Refining teaching and assessment methods in fulfilling the needs of employment: A Malaysian perspective

Institutions of Higher Education (HEIs) play a pivotal role in advancing the type of knowledge that can spur the economic growth of a nation. The last 30 years or so have witnessed an ever-widening gap between the nature of teaching and learning in HEIs and ways of obtaining and disseminating knowledge within the society at large, which has contributed to a recalibration of pedagogy and assessment to the needs of employment in Malaysia. The reality in most public universities in Malaysia today is that the inordinate emphasis on research and rankings has, not surprisingly, impacted on teaching and its related activities. With this in mind, this paper addresses the pedagogical issues related to teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education institutions in Malaysia and their probable relationship with employment.