F.A.Q.

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APEL.A

It is a systematic process for the identification, documentation, and evaluation of learning based on previous experience. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes are evaluated to determine the level at which an individual has achieved certain learning outcomes, in order to access a study programme and/or to obtain credits.

APEL.A enables individuals with working experience but do not possess or lack academic qualifications to enrol at a higher education provider (HEP), such as Open University Malaysia (OUM). In general, it involves the assessment of knowledge acquired by a person through formal education or previous experience.

 

Applications can be made online at https://www2.mqa.gov.my/apel_a/

For admission to a Master’s degree programme, candidates must be at least 30 years old from 1 January onwards in the year of application, possess an STPM or Diploma qualification or other recognised equivalent qualifications, and have relevant work experience.

For admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme, candidates must be at least 21 years old from 1 January in the year of application and have relevant work experience.

For admission to the Diploma programme, candidates must be at least 20 years old from 1 January in the year of application and have relevant work experience.

For admission to a Certificate programme, candidates must be at least 19 years old from 1 January in the year of application and have relevant work experience.

For now, the APEL.A assessment in Malaysia is intended for admission to a HEP only. It is applicable for four levels of admission:

i. Certificate programme APEL T-3
ii. Diploma programme APEL T-4
iii. Bachelor’s programme APEL T-6
iv. Master’s programme APEL T-7

 

APEL certification can be used by applicants only for furthering their studies at a HEP. It does not award qualifications like a HEP programme. An APEL certificate also cannot be used for employment purposes.

For example, APEL T-7 can only be used to apply for admission to a HEP to study at the Master’s level. It is not an award for a Master’s programme offered by the HEP.

They can engage in full-time or part-time studies.

For Master’s programme, the modes permitted are coursework mode and blended mode.

Yes, and it is according to level:

Certificate (Level 3) & Diploma (Level 4) RM155.00
Bachelor (Level 6) RM250.00
Master (Level 7) RM370.00
  • At least two months for APEL T-3, APEL T-4 and APEL T-6 from the date of completed application*.
  • At least three months for APEL T-7 from the date of completed application*.

* Note:   The APEL evaluation period depends on the candidate. The period stated is for those who pass the assessment. If a candidate fails and needs to repeat it, the evaluation period will be longer.

APEL T-3, APEL T-4, and APEL T-6: Aptitude Test and Portfolio.

APEL T-7: Aptitude Test, Portfolio, and Interview.

The test structure for Level 3 and Level 4 is as follows:

Malay Language 10 objective questions 2 hours
English Language 10 objective questions
Mathematics 10 objective questions
General Knowledge/Critical Thinking 10 objective questions

Note: Applicants must answer 20 questions correctly to pass.

 

For Level 6, the structure is as follows:

Malay Language 10 objective questions 2 hours
English Language 10 objective questions
Mathematics 10 objective questions
General Knowledge/Critical Thinking 10 objective questions

Note: Applicants must obtain 50% of the Aptitude Test score to pass.

 

The test structure for Level 7 is as follows:

Malay Language Part A : 13 objective questions 2 hours 30 mins
  Part B    : 1 structural question
English Langauge Part A : 12 objective questions
  Part B    : 1 structural question
Mathematics Part A : 25 objective questions
  Part B    : 1 structural question
General Knowledge/Critical Thinking Part A : 25 objective questions
Part B    : 2 structural question

Note: Applicants must obtain 50% of the Aptitude Test score to pass.

A PPA is a HEP appointed by MQA to receive and process the APEL.A assessment for admission to programmes in Level 6 and Level 7. All OUM Learning Centres nationwide are equipped and able to carry out the functions of a PPA.

No, candidates can study at any of the PPAs.

You will receive an automatically generated e-mail which contains a link. Click the link and re-register with one of the PPAs.

Check out the APEL Handbook for Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree <https://www2.mqa.gov.my/portalapela/dokumen/BukuPanduanAPEL_18072021.pdf>.

