| MyLinE, which began as the UTM Online Resources for Learning in English, was first introduced to UTM students in Semester I, 2006/2007. The resources were developed to provide a platform for students to learn and practise language at their
own time and at their own pace within the comfort of their chosen environment. This flexible mode of learning allows students to manage their own learning within their busy schedule. The materials and activities were designed, developed and managed by a multi-disciplinary task force in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia comprising academics from various disciplines, namely, language, science, education and management as well as technical personnel. The university provided a launching grant for the project. |
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| The UTM Online Resources for Learning in English gained popularity among students in Semester 2, 2006/2007 with 158,192 hits. This active participation reflected a growing awareness among students on the importance of English at tertiary level.
It also indicated that students were willing and ready to improve themselves if support services and facilities were provided. The UTM Online Resources for Learning in English was officially launched by the then Minister of Higher Education,
Dato' Mustapa Mohamed on 14 July 2007. The interest and support from the Ministry generated further interest among the students in the learning resource. After the launch, the hits soared to 466,242 with 5,700 active users in Semester
I, 2007/2008 alone. |
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| The programme attracted the attention of the Ministry of Higher Education who then decided to adopt it for use by all 20 public Institutions of Higher Learning in Malaysia. MyLinE was officially launched as a national resource for learning
in English on 16 September 2008, by Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled b. Nordin, the Minister of Higher Education. MyLinE as a national resource started off with only 72,707 hits between September and December, mainly because of the lack of awareness among the students and other implementation challenges. By the end of Semester II, 2008/2009 however, the hits leapt to 563,673. The activities and learning resources were initially mainly text-based but more audio and video-based materials have subsequently been added. The highly popular Lounge, which began as a 'cyber meeting place' for students, is now available to both students and teachers from different fields of study to meet and exchange views in English on a wide range of topics and issues under several categories such as Students Guiding Students (SGS), Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Creative Corner, Movie Review, Book Review, Correct My English, Read and Respond, and Teacher Forum. A collection of quizzes and exercises related to general language use and also to the specific input given in the resources to test users' mastery of the English language was also created under World of Challenges. Students are given feedback as a form of self-assessment. The Test and Rank tests allow students to make as many attempts as they wish. In these tests, a score and also a statement showing how their scores rank against those of other users are given at the end of each attempt. Students Guide and Teachers Guide have also been created to assist both users and language instructors to use MyLinE. |