All Change!!! I've moved to Malaysia!

All change! (And the people who run this site are not going to like this as they will need to update my bio on the left!)

I have swapped the cold and damp north-east of England – that is Newcastle University UK - for the warmer (actually hotter) weather of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed).

So, what am I doing here? What does this mean for this blog?

For the last 14 years I've been teaching at Newcastle University UK, and developing my eLearning strategies and approaches. A couple years ago I was asked if I would be interested in heading up a new project at the Newcastle University satellite campus in Malaysia. The project was the setting up a new biomedical sciences degree at the brand new Malaysian campus. This sounded like a really interesting and challenging project to me and so after one visit to Malaysia in May of this year I said YES!

The course we are delivering in Malaysia is a clone of the UK course, with the students spending 2 years at the Malaysia campus before moving to the UK to complete their final research intensive third year. One of the reasons I decided to accept the post was because it offered an opportunity to be involved in the initial stages of establishing a degree, and therefore would hopefully allow me to integrate more eLearning opportunities into the course.

I arrived on last Friday, and I now have 6 months in which to recruit the students, order all the lab equipment, and set up the degree. It's going to be an interesting and challenging 6 months, and it is something I'm really looking forward to.

In terms of this blog I will be keeping it going because no doubt I will be meeting some interesting challenges along the way when I try to implement my eLearning strategy for the students. (This also explains why I have been a bit quiet for the last few months as I have been busy preparing for my move overseas.)

Bottom line… Stay tuned, it could get interesting.....

If you have any tips, or advice, about setting up a new course in a new country (and specifically Malaysia) then why not share them below?

2 Comments

February 18, 2013 | 12:28 PM

Posted By: Nick Morris

Thanks for you comments. It certainly is something different from Newcastle UK, and it will be an interesting challenge (challenge is a word I am using a lot recently!)

February 14, 2013 | 03:25 AM

Posted By: diana manning-squire

Congratulations Nick, good move. New degree; new campus; novel environment. Enviable

The cultural contrast in color, hue and tone between UK and Malaysia (Asia) will turn your mind & senses on their pink ear; a kind of mindsense evolutionary shift - on steroids.

Hope you can take some time to ground yourself before you get stuck into work. A local with western experience is a godsend at such time.

Anytime you feel overwhelmed during the next 12 months, you might look for solace in the stunning food; the ultimate safe haven. Enjoy

Diana