THE 10TH CHAPTER OF INGRAW

Overly full housed at University Conference Hall (DPU), Universiti Sains Malaysia

Alhamdulillah. ISDEV with the cooperation of the Institute of Postgraduate Studies (IPS), successfully co-organised the 10th ISDEV International Graduate Workshop 2015 (INGRAW 2015) at the University Conference Hall (DPU) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The two days conference was held with the focused aim to provide the platform for research students either at the Master or PhD level to present and share their researches to fellow participants.

The presenters' enthusiasm display passion to their research while presenting the papers at INGRAW 2015

Two Keynote Addresses were delivered at INGRAW 2015. Acting ISDEV Director, Dr. Fadzila Azni Ahmad was the first Keynote Address speaker who talked on "The Realization of Islamic Intellectual Traditions in Graduate Studies". Dr Fadzila had also officiated the opening of INGRAW 2015. The second Keynote Address was delivered on the second day of the conference by ISDEV Director, Professor Dr. Muhammad Syukri Salleh on “Topic Construction of Postgraduate Research”.

The seriousness and commitment exhibited by the resource persons in giving their feedback on the papers written and presented by the presenters of INGRAW 2015.

INGRAW 2015 saw a total number of 90 papers presented ranging from topics on “Human Development” to “Poverty and Politics” and from “Islamic Banking and Financing” to “Waqf and Trustee”. The presenters comprised of postgraduate students from ISDEV and other universities including universities from Brunei Darussalam (Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali –UNISSA) and Indonesia (Universitas Muhammadiyyah Sumatera Utara –UMSU). Other than that, presenters from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) were also assembled at DPU to share their postgraduate researches which were related to Islam.

The Session Chairs in action while the participants pro-actively listened to the presentations

The opportunity for these postgraduate students to present their research papers proved the readiness of students to openly discuss their research and ideas in return for feedback, comments, debates and even criticism on how best they could improve their research endeavours and theses writing. For some presenters the opportunity to present their research before a reviewer and an audience had definitely helped them to inject some level of confidence and perhaps erase some fear of public speaking within themselves.

Books by ISDEV members were on sale during INGRAW 2015.

Meanwhile, all participants were satisfied with the professionalism displayed by all the members of the Organizing Committee of INGRAW 2015 as all the three concurrent sessions of the workshop ran effortlessly and efficiently. The Chairperson of the Organizing Committee for INGRAW 2015, Dr Azrin Ibrahim, had successfully mobilized every member in her team to ensure the smooth running and implementation of the 10th chapter of INGRAW. Due to some health challenges faced by the chairperson to be physically present throughout INGRAW 2015 however, the high commitment and tightly knit cooperation displayed by the committee members throughout the two days event were evidently displayed which contributed greatly to the success of INGRAW 2015.