schools (primary/secondary/urban or rural), (v) top five SRCs according to states, (vi) top five SRCs according to districts, vii) overall analysis of TLs competency,
14
(viii) analysis
of
TLs competency according to states, (ix) analysis of statistics of
SRCs, (x) collection of books by SRCs (primary/secondary,urban or rural), (xii) status of SRCs on book ratio (primary and secondary), (xiii) report of star-rating of SRCs according to TACs and (xiv) information on teacher librarians. Below are some reports on the above modules. Table 1: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics No of respondents to date: 5132
Physical status of SRCs Own building Renovated building Designated room Renovated room Not stated
No. of SRCs 373 387 2064 1844 464
*The data above would help ETD in overall planning and development of SRCs in the future.
Table 2: Automated management of SRCs
Automated management of SRCs Yes No No of SRCs 5087 45
*The data above would help indicate which SRCs need help in the digital management of their SRCs.
15
Penemuan/Analisis
Figure 3: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics Other data available: Statistics of book collection, resource materials, digital materials, usage of SRCs, no of computer laboratories and access centers and per capita grant of SRCs.
Penemuan/Analisis
16
Figure 4: Rating of Activity status of SRCs
Table 3 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs on the following: Section A: Physical facilities, materials and resources (10%) Section B: Management and supervision of SRCs (15%) Section C: Usage of SRCs (40%) Section D: NiLAM Reading Program (20%) Section E: SRCs Improvement programs (10%) Section F: Special Features (5%)
Rating of SRCs according to stars
Overall statistics of SRCs
5 star * 4 star * 3 star * 2 star * 1 star * Total
137 506 767 1300 1209 3919
*Note that total figure of 3919 respondents indicate that not all TLs filled in all the information required to fulfill the requirements of the full star rating system. The above data would help ETD identify which SRCs need assistance and which SRCs could be used as model SRCs.
17
Penemuan/Analisis
Figure 5 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs
Figure 6: Analysis of Teacher Librarians (TLs) Competency The figure shows the following: i) Analysis of courses attended by TLs ii) Analysis of TLs teaching experience iii) Analysis of TLs Job Grades iv) Analysis of teaching periods of TLs v) Analysis of TLs appointment
18
Penemuan/Analisis
*The above data would help ETD identify the staff development programs needed by the TLs and their status and job needs.
Figure
7:
Location
of
SRCs
in
each
state
(SETD)
Penemuan/Analisis
*The data include information on number of TACs in each state, number of schools (primary, secondary, urban or rural) in each state.
19
15.0 ISSUES / CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
15.1 ISSUES/CHALLENGES:
1. Understanding how to use the iQ-PSS and the goal of iQ-PSS in order to work toward it and the importance of iQ-PSS in assisting the decision-making process. Therefore, proper training must be provided so that coordination in terms of work processes must be synchronized to assess and monitor performance at all levels of the organization. However, the training is hampered due to limited budget and time constraints. SOLUTION: To overcome this problem, the ETD has come up with an online manual/handbook to assist these officers. All state unit heads have also been given a briefing on how to use the iQ-PSS.
2. Verification process is nor done by the TAC officers concerned to check validity of data put in by Teacher Librarians. This affects the accuracy of the information sent to the ETD. Time has to be taken to check the information, otherwise the wrong information and data collected will affect the decisionmaking process. SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by officers from ETD or SETD.
3. Collection of SRCs information online within a certain period for reporting. This affects the timeliness of the reporting and analysis. Since the inception of the iQPSS in July 2009, to date, only 43.82% of the teacher-librarians have completed all stages of iQ-PSS as shown in the table below.
20
iQ-PSS Status (until 7.11.2009) Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 Item Waiting for TLs action Updating of school profile Ranking of SRC by TLs Waiting for TACs officers action Verification of SRCs by TACs officers iQ-PSS completed Total 3254 370 899 963 44 4313 Percentage % 33.06 3.76 9.14 9.77 0.45 43.82
Figure 8: Status of iQ-PSS SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by ETD and SETD officers.
4. Inability to change data once locked in by Teacher librarians. Only appointed officers with passwords can access the data and make changes. SOLUTION: A comprehensive internal and external audit program is employed to ensure the adequacy of internal controls.
5. Honesty on the part of the TLs and exact data put in by TLs. TLs know that based on the data keyed in, SRCs are picked as winners of the SRCs awards and role models and will be selected, the possibility of data being inflated may happen. SOLUTION: Briefings and explanations to the TLs and officers at the various TACs, on the importance of real and true data received, as the data will affect the planning and development of future SRCs. Verification by the officers are of utmost importance.
21
6. Disruption of the internet line and schoolnet problems in schools or TACs where keying in of data is taking place. SOLUTION: Getting the TLs concerned together to key-in the data of their SRCs centrally where the internet line is good.
