Remarks from the President
Dear DISTED Community,
It is always a pleasure to walk around campus and see our students engrossed in their studies or chatting animatedly with one another. Seeing their energy and enthusiasm gives me hope we can overcome the challenges that our world faces today.
It has been an interesting and insightful week for us at DISTED. During our recent industry engagement with AMD, our colleagues, together with our Alumni and accounting students, had the opportunity to learn more about how accounting skills continue to be relevant in today’s workplace, while also understanding the importance of being proficient in AI.
In this regard, early steps taken to introduce AI into our programmes, from Pre-University and Diploma to HELP University Degrees, are certainly practical and applicable. Through our adoption of Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, we are giving students early exposure to AI tools and their applications in learning. We will continue to review and refine our approach to AI integration through discussions at our Board of Academic Affairs meetings, ensuring that our programmes remain relevant to the needs of an evolving world.
Looking ahead, we are also excited to host the Hack Club Haven Penang, a 24-hour game jam and hackathon for teenage coders from 14 to 15 November. Organised by Hack Club Penang, our School of Computing will be running a workshop co-facilitated by our students.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.
President
Dato’ Dr (h.c) Lim Si Boon
Put Down the Phone, Pick Up the Opportunity
There is nothing wrong with scrolling through social media or enjoying some alone time looking at your phone when you’re not attending classes. But if college becomes nothing more than attending lectures and completing assignments and being on your phone in between, you may be missing out on some of the most valuable experiences that are right in front of you.
While the aim is to get good grades and earn a qualification, college is also a time to explore, experiment and discover who you are. Your campus is filled with opportunities to learn things that are not always taught in the classroom, but only if you are willing to step forward and participate.
Join a competition. Volunteer at an event. Become part of a club or student organisation. Attend an industry talk. Take part in a community programme. Help organise a college activity. And if you have an idea, why not be the person who starts it?
You do not have to wait until you feel completely ready. In fact, some of the best learning experiences happen when you are doing something for the first time. You might discover that you are good at leading a team, speaking in front of an audience, managing an event, solving problems or working with people from different backgrounds.
And here is something worth thinking about – What will your resume say about you when you graduate?
A qualification tells employers what you studied. Your experiences tell them what you can do.
Imagine being asked in an interview, “Can you provide an example of your leadership skills?” Instead of simply saying, “I am a good leader,” you can talk about the time you led a team in a competition or helped organise a college event. When being asked about teamwork, you can share how you worked with different people to complete a project. When being asked about your communication skills, you can talk about a presentation, event or community programme you were involved in.
Suddenly, you are not just describing your skills. You are proving it to them through real experiences.
This is why the activities you sometimes think are “just for fun” can become valuable additions to your resume. Competitions, volunteering, student leadership, event management, entrepreneurship projects and community engagement can all help build a stronger story about who you are beyond the classroom.
More importantly, these experiences can shape you as a person. You meet new people, build confidence, learn from mistakes and discover interests you may never have known you had.
Years from now, you may not remember every assignment you submitted. But you may remember the competition you almost did not join, the event you helped organise, the project you started with your friends or the moment you stepped outside your comfort zone for the first time.
So, the next time you find yourself reaching for your phone after class, take a moment to look around.
Explore. Participate. Take initiative. Build your story.
Because when graduation day arrives, you are not leaving with only a certificate. You are leaving with skills, connections, memories and experiences that make you stand out from the crowd.
Nur Aisya Najwa Amerrudin
Lecturer/Programme Leader, School of Business and Hospitality
Smart Devices, Smarter Decisions
In an era where productivity is driven by technology, choosing the right device is more important than ever. Through the CIT403 Computer Application Mobile Device Activity, DISTED Business students stepped into the role of technology evaluators – exploring how smartphones, tablets, and laptops support learning, communications, and business operations.
From the budget-friendly Infinix Hot 40 Pro to premium devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S26, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, students compared specifications of processors, memory, battery life, connectivity, portability, and price. The activity managed to highlight how these features can influence performance, whether for multitasking, online meetings, content creation, or business applications.
