Students Perception of Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization Course at Universiti Teknologi Mara, Penang Branch

The Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization Course is one of the new compulsory courses introduced in the 2019/2020 intake session for all public universities. It is an effort to prepare students to appreciate ethics and civilization according to the Malaysian mold as well as generate their critical and analytical thinking in the face of challenging life. However, to what extent is the students' perception of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization course at MARA University of Technology, Penang Branch. This study aims to identify students' perceptions of the course offerings from the aspects of syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and course evaluation. The research methodology is a descriptive survey study using a questionnaire to analyze students' perceptions of this new course. Respondents have randomly selected a total of 152 students consisting of Bachelor's Degree students from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism at MARA University of Technology, Penang Branch. The study data obtained were analyzed by google form by stating the number and percentage of respondents' responses. The results of the study found that all three aspects showed that students' perceptions were high. This has a positive impact on the new course offerings and opens up room for improvement in the teaching and learning process in order to produce a graduate with noble morals to build civilization and achieve Malaysia's progress status, especially in realizing Wawasan Kemakmuran Bersama (WKB) 2030.


Introduction
Good ethics and values are very important to an individual because they are able to assist in contributing to society and the country. Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that organizes, defends, and recommends right and wrong behavior. It refers to human moral behavior and how to act in certain situations (Saravanan, 2018). Ethics comes from the Greek word 'ethos' which means 'character'. Ethics is a standard based on the right and wrong of one's actions or behavior in performing human duties. It is closely related to the moral values that are held by an individual or group of society in determining their actions or behavior. An ethical living will ensure that human beings perform life obligations that benefit themselves and also society (Saravanan, 2018). But the current globalization or the process of globalization, life has become more competitive so it pushes people to set aside and marginalize the consideration of ethical values in making decisions related to their lives. The provisions and limitations of the good or bad action are no longer based on appreciation and understanding that leads to long-term and universal implications but rather on a temporary and private nature or a particular group. Thus, there are flaws and complexities that not only narrow the lives of others but will affect their own lives such as the economic recession that hit Asean countries in the past due to the unethical actions of world economic rulers and their figures to cause difficulties and complications not only the people in Asean countries but the implications are also experienced by developed countries because goods and services cannot be marketed in Asean countries due to the collapse of purchasing power (Salleh, 2000). In addition, the elite and highly educated commit various white-collar crimes (Salleh, 2000). The problem of corruption has been a hotly debated topic. It is becoming more prevalent more cases are reported each year. Many cases of corruption nowadays are among young executives who want pleasure quickly without thinking about the effects and consequences of the act. Corrupt practices have a huge impact on the country's economic sector. Corruption is bad behavior that exists among government department officials, the private sector, and politicians. It is considered an illegal act because it involves the abuse of power to seek wealth easily and even willing to sell dignity and self-esteem simply to find pleasure in life (Saravanan, 2018). The ethics and values of today's young generation are also fading in line with the development of technology. The use of social media has been used as a platform by the younger generation to criticize and express feelings on all aspects that are felt to be unfair in their perspective. This has caused the noble values and manners of Malaysian society to be eroded over time. This phenomenon actually gives the impression that the principle of ethical values is still an important pillar and still relevant in human life. Accordingly, the understanding and appreciation of ethical values are important to enable people to realize them in the form of practice Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has stated that knowledge must be based on ethical values (Salleh, 2000). The question of ethics is still relevant to be fundamental in life. Therefore, strategic cooperation between the Ministry of Education and universities as well as enforcement bodies needs to be done in a more organized manner. In the 2019/2020 intake session, the Ministry of Education introduced two new compulsory courses at public universities namely Philosophy and Current Issues and Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization courses to replace the compulsory courses on Islamic Civilization and Asian Civilization (TITAS) and Ethnic Relations. It is in line with the direction of value-based education and is a connection to civic education in schools to be continued at the tertiary level. Both of these courses are compulsory for students to take and are a prerequisite for them before graduation. The main objective is to ensure that university graduates have high thinking, personal dignity and always try to solve society's problems. Students are also able to care about current issues involving the country and have a high level of civic awareness when they face the world of work later. Therefore, this course has a positive impact on students so that they can become quality graduates in terms of academics and ethical values. Ethical values are still the basis and principle to ensure a sense of human attachment to good behavior, perception, motivation, and personality to ensure that life continues to excel in a secure and prosperous state (Salleh, 2000). Ethical values are the trigger for the unification and coordination between human beings, organizations, society, and the country in contributing to the well-being and unity of the ummah. Malaysia has various races and cultures and has its own ethics and values. Therefore, it is necessary for every student to understand and respect the ethics and values that are applied in their respective communities. The appreciation of ethics and values in various religions and societies enables the younger generation to be more civilized and skilled by focusing specifically on aspects of unity, respect, and cooperation that have highly competitive qualities. Course code CTU554 Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization II at MARA University of Technology (UiTM) has been made a compulsory course and part of the General Subject course content to replace the course code CTU553 Ethnic Relations and CTU555 Malaysian Studies. This course has two credit hours that include the distribution of study time (student learning time-SLT) as much as which aims to introduce students to good and positive values. This course was introduced for the first time at UiTM in September 2020 to prepare students to appreciate ethics and civilization through ethnic diversity in Malaysia to generate and strengthen critical and analytical thinking in the face of an increasingly challenging life. The syllabus of this course is more to explain the concept of ethics from the perspective of different civilizations. It aims to identify the system, level of development, progress, and culture of a nation in strengthening social cohesion. In addition, discussions related to contemporary issues in economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental aspects from an ethical and civilizational perspective can produce moral and professional students. The application of appropriate high-impact educational practices (HIEPs) is used in the delivery of this course. At the end of this course, students will be able to relate ethics and civic-minded citizenship. While the objectives that need to be achieved by students after learning the course code CTU554 are as follows: 1. Explain the concept of ethics from different civilizations. 2. Compare systems, levels of development, social and cultural progress across nations. 3. Discuss contemporary issues related to economics, politics, social, cultural, and environmental from the perspective of ethics and civilization. The implementation of teaching and learning of this course is done through lectures, discussions, and presentations. The implementation of assessment for this course is also assessed through a continuous assessment method with total marks being 100 percent consisting of paperwork of 20 percent, presentation of 30 percent, article review of 30 percent, and final assessment test of 30 percent, as found in course information CTU554. This indicates that assessment is conducted continuously throughout one semester by the lecturers who teach. The elements contained in this course prepare students to appreciate the ethics and civilization that exist in the multi-ethnic society in Malaysia to strengthen their critical and analytical thinking to deal with a more challenging life. In fact, it can produce semiprofessional technocrats who adhere to ethical and moral principles (Md. Saad, 2021). The question is, to what extent is the students' perception of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization course at MARA University of Technology, Penang Branch after attending the March 2021 semester study session. This study aims to identify students' perceptions of the course offerings from the aspects of syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and course evaluation.

