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INTRODUCTION OF OUTCOME-BASE
EDUCATION (OBE)

Outcome-Based Educa on (OBE) had
been implemented in the Faculty of En-
gineering since 2004, in accordance with
the direc ves of the Ministry of Higher
Educa on and the Board of Engineers,
Malaysia (BEM). This is also one of the
requirements for Malaysia to become a
full member of the Washington Accord,
an interna onal agreement to mutually
recognize Bachelor degrees in engineer-
ing. The implementa on of OBE, as out-
lined below, is based on guidelines pre-
scribed by the Engineering Accredita on
Council (EAC) of Malaysia.
Unlike the tradi onal teacher-centred
method, OBE is an educa onal approach
that is more concerned about the out-
come (what students can do) rather
than the process (what instructors did).
This is believed to enhance learning, and Programme Educational Objectives (Peo)
hence produce be er graduates. For The PEO is a set of objectives that the academic programme aspires that
OBE to be successful, it is cri cal to pre- the graduates would achieve in their career and professional life a few years
scribe the expected outcomes, to meas- after graduation
ure them objec vely, and to take cor-
rec ve ac ons where required. To guide the formation and fine-tuning of these outcomes, the De-
partment has formulated the Programme Educational Objectives
(PEO). These are aspirations for graduates to attain 3 to 5 years upon
The outcomes are prescribed at two l graduation. The POs are designed to produce graduates who are well-
prepared to achieve these PEOs.
evels:
The PEOs and POs had been formulated in consultation with all major
(a) Course Outcomes (CO) --- what stakeholders (employers, alumni and students), to meet the demands
students should be able to per- of a challenging and globalized workplace. Any material changes will
also require their views.
form at the end of each course
A critical component of OBE is the objective measurement of the
(b) Programme outcomes (PO) --- a outcomes. This is done via multiple channels and methods. At the
composite set of abili es a er course level, there is formative assessment via discussion, assignment,
students finished all courses quizzes etc., in addition to the summative assessment in the final
examination. Students also have the opportunity to provide feedback
through course evaluation, meetings with their academic advisors,
annual surveys, and student-lecturer meetings. Opinions and feed-
back from external parties, e.g. employers, alumni, Industrial Advisory
All COs will contribute to some of the Panel, are also routinely sought to further calibrate the outcome meas-
POs. This is to ensure that upon comple- urements.
on of the courses, all POs are sufficiently Based on the input and trends received, the Department will take the
covered. necessary corrective actions, and the results monitored. In short, OBE
is a dynamic, student-centred educational process which incorporates
continuous improvement.