7. Time constraints of both TLs to key in data and officers from TACs and SETDs to verify the data. SOLUTION: Making sure the website stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a week so TLs can access from home and after school hours.
16.0 IMPACT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IQ-PSS FOR SCHOOLS:
iQ-PSS can be used to transform real data that is collected into information useful for decision making. It can provide performance reports to assist in the planning, monitoring and implementation of strategy e.g. star rating of SRCs, book collection etc.
iQ-PSS provides a valuable function in that it can collate into coherent reports unmanageable volumes of data that would otherwise be useless to decision makers. By studying these reports decision-makers and policy makers can identify patterns and trends that would have remained unseen if the raw data was consulted manually e.g. competency of TLs, rating of SRCs.
iQ-PSS allows for the collation of vast amounts of SRCs data, and it also provides a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce of ETD and its network. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the ETD as a whole.
22
While iQ-PSS is extremely useful in generating statistical reports and data analysis, it can also be used as a Management by Objectives (MBO) tool. Objectives are set using the SMART ratio: that is, objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-Specific. The aim of these objectives is to provide a set of key performance indicators by which the ETD can judge the performance of a project, program or activity. iQ-PSS is useful to track SRCs performance. Since all SMART objectives are by definition measurable they can be tracked through the generation of management reports to be analyzed by decision-makers and policy makers.
17.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the online management system of School Resource centers be further enhanced. Steps are taken to make it more user friendly and accessible at all times. Further modules can be added in to make the management of SRCs more transparent and more informative. More officers from TACs and SETDs are involved in creating the modules that they need to use in monitoring and managing the SRCs plus evaluating them. Teacher librarians and school administrators should also be more flexible and open to such methods of reporting and evaluation.
18.0
CONCLUSION
Using iQ-PSS as a tool for a well-informed decision-making process is only a beginning. The ETD will always find ways to improve on the delivery services system especially in the development and management of SRCs. SRCs are the catalysts to accelerate the literacy growth among the students via the use of its educational resources. Therefore, an integrated approach for assessing the performance of all SRCs is needed to suppport the teaching and learning process. It is hoped that with a better understanding of the goal of iQ-PSS by all quarters, the SRCs will be the hub of life-long learning.
23
To function effectively as an interacting, interrelated, and interdependent feedback tool for the ETD management and staff, iQ-PSS must be "usable." The five elements of a usable system are: timeliness, accuracy, consistency, completeness, and relevance. It is worth noting that the usefulness of iQ-PSS is hindered whenever one or more of these elements is compromised. The iQ-PSS has transformed the management of Malaysian School Resource Centers towards a higher standard and we hope this will propel our SRCs to become excellent centers of learning and raise information literacy among teachers and students in the future.
24
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Asia
Pacific Develoment Information Programme: Realizing the Millennium Development Goals. Available online at http://www.apdip.net/projects/rhdr, accessed on 24/10/ 2009).
Breivik. P. S., & Senn, J. A. (1998). Information literacy: Educating children for the 21st century. (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association. Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan. (2007). Buku Panduan Pengurusan Pusat Sumber Sekolah untuk Guru Perpustakaan dan Media. Kuala Lumpur: Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan. Educational Technology Division. (2008) Information Literacy [Brochure]. Kuala Lumpur: Educational Technology Division. Fatimah Jusoh. (2002). School libraries in Malaysia. Paper presented at IASL Conference 2002, Petaling Jaya, 4 – 9 August. Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister Department (Oct. 2009). “Five Thrusts in the National Mission.” Available online at http://www.epu.gov.my/ 5thrust accessed on 24/10/2009 . Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister Department (Oct. 2009). “Garis Panduan bagi Mewujudkan Petunjuk-petunjuk Prestasi Utama atau Key Performance Indicators (KPI) dan Melaksanakan Pengukuran Prestasi di Agensi Kerajaan.” Pekeliling Kemajuan Pentadbiran Awam Bil. 2/2005 7 April 2005. Hornby, A.S. Oxford Fajar Advanced Learner’s English-Malay Dictionary. Shah Alam: Penerbit Fajar Bakti, 2000. IFLA/UNESCO. (2000). The school library manifesto: the school library in teaching and learning for all. The Hague: IFLA. Koechlin, C., & Zwaan, S. (2003). Build your own information literate school. Salt Lake City, USA: Available online at http://www.eduwebtv.com.my/index7.php, accessed on 25/10/09. Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education. (2009). Laporan awal dapatan Kajian Penggunaan Bahan Digital Terbitan KPM. Kuala Lumpur: Author. MDEC. (2005). Malaysian Smart School Roadmap 2005-2020: An Educational Odyssey; Cyberjaya: Multimedia Development Corporation.
