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Singapore, 11 November 2003
Irfan started off by taking his NCC Advanced Diploma which allowed him to progress into the final year of the University of Portsmouth Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computing programme. This allowed him to utilize and build upon his prior education to complete the course in a considerably short period of time. He did consider other online and campus based programmes at various colleges and universities but this particular programme was a perfect fit for him as it allowed him to leverage on his prior education and enrol in the final year of the programme. Irfan says, "This is an excellent programme for those who have prior higher IT education and want to get into the final year to complete a Computing degree from a recognized UK university."
"In its efforts to provide the highest standards of academic qualifications to students, over 600,000 graduates have passed through the doors of Informatics and PurpleTrain.com. Ever so often, we have the honour of awarding a graduate with an unending quest for knowledge and education; a true believer of lifelong learning. This term, we are delighted to congratulate Irfan on his achievement as the sole recipient of First Class Honours in his course of study in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computing," said David Wang, Director of Informatics Academy, Informatics' International Tertiary education awarding body which confers students awards that are of the highest academic quality that are recognised and accepted by employers and universities for employment and credit transfer respectively. Many learners have the misconception that facilitators are there to spoon feed them with answers but Irfan had a different outlook. "Students in the e-Learning environment have to learn to be independent. It requires more discipline and responsibility. The facilitators are there to facilitate the learning but at the end it's the responsibility of the student to grasp the knowledge and work independently." Stating the convenience and flexibility that PurpleTrain.com offers as the key benefits of e-Learning, Irfan says that it is the asynchronous collaboration and discussions that were most useful to him. It allows him, and other students, to study at times and venues of their convenience without having to worry about a schedule to meet. Irfan is very satisfied with the overall quality of interaction between facilitators and students. He is really appreciative and grateful for the facilitators who went beyond the call of duty to ensure that students stayed aligned. Irfan states that education is a two-way process and learners cannot depend on educational providers to provide everything on a silver platter. He says, "E-Learning requires plenty of self-motivation and self-discipline! There is excellent support from the PurpleTrain.com facilitators and staff as well as fellow classmates but ultimately you still play the dual role of student and teacher yourself. You have to set your own goals and deadlines and work towards them." Having a child and family responsibilities of course makes it even more challenging to study, especially on the e-Learning platform. But Irfan sets aside a few hours each day for study. He firmly states proper time management as an essential tool and that learners should divide their time between family and studies and remain completely devoted to the two on a separate basis. A piece of advice he has for students is for them to manage their time well and never hesitate to ask questions. "You have to help yourself. Be proactice and arrange for chat sessions outside the scheduled ones with your fellow classmates and hold your own discussions. You will find that you will do so much better!" How does he feel about being the only recipient from the University of Portsmouth to be awarded First Class Honours? "It is a great achievement for me! I was only aiming for Second Upper Class actually. But the course allowed me to take modules at my own pace and I really took advantage of that, sometimes taking only one module per semester when they were more difficult." A true believer of lifelong learning, Irfan is not stopping here. He plans to do a Master's degree in the near future and is even considering becoming an online facilitator with PurpleTrain.com or a teaching position in the University of Portsmouth! Well Irfan, with your positive attitude, we will welcome you with open arms!
ABOUT PURPLETRAIN.COM By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective online training solution. Over 700 online courses are available, ranging from Master and Bachelor degree programmes, to diplomas and certificates in business and IT programmes. Our online learning community now stands at over 69,000 users. PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings
Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the
Singapore Stock Exchange. Informatics Holdings Limited is a world
class institute for quality lifelong learning services and made
the ranking among Forbes Global's 200 Best Small Companies in the
world. ABOUT INFORMATICS GROUP The Informatics Group, established in 1983, is a multinational corporation providing lifelong learning services in information technology and business management. Through its international franchising and licensing programmes and strategic acquisitions, Informatics presently has a global network of more than 614 centers spanning more than 49 countries. The company presently offers the following products: Informatics Institute, Thames Business School, Informatics Professional Development Centre, CAL Learning Centre, Cambridge Child Development Centre, RACC, NCC licensing and PurpleTrain.com licensing. For more information, please visit http://www.informaticsgroup.com For more information, please contact : Adora Tan All trademarks and registered trademarks are property
of their respective owners. Certain of the statements in this press
release are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject
to risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ from those
described or contemplated. |
It
started out simply enough. Irfan Akber
from Canada was looking out for an educational institution that
offered him a complete academic pathway. There was one consideration
though. Irfan is also working full time and has family responsibilities;
that hardly left him with any spare time for anything else. Full-time
classes were out of the question and he was dissatisfied with the
level of communication (or the lack of it) that distance learning
had to offer.
But
Irfan confesses that he did face challenges along the way. He admits
that it did take him some time and effort to get used to the e-Learning
platform as he was not quiet accustomed to this method. He started
off with a bit of a struggle because he found it difficult to manage
his time between work, family and study. "I got frustrated
at times! Completing assignments were also a challenge but I discovered
the use of the "Board of Studies" offered by the University
which was set up for students to discuss course issues and that
was really helpful." 
With
the aim of becoming the global leader in providing quality lifelong
learning services before the year 2007, Informatics Higher Education
awards its own certification through Informatics Academy (IA), an
International Tertiary education awarding body. The main objective
to institutionalise IA is to confer students awards that are of
the highest academic quality that will be recognised and accepted
by employers and universities for employment and credit transfer
respectively.