VU Voices 2016 - Sunway University

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Table of Contents
Editorial Page2
Foreword3
Key Academic Events
AUP’s First Teaching & Learning Forum4
Victoria University BUSINESS CHALLENGE5
Cultural Exchange Events
Yokohama City University6
AUP Talents Shine at ‘One World’ Intercollege Challenge
7
VU Night 2015
8
Building Career Connections
Meet The Naked CEO10
Interviews with VU Alumni11
Fugee School12
Donations to Nepal12
Giving Back to the Community
Diary Section
VU @ Sunway Family Tree
13-14
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VU Voices Editorial Board 2015
Advisors
Ms. Dharshini Balasingam
Ms. Chong Nam Cook
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
HEAD OF DESIGN
Carson Leong
Jason Raphael
Tan
ASSISTANT HEAD
OF DESIGN
Chong Jia Wen
Writers
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Mei Lin
Oumar
Pei Huan
Tina Mary
Siaw Wai
A message from Ms. Greeja De Silva
Head of the Australian University Program
Foreword
A
warm welcome and Hello
to all of you, AUP-ians .
How time flies - it seems
like yesterday when we ushered
in 2016 and it’s now the second
quarter of the year. I do hope all
of you are keeping well and happy,
having recently embarked on or
returned to your university life.
The new issue of VU Voices is
out and the Editorial team has done it again – yet another informative and
interesting issue, this time our 8th.
As is customary, you will find featured the many activities, events and
other happenings that our VU @Sunway students are involved in, including
students’ achievements, which we are proud to highlight.
In this issue, we bring to you, amongst others, a write up on our first AUP
Teaching & Learning Forum , the VU Business Challenge, the Intensive
Science Summer Program in Yokohama and VU Night 2015 themed “Behind
the Mask – Masquerade Ball”.
Additional features include “Meet the Naked CEO – the famous Alex
Malley”, Celebrate VU Tea-Party, VUBC Team Building at Nur – Eco, the
challenging SCSC Finance Game and of course the One World Intercollege
Competition where our students outshone many other contestants from
various private and public universities.
Apart from the above we have also included interviews conducted with
2 of our very loyal and prominent VU @ Sunway Alumni, Bryan Teoh and
Megan Liew.
My best wishes to you on your journey with us on the VU@Sunway
program and please join me as we look forward to yet another exciting year
on the program.
Before I conclude, allow me to leave you with a quote:
“Do not lament too long when you stumble; choose to reflect, learn,
correct and move on to success. A stumble may actually prevent a
fall.”
---Thomas Fuller
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Key Academic Events
E
AUP’s First Teaching & Learning Forum
ffective engagement with students
– that was the message conveyed
and echoed by all the nine speakers
at AUP’s First Teaching and Learning Forum
held on Thursday 15 January 2015 at the
Graduate Centre. It was a lively forum with
an attendance of 90.
Dr Elizabeth Lee, in her very warmly given
opening speech, spoke of how we cannot lag
behind in research.
Jerry Chong from APIT and Anita from
AUP in their presentation titled ‘Tuning into
Gen Y Learners: An Engagement Catalyst’,
emphasised the importance of knowing the
traits of the Gen Y students, of understanding
their strengths
and needs,
before
we
can get them
involved in their
own learning.
In the second
presentation,
‘Facebook as
an Academic
Learning Platform in Higher Education: a
Case Study in the Area of Computing’, Lim
Woan-Ning from the Department of Computer
Science and Networked Systems showed
that Facebook can help students feel closer
to their lecturers, then they will not be so
hesitant about asking questions.
Lawrence Tang from MUFY brought to our
attention that PISA’s 2012 findings (Program
for International Student Assessment)
and TIMMSS’S 2011 findings (Trends in
International Mathematics and Science
Study) showed that students with SPM
distinctions in Maths are not able to explain
their answers because they cannot link the
interaction between the pieces of knowledge
given. To deal with this problem, Lawrence
proposed the Spatial Education Techniques.
AUP lecturer Moy Tow Yoon presented the
paper on ‘Students’ Motivation and Attitudes
Towards Attending Lectures’. Her research
shows that absenteeism is correlated with
factors like lecture styles and quality of
44
By Ms. Chong Nam Cook
teaching, personal circumstances and availability of
notes online. It was a lively session with lots of humour
thrown in.