25
Measure of Excellence for School Library Media Centres. Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1986. Malaysia Ministry of Education. (2006). The National Education Blueprint 2006-2010. Putrajaya: Author. Newhouse, C.P. (2002). A literature review: The impact of ICT on Learning and Teaching. Australia: The Western Australia Department of Education. The Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education. (2001). Pusat Sumber Pendidikan Negeri dan Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan Negeri: Masa Lalu, Masa Kini dan Masa Depan. Kuala Lumpur: MOE. Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. (2004). Regional Guidelines on Teacher Development for Pedagogy-technology Integration. Bangkok, Thailand: AsiaPacific Programme of Education Innovation for Development, Shamsuddin Hassan (2006), Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia.Paper presented at The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation. (2007). Strategic ICT Roadmap for Malaysia:; Available online at https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.php, accessed on 22/10/09. The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Countries, Case Study Guidelines, 2-3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand. Wijasuriya, D. E. K. & Winslade, B. A. J. & Persatuan Perpustakaan Malaysia. (1979) Rancangan pembangunan perpustakaan sekolah di Malaysia = Blueprint for school library development in Malaysia. ed. D.E.K. Wijasuriya ; berdasarkan deraf laporan oleh B.A.J. Winslade. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Perpustakaan Malaysia.
Website references: http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788. Accessed on 22/10/09 http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=1385 accessed on 22/10/09. http://www.eduwebtv.com.my/index7.php, accessed on 25/10/09. http://btp.tarantula.my/index.php, accessed 30/10/09.
26
This paper describes the latest implementation (2009) of an on-line monitoring system of the ten thousand school libraries in the country by the Educational Resource Management Sector, Educational Technology Division (ETD), Ministry of Education. This is a systematic approach taken to monitor the progress, development and management of the School Resource Centers (SRC). Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online management system called the index-Quality of SRCs also known as iQPSS was deployed via the ETD intranet service line to speed up the process of collecting, validating and analyzing the data. This online management system of the SRC has made it possible for the Educational Resource Management Sector to plan, coordinate, evaluate and improve the development of the School Resource Centres in terms of physical infrastructure, book collection, management system and training in line with current technology as well as the information literacy and reading programmes. This paper will also look into the issues and challenges of its implementation. Recommendations for further enhancement of the system will also be discussed in this paper.
1
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING ICT IN EDUCATION: ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN MALAYSIA 1.0 INTRODUCTION Malaysia (马来西亚) is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of 329,845 square kilometres (127,354 sq. mi). The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 27 million inhabitants. The country is separated into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia-Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. The country is located near the equator and experiences a tropical climate. Malaysia's head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (a term that is similar to King), an elected monarch, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The government is closely modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system.1 In line with the country’s information and communication technol ogy (ICT) Master Plan and Vision 2020 , which envisages its longer-term development, Malaysia is aware that the transformation of its education system is fundamental to achieving its objectives. The Ministry of Education (MOE), with the participation of non-governmental agencies, is focusing on the development of new media for use as educational, organisational and partnership-building tools, and as a means for bridging the country’s digital divide and empowering learners. Due to its belief that ICT can revolutionise education and learning, the MOE has integrated ICT into education on a fundamental level, incorporating systems to facilitate management, information gathering, access, and various forms of communication. 2
1
http://en.wikipedia,org/wiki/Malaysia, accessed on 20/10/09
2
The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Countries, Case Study Guidelines, 2-3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.
2
2.0 NATIONAL ICT STRATEGIC PLAN The National IT Agenda (NITA) formulated in 1996 vision is to utilise ICT to transform all of Malaysian society into an information society, then to a knowledge society and finally to a values-based knowledge society. With the theme "Turning Ripples into Tidal Waves", NITA focuses on the development of people, infostructure and applications to create value, to provide equity and access to all Malaysians, and to qualitatively transform our society into a values-based knowledge society by the year 2020. 3 The Malaysian economy has undergone structural changes from agriculture and mining-based economy to manufacturing-based economy and is currently in the stage of a knowledge-based economy. Current plans such as the Ninth Malaysia Plan and Third Industrial Master Plan envisages that as Malaysia moves into the knowledgebased economy, the service sector will play a dominant role in the wealth creation of the nation. ICT has and is expected to play a key role in this wealth accumulation, both in terms of a sector and enabler. For this reason, the National Strategic ICT Roadmap will provide a framework to enhance the productivity of key sectors of the economy and promote the development of new ICT-based and knowledge-intensive industries.4 3.0 ICT IN EDUCATION POLICY The Ministry of Education, Malaysia has focused on three main areas in its ICT in education policy: ICT will be used as an enabler to reduce the digital divide between the country’s schools by enabling ICT access for all students;
3
http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788. Accessed on 22/10/09
4
Website:MOSTI Strategic ICT Roadmap for Malaysia: Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation; https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.php., accessed on 22/11/09]
3
ICT will be used as teaching and learning tools in education, taught as an independent subject and integrated into others; and ICT will be used to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of management in education.
