iCGPA: Is it a must have or good to have? Part I

The mention of the acronym iCGPA would either send a sense of meaningfulness or a shiver through the spine of academics. A smile or a frown. A positive or negative response. It depends very much on how much (or lack of) correct information one has.

Standing for integrated Cumulative Grade Point Average, it is a novel mechanism to report the performance of tertiary students' attainment of an academic programme learning outcomes that are designed based on the 8 Learning Outcome Domains stipulated by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA). All public and private universities in Malaysia must design their academic programmes according to these domains and get accreditation from the MQA.

The reporting of the attainment uses the radar graph that looks like a spider web with 8 strands/spindles. Each strand represents each learning outcome domain: 1) Knowledge, 2) Practical Skills, 3) Social Skills and Responsibilities, 4) Values, Ethics and Professionalism, 5) Communication, Leadership and Teamwork Skills, 6) Problem Solving and Scientific Skills, 7) Information Management and Life Long Learning Skills, and 8) Managerial and Entrepreneurial Skills.

To achieve that, the curriculum design of an academic programme such as Dentistry and Applied Language Studies has to be deeply thought and deliberated with the main learning outcome domains in mind. What main attributes must the graduates from both programmes have? Logically, graduates from both fields of study must exhibit different skills set which are uniquely representing the tools of the trade for each field. That is precisely the 2 main intention of iCGPA: 1) to be able to show explicitly that students of a particular field of study must demonstrate the abilities to perform according to the needs of a related profession, and 2) to be able to nurture attributes that build well-rounded, holistic persons/graduates.

These are the mission, vision and aspirations of the nation to address the needs of the future workforce. It is about the redesigning of the current academic curriculum.