Yari Kostecki from Key Training and Development
Pty Ltd presented two papers: ‘New Challenges for
Universities and Students through an increasing
Internet and Social Media Uptake’ and ‘A New
Approach to Learning. Moving from passive observer
to active listener’. We must change the way information
is presented by giving the individual a voice. Individuals
yearn to share information and opinions and need to
feel they are involved.
‘The Benefits of the Flipped Classroom’ was
presented by Blake Watters from Sunway International
School. The flipped classroom involves students
viewing
a
lesson online
for homework
and the teacher
d e v i s i n g
questions to
test students’
understanding
of the lesson.
Incorporating
technology allows the teacher to make sure students
understand the lesson more fully and it allows him to
work with students more individually.
Assoc. Prof. Sharmila Sethu , Academic Director of
Malvern Academy, presented a paper on ‘A Study of
the Integration of Technologies to Enhance the Quality
of Generation Y Students’. Digital Natives are born
into a technological world and Gen Y students fit into
this group. Digital immigrants include teachers who
refuse to change their ways of doing things. Digital
immigrant teachers should enhance and integrate the
use of technology.
Joanna Claire Miranda, DBA candidate, Victoria
University, Melbourne, in her paper ‘Employee
Engagement to Foster Student Engagement’,
proposed that if there is teacher engagement, then
there will be student engagement. The initiative must
come from the teacher.
The Forum received some very encouraging
feedback from the audience - from how it was really
well organised to the meaningful points they could
take home.
Victoria University
BUSINESS
CHALLENGE
By Eng Pei Huan
O
n 4th July 2015, the Australian
University Program (AUP)
hosted its 3rd annual “VU
Students presenting their business idea.
Business Challenge 2015”. This event was
organised in collaboration with the Sunway
Marketing Department, staff members and teams were from five different Chinese Independent
student bodies of the VU Business Club schools, which included:
Jit Sin High School (Penang) - 2 teams, Foon
and the Sunway CPA Australia Student
Yew High School
Charter.
(Johor Bharu) - 2
This
e v e n t The BIG Idea Workshop
The BIG Idea workshop was a preparatory teams, Chong Hwa
was
designed
to challenge the workshop conducted by Ms Teh Ya Yee, VU Independent High
students
b o t h lecturer, to train the participants on how to School (KL) - 4 teams,
mentally
a n d write a business plan. Other speakers at the Tsun Jin High School
physically by testing workshop were Ms Lai Chui Yin, Senior Executive (KL) - 1 team, Tenom
their intellectual, of the Marketing Department, Mr Chua Teck Tshung Tsin (Sabah) entrepreneurship Boon, owner of the Elephant Bean Coffee and 1 team.
The winners for the
and
p r o b l e m - President of the VU Alumni Malaysia, and finally
solving skills. The Ms. Pamela Wan Poh Yee as a special guest. The Business Challenge
winners of the main objective of the workshop was to highlight Competition were as
Business Challenge that in writing a business proposal, a realistic follows: Champion
Chong
Hwa
2015 were awarded product or service should be proposed and the bursaries worth content should include the business concept, Independent High
up to RM45,000 target market, landscape competition, SWOT School, 1st Runner
each to pursue the Analysis and business strategy. The top 10 teams up - Jit Sin High
Victoria University with the best proposals were shortlisted for the School, 2nd Runner
Bachelor
o f final challenge which was the presentation of up - Chong Hwa
Independent High
Business degree the business plan.
School, and the most
offered at Sunway
College. 140 participants participated in Innovative Team - Foon Yew High School with their
the preliminary round. The top 10 winning business plan entitled ‘Johor Printarise Café’.
Carson and Emily as
emcees!
Ms Ng Mun Foong
(VU Alumnus)
Mr. Malvin Ong
(VU Alumnus)
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Yokohama City
University
I
Cultural Exchange Events
By Liew Kwai See
t was a great opportunity for students
from the Victoria University Bachelor of
Business program at Sunway College,
when Yokohama City University offered the
2015 Intensive Science Summer Program
invitation. Participation in this exchange
program with my friends, Darren, Vincent
and Li Hong was an eye-opening experience
for all of us.
Upon landing at Narita International
Airport, Tokyo, we took the public transport
to Yokohama, the second largest city in
Japan. The Intensive Science Summer
Program offered a series of lectures and
Enjoying authentic Japanese ramen after a
workshops revolving around the theme
long day touring Tokyo
of globalisation. They were presented by
professors from various universities as well
as experts from their respective industries.
The topics ranged from bio-technology
innovations to the Economics and
Geopolitics of Asian countries and the
workshops encouraged exchange of
opinions and thoughts.