To ensure the success of these areas, the Ministry of Education has implemented the following strategies: Preparing appropriate ICT equipment and infrastructure for all schools; Introducing ICT curriculum and support for ICT integration into general teaching and learning; Upgrading the ICT skills and knowledge of both teachers and students; Increasing ICT use in educational management; and Upgrading ICT maintenance/management in educational institutions. 5
The implementation of the Ministry’s policy in ICT can be seen through several major ICT in education projects: The implementation of the Smart School project which was scheduled to go through four waves, viz; the pilot project (1999-2002), the post-pilot (2002-2005), making all schools smart (2005-2010), and consolidation and stabilization (20102020); the equipping of schools with Computer laboratories (to date 6633 schools) School Access Centres (3025 schools with 70% rural schools and 30% urban schools distribution); the Teaching of Mathematics and science in English (provision of 132,649 laptops, 78,333 LCD projectors, 67,439 screens, 63,254 mobile trolleys, and 9,662 printers), training of more than 200,000 teachers in basic ICT skills and using ICT in teaching and learning); introduction of WebTV (via the internet, reaching almost 96% of the schools as well as
available outside school hours); the SchoolNet providing internet accessibility to
5
Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia
4
9654 locations; and transforming all the schools into smart schools by the year 2010.6
4.0 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SPS) In January of this year (2009), the Ministry of Education embarked on a journey to deploy a single School Management System for the eighty-eight Smart Schools in the country. The system is known as Sistem Pengurusan Sekolah or SPS in abbreviation. SPS based on open source technology fundamentally Java J2EE and MySQL, is aimed to provide a single platform for the Smart Schools to manage school, student and teacher data, in contrast to the current practice where the information is managed by different stand alone software. With the integrated data, SPS is able to facilitate other school operations such as time table scheduling, co-curriculum activities, student academic management, school resource center and facility management, etc. SPS is built as a real-time system where all information captured can be transmitted for other intent instantaneously allowing schools to manage their operations in an effective and efficient manner. In total, there are twenty two modules in SPS to assist the school. The system is currently undergoing some customization work based on schools’ feedback to ensure that it will be able to cater for the Smart Schools’ operating environment. All the customization work is anticipated to be completed by end of October 2009. It is hoped that the SPS for the eighty-eight Smart Schools will be a starting point to transform our education environment. Upon success, the SPS will be rolled out and provide a platform to enable our schools to: Integrate knowledge, skills and values for the Information age; Unify the communities of students, parents and educators; Empower the educational communities with self-service capabilities; and Enable access to real-time information, relevant assessment tools and online educational resources.
6
Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia
5
5.0 THE USE OF ICT IN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS
The cornerstones of a good library facility design reflect a vision of how the school library and school library media specialists contribute to the complex process of learning and teaching in physical and virtual school library facilities. The new library spaces exist virtually and physically where students may explore, wander and seek new information and acquire information literacy, critical thinking and practical life-long skills. The AASL’s 21st Century Library Learning Standards describes skills students should possess (AASL 2007). These include: Using a variety of information literacies to gather meaning from information presented in any format. Demonstrating mastery of technology tools to be both productive and critical thinkers Collaborating with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
These standards encourage student academic and lifelong skill mastery that will enable students to be productive in an increasingly global environment. ICT is more than just another tool. It is also an enabler in facilitating learning and accessing information. Its potential for increasing the range, relevance and accessibility of information and communication used in schools is significant. Equally important is its potential for supporting teacher librarians in their everyday roles and in their continuing training and professional development. A wide range of ICT tools are now available, e.g. computers, the Internet, CDRI and other software, television and radio, video, cameras and other equipment, to aid the teacher librarians. Through the advances made through technology, the walls of the classroom and the library have expanded to include the entire world. One could say that we have a global internet library.7
7
Breivik. P. S., & Senn, J. A. (1998). Information literacy: Educating children for the 21st century. ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association.
(2nd
6
6.0 SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA: MALAYSIAN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS The School Resource Centre (SRC), which forms an integral part in any school today, has come a long way. To raise the standard of library services in schools throughout the country, efforts were taken to develop school libraries in Malaysia since the early sixties. The early initiatives involved obtaining the services of a number of visiting advisors who were attached to the Ministry of Education (MOE). In 1962, the MOE established a one-year course for Teacher-Librarians at the Specialist Teachers’ Training Institute. In the seventies, national attention was given to the school library sector. A Blueprint for long term planning and development of school libraries was badly need; hence, the publication of the Blueprint for School Library Development in Malaysia in 1979. The Blueprint provided the basis for book stock provision, staffing, organization and use.8 In preparing the Blueprint, the government’s educational policy was kept constantly in focus. This policy, originally expressed in the Razak Report of 1956 and the Educational Act, 1961 was designed to satisfy the needs of the nation and promote its cultural, social, economic and political development. Furthermore, it stated that any attempt to assess current school library provision and future needs must be made in the light of these educational objectives. Particular attention was paid to the general development of school libraries especially in the smaller and more rural schools and to the input of such libraries to academic and social progress. With the progressive implementation of the recommendations in this Blueprint, it would be possible to develop model school libraries – centres of excellence – able to show, through example, the range of services, and the value of the inputs that can be made to quality education by well-equipped, functionally efficient and adequately staffed school libraries.
