INGENIEUR
design activities that will allow a large number of participants , given constraints on resources .
BENEFITS OF STEM ENCULTURATION
Helping the community Knowledge transfer in agricultural engineering , for example hydroponic projects , could give additional income to the community through the sale of valuable agricultural products . Improved knowledge and community understanding of specific agricultural technologies were also observed through preliminary and final project evaluation results . The community was able to appreciate the application and potential of agricultural technology .
Human capital development STEM programmes prepare students as future enablers of technology innovation and advancement . Furthermore , STEM programmes provide a learning experience for university students as facilitators which enhance both soft skills and understanding theory , thus producing holistic graduates .
Visibility to the university Being one of the leading research universities in which agriculture is a niche , UPM has successfully developed STEM programmes for students , Orang Asli and other communities through DBAE with the goal of contributing to the development of wealth and nation building . The goal was accomplished by exploring and disseminating information . The STEM enculturation project may enhance the visibility of UPM in pursuit of the university ' s third goal to boost industry and community network services .
CONCLUSION
Limited exposure to agricultural activities and technology among the younger generation has led to low interest in the agricultural sector . The Urban Agrischool flagship is one of the community outreach programmes by DBAE UPM that focuses on introducing knowledge of Agricultural Engineering to attract the interest of students and youths to agriculture . The experience gained from the two programmes under the Urban Agrischool flagship has shown that strong support from academia , industry and the community are important to conduct , improve and sustain the community outreach programmes .
REFERENCE
[ 1 ] A . A . A . Abdullah , “ Some experiences in the development of agricultural engineering education in Malaysia ,” in World Conference on Education in Applied Engineering and Engineering Technology , 1984 , pp . 1 – 13 .
[ 2 ] K . Kumar , “ Malaysians Shun ‘ 3D ’ Jobs Because of Social Stigma , Not Low Wages , Employers Say ,” Malay Mail Online , Petaling Jaya , 17-Feb-2016 .
[ 3 ] H . R . A . Rashid , “ Govt looking into hiking wages to get youths interested in ‘ 3D work ’,” New Straits Times , Kuala Lumpur , 22-Nov- 2018 .
[ 4 ] Education Data Sector Ministry of Education Malaysia , “ Quick Facts 2019 : Malaysia Educational Statistics ,” Putrajaya , 2019 .
[ 5 ] The Star , “ Govt worried over dwindling number of STEM students ,” The Star , pp . 9 – 10 , 28-Sep-2019 .
[ 6 ] V . Thiruchelvam , “ Why Engineering Should Start at School Level ,” Driving STEM Education , Petaling Jaya , pp . 13 – 15 , Jun- 2016 .
[ 7 ] Malaysian Qualifications Register , “ Accreditation status of a programme ,” 2020 . [ Online ]. Available : https :// www2 . mqa . gov . my / mqr / english / eakrbyipta . cfm . [ Accessed : 21-Jul-2020 ].
[ 8 ] Engineering Accreditation Council Board of Engineers Malaysia , “ List of accredited engineering programme ( Malaysia ),” 2020 . [ Online ]. Available : http :// www . eac . org . my / web / list _ accredited . html . [ Accessed : 21-Jul- 2020 ].
[ 9 ] M . H . Hamzah , K . Nurulhuda , A . M . Mustafah , and M . Jahari , “ STEM Enculturation in Agricultural Engineering : The Needs for Government , Academia , Industry and Community Collaborations ,” Adv . Agric . Food Res . J ., no . 1 , pp . 1 – 4 , 2020 .
46 VOL 84 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020