What I enjoyed most from this exchange
program was meeting people from various
countries such as Hong Kong, Philippines,
China, Korea and not forgetting Japan.
The local students from Yokohama City
University were very welcoming and friendly
With our Japanese
Receiving the
as they offered to be our tour guides and friends at the Tsurugaoka
Certificate of
took us around. We had an amazing time
Hachiman-gu
Completion from the
together, exploring Japan whilst sharing our
Shrine in
President of YCU
cultures and differences with each other.
Kamakura, Yokohama
It was with a heavy heart that everyone
said goodbye at the end of the program.
Though we might not meet again anytime
soon, we knew that our friendship had
culminated in a bond that would never be
broken.
“What I enjoyed most from
this exchange program was
meeting people at Yokohama
City University”
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AUP Talents Shine at ‘One World’ Intercollege Challenge
S
By Ms. Anita Paul
unway College was proudly
represented
together
with
UTM,
APU,
UTAR,NILAI
University,UNIMAP, UNIMAS and HELP
University. There were two categories in
this singing competition: the Nusantara
Category for students from Brunei
and Indonesia, and the International
Category for students from outside
the region as far as Kenya, Iran and
Yemen. The competition aimed to
The three representatives from Sunway
bring International students together to
before the start of the competition
appreciate what Malaysia has to offer.
The eager representatives from Sunway College were from the Australian University Program
(AUP). Competing in the Nusantara Category were Muhamad Zuhaldi and Ricca Agness. In the
International Category, Masahiro Kato, our Japanese student from Hiroshima competed.
Ricca Agness had to calm her nerves, being the first
contestant for the day but when she took centre stage , it
looked like she owned it. The crowd gave her an approving
applause as she belted out the popular Siti Nurhaliza’s
classic ‘Bukan Cinta Biasa’. Looking stunning in her outfit
and head band, she kicked off the competition on a ‘high
note’, with confidence and poise.
Muhamad Zuhaldi sang the ever classic hit ‘Kau
Ilhamku’ in a slow-rock version that rang through the open
surroundings with the audience humming or swaying to
the familiar tune. There was a warm fuzzy feeling as he
A shiny trophy and cash prize win
decreased his tempo and showed off his voice control with
much prowess.
Then came the International category. Masahiro came on stage, clad in a brightly coloured Baju
Melayu, complete with a small Malaysian flag sticking out of his vibrantly shimmering sarong. After
greeting the audience in Malay, he proceeded to astound the crowd with the catchy melody of
‘Gemuruh’ by Faizal Tahir. The part that got the audience’s immediate and excited reaction was
when Masahiro seemed to be ending the song, but played on and sang the words ‘Saya suka
Malaysia!’ repeatedly. The crowd went wild!
Muhamad Zuhaldi was awarded Special Judges Award for Best Vocal. Masahiro emerged as
2nd runner up for the International Category and also won a separate title for Best Performer! Our
students became celebrities for the day with so many people coming to congratulate them, offering
them words of encouragement and appreciation for their performance. Our students handled the
questions and conversations with professionalism, containing
their excitement even though they were practically mobbed by
the well-wishers!
The two Sunway students with the two winning titles were
specially requested by the organizers to perform at the closing
ceremony the next day. This was originally not part of the plan
as only the champions for both categories were to perform.
The organizers mentioned that they enjoyed their delivery and
it would be a crowd pleaser. So, Masahiro and Zuhaldi did
justice to the request by attending the closing ceremony and Masahiro with his ‘catch of the day’
belted their hearts out with pride and honour!
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By Gabriel Oh Jun Whye
A Perfect Night
To fall in Love with a Stranger
L
ove is likened
to a beautiful
masquerademen and women
wearing their masks,
hiding their good
looks. Everyone in
the grand ballroom
looked so elegant
on VU Night – “The
Masquerade Ball”.
VU Night 2015 was
held at the Grand
Ballroom, Renaissance
KL Hotel on 24th April
2015 with the theme
‘Behind the Masks:
The Masquerade Ball’.
This was the first time
VU Night was hosted in
VUBC Awards – Awards for the VUBC committee members
Kuala Lumpur.
The event was
graced by Puan
Sri Datin Seri Dr.
Susan Cheah, EXCO
member of Sunway
Group; Dr. Elizabeth
Lee, Senior Executive
Director of Sunway
Education Group; Ms.
Greeja De Silva, Head
of Australian University
Program (AUP); Dr.
Hendry Ng, Head of
VU MBA Program, Mrs.
