Uprade: iOBE v5.1

The iOBE software has been upgraded with minor changes on the presentation of the graphical data, and with a new logo (as shown here in the column on the right). For the previous major upgrade from v4.0 to 5.0, please refer to this post.

The full version of the software, its compiler and related documentations can be downloaded for free below:

1. iOBE v5.1 (updated 28/7/2017). This zip file contains the software and sample input files to guide users to build their own input files.
2. iOBE Software Manual v5.1 (updated 28/7/2017)
3. The Matlab Compiler Runtime must be installed prior to running the software.
4. Other documentations related to the software.

For further information about this software, or to arrange a seminar/workshop related to the software, please contact the developer here.

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iCGPA International Conference 2017

Receiving the main award for iOBE (front row, second from left) in the iCGPA International Conference 2017.

An upgrade on the iOBE software to cater for the iCGPA Initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education has been recently presented at the inaugural iCGPA International Conference in Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2017.

Our work, titled Implementing iCGPA: Automating Computation with iOBE, was presented at the conference as an academic paper and a poster and selected as the overall winner at the conference. Details about this award are described in this news article. More than 70 papers were presented at the conference.

The conference was officiated with a keynote address by the Minister of Higher Education Malaysia, Dato' Seri Idris Jusoh, attended by many key university officers (VCs, DVCs, Deans) and academics from Malaysian and foreign institutions.

USM sent a large contingent of 46 senior officers to the conference, demonstrating our commitment and alignment towards the Outcome Based Education and the iCGPA Initiative as championed by the Ministry of Higher Education. This team consisted of mostly deans and deputy deans from various schools, lead by Prof. Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, USM's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International).

Receiving the main award from the Minister of Higher Education

With USM's Deputy-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Farhan.

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Documentation

The following articles describe the software's mathematical framework, architecture, development process, and implementation.

1. Towards an Efficient iCGPA System Using iOBE: Z. Mohamed-Kassim and N. Kamaruddin, 2017 7th World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), Kuala Lumpur. IEEE, DOI: 10.1109/WEEF.2017.8467131.
2. Towards an Efficient iCGPA System Using iOBE: Z. Mohamed-Kassim and N. Kamaruddin, World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), 13-16 November 2017, Kuala Lumpur.
3. Automating Computation with iOBE: Z. Mohamed-Kassim and N. Kamaruddin, iCGPA International Conference, 17-18 July 2017, Kuala Lumpur (with a poster)
4. Software Development and Implementation: Z. Mohamed-Kassim and N. Kamaruddin, "Outcomes Assessment and Analysis using iOBE", RCEE 2016, 9-10 August 2016, Kuala Lumpur.
5. Mathematical Framework: Z. Mohamed-Kassim, "A Consistent Numerical Procedure for Integrated Assessment", AJEE, 2(1), 2015.
6. Introduction of the Assessment Framework: Z. Mohamed-Kassim, "A Comprehensive Assessment Framework for OBE-Oriented Programs", AHEADS 2013, 17-19 December 2013, Kuala Lumpur.
7. Software Manual v5.2: Z. Mohamed-Kassim, School of Aerospace Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia (updated 9/2/2018).

The Software Manual describes the theoretical framework behind the software, the procedure to use the software, the preparation of the input files, and the interpretation of the results. The content of the manual is summarized in the figure below.

The older versions of the Software Manuals can be downloaded below:

1. Software Manual v5.1
2. Software Manual v5.0
3. Software Manual v4.0
4. Software Manual v2.0
5. Software Manual v1.1

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Upgrade: iOBE v5.0

The iOBE software has undergone another major upgrades from v4.0 to v5.0. These upgrades were done primarily to meet the needs of the iCGPA Initiative in the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2015-2025) for Higher Education.

The full version of the software, its compiler and related documentations can be downloaded for free below:

1. iOBE v5.0 (updated 20/4/2017). This zip file contains the software and sample input files to guide users to build their own input files.
2. iOBE Software Manual v5.0 (updated 20/4/2017)
3. The Matlab Compiler Runtime must be installed prior to running the software.
4. Other documentations related to the software.

The major upgrades are:

1. iCGPA Spiderweb plots for individual students, produced automatically.
2. Improved mapping approach for more flexibility.
3. Improved presentation of the outcomes data.
4. Improved "Course Data" input file. As such, iOBE v5.0 cannot run the previous version of this input file (i.e., v4.0 and below).

For further information about this software, please contact the developer here.


SOFTWARE GUI PANEL & OUTPUT:
Users only need to interact with the software through its simple GUI panel, shown below. Each operation, either for a single course or to aggregate data from multiple courses, only requires a one button-click as shown in the panel.

Shown below are samples of iCGPA Spiderweb plots, each for a different student, aggregated from multiple courses. Other sample outputs from the software can be referred to in the previous post.

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