TAPAH, 11 July 2023-The Faculty of Applied Sciences (FSG) at UiTM Perak Branch, Tapah Campus, organized a BIO122 hands-on workshop on answering structured questions for Semester 1 students. This workshop is a continuation from the previous semester, running from October 2022 to February 2023. During the previous semester, this workshop was mainly conducted to revise the lessons and provide guidelines and techniques for answering structured questions. However, in the current semester, from March to August 2023, the workshop comprises revision sessions and hands-on activities related to answering structured questions. The objectives of this workshop are to review the lessons to enhance students’ understanding of the facts and concepts they’ve learned, expose students to techniques for answering structured questions, and prepare them for the final examination.

This hands-on workshop was held during week 14 of the semester and was led by Mrs. Tavasuria Elangovan, a Biology lecturer at FSG, UiTM Perak Branch, Tapah Campus. One hundred students from three classes participated in this hands-on workshop, which included three sessions. The first session involved revising the chapters learned using “Module Revision and Techniques to Answer Structured Questions.” These sessions were conducted during each class lecture based on the students’ timetables. The second session was a hands-on workshop that included all students from the three classes and took place on the 11th of July 2023, from 2 pm to 5 pm. Students were divided into small groups where they collaborated, discussed, and answered BIO122 past-year questions from February 2023. The students’ answers were reviewed and guided by the class lecturer based on the keywords in the structured questions. Students learned techniques for answering and explaining their responses to structured questions. The third session occurred during each class tutorial time and focused on discussing a different set of past-year questions. During this session, students had the opportunity to ask further questions and clarify any doubts.

This workshop, with its revision sessions, helped students overcome misconceptions related to Biology concepts. Furthermore, it provided Semester 1 students with valuable techniques for answering structured questions based on keywords, which they can apply in future semesters when taking tests or exams in Biology subjects. In addition, hands-on workshops help students cultivate 21st-century skills such as hands-on learning, collaborative problem-solving, critical thinking, and effective communication skills through speaking and writing. Consequently, hands-on workshops in education hold great significance and are essential for students’ future success.

Author:
Puan Tavasuria Elangovan
Lecturer (Biology)
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, Tapah Campus, Tapah Road, 35400 Perak, Malaysia.
tavasuria[at]uitm.edu.my