First of all, I want to say thank you to Kak Shasha because she really give a big hand to me in understanding this course. This idea of this entry is partially taken from her blog which I hope can help everyone out there to understand what IM is. A little bit about kak Shasha, she already graduated from this course in Diploma and currently studying in UiTM Shah Alam in the same course for Degree level. She obtained the Dean List for every semester and made her qualified to achieve Vice-Chancellor’s Award. This is her second post about IM which is updated from the previous one. And I’m using Windows Live Writer for the first time. The post is in Malay and I translated them into English version to enhance my English skill but seriously you will find a lot of grammar mistakes, sorry for that. The original one is available in the credit at the bottom. This might sounds weird but that is the reality I'm living in for now.

Diploma in Information Management, UiTM (IM110)

Okay, back to the main title. First of all, in this diploma of IM, you will learn a lot of new things, which mostly do not contained in SPM. You won’t find Biology, Chemistry, Literature, extreme Mathematics and Physical Education. In the gist, everyone starts with zero. About the score in SPM, how you score them with flying colors don’t really help but the study skills perhaps will give some helping hands when it comes to examinations. But mostly people start from the bottom. Everyone is at the same level when in first semester. it just when it comes to the second semester, we will know who can excel based on the previous semester and people will change you name into “Dekan” if you are one of it. Sounds like we are freaks.
Generally, the contents of this course included Library and ICT. Not only ICT okay? We will learn a lot about library and Information Agencies, Archive, Record Centers, Resource Center and Information Center. Seriously each of them is different. Every semester, those are compulsory to be implanted into the brain. Besides, let me list some of the skills in this DIM:

• Communication Skill
• Public Speaking
• Make Magazine (Adobe InDesign)
• Make Newsletter
• Make Poster (Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator)
• Invent Flash Presentation (Macromedia Director MX)
• Web Designing (Using HTML & Adobe Dreamweaver)
• Setup Components of the Computer
• Organizing Event (Exhibition & Extension Service)
• Basic Business
• Cataloguing of the Library Materials

For her(kak Shasha), a lot of things she had learn during the study. She don’t even expect to learn a lot of things. We can say that DIM is general, not only focusing on one thing. But the root is still the information.

Why we need to learn to design the web?
So that we can create our own web to distribute information to others using Internet.

Why we need to learn to setup the computer?
Because the world today really rely a lot to computer to find the information. It would be beneficial to know the basic of the software and the components of the computer. At least, we can use this skill to avoid being gullible when buying a laptop.

Why we need to learn the communication and public speaking skills?
Because to spread the information through words and that needs the right way to hold.

Why need to make the magazine, poster and newsletter?
Because those are the medium to spread the information.

See?

Some Information about DIM :

• IM can be said as the reading course. From the first to the fourth semester, don’t hope to much to meet with Mathematics. So get ready with the rusting of the Math skill. For someone who hate Math and really good in memorizing, this is your course. I don’t said this without evident because I’ve go through this thing. Who really love calculating will find this course is the most damn boring. Someone with the calculator brain and have a strong will is the only survivor in this course.

• DIM is very famous for its hectic schedule. I think this course is the runner-up after Art and Design course at UiTM Kedah. If everyone else seems to be very busy with 4 assignments, we all still can relax with about 10 assignments. The maximum number of assignments that we once receive are up to 16. No sleep or late to bed is something normal. Fight, misunderstanding, misconception, dissatisfied, issue of not doing work in the group are very normal. Furthermore, the assignment needs us to make a research outside the campus. We need to find the organization, do the interviews and there is time when we need to go out from the state cause the company cannot be same with the other group, before the part where we get rejected from the company and need to ask some help from the lecturers. For me, I’m currently in second semester and we need to conduct a research outside Kedah and we chose Perak cause one of my friend’s mother works there. Fortunately I don’t encounter any problem. The tip is decide them early, do the draft and paperwork, and don’t forget to divide the tasks. Cooperation is the essence in the success. As I’m saying this, I watched some others’ group conducting these things. A lot of them faced a lot of problem caused they don’t really participate in the group. And one more, appoint a leader and secretary cause you will need to make some letters. Weary, energy, money and time, those are something that you need to sacrifice, of course.

