An EPIC solution to teacher education : working through constraints

This paper focuses on explaining how the Faculty of Education and Languages, Open University Malaysia (OUM) works around constraints and policies set by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia (MOE) in its effort to upgrade the qualification of the in-service teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Teaching programme. In line with the government’s policy to increase human capital development MOE introduces new elements which are to be incorporated into the existing teachers’ training curriculum. For OUM it means finding solutions to add another 15 credits to the existing programme without extending the duration of the whole programme. To meet this new challenge, a new approach is needed to comply with MOE’s requirements. Education Portal for Internet Courses (EPiC) is created not only to meet the new requirements but also to add value to the existing programme. It is designed to virtually extend students’ learning space and to provide full online learning and support. Its activities are scaffold, assignments are task based and learning draws on students’ experience and personal reflections. The whole environment is designed to be fun and promote active collaboration between students and their online supervisors. (Abstract by author)