WBL Model Produces Competitive, Future-proof Media Graduates - Experts

By Muhammad Faiz Baharin

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- The implementation of the Work-Based Learning (WBL) model in Higher Education Institutions (IPT) is seen as the most progressive formula in the effort to produce future-proof media and communication graduates who are competitive in the job market.

On average, experts in the field of journalism and communication believe that conventional industrial training, which usually lasts between three and six months during the final year of study, is no longer sufficient to keep up with the pace of today's technological evolution.

Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Dr Ima Liana Esa said that through WBL, which uses a hybrid approach, students do not have to wait until their final year to understand the real reality, but can instead apply classroom theory directly in the challenging industrial ecosystem in real time.

"This progressive step is not only able to bridge the skills gap between universities and industry, but also builds the resilience and maturity of students in handling advanced technology practically before they step into the world of work," she told Bernama.

According to her, the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies UiTM has already implemented the WBL concept through the 2u1i Programme (two years in university, one year in industry) involving the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Broadcasting programme.

"This three-year study structure combines four semesters of academic studies on campus with two semesters of direct work placement at media companies or related agencies. I strongly support the WBL concept being applied more widely," she said.

In line with her was the deputy dean (Research & Graduate Studies) of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, UCSI University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hamedi Mohd Adnan, who described the WBL model as the best platform to expose students to actual organisational operations and professional assignments.

The president of the Malaysian Editors' Association (PEM) said WBL also has the potential to increase students' marketability by producing media graduates with solid theoretical knowledge, in addition to providing relevant practical experience in facing industry challenges in the digital era and artificial intelligence (AI).

“The benefits to students are enormous. They gain deeper work experience, build professional networks earlier, increase self-confidence and develop communication, leadership and problem-solving skills in real-life situations.

“In many cases, students who follow such programmes also have the opportunity to receive job offers from the organisations where they are trained before graduating,” he said.

However, Hamedi said that IPT cannot function solely as job training centres because the institution is responsible for developing students’ critical thinking, theoretical foundations, professional ethics, creativity and intellectual capabilities.

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) senior lecturer in Communications Dr Syed Agil Shekh Alsagoff said that the ​WBL model is the future of media education, while describing the conventional industrial training period as too short and passive.

“​WBL is more relevant, by placing students in the industry earlier, they are directly exposed to the reality of technological evolution. Unlike conventional methods, what they learn in class in year one may be outdated in year three if not directly practised in the industry.

“It is also two-in-one, students not only get a degree, but also build a strong portfolio of work before they even go to convocation. This will drastically increase their marketability,” he said.

Meanwhile, experts also agree that the traditional journalism curriculum should be updated to keep pace with technological developments, including AI, media analytics, data journalism and digital communication technology.

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HAWANA-WBL 4 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR

Syed Agil said it was critical for educational institutions to ensure that graduates had skills that kept pace with the rapid changes in the industry.

“The media studies syllabus could no longer focus solely on writing theory, but instead should shift to developing emotional intelligence and ethics, including training students to understand audience psychology, cultural sensitivity and the impact of writing on society, which is something that AI algorithms do not have,” he said.

Ima Liana, on the other hand, said that the media, communication and journalism curriculum in IPT today needed a radical paradigm shift by reducing the emphasis on basic technical aspects that could be handled by AI generative systems.

On the other hand, she said that students needed to be trained in depth on responsive interview methods, social impact analysis of a narrative, moral responsibility towards vulnerable communities as well as humanitarian values ​​and editorial integrity that could not be replicated by any algorithm.

Meanwhile, lecturer in the Department of Communication and Media at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Dr Ahmad Sauffiyan Abu Hasan said that the education syllabus needed to be empowered with digital skills as an effort to increase the commercial value of graduates in the job market.

“In addition, the skills that students need to have are media data management. This is because in this era, billions of data interact with each other every second, whether in the form of publications, likes, posts or shares. Mastery of media data management is a requirement in various organisations in Malaysia and the world.

“Also, one of the small shifts that can be made (in the syllabus) is to build investigative journalism skills that require the ability to cross-investigate between history, data and the field, which cannot be fully replicated by AI,” he said.

-- BERNAMA