8
Fatimah Jusoh. (2002). School libraries in Malaysia. Paper presented at IASL Conference 2002, Petaling Jaya, 4 – 9 August.
7
7.0 ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES The management of the SRCS require a range of activities dealing with the input of new materials, such as ordering, processing, cataloguing, classifying; the provision of services, such as loan recording, storing special temporary collections; promoting the SRCs and reading habits; and the training of student librarians, to name a few. The management of the SRCs is run by Teacher-Librarians, who are also full-pledged subject teachers. Teacher librarians of SRCs in Malaysia now take care of all educational technology resources, media, ICT, and lately access centers in the schools. Not only does this cover books and teaching aids, but also multimedia resources and equipment for teaching and learning, produce or organize library-based learning activities such as treasure hunt/quizzes/information gathering from sources available in the library, monthly subject exhibitions/demonstrations/read a book and share-book reviews/visits to other resource centers/bigger libraries /universities
8.0
ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN
MALAYSIA: THE iQ-PSS. (index Quality of School Resource Centers) The Educational Technology Division (ETD) of the Ministry of Education is responsible for the enculturation of the use of educational technology in the teaching and learning process in schools. One of ETD’s main functions is developing the School Resource Centers (SRCs) throughout the nation. Developing and bridging the gap between rural and urban 9,844 SRCs is a mean feat. Therefore, the ETD has to come out with innovative ways in delivering quality educational services. With the assistance of ICT advancement, the ETD proposed the use of management information system (MIS) in giving effective and efficient services. This is also in line with the MOE’s implementation of making all schools smart.
The ETD and its network at state and district levels i.e. The State Educational Technology Divisions (STEDs) and Teacher Activity Centers (TACs) coordinate and encourage the use of educational technology in schools. In order to keep tab of the
8
progress and development of SRCs, they need to be evaluated.
Therefore, a
systematic and smart approach must be taken so that the data collected are current, meaningful and can be used to give quality services to schools. A comprehensive instrument which is based on five main areas was developed to identify Key Performance Indicators of each SRC. They are infrastructure and facilities, the organization and management of SRC, services, strategic planning and the national reading programme (NILAM). Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online management system called the iQ-PSS was deployed to speed up the process of collecting, validating and analyzing the data. It also meant saving time and money. Based on the evaluation, the MOE is also able to run programmes such as SRC Star-Ranking, SRC Assistance Programme and SRC Excellent Awards to help and motivate the schools to continue developing the SRCs for the benefits of the children. The MOE in its government circular no. 10/2000 dated 20 April 2000 stressed that all School Resource Centers in the country should be properly managed. This is in line with the National Education Philosophy aimed at developin g the individual’s potential and equipping the younger generation with the skills necessary to face challenges of the 21st century.9 Over the years, various programs have been carried out to encourage all schools to raise their efforts in upgrading their resource centers physically, equipped with enough furniture and resource materials, management and supervision, as well as using the SRC for teaching and learning processes.
9
Excellent SRC Awards Excellent Reader Awards Assistance to SRC program Coordination meetings with ETD network (STEDs and TACs)
“Tahun Pusat Sumber Sekolah 2000.” Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 10/2000 20 April 2000.
9
Publishing of SRC guidebooks/manuals/handbooks
A systematic mechanism was designed to gauge the standard and status of SRC. As a catalyst for SRC to achieve excellence status As a form of recognition As a filter to identify assistance for any SRC that need aid.