Research Methodology
The research methodology is a descriptive survey study using a questionnaire to analyze students' perceptions of this new course. Respondents were randomly selected as many as 152 students consisting of Bachelor's Degree students from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism at MARA University of Technology, Penang Branch only. This method is suitable and easy to get feedback from respondents. The set of questionnaires used for this study is a questionnaire modified from a research instrument conducted by Md. Saad (2021); Abu Bakar and Mohamad (2015). This questionnaire contains Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D. Part A contains the background information of the respondents namely gender, grade, position, and length of service. Part B student feedback on the syllabus. Part C student feedback on teaching and learning methods. Part D student feedback on the course evaluation. Questions in the form of 5 Likert scales by giving options to respondents namely; (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Not Sure, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree. Questionnaires were distributed through google form to respondents. The data obtained were analyzed by google form by stating the number and percentage of respondents 'responses to the four questions asked, namely the demographics of respondents and feedback on the level of students' perception of the syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and course evaluation. According to Miles and Huberman (1984) questionnaires are the most appropriate method of collecting data. Data obtained from questionnaires conducted in a natural setting provide accurate descriptive data. The rationale for using questionnaires is to obtain varied and easily analyzed answers. For the purpose of descriptive data interpretation, the findings of the analysis are guided by the min score table of Kassim and Ahmad (2009) as shown in table 1.

Findings
The findings of the study conducted are the result of the findings of the study that has been done from the questionnaire that has been filled by the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive methods in the form of percentages and quantities. Data analysis was performed when obtaining data from questionnaires distributed to respondents. The level of analysis is achieved when the data obtained are verified, edited, and converted to figures. Next, the data that have been analyzed are presented in tabular form. In this survey form, answer choices are used to obtain responses from respondents in assessing whether students accept the course offer in terms of syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and course evaluation.

