In this interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Nurzalikha binti Sa’adi, a passionate educator and the Head of Unit for Innovative Learning & e-Learning Content Development at the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS). Nurzalikha shares her journey in the field of education, her experiences with online teaching and learning, and her insights as an OpenLearning Ambassador.
Nurzalikha began her career as an educator at UTS in 2016, and her interest in online teaching and learning grew over time. On learning to teach online, she shares, "I started using OpenLearning in 2019 to conduct my online teaching and learning. When OpenLearning became our official platform at UTS in 2020, I became even more interested in improving my knowledge and skills in handling online teaching and learning."
Reflecting on her course building process, Nurzalikha describes it as initially challenging but motivating. “At first, the course building process was a bit tough for me as I'm still a newbie to OpenLearning and conducting online teaching and learning,” she says. “What I do to stay motivated is to take constructive comments and keep improving based on the feedback and evaluation from the learners."
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Engaging learners is a crucial aspect of online teaching, and Nurzalikha emphasises the importance of interaction and enjoyment. She explains, "Engagement with learners is important for me to ensure they learn and enjoy online learning." To achieve this, she uses the widgets provided on the OpenLearning platform to attract learners' attention and foster social interaction.
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Reflecting on her experience, Nurzalikha shares both her achievements and challenges. She believes that failure provides an opportunity for improvement, saying, "When I face any failure, what I do is to improve what has been done and try to involve myself in new things to challenge myself. Any achievement received is considered as my spirit to become better and consistent with success."
Currently, Nurzalikha is involved in preparing the micro-credential course process for her university’s future planning on digital education. While still new to micro-credentials, she expresses her openness to learn from other institutions and academicians who have relevant experience: "It is welcome if other institutions or academicians can share their experience in terms of the teaching and learning process in conducting micro-credential courses," she shares.
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In terms of current issues and trends in the field, Nurzalikha highlights the need for educators and trainers to improve their skills and knowledge in online learning. She says, "Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the implementation of online learning has become common in all education levels. However, the issue arises when there is no interaction and engagement between the educator and learners in the learning process. Hence, improving the skills and knowledge in online learning are vital to mitigate the issue."
For those new to online course building or interested in transforming their online learning programs, Nurzalikha shares an inspiring message: "When I started to be involved in online learning, I thought I'm not able to do it as I had zero knowledge. I kept improving myself, enhancing my skills and knowledge by attending a lot of webinars, workshops, and training conducted by the OpenLearning Team, who have been very helpful to me. In education, we need to try new things, have fun, make mistakes, and learn from them. Keep learning, keep motivated, and enjoy the learning process."
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In education, we need to try new things, have fun, make mistakes, and learn from them. Keep learning, keep motivated, and enjoy the learning process.
— Nurzalikha binti Sa'adi, OpenLearning Ambassador
Nurzalikha's journey as an educator and OpenLearning Ambassador showcases the importance of continuous learning, engagement with learners, and embracing new opportunities.
OpenLearning is a social online learning platform that can help you and your team to achieve your institution's goals. 
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