Also look up the following link: https://apel.oum.edu.my/resources/, for sample test questions and other useful resources.

You are advised to apply for APEL.A at least 6 months before the date of admission to the HEP of your choice.

No, it doesn’t. It is permanently valid.

No, they cannot. They must receive the official results from MQA first.

Reference: https://www2.mqa.gov.my/portalapela/faq.cfm

APEL.C

APEL.C is a method of assessing knowledge gained from work experience, life experience or a collection of short courses for the purpose of obtaining credit transfer for courses in academic programs at Higher Education Providers (HEPs).

If you are planning to take Bachelor's Degree, you can shorten duration of study upto 4 semesters or if Master's Degree by 1 semester.

You can continue your study to Bachelor's Degree and Masters's Degree at OUM

Open to all registered students of OUM (by Coursework / Mixed Mode) and Bachelor programmes with relevant knowledge and skills acquired through non-formal work-related learning experience and informal training courses.

APEL which was launched previously is for the purpose of admission to PPT which is known as APEL ( Access ). APEL.C or APEL ( Credit ) is for the purpose of obtaining a credit transfer.

Through the implementation of APEL.A and APEL.C, individuals with extensive experience can not only enter programs at HEPs but can also use their experience to obtain credit transfers for specific courses in the program of study. Therefore, students can complete their studies in a shorter period.

For the purpose of APEL.C assessment application, a person must have student status (have been registered in a program of study at PPT).

APEL.C was first implemented in September 2016.

None. APEL.C is not like APEL.A which sets a specific age limit for each level of study.

No. APEL.C is open to all students in HEPs who have obtained approval to conduct APEL.C, whether they are citizens or international students. APEL.C is also open to all students regardless of the method of admission to the program of study, whether through the APEL.A or conventional route.

Students who apply for APEL.C to the HEP will be assessed but how the form of assessment depends on the suitability of the field. It is not necessarily an exam. Valuation methods can be in the form of demonstrations, portfolio valuation interviews and so on.

The maximum credit transfer under APEL.C is 30%. For students with formal qualifications and experience, they can earn both APEL.C credit transfer and formal learning. For example, students who have a Diploma and work experience, can get a maximum credit transfer of 30% [APEL.C] and 30% (formal learning) for admission to the Bachelor.

Among the benefits of APEL.C are:

  1. enabling students to complete their studies in a shorter period of time;
  2. encouraging working individuals to return to learning;
  3. recognizing individual learning experiences gained outside the formal stream;
  4. avoid repetitive learning;
  5. can reduce the cost of student education;
  6. making our higher education system more flexible and comparable to developed countries which on average have recognized prior learning;
  7. one of the methods for creating a culture of lifelong learning
  8. creating a knowledge society for the purpose of improving the country's economy and social development; and
  9. contribute towards the development of the country's human capital through the recognition of skilled workers.

Reference: https://www2.mqa.gov.my/qad/garispanduan/2017/APEL%20(C).pdf

APEL.Q

APEL for Award of Academic Qualifications (APEL.Q) is a method to assess knowledge obtained through formal education, work experience, life experience and/or a collection of short courses in order to qualify for a programme at a Higher Education Provider (HEP).

APEL.A is for entry to HEP and APEL.C is for obtaining credit transfer. They enable individuals with extensive experience to enrol in a HEP programme and then obtain credit transfer for certain courses in the programme. As a result, learners can complete their studies within a shorter duration.

Those who wish to apply for APEL.C must already be a student at a HEP (registered in a study programme).

It is conducted by a HEP after obtaining approval from MQA.

In order to ensure the quality of the assessment, the HEP must implement APEL.Q according to the Guidelines to Good Practices: APEL.Q published by MQA, which contains the APEL.Q implementation policy and guide on developing assessment instruments.

No, there isn’t. APEL.Q is unlike APEL.A, which has age limit for each level of study.