Part A: Respondent Demographics
A total of 152 respondents from 238 students have filled out a questionnaire distributed to obtain feedback on the level of students' perception of the syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and course evaluation at MARA University of Technology, Penang Branch. The descriptions of the respondents 'background analysis involved aspects of gender, faculty, semester, and race or ethnicity presented in the form of tables and diagrams.  Table 2 shows that 152 students were involved in this study. Of that number, a total of 67 males and 85 females answered the questionnaire. In terms of percentage, 44.1 percent were male respondents and 55.9 percent were female. This shows that most respondents involved in this study are female students.  3 shows that the majority of the highest faculties who filled out this questionnaire are from the faculty of civil engineering, which is a total of 103 people representing 67.8 percent. While the second-highest frequency value is the faculty of mechanical engineering which is 20 people with a percentage value of 13.2 percent. The third frequency value is the faculty of hotel management and tourism which is 18 people representing 11.8 percent. Followed by the frequency value from the faculty of electrical engineering which is 10 people and the value of 6.6 percent and finally the lowest frequency is the frequency value from the faculty of chemical engineering with only 1 student with 0.7 percent. In conclusion, most respondents filling out the questionnaire were students from the faculty of civil engineering. --Apart from that, table 4 shows the information regarding the latest semester of students when taking CTU554, and filling out this questionnaire is from semester 4 which is a total of 12 people with a value of 78.9 percent. Second, semester 3 which is a total of 30 people with a value of 19.7 percent, and lastly semester 2 students with only 2 people with 1.3 percent. This shows that the majority of respondents are from semester 4 students. Through figure 2, the data analysis is based on the percentage of students on the course content CTU554 Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization. The results obtained from the statement "I am interested in the title of the content of this course" with a percentage of strongly agree is 26.3 percent, 52 percent agree, 18.4 percent are not sure and only 2.6 percent disagree. While the min for this statement is 4.00. This shows that the interpretation of the min score is 'high' which is between a min of 3.41 to 4.20 as referring to the source of (Kassim and Ahmad, 2009). This explains that the majority of respondents agreed that they were very interested in the content title of this course.

High
Through table 6, the data analysis is based on the number, percentage, and min of students on the content of the course Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization. The findings obtained from the statement "This course is appropriate and relevant to current issues" recorded the highest min of 4.26. This shows that the interpretation of the min score is 'very high' which is between a min of 4.21 to 5.00. There is 44.7 percent who strongly agree, 39.5 percent who agree, 14.5 who are not sure, 0.7 percent who disagree, and 0.7 percent of respondents who strongly disagree. The second highest min is for the statement related to "The content of this course makes me know more about the basic concepts of ethics and civilization according to the Malaysian mold" which shows a min of 4.25 with the interpretation of the min score is 'very high'. There were 40.1 percent who strongly agreed, 45.4 percent who agreed, 89.4 percent who were unsure, and only 0.7 percent who disagreed. The lowest min is for the statement "This course is suitable to be offered to undergraduate students" got 30.3 percent strongly agree, 38.8 percent agree, 22.4 percent unsure, 7.9 percent disagree and only 0.7 percent strongly disagree. The min for this statement is 3.90 with the interpretation of the min score being 'high'. The result for the overall min obtained is 4.0652. This explains that the student's perception of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization Course from the aspect of the syllabus is at a high level.

Part C: Student feedback on teaching and learning methods.
Chart 1: Teaching and learning platform Chart 1, found that the teaching and learning platforms used by lecturers are Microsoft Teams with a total percentage of 62.5%, Google Meet at 31.6%, and WhatsApp/Telegram/Instagram with a total percentage of 5.9%. This clearly shows that PnP in the Covid19 pandemic environment is implemented in various forms according to the internet speed ability of each student so that they do not drop out. The following are the findings of the data obtained from the respondents through the instruments conducted.

