With a theme of “Steering High Performance Culture and Global Excellence,” ELPIIC2013 hopes this conference would meet it objectives in not only fostering collaborative efforts; but also as a platform for networking and bases for discussion on performance improvement in diverse area of studies. The organizer, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan should be grateful to our international publisher team–the ELSEVIER for the continuous support in making the ELPIIC2013 a success as an indexed international conference.  The conference was officiated by Y. Bhg. Dato’ Dr. Awang Adek Hussin, Deputy Minister of Finance, Malaysia on 26th February, 2013 at the Renaissance Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.  The welcoming speech was delivered by Y. Bhg. Professor Datuk Dr. Raduan Che Rose, the Vice Chancellor, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.

ELPIIC 2013 also represents a significant milestone for the objective measurement research with the introduction of the rasch measurement in the international guest lecture series session by professor trevor g. bond.  we are delighted to introduce the Rasch Measurement Society Malaysian Chapter (myrasch) –a newly established society and driving its membership now to malaysia.  Applying the rasch model is highly used by researchers and postgraduate students around the globe such as us, uk, europe, south east asia, hong kong, taiwan and japan. 

Keynote Speaker I

Professor Trevor G. Bond

Topic: “Evaluating learning in order to gauge performance improvement: A central role for Rasch measurement.”

Abstract

Traditional views of testing and assessment focus on summative evaluation for purposes of academic progression and/or certification. Although content specified learning outcomes are more popular that previously, the bulk of evaluations still focus on how many should receive a particular grade, rather than on the level of performance implied by that grade. When evaluation procedures move from assessment of learning to assessment for learning, the teaching / learning processes are emphasized.  Then, evaluation has a number of simultaneous foci: the learning content, the learner’s current status and the required performance outcome. Rasch measurement is uniquely placed to operationalize these requirements into a single performance measurement system which identifies the pathway to success. In this conception, the interval between present and future evaluations provides for measures deigned to gauge performance improvement in order to inform learners, teachers and certification authorities.

Profile
Professor Trevor BOND is currently Adjunct Professor at the School of Education at James Cook University, and the Faculty of Education at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Previous to that he was Head of the Department of Educational Psychology, Counselling & Learning Needs, at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and then a Visiting Scholar to HKIEd. He is internationally regarded for his work on the application of Rasch analysis to developmental variables and educational outcomes. He taught undergraduate subjects based on developmental and educational psychology to teacher education students, and continues to supervise doctoral students who use Rasch measurement approaches to research. As a Distinguished Visiting Professor in Educational Measurement to the College of Education at The University of Toledo (U.S.) in 2000, he co-taught a graduate measurement course and consulted in quantitative research methodology. He undertook (with John King) the first state-wide survey of client satisfaction with public education for Education Queensland (1997/98). The second edition of his best-selling current book (co-authored with Christine Fox), Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences, reflects his longstanding experience in educational settings as the background for applying fundamental measurement to outcomes in the human sciences. In 2000-01 he developed procedures for systematically collecting, analysing and reporting student feedback about teaching and subjects for James Cook University and undertook a similar task at Hong Kong Institute of Education. He was Hon Senior Fellow of the Centre for Assessment Research and Development at HKIEd. Prof. Bond is a specialist reviewer for journals across a wide range of human sciences and provides consultation to organizations involved in high-stakes educational testing in the US, UK and Europe. In 2005, he instigated the annual PROMS: the Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposia to support the development of measurement capacity in S.E. and Eastern Asia. PROMS meetings have been held in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Prof. Bond is a regular presenter on topics of educational measurement and conducts Rasch measurement workshops in the U.S., S.E. Asia, Australia and Europe, in particular.

Keynote Speaker II

Assoc. Professor Dr. Mahmoud Khalid Almsafir

Topic: “Evaluating  performance improvement and its impact on Globalization.”

Profile

Associate Professor Dr Mahmoud Khalid Almsafir is currently the Head of Global Business Center/UNITEN University and the Advisor to the Secretary General of the Council of Economic Arab Unity/Arab League, Cairo, Egypt. He has worked as an Associate Vice President of UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of UCSI Terengganu University in Malaysia. He had served as the Head of Iraqi Diplomatic Mission to Malaysia 2003-2006.  He is also the Iraqi Permanent Representative to the Arab Economic Unity, Cairo, Egypt.  He had vast experience as an academic and was a Senior Lecturer at Baghdad University from 1994-2002; a Senior researcher at  Baitul Hikmah, House of Wisdom, Baghdad, Iraq.   Associate Professor Dr. Mahmoud Almsafir has been giving a keynote speech at international conferences and for professional organisations in various countries.  Mahmoud’s research had been published in books and various international journal in English and Arabic.