Our students also discovered how modern technologies such as 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, USB-C, fingerprint scanning, and facial recognition can enhance convenience, security, and productivity. By evaluating devices for different users, from students and travellers to business professionals, they learnt that the best device is not always the most expensive one, but the one that best meets specific needs and budgets.
Beyond technology, the activity also strengthened essential workplace skills. Through research, teamwork, presentations, and product comparisons, our students developed critical thinking and decision-making abilities while learning to justify recommendations based on value, functionality, and customer requirements.
By combining technical knowledge with practical business perspectives, CIT403 empowers DISTED Business students into becoming informed consumers and future professionals capable of making smart technology choices in a rapidly evolving digital world.
Aina Syazwani Binti Shaharin
Lecturer, School of Computing and Engineering
DISTED and Our Community: Inculcating a Love for Learning from A Young Age
Learning has no age limit, but the journey can begin in childhood. At DISTED College, we believe in nurturing curiosity and a love for learning from a young age, which was why our School of Communication, Arts and Multimedia Programme Leader Luqman Aliff readily accepted an invitation to serve as tutor for the Climate Disaster Adaptation Short Video Competition during the Conference on Sustainable Development through Education Malaysia (COSDEM) 2026.
Required to produce a three to four-minute short video addressing climate-related issues such as flood preparedness, extreme heat, water conservation, ecosystem protection, and community resilience, the secondary school students participating in the Creative Digital Storytelling workshop were first introduced to the fundamentals of developing an engaging visual narrative for climate-related topics. The students were guided on how to identify a clear message, understand their target audience, develop a storyline, plan appropriate visuals, and communicate climate issues in a way that could be understood and appreciated by the wider community.
Luqman also conducted a practical session on creative video editing, demonstrating how techniques such as shot selection, pacing, transitions, text, sound, music and visual effects can be used purposefully to enhance storytelling. The students were encouraged to make creative editing decisions that supported their message rather than rely on effects purely for visual decoration.
The tutoring session most definitely provided the students with practical knowledge that can be directly applied to their project submissions, which require them to independently plan, record and edit videos. The activity further strengthened the students’ creativity, digital media literacy, communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving skills while connecting digital storytelling with climate awareness and community action.
Some Lessons Are Not Written on the Board
I came across this photo recently, and it brought me back to one of those little moments from a previous semester that I did not realise I would miss. It was our final class together, and instead of ending the semester with just another lecture, we shared a simple potluck. There was food, laughter, conversations, and, of course, a few photos to remember the day. At the time, it felt like an ordinary celebration. Looking back now, it feels like so much more.
A semester is made up of lectures, assignments, deadlines, discussions, presentations, and exams. But somewhere between all of that, relationships are built, and memories are created. As lecturers, we often focus on what our students learn from us. Yet, teaching is never a one-way journey. Students teach us too; about patience, different perspectives, resilience, humour, and sometimes, simply the importance of enjoying the moment. Everyone in this picture has probably moved on to new classes, new challenges, and new chapters by now. But this little moment remains. Perhaps that is one of the most beautiful parts of teaching. Students may remember some of the lessons we taught, but as lecturers, we remember the people, the laughter, and the moments in between.
Some lessons are never written on the board, but they stay with us long after the semester ends.
Thiresyinie A/P Tamil Chelvam
Lecturer, School of Psychology
Mathematics Heuristics Programme 2026: Mathematics Made Easy
In yet another programme with the community, DISTED College collaborated with Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Pulau Pinang and UiTM Pulau Pinang to organise the Mathematics Heuristics Programme 2026.
The recent one-day educational intervention was designed to support Form 2 students with difficulties in the subject by helping them discover smarter ways to solve and tackle mathematical problems.
The 75 students who attended the programme were from SMK Air Itam, SMK Westlands and SMK Jelutong.
Adopting a practical and collaborative learning approach through hands-on activities, problem-solving tasks and small group discussions, facilitators from UiTM’s Department of Mathematics introduced the participants to heuristic strategies such as drawing diagrams, identifying patterns, constructing tables and models, trial and checking, and breaking complex problems into smaller parts.
DISTED College will continue to support similar programmes in the future to help students in our community to better understand fundamental mathematical concepts while enhancing their confidence, problem-solving skills and interest in Mathematics.
Lee Lei Yong
Head of School, Pre-University Studies