Very High
Through table 7, the data analysis is based on the number, percentage, and min of students on the teaching and learning methods of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization course. The findings obtained from the statement "Lecturer's teaching has the effect of forming good values in oneself" recorded the highest min of 4.63. This shows that the interpretation of the min score is 'very high' which is between a min of 4.21 to 5.00. There were 44.1 percent who strongly agreed, 48 percent who agreed, and 7.9 percent who were unsure. The second highest min is for statements related to "Lecturers are diligent in delivering lessons" and "Lecturers always relate the teaching of this course with current issues" which showed a min of 4.60 with the interpretation of the min score is 'very high'. There were 63.8 and 63.2 percent who strongly agreed, 32.2 and 33.6 percent who agreed, 3.9 and 3.3 percent who were unsure. The lowest min was for the statement "Lecturers are always ready with what they want to teach" getting 30.3 percent strongly agree, 38.8 percent agree, 22.4 percent unsure, and 0.7 percent disagree. The min for this statement is 3.75 with the interpretation of the min score being 'high'.
The result for the overall min obtained is 4.4342. This explains that the student's perception of the Course on Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization from the aspect of teaching and learning methods is at a very high level. Figure 3: Continuous assessment scores are appropriate Through figure 3, the data analysis is based on the percentage of students on the CTU554 Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization course evaluation. Findings obtained from the statement "continuous assessment score is appropriate for this course" with a percentage of strongly agree is 37.5 percent, 53.9 percent agree, 5.3 percent unsure, 0.7 percent disagree and 2.6 percent strongly disagree with continuous assessment score. While the min for this statement is 4.23. This shows that the interpretation of the min score is 'very high' which is between a min of 4.21 to 5.00. This explains that the majority of respondents strongly agree with the appropriate continuous assessment scores implemented for course code CTU554.

Part D: Student feedback on course evaluation
The following are the findings of the data obtained from the respondents through the instruments conducted.  Through table 8, the data analysis is based on the number, percentage, and min of students on the evaluation of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization course. The findings obtained from the statements "The score of the paperwork makes me eager to find reference material" and "The time allocated to complete the article review assignment is sufficient" recorded the highest min of 4.32. This shows that the interpretation of the min score is 'very high' which is between a min of 4.21 to 5.00. There were 44.1 and 46.1 percent who strongly agreed, 44.7 and 42.8 percent who agreed, 10.5 and 8.6 percent who were unsure, 2 percent disagreed and 0.7 percent of respondents voted strongly disagree. The second highest min is for the statement related to "A score of 20% of the paperwork has the effect of getting an A in this course" showing a min of 4.30 with the interpretation of the min score being 'very high'. There were 42.1 percent who strongly agreed, 48.7 percent who agreed, 6.6 percent who were unsure, 2 percent who disagreed, and 0.7 percent who strongly disagreed.
The lowest min is for the statement "I am satisfied with the evaluation of the presentation mark of 20%" got a total of 34.2 percent who strongly agree, 44.1 percent who agree, 18.4 percent who are unsure, and only 3.3 percent who strongly disagree. The min for this statement is 4.06 with the interpretation of the min score being 'high'.
The result for the overall min obtained is 4.239. This shows that the student's perception of the Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization Course from the aspect of evaluation or assessment is very high.

