FSSH UTM KL Hosts Postgraduate Academic Best Practices

Nurfarah Athirah Abdullah Sidek

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 – An informative sharing session on Best Practices for Postgraduate Management was held at the As-Syafie Room, Raja Zarith Sofiah Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilization (RZS-CASIS), by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur. The speaker for the half-day event was Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah Panatik, Deputy Dean (Academic and Student Affairs) of the FSSH, UTM.

Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah shared on the best practices

All of the faculty’s academic and support staff attended the session, which gave a thorough rundown of postgraduate academic duties and procedures. For both Master’s and PhD candidates, Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah provided structured pathways for research students that include explicit expectations for proposal defence, thesis submission, viva-voce requirements, and publication standards. Additionally, she emphasised the significance of prompt course registration, frequent progress reports, and supervisor-student interaction.

The attendees were attentively listening to the sharing session

Academic staff were also given an update on recent policy changes and procedural improvements made by the School of Graduate Studies (SPS) during the session. The assessment criteria, submission deadlines, and the incorporation of digital tools to expedite the documentation and monitoring procedures were all updated. In order to guarantee compliance with university-wide quality assurance measures and to give their postgraduate supervisees accurate guidance, faculty members were urged to become familiar with these changes.

The focus on proposal defence timelines and the repercussions of postponement, such as possible termination of candidature for non-compliance, were among the most important lessons learned. The importance of supervisors and students in maintaining academic standards was emphasised by the thorough reminders provided on procedural requirements, including abstract formatting, publication quality, and Turnitin similarity checks.

Concerns regarding proposal and viva coordination were raised, particularly the need for panellists and examiners to be more responsive. Additionally, changes to the academic award criteria and thesis abstract submission processes were discussed to better support UTM’s objectives of producing timely, high-calibre graduates.

One of the session’s most interesting parts was discussing the roles and responsibilities of examiners, viva chairs, and supervisors. Among the best practices for supervisors that Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah emphasised were regular monitoring of students’ progress, assessing the standard and applicability of publications, and confirming that thesis abstracts adhere to academic requirements. She emphasised that in order to maintain fair, professional, and academically compliant evaluation procedures, examiners must give prompt feedback, and viva chairs must lead sessions impartially.

Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah concluded the session with a reminder that academic excellence is a collective responsibility founded on proactive planning, professional ethics, and continuous communication through a hadith: “Indeed, Allah loves when any one of you does a job, he does it with excellence.” The session served as both a practical guide and a motivational call for FSSH academics to continue strengthening the postgraduate journey through effective academic stewardship.