Hundreds of new students attended orientation at the main campus, regional offices and learning centres nationwide on January 15th, and at the Kota Bharu Regional Office a day earlier.
PENANG REGIONAL OFFICE DIRECTOR K MANOHARAN WELCOMES THE STUDENTS.
At the main campus, 175 new students who had registered with the Penang Regional Office turned up. On hand to welcome them was director K. Manoharan who briefed them on WOU rules and regulations. The students were then treated to a pre-recorded message of the Vice Chancellor.
Student Muniandy, who enrolled for Bachelor of Technology (Hons) in Electronics, led the freshies in the oath-taking ceremony. Following this, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof Dato’ Dr Ho Sinn Chye presented certificates to the happy recipients of the Dean’s List award for outstanding academic achievement for the January 2011 semester. Eighteen students – out of the total 41 in the list – were from PGRO.
DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR PROF HO (CENTRE) WITH RECIPIENTS OF THE DEAN’S LIST AWARD.
Prof Ho briefed the new students on the WOU open distance learning (ODL) model and the postgraduate programmes. PGRO’s marketing and admission senior executive Saw Jong Khai explained about ITS, WawasanLearn and the online assignment submission (OAS); Senior Librarian Farzanah Ali Hassan talked about the library services and Turnitin; and SFLS senior lecturer Jasmine Emmanuel did the final briefing on study skills.
Meanwhile the spirits of the Ipoh Regional Office (IPRO) staff were at first dampened by the early morning heavy rain, with several calls coming in from students to inform their non-attendance. However, 62 students out of the total 101 freshies turned up, registering a pleasant 60% attendance.
STUDENTS TAKING THE PLEDGE AT THE IPOH REGIONAL OFFICE.
The IPRO staff donned pink t-shirts and the student helpers the WOU factor t-shirt for easy recognition by the freshies. Leftenan Muhazi Misuar, who enrolled for the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Management programme, led the new students in their pledge.
The whole orientation exercise went smoothly, with student representative Cheong Mei Ling, a recipient of the Dean’s List award, giving the welcome speech. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Liberal Studies.
School of Science and Technology dean Prof Dr Tham Choy Yoong from the main campus was down in Ipoh to talk about the ODL model, study skills and Master’s programmes.
The other sessions at IPRO were conducted by the in-house staff. Director Ching Huey Ling spoke on WOU regulations and procedures, and its learning support and services, while student services and admission senior executive Syndy Ho explained on WawasanLearn. Briefings on ITS and OAS were handled by marketing and admission senior executive Ngow Chee Wei, and that on library services and Turnitin by marketing and admission executive Zakiah Hanum Abdul Hamid.
NEW STUDENTS REGISTER FOR ORIENTATION.
As at Orientation Day, the total new student enrolment was 848. PGRO recorded the highest with 228 new students, followed by KLRO (171) and JBRO (145). The breakdown for the other ROs were: BURSO (107), IPRO (101), KCRO (88) and KBRO (8).