Irene Teoh, Assistant
Head
of
AUP, and
our beloved
members
of
AUP
family. There
were 320
attendees
including
students
and alumni.
Awards for Outstanding Achievement
Also invited were special guests from Charis Home and Society of
the Interpreters for the Deaf.
The event started off with a mysterious skeet and dance
performance by VUBC, followed by a funky uptown performance by
the AUP staff with Mrs Irene crying out ‘Is that all you got?!’. There were
vocal performances from our very own VU students, Tay Jun Ling and
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VU Monsieur and Mademoiselle
Masahiro & Friends
who mesmerized
the crowd. There
were also band
performances by
Blimps Audio, Tier 3,
and Penny & Sisters
and also dance
performances
by Centre Stage
and VU student,
Shervyn Chia.
The Outstanding
A c a d e m i c
Achievements,
VUBC Awards and
CPA & MICPA Top
Achiever Awards
were among the
highlights of the
night, recognizing
students’ hard
work and success.
At 11pm, the
first slow dance
was initiated by
VU Monsieur &
Mademoiselle
followed by the
other gentlemen
leading the ladies
onto the dance
floor.
VU
Night
2015 was an
event brought
together by VUBC,
students, alumni
as well as the
AUP staff. Special
appreciation must
be given to our
generous sponsors
for the door gifts
and lucky draw
prizes.
The VU Night Committee members
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I
Building Career Connections
t was an important day for Sunway Meet The Naked CEO
Education Group and the students
By Tan Soon Liang, Bryan & Lon Vin Sen
from Sunway CPA Australia Student
Charter (SCSC), when they hosted “The Naked Ceo”, Mr. Alex Malley,
the CEO of CPA Australia. Mr. Malley was invited to give a talk, “Meet the
Naked
CEO”.
Mr. Alex Malley on stage
Before the main
event, there was
a small session
with Mr. Alex
Malley in the CPA
Masterclass. This
special session
was intended for
the CPA student
ambassadors
to have a more
personal session
with the man himself. CPA ambassadors from Monash University, INTI
University and Taylor’s University were invited to attend. The CPA
Masterclass began with everyone introducing themselves, their current
year of study and their course majors.
At 2.45pm, everyone made their way to the Jeffrey Cheah Hall 1 at the New
University building. Mr. Alex Malley, sharing his experiences, knowledge,
and wisdom, was impressive and inspiring, sometimes giving the crowd a
good chuckle with his funny and amazing experiences. Students had the
opportunity
to get their
“The Naked
CEO”
book
authographed
and to take
photos with
him.
Group photo with CPA Australia Student Ambassadors and Mr.
Alex Malley
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Interviews with VU Alumni
Bryan Teoh
1. Why did you choose VU and how has it changed your
decisions towards your choice of career path?
VU offers the 3+0 program which allows us to
complete our degree without having to go overseas.
What I learned in VU developed in me a great interest
in marketing and sales, which is what I’m currently
doing.
2. What is your best experience or the most memorable
moment that you had in VU?
One of my best VU experiences was when I took part in the cat walk on VU night. The greatest
moment for me was winning the Sportsman of the Year award.
3. Do you have any lecturer in mind who brought you the most impact during your course in VU?
I believe Ms Moy is the one. She may be strict and she nagged us often but at the end of the
day, she just wanted us to study. I also remember Ms Greeja, Mr Tee and Ms Jennifer who are
among the longest serving VU lecturers.
4. As a sportsmanship awardee, how did you manage to balance between your sports events and
studies?
I am passionate about sports but I feel it is also important to manage your time and studies.
I participated in badminton, football and volleyball. What I did was to pay attention and write
down important notes during lectures. University life doesn’t have to be about studies only. Don’t
get stressed out – participate in sports!
5. Do you have any advice for the current VU students?
College is the best time to enjoy your life. After graduating, you have to start on your career
path and you will have a lot of commitments. So have fun and enjoy your college life.
1. Why did you choose VU and how has it influenced your choice of
career path?
VU offered the 3+0 program that allowed me to graduate locally with
an overseas degree. The lecturers were very helpful and I remember how
passionate they were about guiding students towards achieving their academic
goals.
2. How does your completion of degree in VU help you with your career?
In VU, there are a lot of projects and assignments and back-to-back
deadlines. In the work-force, there are also a lot of deadlines, and handling
projects involves a lot of communication and team work. In VU, mixing with
friends from mixed backgrounds widened my acceptance of new things. I
became more independent.
3. Do you have any lecturer in mind who brought the most impact in Meagan Liew Pei Yee
your life throughout your course in VU?
