Already in the opening days of January 2024, the world bore witness to extreme weather events, geopolitical upheaval, plane collisions, and refugee crises. Such phenomena are more than just headlines. In fact, they typify an acronym that has been around since the late 1980s: VUCA.

VUCA – representing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – describes a world that is difficult to predict, interpret, respond to, or plan for. One such VUCA event is the Covid-19 outbreak. Another would be the emergence of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), especially large language models like ChatGPT, and text-to-image engines like Stable Diffusion.

VUCA – representing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – describes a world that is difficult to predict, interpret, respond to, or plan for.

Such events can, and often do, blindside countries, industries, and organisations. That universities, including OUM, quickly began holding classes and exams online during the pandemic underscores just how important it is to be adaptable when the situation calls for it.

The reason I am emphasising VUCA in this issue of inspired is to highlight at the start of this new year how OUM will likely face many volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous situations over the next 12 months. These may include, for instance, ethical considerations surrounding AI and its repercussions on academic integrity. This, in particular, is a consequential matter that will require universities to carefully and holistically tackle any of its arising challenges.

As we face such possibilities (as well as others yet unimagined), OUM quite simply must know what to do if we want to continue providing excellent higher education. In other words, at the heart of VUCA is a mission we do not take lightly: whatever the situation, we must always do what is right for our learners and the OUM academic community.

Looking back, looking ahead

The last two years of my appointment as OUM’s fourth President/Vice-Chancellor have been challenging. Nevertheless, during this time the University achieved many things that I am very proud of.

at the heart of VUCA is a mission we do not take lightly: whatever the situation, we must always do what is right for our learners and the OUM academic community.

Learners and their needs have remained our priority. Nine programmes are now open for application under APEL.Q, an assessment approach that maximises the recognition of prior experiential learning to directly award accredited academic qualifications. The Bachelor of Islamic Studies, Master of Early Childhood Education, and Doctor of Business Administration programmes are among the nine.

Enhancement of our learning materials, in particular the development of more than 70 H5P-ready e-modules covering more than 40 programmes, is an ongoing project to make online learning more interactive and engaging.

We have also sought industry recognition for specific academic programmes; this has most recently involved the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health and the Chartered Management Institute.

Our academics have been keeping busy, as well. Throughout 2022 and 2023, they produced about 150 research publications, more than 30 of which were indexed journal papers. Quite a few papers have even won awards at international conferences.

Along with OUM’s creative and technical experts, they have also joined forces with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Nuclear Science Technology Academy to develop courses for education professionals.

In addition, we have made dedicated effort to stamp our mark overseas. Newly inked partnerships, for instance, with Universitas Ubudiyah and Open University of China, will make OUM more visible in the two giant nations of Indonesia and China.

Meanwhile, efforts to reconnect with such international bodies as the Commonwealth of Learning and the Asian Association of Open Universities, and join such new initiatives as the China-ASEAN Digital Education Alliance and Consortium for the Benchmarking Framework for Online, Open, Smart, and Technology-Enhanced Education, will pave the way for OUM’s deeper involvement in regional and global initiatives in open and distance learning.

Best of all, we continued to see our learners succeed. More than 10,000 of them graduated over the last two convocations, bringing the cumulative number of OUM graduates to 103,000 since 2004.

The last two years have also seen OUM receiving several accolades. In 2022, we were voted one of Malaysia’s best universities for human resource studies (Talentbank Group), and received an award for people’s choice in education and learning (Putra Aria Brand Awards). In 2023, we received a five-star rating in online learning (QS Stars) and were honoured as a winner at the Asia Best Employer Brand Awards.

Best of all, we continued to see our learners succeed. More than 10,000 of them graduated over the last two convocations, bringing the cumulative number of OUM graduates to 103,000 since 2004.

Looking ahead, several metrics stand out as our key initiatives in 2024 and 2025. Among them are new programme disciplines and concentrations to be introduced, including data science and supply chain management, and intensified efforts to further boost industry recognition. More qualifications will also be made available through APEL.Q to allow a greater number of people from a variety of backgrounds to obtain OUM qualifications.

As we move forward in our journey towards becoming a fully digital university, OUM will develop an integrated centralised data management system, which is expected to improve learner retention by leveraging data-driven insights to track academic progress, identify problem areas, and ultimately ensure learner success. Our in-progress digital transformation plan will also comprise, among others, a smart proctoring system to assure assessment integrity.

Moulding OUM into a university concerned with more sustainable approaches and one that can contribute to greater global goals, we will also be modernising our curricula by introducing new programme and course topics in sustainable development goals, and environmental, social, and corporate governance.

Cultivating organisational agility

As I think about the extraordinary events that have shaped higher education in the last few years, I believe the key to overcoming VUCA is agility.

I would like to propose a different VUCA: vigilance, understanding, collaboration, and adaptability.

So, as OUM braces for the challenges that will surely loom in 2024, I hope to be part of a team that is agile, nimble, and responsive. For this reason, I would like to propose a different VUCA: vigilance, understanding, collaboration, and adaptability.

To be vigilant, we must remain alert and anticipate changes within and outside our organisation. OUM’s risk management approach, for example, should involve preparing for such potential complications as post-pandemic enrolment patterns and changing study behaviours, and proposing in advance the relevant mitigating and contingency strategies.

To best understand where we are, we must be willing to review our institutional performance, be honest about what works and what does not, and invest in competitive intelligence and scenario planning. We need to continue to listen to our learners and stakeholders, as their input is essential. No organisation, after all, exists in a vacuum.

To instil a collaborative spirit, we must strive to create an open, transparent, and supportive environment. Walls should come down and barriers removed. People should be given the chance to excel individually as well as contribute in teams.

To be adaptable means being open to new ideas and changing strategies as and when we need to. Innovation has to be actively encouraged at every stratum as we seek useful solutions and better ways of doing things.

In my hopes of leading OUM to achieve the above, I am reminded of a Chinese proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.” OUM must now be agile and plant new trees of our own, and I hope inspired readers will join us as our efforts take root.

Have a productive semester ahead.

Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang
President/Vice-Chancellor