SUSTAINING THE ISDEV-UNISSA BOND

Some of the organising committee members of MASA ISDEV-UNISSA@USM who were at the airport
to welcome the UNISSA participants from Brunei Darussalam.

On 12 July, 2016 a handful of ISDEV students were seen at the Pulau Pinang International Airport. They were there to eagerly await for the arrival of 10 postgraduate students from Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam who were participating in the 2nd ISDEV-UNISSA Socio-Academic Laboratory (MASA ISDEV-UNISSA @USM) programme.

Organising committee with the participants upon arrival at the Pulau Pinang International Airport

This programme is a return visit from UNISSA which signified the ties that bind these two institutions to not only further the bond that has been sealed but to ensure the sustainability of the bond too. 2nd MASA ISDEV-UNISSA@USM (or MASA@USM) acts as the continuation of the 1st MASA ISDEV-UNISSA @UNISSA (or MASA@UNISSA). The programme is designed to provide the platform for the sharing of expertise, knowledge and experiences to the participants of UNISSA at ISDEV. In line with the MASA@UNISSA programme, this years' activities were not only confined to the academically-inclined activities but also included social services as well as getting out and about the beautiful island of Pulau Pinang.

Participants of MASA@USM  diligently listening to the lectures on Data Collection given by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zakaria.

In terms of the academic programme, participants were required to attend classes on Islamic-based Research Methodology which entailed three main components. They are Research Design conducted by Dr. Wan Norhaniza Wan Hasan, Data Collection by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zakaria Bahari and Dr. Shahir Akram Hasan, and finally Data Analysis by Dr. Fadzila Azni Ahmad.

MASA@USM Participant, Abu Hasan from Thailand presenting part of his Master's research during the Data Analysis class conducted by Dr Fadzila Azni.

The Islamic-based Research Methodology classes received an overwhelming response from the participants. From these classes, ISDEV lecturers took the opportunity to help the participants in their postgraduate research as well as in writing their theses.