EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF INTERGRATED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION IN ACQUIRING GENERIC SKILLS

The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia has taken an initiative action to implement an integrated project (IP) for the second and third year students commencing Session 2006/2007 in order to further improve the teaching and learning process of students. This IP integrates three or four core departmental courses offered at each semester. The IP delivered to students is a chemical/biochemical engineering type of problem that requires indefinite and open solution. This approach can enhance the acquirement of generic kills among students including leadership, team work, oral and written communication and lifelong learning in obtaining current and quality information. The student achievement in completing their IP task is being assessed and evaluated through oral presentation and written report. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of IP after being implemented for four years in the department. A survey was distributed in a graduate ceremony to the first batch students that had gone through the complete cycle of adopting IP during their study in the department. The analysis results on the IP effectiveness show the increasing confidence in acquiring the generic skills of oral and written communication, team work, lifelong learning and current issue identification in students since the IP firstly being implemented during their second year of study. Positive feedbacks were obtained from the students and they recommended the IP implementation to be sustained in future since it had assisted and facilitated them a lot in completing their final year design project.