However, APEL.Q stipulates minimum years of working experience for each level of study, as follows:

MQF level Eligibility Minimum years of work experience in a related field
3 Certificate 5 years
4 Diploma 10 years
5 advanced Diploma 12 years old
6 Degree 15 years
7 Bachelor's Certificates 20 years
8 Doctorate 25 years


Note : Students who do not meet the minimum years of work experience stated above but with appropriate learning experience, may be considered on a case by case basis by the highest academic body of OUM

No. It is open to all regardless of citizenship.

MQA requires the HEPs to fulfil the following criteria in order to obtain approval to implement APEL.Q:
i. The programme concerned must have full accreditation
ii. The HEPs must have approval to implement APEL.C
iii. The HEPs must attend an APEL.Q workshop organised by MQA.

No. Each institution must apply to MQA for APEL.Q separately as each has its own Senate to make academic decisions.

Yes. If a learner fails and appeals, the APEL.Q result will be reviewed. The learner will not be asked to provide additional evidence or sit for the assessment again.

Yes, it can because the fee is under the purview of HEPs. It need not refer to MQA about setting and revising fees.

Among the benefits of APEL.Q are that it:

  • makes it possible for learners to finish studying within a shorter period;
  • encourages working individuals to further their studies;
  • recognises learning experience that is acquired outside formal channels;
  • prevents redundant learning;
  • can reduce study costs for learners;
  • makes our higher education system more flexible and at par with those of advanced countries which on average have recognised prior learning;
  • creates a culture of lifelong learning;
  • creates a knowledge society for the enhancement of the nation’s economy and social development; and
  • contributes towards the nation’s human capital development through the recognition of skilled employees.

The following are the instruments, which will be used in sequence:

  1. Portfolio
  2. Field and Validation Visit (FVV)
  3. Challenge Test
  4. Capstone course in the programme applied for

Portfolio is a formal document in which all evidence of learning experience that is acquired within a particular timeframe is compiled. A learning experience can be in the form of formal, informal or non-formal learning. The portfolio will be evaluated based on specific programme knowledge/competence.

  1. It evaluates a learner’s knowledge and competency to identify whether these are relevant for the awarding of an academic qualification.
  2. It is usually conducted at a learner’s workplace or in a conducive environment/location to ensure accurate and exact assessment. The assessment can be done at the workplace, in a laboratory or in a simulated situation.
  3. The FVV assessment allows the learner to show that his or her workplace learning suits the learning outcomes of the programme.
  1. It is a standardised proctored test that evaluates whether a learner has achieved the knowledge/ competence level of a programme.
  2. It can be in the form of a written test, oral examination, product assessment and/or performance, depending on the nature and discipline of a programme.

It combines the main learning outcomes of a programme and shows that a learner has mastered the core discipline of their studies. In general, the capstone course is usually offered in the final semester/ year of studies. A comprehensive oral assessment will be developed in the capstone course assessment. The oral assessment is aimed at:

  1. testing the general and overall understanding of the learner about the core discipline/field of study; and
  2. proving that the learner’s entire learning experience is at a sufficiently high standard to be awarded an academic qualification.

The programme learning outcomes (PLO) of the programme applied for by an APEL.Q learner.

They can try up to three times to obtain a pass in any of the evaluation modes (portfolio, FVV, Challenge Test or capstone course).

To obtain academic qualifications through APEL.Q, learners must:

  1. Pass each instrument of assessment: portfolio, FVV, CT, and capstone course by achieving at least a 50% score on every PLO that is tested. If the 50% score is not achieved for any PLO, learners will be given a fail status for the assessment instrument concerned.
  2. Obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0 out of 4.0 for undergraduate programmes (Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Bachelor). For postgraduate programmes, obtain a minimum of 3.0 out of 4.0 for Master and Doctorate through coursework mode and pass the research component for Master and Doctorate through blended mode.

Reference: https://www2.mqa.gov.my/apel/APEL_Q/faq.cfm

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