On 11 July 2023, the Department of Quantity Surveying under the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FBES) organized an external examiner visit to review the curriculum of the Bachelor of Science in Construction with Honours program. The external examiners invited are Associate Professor Dr Mohd Wira bin Mohd Shafiei, a lecturer from the School of Housing, Building & Planning at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and also Mr Phang Kok Peng, the Deputy General Manager of Procurement at UEM Sunrise. This visit was also attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FBES), Professor Dr Kherun Nita Bte Ali and members of the Department of Quantity Surveying.
The visit aimed to discuss the suitability of the curriculum currently being used for the Bachelor of Science in Construction program and to obtain suggestions for improving the program for teaching improvement in the future. The involvement of academics from USM and industry players from a major construction company is targeted to harvest brilliant ideas to increase the program’s competitiveness in producing competent graduates as the future drivers of the construction sector.
The visit agenda started with an opening speech from the program director, Sr. Dr Muzani Mustapa, to introduce the Department of Quantity Surveying and the program Bachelor of Science in Construction to the visiting examiners. Afterwards, a welcome speech by the invited guests Associate Professor Dr Mohd Wira bin Mohd Shafie and Mr Phang Kok Peng. They shared their hopes and expectations in their speech before starting the reviewing session. The program continued with a review session of teaching course files and interviews with students to get feedback on the effectiveness of this program. In addition, related learning materials, such as theses and curriculum handbooks, are also provided for the reference of external examiners.
Subsequently, the examiners interviewed the students in the program to get views and share about the program from the student’s perspective. The students involved have voluntarily agreed to help in this interview session to improve the program’s effectiveness in the future. The examiners were also taken on a tour to view the facilities made available by the department for the students to use.
The visit ended with the examiners’ presentation of their findings. Generally, the examiners have given positive feedback on the course of the program and are encouraged to continue to implement it to empower the construction graduates in the future. Some refinement ideas were also expressed to program coordinators and department directors for improvement. Most department members agree with the ideas that have been expressed and will consider them at a curriculum review meeting in the near future.
The examiners finally expressed their appreciation for the invitation from the Quantity Surveying department. The department also presented souvenirs to the visitors as a sign of appreciation for the contribution that had been made. It is hoped that this visit will yield positive results to catalyze the progress of the construction industry by applying useful knowledge for the next generation.