9.0 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY iQ-PSS or better known as Index Quality for School Resource Centers is used as a standard measurement to gauge their performance. iQ-PSS is used to interpret the qualitative criteria of the achievements of SRC with the quantitative criteria so that the performance of each SRC can be measured uniformly and analysed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the SRC in its planning and management of corrective actions and continuous improvement from the point of management, budget planning, supply of resource materials for the SRCs, physical facilities including furniture, training, effective reading and information literacy programs. The iQ-PSS is based on the evaluation instrument which was formerly administered manually by officers throughout the country. It covers the following areas: Section A – Physical facilities, equipment and materials A1. Location of main SRC, Audio-Visual Room & TeachingLearning Materials Room A2. Arrangement of Room / Space / Corner A3. Furniture and Accesories A4. Additional Facilities A5. Printed materials A6. Non-printed materials A7. Electronic equipment A8. Security Features
10
Section B – Management and Administration of SRC B1. Organizational Charts B2. Annual Planning B3. Management of SRC’s finance B4. Management of SRC’s Documentation and Records B5. Management of Collection’s Documentation and Records B6. Management of Equipment’s Documentation and Records B7. Management of SR Physical Attractions B8. Involvement of the school / community / NGOs Section C – SRC Usage C1. Opening hours C2. Timetables C3. Circulation C4. Usage Educational TV Programs C5. Exhibition Activities C6. SRC Motivational Activities C7. Self-Access Learning Center C8. Promotions / Publicities C9. Information Literacy C10. Production of Resources Section D – Reading Program (NILAM) D1. NILAM Program D2. Involvement D3. Documentations dan Records D4. Achievement D5. Reward and Recognition Section E – Improvement Programs E1. Strategic Planning E2. Other financial sources E3. Human Resource Development Programs E4. Evaluations Section F – Special Features F1. Additional attractions / innovations not covered in previous sections
Teacher Librarians go online and fill in all the information in the various categories listed in the iQ-PSS at their own workplaces or schools, or they can go to the nearest Teacher Activity Center )TAC) or State Educational
11
Technology Division (SETD), to key in information about their SRCs and their actiivities and programs carried out. It is mainly self-access. Officers from the TACs and SETDs, then go on-site to verify the information given by the Teacher Librarians. SCOPE iQ-PSS involves the following resource centers at state, district levels and all schools in the country.:
Educational Technology Division (ETD) 15 State Educational Technology Divisions (STEDs) 367 Teacher Activity Centers (TACs) 9,844 School Resource Centers (SRCs)
Figure 1 Organizational Chart of iQ-PSS Implementation
10.0 PROCESS iQ-PSS involves the process of standardization of SRCs in Malaysia. This
process involves all teacher-librarians (TLs), officers from the TACs, STEDs and ETD. The work process can be seen in Figure 2.
12
Figure 2 iQ-PSS Work Flow
11. 0 METHOD The method used in managing the iQ-PSS activities is as follows: A fixed standard Index Quality PSS (iQ-PSS). Survey using self-access. Used yearly based on information available now and before the new year. Awarding of star-rating (1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, 5-star) to all SRCs Certification: Awarding of certificates to give recognition to SRCs, TACs and SETDs resource centers based on the iQ-PSS.
13
12.0 INPUT Input that is needed: 13.0 OUTPUT Output from the iQ-PSS program is as follows: Level of iQ for all SRCs (KPI) Statistical Analysis of the iQ-PSS based on schools, TACs, SETDs and ETD. This analysis can be used for the following purpose: i). Choosing the best or excellent SRC in the country under the SRC award scheme. ii). Fixing the total per capita grant for all SRCs iii). Fixing the total and kinds of resource collection to all schools iv). Fixing the physical needs of all SRCs. v). Planning staff development needs. vi). Planning Information Literacy programs. vii). Star Ranking of SRCs to gauge the performance of all SRCs. Basic informaiton of the school and SRC (9,884 schools) Basic information of TAC (367 TACs) Basic information of SETD (15 SETDs) Level of achievement ( iQ for all SRCs)
14.0 STATUS REPORTS OF iQ-PSS The online management system of SRCs can be found at the following website: http://btp.tarantula.my/index.php. The following are some of the pdf files on the modules in the iQ-PSS. They are : i) SRCs rating activity status, (ii) statistics of SRCs by
location, (iii) overall standard of SRCs, (iv) overall standard of SRCs according to schools (primary/secondary/urban or rural), (v) top five SRCs according to states, (vi) top five SRCs according to districts, vii) overall analysis of TLs competency,
14
(viii) analysis
of
TLs competency according to states, (ix) analysis of statistics of
SRCs, (x) collection of books by SRCs (primary/secondary,urban or rural), (xii) status of SRCs on book ratio (primary and secondary), (xiii) report of star-rating of SRCs according to TACs and (xiv) information on teacher librarians. Below are some reports on the above modules. Table 1: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics No of respondents to date: 5132
Physical status of SRCs Own building Renovated building Designated room Renovated room Not stated
No. of SRCs 373 387 2064 1844 464
*The data above would help ETD in overall planning and development of SRCs in the future.
Table 2: Automated management of SRCs
Automated management of SRCs Yes No No of SRCs 5087 45
*The data above would help indicate which SRCs need help in the digital management of their SRCs.
15
Penemuan/Analisis
Figure 3: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics Other data available: Statistics of book collection, resource materials, digital materials, usage of SRCs, no of computer laboratories and access centers and per capita grant of SRCs.
