Online learning has been implemented at the tertiary level by using many platforms such as the university learning management system, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and mobile applications. Online learning permits personalization and autonomous learning. However, this is not the case for the English Exit Test. An initiative was made to provide an online platform for students to practice using the language via Google Classroom. Google Classroom can be accessed as a mobile application on a smartphone or on the web by using a computer. It is essential to support the students’ learning in preparation for the test since it is the requirement of graduation for degree students at Universiti Teknologi MARA. This study aimed at determining the level of acceptance in using Google Classroom for learning English Exit Test among students. The sample was selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected using a survey designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and went through data cleansing using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21. The data were then analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that students positively accepted the use of Google Classroom in preparation for the English Exit Test.

Graduating students of UiTM are required to sit for English Exit Test (EET) whose objective is to gauge students’ English proficiency level and their readiness for the workplace. Since the test is administered before students finish their studies, it is important to examine if EET has a predictive validity in determining the academic performance of UiTM students. We use the students’ CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) to gauge their academic performance and English language proficiency since English is used as a medium of instruction at UiTM. A four-part predictive validity study was conducted on the relationship between students’ EET performance and academic achievement. A sample of 1,436 students’ EET results and CGPA from various faculties were analysed based on the results from four semesters which were 2016/2, 2016/4, 2017/2 and 2017/4. The relationship among the scores were summarised with correlation coefficients and a series of one-way ANOVA tests were run to see if there were any significant mean differences in the scores based on faculties in a span of two years. The findings revealed that there were positive correlations between students’ EET results and their CGPA. Thus, it can be concluded that EET has the predictive validity for students’ academic achievement which is the CGPA. The present study also found that EET can be considered a good test as the results of EET could differentiate good students from weak ones. This was determined by running a series of One-way ANOVA tests. The results revealed that faculties whose students had high English proficiency level scored better in EET than those whose students who had low English proficiency level. Therefore, the findings indicate that EET has a potential in differentiating high English proficient students from low English proficient students for their language readiness in the workplace.

The workplace-readiness of the Malaysian graduates is unarguably an issue that the local employers and the Higher Education Providers (HEPs) have a consensus upon. It has been reported by the Malaysian Employers’ Federation that more often than not the disability or handicap lies in the poor communicative ability of the graduates who failed to impress their future employers despite their sterling academic performance. One of the hiring criteria for the future employers is that these graduates must be trained to be more verbally competent and eloquent. Hence, this study attempts to conduct a performance analysis of a group of local undergraduates in their English Exit Test (EET) that is made up of written and spoken assessments for them to be workplace-compliant. However, the result has indicated that the test-takers tend to be inhibited when it comes to expressing themselves verbally, which has resulted in a dismal performance in the speaking component. As such, it is a cause for concern to rectify the situation and figure out the solutions to tackle their weak performance. This study also analyses the different performance between the Engineering as opposed to the Hotel Management and Tourism undergraduates, in which a slight difference in their achievement of grades was found. The five dissimilar disciplines of speaking tasks also recorded a difference in their score means achieved by the test takers, which could suggest that treatments are in need to be tailored for those weak performers

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Currently, education is facing overwhelming challenges in terms of the generation of students that the universities are taking in and the demands of the industry. This is propagated further by the enhancement of modern technology. Therefore, the courses offered in universities must ensure that graduates are ready for the working world and a good well rounded curriculum is needed to achieve this. In Malaysia, the body governing academic quality is the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and they require curriculums to be reviewed every 3 – 5 years to ensure their relevance to industry requirements. A curriculum usually undergoes years of ‘trials’ and changes before a sound one can be produced. In essence, a curriculum needs to be reviewed for the f ollowing reasons; the dynamic nature of a curriculum, to keep abreast with new approaches in learning and teaching and best practices in teaching strategies. Students need to be trained and well-exposed to meet the challenges of the globalised world and function well at the workplace. Due to these reasons, the paper discusses the processes involved in reviewing a curriculum. A program from the Academy of Language Studies in UiTM Malaysia was selected as a case to highlight the stages, challenges and outcomesof the review.