Discussion
Based on the findings obtained, it is clear that the level of perception of UiTM Penang Branch students on the syllabus, teaching and learning methods as well as assessment for the course code CTU554 Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization is high. This can be seen in the first finding, students' perceptions of the course code syllabus CTU 554 Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization are at a high level. This indicates that students accept well the course code CTU554 under the General Subjects offered. It was formulated in line with the purpose of the General Education Subject introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education. However, if you look at the statement "this course is suitable to be offered to undergraduate students" Min for this statement is 3.90 is lower than other statements. Researchers hypothesized that some students felt the topics covered in CTU554 were already learned at the school level and considered repetitive. While the objective of the General Subject was introduced is to equip undergraduate students with knowledge related to nationbuilding, strengthening and expanding their knowledge of Malaysia, in addition to being able to apply soft skills (Ismail, 2015). CTU554 course content is focused on First; appreciation of ethics and civilization in the Malaysian mold. Second; exposed to the dynamics of the concept of ethics and civilization which is a strength of the formation of the Malaysian nation based on the evolutionary timeline of its history from the pre-colonial era to the post-colonial era. Third; An understanding of the formation of ethics and civilization in a diverse society is discussed to enhance the appreciation of ethics and civilization towards strengthening the national and racial unity of Malaysia. Fourth; Malaysia's mold civilization is explored and debated in academic activities guided by the Federal Constitution as a site of integration and a channel for ethics and civilization. Fifth; The forming of national unity is strongly influenced by globalization and the development of complex information and communication technologies. Therefore, the appreciation of ethics and civilization manifests the behavior of social responsibility and is mobilized at the individual, family, community, society, and national levels. Thus, the changes that have taken place in society and the direct development of the economy have brought new challenges in strengthening the sustainability of ethics and civilization in Malaysia. Among the references that are the main choices for this course are (Falikowski, 1990;Fakhry, 1994;Guénon, 2001;Mitchell, 2014;Dugin, 2012;Baharuddin, 2012;MacKinnon, 2015;Cheng, 2012Cheng, , 2016Malik, 2017;Harari, 2017 should not be an obstacle for students in acquiring knowledge as various alternatives are provided by universities and lecturers to ensure that they have the opportunity to continue their studies. While lecturers adopt this new norm by creating opportunities to explore methods of fully virtual learning delivery with various creativity and skills so that the PdP process takes place successfully (Kechil et al., 2020). ODL is divided into two synchronous and asynchronous learning and teaching methods. Synchronous refers to electronic interactions that occur synchronously in real-time or directly at that time. Asynchronous refers to electronic interactions that occur asynchronously or in a delayed mode (Kechil et al., 2020;Bahagian Hal Ehwal Akademik UiTM, 2020). According to Esa et al (2021) online teaching methods need to be adapted so that there are dynamics in the practice of Education. High-Impact Educational Practices (HIEPs) are recognized to be practiced in teaching and learning to further deepen this course as in the Handbook of High-Impact Educational Practices (HIEPs) in General Studies.
Here is the Microsoft Teams platform used by lecturers during the online teaching and learning process. However, the lowest min is 3.75 for the statement about "Lecturers are always ready with what they want to teach". There were 22.4 percent who were unsure and 0.7 percent who disagreed. Researchers think that there are some constraints and weaknesses in the virtual classroom such as technical issues, a less conducive environment and a lack of skills in using the platform for teaching and learning purposes shows that lecturers are less prepared. This needs improvement in the future. The quality of teaching may be affected without clear, thorough preparation and taking into account the emphasis on the main content. To help lecturers prepare to ensure effective delivery, Brown and Atkins (1993)  The third finding related to students' perceptions of the method of evaluating marks for this course is very high. The assessment method for the course which consists of 20 percent paperwork, 20 percent presentation, 30 percent article review, and 30 percent final assessment test is acceptable to the students. This is because according to Saad (2021) the assessment format by continuous assessment (PB) is very helpful for them to obtain high marks when compared to the assessment of other courses in the form of a combination of continuous assessment (PB) and final assessment (PA). Therefore, it is clear that the curriculum of this course is formulated and blended in line with their needs so that it can be applied in their respective lives (Esa et al., 2021).
However, the lowest min is for the statement "I am satisfied with the evaluation of the presentation mark of 20%." Of which there are 18.4 percent who are unsure and only 3.3 percent who strongly disagree. Researchers think that some students are dissatisfied because they feel that the distribution of 20 percent marks is not relevant to the process of preparing video presentations throughout the learning in the virtual world compared to face-to-face presentations. This needs to be reviewed for improvement purposes. A good course needs to have a good assessment system, and it will be more effective for students if they receive some feedback (Bakar et al., 2012). Indirectly, the way a course is evaluated does influence and impact the learning of the students involved (Saad, 2021).

Conclusion
As a result of data analysis and discussion of research findings, it can be concluded that the students of UiTM Penang Branch Bachelor's Degree received the implementation of course code CTU554 in terms of syllabus, teaching and learning methods, and assessment of marks.
Overall, this study has achieved all its objectives of the study. The existing strengths in the CTU554 syllabus or curriculum content, well-managed teaching and learning methods by the instructors as well as continuous course evaluation greatly help them to obtain high marks when compared to the assessment of other combined courses by continuous assessment. With this, the newly introduced CTU554 course can produce holistic graduates, who appreciate the values of patriotism and Malaysian-shaped identity or human quality in line with the goals of the National Strategic Plan for Higher Education (PSPTN). However, some weaknesses need to be improved such as the drafting of the course syllabus in improving the content aspects and assessment methods of the course. As for the teaching staff, they need to be more creative and innovative in teaching and learning methods, mastering modern methods (digitally) to make the learning process more meaningful and effective. It can be embodied and appreciated by students as well as make students more moral and professional in their careers.