• Since this course teach a lot of things at a time, sometimes to the extent, the brain will break down. We will be confuse, which one is the subject, which belong to which, is this assignment finished, when is the test, the submission of the assignments. Seriously if lack of time management, you will feels the tension and feels like giving up. So this course will also teach you to manage your time, self-discipline since it is still in Management major. A complete package isn’t it? 

• In my opinion, this course is quite easy. Quite. Not ‘REALLY’ easy. No. Every semester, there will be some repeaters. If this course is really easy, there won’t be any repeaters. What you need to perform is study hard and smart. That is the only way. The only way. Unless you become a copycat. I really don’t want to know that in any case. But if you want to pass with Halal way, you need to force yourself to face all those notes and do the best you can in the tests and final examinations. Besides, pay full attention while the lecturers are lecturing and tutoring. Sometimes, the things that they are nagging and lecturing are the important points, more important that the ones that contained in the notes. The percentage is very high of the coming in the exams’ questions because they make the questions and marks them. Got the point?

• As the beginner, I thought that this course don’t have Mathematics  for 100% but at the end I guess I’m wrong. At the final  semester, we will meet with a business subject which need us to become an instant accountant. That subject is ETR 300- Fundamental of Entrepreneurship. The bad news is we need to be a hardcore accountant which require us to make no mistake at all. The good news is not everyone will be the accountant. Usually there only a person who need to handle this per group and the others will just do the report.

• For the students of DIM, the first month of every semester, you will feel like a holiday. This is from Kak Shasha’s case, like seriously you won’t has any hardcore work. No assignment, no quiz, no test. There are but the simple one and not important. But right after the mid-semester holiday, you will face a non-stop works until the final exams.You won’t. Because the assignments and tests will flow like water to us. There is a time where we need to submit the assignment, do the presentation and having a test in the very same week. For this, we can see your fabulous skill in time management where you need to make portions of your time to study for test, to finish the task and presentation. But in my case in 2013, it is totally different. The very first class, you will get all the assignments to finish for the whole semester either individual or group with the requirements and dateline. Then you will have a lot of time to finish them but remember, procrastination never leave us. It always linger around us. Usually the datelines are not far from each other. Same goes to the presentations. So, good luck.

There are a lot of people asking about the future of the graduate from this course. Even my parents too. DIM sounds like… “what is that?” When people asking, “what is the course you’re taking in university?” me saying DIM is too… unless you state engineering, medics and so on but IM? To make sure people understand them will cut half of your day. Now, I’ve been familiar with the situation. And even though IM is not that famous, I can say most of the graduate is not jobless. Why? Because anyone in this major can work in any sector. But not everyone in another major, for example accountancy, can work in this sector. I’ll quote the most simple example. An IM major student can work as a banker or officer in a bank but an accountant in the bank or a company can’t work as a librarian or a record manager. For your information, there is no record manager in Malaysia. This is based in a research conducted by UiTM student majoring in IM itself. But anyway, “rezeki di tangan Allah, itu semua rahsia Dia.”


That's all about Information Management a.k.a Pengurusan Maklumat. Might sound hard and challenging isn’t it? but I can say it is really enjoying as you will learn on how to become a professional. I’m currently in second semester at UiTM Kedah. Perhaps I can update more about the post in the future. I really hope this post can help you figure out your curiosity about this course and to choose your future. Any questions can be asked in the comments below or you can directly ask Kak Shasha, as she is a senior of me. InsyaAllah, will be replied in a short time.


p/s : If the readers want some example of the notes to see whether this course really suit you or not, you might request   below together with you email or for some privacy you can email me at halleyserenade@yahoo.com or go straight to Kak Shasha at shashayatim@gmail.com.


Credits: Kak Syasya Yatim’s blog.

Labels: IM, UiTM