- The award was given collectively to APU’s Group of four Schools
- Also celebrated were 2nd Best Student-Individual and Best Faculty Member
Appointed as a Premier Digital Tech Institution (PDTI) by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in 2017, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) was among the universities whose achievements were recognised at the MDEC PDTI Awards.
MDEC PDTI Outstanding Faculty Award 2022 was given collectively to APU’s group of four Schools, comprising the School of Computing (SoC); the School of Technology (SoT); the School of Engineering (SoE); and the School of Media, Arts and Design (SoMAD) during the 1st quarter PDTI meeting held on 15th February 2023, at APU’s campus in Bukit Jalil. This award covered activities and achievements between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022.Nik Hishamuddin, Senior Manager, Talent & Capability (Tertiary) of MDEC presented the group award to Prof Ir Dr Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Chief Innovation & Enterprise Officer, APU who said, “To achieve this, we continuously strengthen our unique model of outcome-based education that prioritises the transformation of our students into highly employable professionals, while our industry partners consistently play an active role in quality assurance, curriculum and content development and student mentoring. Besides providing students with real-life projects that help them develop their skills, our industry partners also offer academic staff valuable exposure to industry practices. In this regard, APU’s eight innovation and technology centres on campus have completed projects based on research and industry applications through these industry collaborations.”
He added that APU’s dedication to these initiatives has contributed to its recognition as a leader in professional development and technology innovation.
The judging panel gave the award based on the number of awards won by students and staff as well as the employability rates. It also took into consideration the establishment of the Centres of Excellence (CoE), national and international recognitions gained, and branding efforts.
The 2nd Best Student–Individual Award was accorded to Dooshyant Rai Kallychurn, from Mauritius, who studies a Master of Science in Data Science and Business Analytics Degree after having obtained his Software Engineering Degree from APU. Dooshyant was recognised for multiple awards including Gold in Connecting Academia Society & Industry Alliance competition, Silver at International Invention, Innovation & Design Expo (INoDEx), and another Silver at International Research and Symposium and Exposition (RISE).
Additionally, Siti Azreena, a Senior Lecturer from APU’s School of Computing, was awarded under the “Best Faculty Member” category. She was honoured for her efforts in pursuing immersion and innovation in education, particularly in the area of augmented reality and virtual reality.