13-14 November
An OUM delegation brought home multiple awards after participating in the 2nd International Conference of Digital Business, Society, and Economy (ICDBSE 2024), held in Nonthaburi, Thailand, from 13 to 14 November.
Hosted by Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) in collaboration with the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), the conference revolved around the theme “Innovation and Technology Towards Sustainability and Lifelong Learning.”
Discussions spanned two sub-themes: “Digital Business and Economy” and “Digital Learning and Society.”
Leading the delegation was OUM President/Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang. He was joined by Assoc Prof Dr Tuan Fatma Tuan Sulaiman (Registrar), Dr Raziana Che Aziz (Dean, Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences/FTAS), Assoc Prof Dr Zahari Hamidon (Head, Centre for Learning Technology), Assoc Prof Dr Gunasegaran Karuppannan (Associate Professor, Faculty of Education), Dr Suhaila Abdul Hamid (Senior Lecturer, FTAS), and Dr Mohd Azli Jailani (Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities).
Non-academic staff included Aznam Zakaria (Senior Manager, Group Human Resource & Administration Services) and Ruhil Imal Mustafa (Senior Executive, Centre for Research and Innovation), who coordinated the trip.
Award-Winning Contributions
Dr Fatma clinched the Best Paper Award in the Digital Learning category for her insightful research, “Does Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Transformation Acceptance Matter in Digital Higher Education Institutions?”
In addition, Best Presentation Awards were conferred upon:
- Prof Izanee: “Unlocking H5P: Optimising Self-Instructional Materials in an Open and Distance Learning Environment.”
- Dr Zahari: Bridging the Digital Divide: Gender and Age Disparities in AI Adoption Within the Framework of Society 5.0.”
- Dr Suhaila: “Enhancing Master Project Completion for Part-Time Science and Technology Master’s Students at OUM: Integrating Technology and Support Systems.”
Beyond the Conference
The delegation also contributed to the ICDE Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC) Asia Task Force working group meeting hosted by STOU. This initiative promotes inclusive education across Asia.
Prof Izanee represented Prof Dato’ Dr Ansary Ahmed (Founder President of Asia e University) in a panel session titled “Join Forces for Impactful Advocacy – the ICDE Global Advocacy Campaign in Asia.”
Meanwhile, other delegation members played vital roles in different working groups:
- Dr Fatma: Policy Development (Working Group 1)
- Aznam: Capacity Building (Working Group 2)
- Dr Suhaila: Sharing Best Practices and Resources (Working Group 3)
- Dr Zahari: Development of Digital Platforms (Working Group 4)
- Dr Raziana: Future Collaborations (Working Group 5)
The delegation’s active participation and achievements at ICDBSE 2024 and the ICDE GAC Asia Task Force meeting reflect OUM’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and lifelong learning.
