OUM - Open University Malaysia

The Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDT) programme offered by Open University Malaysia (OUM) is a one-year professional teaching qualification programme fully accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). It is designed to meet the needs of those who possess a tertiary qualification intending to pursue a teaching profession but do not hold any nationally-recognized teaching qualification. With PGDT and other specified requirements, they may be registered as teachers and granted teaching permit upon application. According to the Education Act 1996, no person shall teach in an educational institution unless he or she is registered as a teacher by the Registrar General. In short, PGDT enables aspiring teachers to attain qualified teacher status.

PGDT’s current mode of delivery is blended, comprising face-to-face tutorials, online learning and learning support and self-managed learning with OUM’s modules and learning resources. Besides attending tutoring sessions at one of the OUM’s learning centres, learners are also able to access various kinds of learning materials and learning resources via OUM’s online learning management system (LMS) known as myINSPIRE. It provides an excellent platform for learners to perform self-managed learning. Complementing this, learners are also assigned to a dedicated e-Tutor/online-tutor to guide them and to provide consultation services in areas related to their courses. The specific courses/modules under this programme include Curriculum Development, Theories and Practices of Teaching and Learning, Guidance and Counselling, Educational Management, Educational Assessment, Instructional Technologies as well as Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning. All these courses are specially prepared to ensure that the aspiring teachers and educators are able to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills that meet the learning demands of 21st-century learners.

Towards the end of their study, learners will undergo a supervised practicum or teaching practice in selected schools or institutions of learning. The practicum emphasizes the application of theories in actual teaching and learning environment to equip learners with practical teaching and classroom management skills. Overall, OUM’s PGDT learners are expected to complete their 30 Credit hours within a year. Upon graduation, learners will be awarded the Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching or Diploma Lepasan Ijazah Dalam Pengajaran.