Ms Greeja was very strict but she made sure that we learnt. You had to
complete all her assignments or you would have to leave her tutorials. Mr Jason, Ms Moy, Mr Tee,
Ms Haslinda and Ms Jennifer were always approachable. They all put in the extra effort to make
sure that we studied.
4. Do you have any advice for the current students of VU?
As Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah believes, you must have a prepared mind, then only will fortune be
around you. I would also say you should play hard, but study harder!
5. Is there a particular reason why you chose to work in Sunway after your completion of VU?
Yes, I feel at home in Sunway because of the warmth of the Sunway people. Also, I have always
wanted to work in the education industry, and Sunway offered me the opportunity to work with them.
1111
Giving Back to the Community Donations to Nepal
By Jason Tan Yie Jiat
I
t was a week that none will forget, especially the ones who went through the 7.8
magnitude earthquake in Nepal. This major earthquake killed more than 8,000 people.
Many of us, although physically not there, prayed for them and tried to help in any
way we could.
The fundraising drive was held for a week.
VUBC members made announcements
during lectures and the total contribution
from VU students totalled RM 968.40. The
initiative was started by Sunway Student
Volunteers(SSV), followed by VUBC at the
request of an appeal from VU alumni, Inky
from Nepal. From Sunway Education Group,
a grand total of RM 3,527 was raised. The
money was handed over to World Vision by
To help those in need is an act of kindness,
SSV and VUBC.
no matter big or small.
Fugee School
I
By Fang Yue Ching (Catherine)
n the early morning of Saturday, 29th August
2015, 25 VUBC members visited Fugee School in
Gombak. After we assembled together, the person
in-charge of the school introduced us to the 25 students,
the headmaster and the assistant headmaster.
We had outdoor and indoor games and conducted a
culinary art class. A McDonald’s lunch was sponsored
by VU students and staff. It was a thrill for them.
After lunch, we moved on to ‘Culinary Art Class’. We
prepared some cookies and icing sugar for the students
to decorate. This was the most enjoyable part
of the visit for all of us. We then distributed all
the gifts that we had brought along.
Before we ended our visit, we took a group
photo. Our goodbyes were said with heavy
hearts. After we had cleaned up, we departed
at 4.00pm.
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Diary Section
VU Theme Day
By Amanda Wong Suet Yi
Photos: Carson Leong
Monochromatic
tones have never
looked so lively!
Turning the
campus into a
runway during
the 2015 VU
Theme Day!
By Pharu Syedh
Celebrate VU Tea Party 2015
Photos: Carson Leong
Date: 13 April 2015
Mr. Rhys Williams
(Director of International
Development, VU)
Mr. Brendon McCarthy
(Director of Learning and
Teaching, VU)
giving students some tips!
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VUBC Team Building at Nur Eco
Confession night,
tired but worth it!
By Chong Jia Wen
Financial Workshop
“Fail to plan, plan to fail.”
19th August 2015
SCSC Finance Game 2015
We made it! Come and join us next year for the
“Deal or No Deal” finance game! By Loh Zi En
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VU @ Sunway Family Tree
Ms. Greeja De Silva
(Head)
Ms. Irene Teoh
(Assistant Head)
Administration
Ms. Lee Phaik Im
(Assistant Manager)
Mr. Jason Cheok
Ms. Ng Lena
(Senior Executive)
Ms. Jennifer
Choong
Ms. Noorwati Ismail
(Executive)
Ms. Yannawathi D. A.
Perera
(Executive)
Senior Lecturers
Ms. Moy Tow
Yoon
Mr. Tee Chwee
Kiat
Ms. Wong Chong
Keng
Lecturers
Ms. Silastri Mohd
Nasir
(Executive)
Dr. Benedict V.
Arulanandam
Ms. A. Alagarani
Ms. Anita P. Paul
Ms. Chitra Devi
Ms. Chong Nam Cook
Ms. Dharshini
Balasingam
Ms. Dashini
Thavanayagam
Ms. Fong Yen Foon
Ms. Haslinda
Mohd Yunus
Ms. Kalanithi
Muthu
Ms. Lim Fung Ching
Ms. Racheal L. Vincent
Ms. Samantha Liew
Ms. Shakirah
Shahabudin
Ms. Soon Pei Shan
Ms. Prema Selvarajah
Mr. Sunil K. Sajnani
Ms. Teh Ya Yee
Mr. Teoh Cheng San
Ms. Uma Devi Uturaju
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