Penemuan/Analisis
16
Figure 4: Rating of Activity status of SRCs
Table 3 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs on the following: Section A: Physical facilities, materials and resources (10%) Section B: Management and supervision of SRCs (15%) Section C: Usage of SRCs (40%) Section D: NiLAM Reading Program (20%) Section E: SRCs Improvement programs (10%) Section F: Special Features (5%)
Rating of SRCs according to stars
Overall statistics of SRCs
5 star * 4 star * 3 star * 2 star * 1 star * Total
137 506 767 1300 1209 3919
*Note that total figure of 3919 respondents indicate that not all TLs filled in all the information required to fulfill the requirements of the full star rating system. The above data would help ETD identify which SRCs need assistance and which SRCs could be used as model SRCs.
17
Penemuan/Analisis
Figure 5 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs
Figure 6: Analysis of Teacher Librarians (TLs) Competency The figure shows the following: i) Analysis of courses attended by TLs ii) Analysis of TLs teaching experience iii) Analysis of TLs Job Grades iv) Analysis of teaching periods of TLs v) Analysis of TLs appointment
18
Penemuan/Analisis
*The above data would help ETD identify the staff development programs needed by the TLs and their status and job needs.
Figure
7:
Location
of
SRCs
in
each
state
(SETD)
Penemuan/Analisis
*The data include information on number of TACs in each state, number of schools (primary, secondary, urban or rural) in each state.
19
15.0 ISSUES / CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
15.1 ISSUES/CHALLENGES:
1. Understanding how to use the iQ-PSS and the goal of iQ-PSS in order to work toward it and the importance of iQ-PSS in assisting the decision-making process. Therefore, proper training must be provided so that coordination in terms of work processes must be synchronized to assess and monitor performance at all levels of the organization. However, the training is hampered due to limited budget and time constraints. SOLUTION: To overcome this problem, the ETD has come up with an online manual/handbook to assist these officers. All state unit heads have also been given a briefing on how to use the iQ-PSS.
2. Verification process is nor done by the TAC officers concerned to check validity of data put in by Teacher Librarians. This affects the accuracy of the information sent to the ETD. Time has to be taken to check the information, otherwise the wrong information and data collected will affect the decisionmaking process. SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by officers from ETD or SETD.
3. Collection of SRCs information online within a certain period for reporting. This affects the timeliness of the reporting and analysis. Since the inception of the iQPSS in July 2009, to date, only 43.82% of the teacher-librarians have completed all stages of iQ-PSS as shown in the table below.
20
iQ-PSS Status (until 7.11.2009) Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 Item Waiting for TLs action Updating of school profile Ranking of SRC by TLs Waiting for TACs officers action Verification of SRCs by TACs officers iQ-PSS completed Total 3254 370 899 963 44 4313 Percentage % 33.06 3.76 9.14 9.77 0.45 43.82
Figure 8: Status of iQ-PSS SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by ETD and SETD officers.
4. Inability to change data once locked in by Teacher librarians. Only appointed officers with passwords can access the data and make changes. SOLUTION: A comprehensive internal and external audit program is employed to ensure the adequacy of internal controls.
5. Honesty on the part of the TLs and exact data put in by TLs. TLs know that based on the data keyed in, SRCs are picked as winners of the SRCs awards and role models and will be selected, the possibility of data being inflated may happen. SOLUTION: Briefings and explanations to the TLs and officers at the various TACs, on the importance of real and true data received, as the data will affect the planning and development of future SRCs. Verification by the officers are of utmost importance.
21
6. Disruption of the internet line and schoolnet problems in schools or TACs where keying in of data is taking place. SOLUTION: Getting the TLs concerned together to key-in the data of their SRCs centrally where the internet line is good.
7. Time constraints of both TLs to key in data and officers from TACs and SETDs to verify the data. SOLUTION: Making sure the website stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a week so TLs can access from home and after school hours.
16.0 IMPACT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IQ-PSS FOR SCHOOLS:
iQ-PSS can be used to transform real data that is collected into information useful for decision making. It can provide performance reports to assist in the planning, monitoring and implementation of strategy e.g. star rating of SRCs, book collection etc.
iQ-PSS provides a valuable function in that it can collate into coherent reports unmanageable volumes of data that would otherwise be useless to decision makers. By studying these reports decision-makers and policy makers can identify patterns and trends that would have remained unseen if the raw data was consulted manually e.g. competency of TLs, rating of SRCs.
iQ-PSS allows for the collation of vast amounts of SRCs data, and it also provides a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce of ETD and its network. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the ETD as a whole.
22
While iQ-PSS is extremely useful in generating statistical reports and data analysis, it can also be used as a Management by Objectives (MBO) tool. Objectives are set using the SMART ratio: that is, objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-Specific. The aim of these objectives is to provide a set of key performance indicators by which the ETD can judge the performance of a project, program or activity. iQ-PSS is useful to track SRCs performance. Since all SMART objectives are by definition measurable they can be tracked through the generation of management reports to be analyzed by decision-makers and policy makers.
