Insight Mosaic e-Megazine (First Edition)

I t began my academic life deep in the world of science, a world of precision and exactitude. I was in a world of logic and cause and effect. It began with a bachelor’s degree in pure physics, followed by a PhD in solid state physics. My PhD research was technical, precise, and quantitative with my mates, the sputtering machine, an electron microscope, differential scanning calorimeter and other supporting equipment. My publications at the time were short, focused; a few pages, graphs, and clear findings were enough for a complete article. I was trained to value brevity, clarity, and replication. The communication style was direct and unadorned. But my professional trajectory took a turn when my vocation commenced at the School of Distance Education. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a physicist anymore, I was a lecturer in an unfamiliar Prof. Dr. Rozhan Mohammed Idrus, Felow Penyelidik di Institut Sains Islam (ISI), Universiti Sains IslamMalaysia (USIM), rozhan@usim.edu.my FROM PHYSICS TO OPEN & DISTANCE LEANNG (ODL) MY JOURNEY IN REDEFINING ACADEMIC WRITING AND PURPOSE Prof Dr Rozhan Mohammed Idrus, Research Fellow at the Institute of Islamic Sciences (ISI) Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), is the first Professor of Distance Education in Malaysia to receive the Award for Excellence in e-learning as well as the 50 Fabulous Edutech Leaders Award which took place on 4 July 2019 at Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai, India. Earlier, he received the Award for Best Professor in Immersive Technology Studies in Kuala Lumpur in the 6th Golden Globe Tiger Awards. He received the award for his outstanding achievements in the field of Distance Education and Open & Distance Learning as a reference expert as well as research and production of international publications. 14