Academic writing occupies a very important place in the English language syllabus at tertiary level. Where higher institution writing is concerned, it is not enough that students have to write in traditional essay or report formats; their writing must be appropriate to the discipline – yet deal with the multitude of genres expected of them. Additionally, academic writing skill is considered an essential skill for academic success and a requirement for many occupations and professions. However, it is a skill that a number of second language tertiary students find most difficult to acquire and only a few of them fully master it. This study, therefore, embarks on the theory that task-based approach together with the exposure of process writing would have a significant influence on the development of students’ academic writing skills. In this study students were made to work in groups on real-life tasks which relate to their field of study or future employment. In the midst of pursuing the group project, the students will have to write their group proposal and individual writing assignment. This will be the stage where the process writing techniques are put into practice. This paper will illustrate an eclectic pedagogic intervention in the teaching of academic writing skills to second language tertiary students.  Keywords: academic writing, task-based approach, process writing approach, tertiary learners

Environmental education is becoming more important and relevant as we reach the 21 st century and the need for sustainable development to protect the earth for the future generation. The lacking of knowledge and awareness of the scarcity of our nature means there is that our natural resources becoming scarce and we are facing all types of environmental consequences. This paper explores the implementation of project-based learning in educating and enhancing ecological awareness among university students. The application of project-based learning in solving and protecting precious earth environmental being discussed and presented. Also, this paper shows the value of the project-based approach by the respondents' reflection. It is proved that project-based learning has helped to nurture a positive attitude towards the environment.

Foreign language learning is certainly accentuating on the mastery of basic skills including reading skills that need to be emphasized by every student in the early stages. Similarly, the same goes for Arabic language learning which is the third language or also recognized as a foreign language in the Malaysian community. One of the skills focused on this study is the focus on reading Arabic texts. The objective of this study is to identify the common reading mistakes that students often make while reading Arabic texts and to determine how well the Project-Based Learning (PBL) method can overcome and reduce their reading errors. This study utilizes a qualitative approach with the method of observation performed on students when they were reading texts during pre and post-reading tests. The reduction of these mistakes was identified from before and after the PBL procedure was implemented. The study sample consisted of 69 students who registered for the 3rd level Arabic course in the 2019/2020 study session at Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus (UMS-LIC). The instrument used was a set of pre and post-reading tests based on the KSSR (Primary School Curriculum Standards) guidelines set out by the MOE (Ministry of Education, 2015).

The new emerging trend for recent employment is the employers expect the university graduates to have more than academic excellence to be employed. They prefer graduates who possess soft skills such as communication skills, creativity, teamwork, management, and problem-solving. As a result, many educators are forced to change and find a new teaching and learning strategy to be incorporated in the classroom that would facilitate the students to develop both academic as well as interpersonal skills which are commonly known as soft skills. The holistic approach of Project-Based Learning (PBL) which integrates learning through working collaboratively in a project and bringing in the authentic experiences of the real world beyond the classroom walls has proven that PBL is designed to do both. The present study aimed to investigate how PBL can prepare students with related workplace skills and their perception of PBL in developing their soft skills. A set of a questionnaire is designed and administered to 77 second-year students, who are taking English for Occupational Purposes subject at Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus. The result of the study showed that PBL has able to equip the students with work-related skills, and by completing the projects, they were able to improve their soft skills, mainly in communication and self-confidence. Hence, the findings of the study proved that PBL is a relevant approach in a classroom to help in developing students' soft skills.