UAD–UiTM Malaysia Strengthens the International Collaboration: Discussing E-Portfolio, Creative Industry, and Initiating New Collaboration

Yogyakarta, December 2, 2025 – The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) of Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) once again held the Educator Forum as a platform for enhancing lecturers’ capacity and strengthening quality assurance in learning through Outcome-Based Education (OBE). In this session, FKIP collaborated with the Faculty of Literature, Culture, and Communication (FSBK) and invited two experts from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, to discuss the strengthening of digital assessment through e-portfolios.

The event, held at the Educator Hall of FKIP Building, Campus 4 UAD, was attended by representatives from 22 study programs, creating an academic discussion that brought together cross-country experiences in implementing OBE.

UiTM Introduces Creative Industry Practices and Advanced Assessment Models

In the first presentation session, Prof. Wan Aida Wan Yahya, Dean of the Faculty of Film, Theatre and Animation (FiTA) at UiTM, introduced the landscape of creative learning at UiTM. Prof. Aida explained that FiTA develops a curriculum closely aligned with industry practices. Many of its lecturers are active professionals in film, animation, and theatre, allowing the learning approach to integrate both academic perspectives and professional practice.

She also highlighted existing collaboration opportunities with UAD and invited UAD academics to participate in the International Conference on Creative Practices in Film, Theater and Animation, which will be held in February 2026.

“Academic collaborations like this will strengthen lecturers’ capacity and open opportunities for cross-country creative research,” she stated.

E-Portfolio as a Holistic and Sustainable Assessment Tool

The next session was delivered by TS Siti Hajar Asnam, Head of the International Relations Office (IRO) of UiTM, who discussed the role of e-portfolios as a digital assessment tool based on OBE.

According to her, e-portfolios provide a comprehensive overview of students’ development, capturing not only the final results but also the entire learning process, including feedback, revisions, and self-reflection. At UiTM, several platforms are used to support this system, such as Future (UiTM’s LMS) for weekly instruction and link submission, Behance for visual-based portfolios, and Google Drive for writing assessments and direct document comments.

TS Hajar also emphasized the role of e-portfolios in monitoring student wellbeing.

“The reflections written by students often serve as early indicators of the pressures or challenges they face. From there, lecturers can provide more appropriate support,” she explained.

FGD Discusses New Collaboration Opportunities: Research, Curriculum, and Lecturer Exchange

To conclude the event, FKIP UAD, FSBK UAD, and UiTM held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to explore potential strategic collaborations. The discussion covered several key topics, including the development of OBE-based curricula, alignment of digital assessment standards, cross-disciplinary collaborative research, as well as opportunities for lecturer exchange programs and joint academic activities.

This FGD marked a concrete step in expanding UAD’s international network, particularly in strengthening lecturers’ competencies and fostering learning innovation.

UAD Continues to Promote 21st Century Learning

The Educator Forum with UiTM reaffirmed UAD’s commitment to building an adaptive and modern learning ecosystem aligned with the demands of the digital era. The implementation of e-portfolios and the newly explored UAD–UiTM collaboration opportunities are expected to contribute to improving educational quality and expanding the global networks of both institutions.