17.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the online management system of School Resource centers be further enhanced. Steps are taken to make it more user friendly and accessible at all times. Further modules can be added in to make the management of SRCs more transparent and more informative. More officers from TACs and SETDs are involved in creating the modules that they need to use in monitoring and managing the SRCs plus evaluating them. Teacher librarians and school administrators should also be more flexible and open to such methods of reporting and evaluation.
18.0
CONCLUSION
Using iQ-PSS as a tool for a well-informed decision-making process is only a beginning. The ETD will always find ways to improve on the delivery services system especially in the development and management of SRCs. SRCs are the catalysts to accelerate the literacy growth among the students via the use of its educational resources. Therefore, an integrated approach for assessing the performance of all SRCs is needed to suppport the teaching and learning process. It is hoped that with a better understanding of the goal of iQ-PSS by all quarters, the SRCs will be the hub of life-long learning.
23
To function effectively as an interacting, interrelated, and interdependent feedback tool for the ETD management and staff, iQ-PSS must be "usable." The five elements of a usable system are: timeliness, accuracy, consistency, completeness, and relevance. It is worth noting that the usefulness of iQ-PSS is hindered whenever one or more of these elements is compromised. The iQ-PSS has transformed the management of Malaysian School Resource Centers towards a higher standard and we hope this will propel our SRCs to become excellent centers of learning and raise information literacy among teachers and students in the future.
24
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Asia
Pacific Develoment Information Programme: Realizing the Millennium Development Goals. Available online at http://www.apdip.net/projects/rhdr, accessed on 24/10/ 2009).
Breivik. P. S., & Senn, J. A. (1998). Information literacy: Educating children for the 21st century. (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association. Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan. (2007). Buku Panduan Pengurusan Pusat Sumber Sekolah untuk Guru Perpustakaan dan Media. Kuala Lumpur: Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan. Educational Technology Division. (2008) Information Literacy [Brochure]. Kuala Lumpur: Educational Technology Division. Fatimah Jusoh. (2002). School libraries in Malaysia. Paper presented at IASL Conference 2002, Petaling Jaya, 4 – 9 August. Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister Department (Oct. 2009). “Five Thrusts in the National Mission.” Available online at http://www.epu.gov.my/ 5thrust accessed on 24/10/2009 . Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister Department (Oct. 2009). “Garis Panduan bagi Mewujudkan Petunjuk-petunjuk Prestasi Utama atau Key Performance Indicators (KPI) dan Melaksanakan Pengukuran Prestasi di Agensi Kerajaan.” Pekeliling Kemajuan Pentadbiran Awam Bil. 2/2005 7 April 2005. Hornby, A.S. Oxford Fajar Advanced Learner’s English-Malay Dictionary. Shah Alam: Penerbit Fajar Bakti, 2000. IFLA/UNESCO. (2000). The school library manifesto: the school library in teaching and learning for all. The Hague: IFLA. Koechlin, C., & Zwaan, S. (2003). Build your own information literate school. Salt Lake City, USA: Available online at http://www.eduwebtv.com.my/index7.php, accessed on 25/10/09. Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education. (2009). Laporan awal dapatan Kajian Penggunaan Bahan Digital Terbitan KPM. Kuala Lumpur: Author. MDEC. (2005). Malaysian Smart School Roadmap 2005-2020: An Educational Odyssey; Cyberjaya: Multimedia Development Corporation.
25
Measure of Excellence for School Library Media Centres. Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1986. Malaysia Ministry of Education. (2006). The National Education Blueprint 2006-2010. Putrajaya: Author. Newhouse, C.P. (2002). A literature review: The impact of ICT on Learning and Teaching. Australia: The Western Australia Department of Education. The Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education. (2001). Pusat Sumber Pendidikan Negeri dan Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan Negeri: Masa Lalu, Masa Kini dan Masa Depan. Kuala Lumpur: MOE. Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. (2004). Regional Guidelines on Teacher Development for Pedagogy-technology Integration. Bangkok, Thailand: AsiaPacific Programme of Education Innovation for Development, Shamsuddin Hassan (2006), Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia.Paper presented at The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation. (2007). Strategic ICT Roadmap for Malaysia:; Available online at https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.php, accessed on 22/10/09. The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Countries, Case Study Guidelines, 2-3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand. Wijasuriya, D. E. K. & Winslade, B. A. J. & Persatuan Perpustakaan Malaysia. (1979) Rancangan pembangunan perpustakaan sekolah di Malaysia = Blueprint for school library development in Malaysia. ed. D.E.K. Wijasuriya ; berdasarkan deraf laporan oleh B.A.J. Winslade. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Perpustakaan Malaysia.
Website references: http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788. Accessed on 22/10/09 http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=1385 accessed on 22/10/09. http://www.eduwebtv.com.my/index7.php, accessed on 25/10/09. http://btp.tarantula.my/index.php, accessed 30/10/09.
26
