By: Dr. Nor Asiah Mohamad@Razak
20 Jun 2024
Tanjong Malim – Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) through Faculty of Computing & Meta-Technology (META) execute Digital Creative Marathon (DICRATHON). The opening ceremony was successfully held on June 8th, 2024, at DKP 1, KSAS, UPSI. This event officially welcomed participants both physically and online, updating them on the activities and guidelines of the competition. Led by Dr. Nor Asiah Mohamad@Razak, the event was made possible with the help of all UPSI student clubs.
The Project Leader expressed her gratitude for an exciting journey where students from different universities join the DICRATHON to solve real-world problems, providing them a chance to showcase their digital and creative skills. This marathon is more than just a competition; it’s a chance to learn, collaborate, and demonstrate what students can achieve in the digital world.
DICRATHON comprises four phases: Phase 1 involves the introduction and project briefing. In Phase 2, successful payment registrants and challenge votes are announced. Phase 3 features courses and training provided by a Microsoft Partner Company. Phase 4, the final phase, involves participants presenting and demonstrating the prototypes they have developed. As of June 7th, 2024, 151 participants successfully registered from various universities, including USM, UPM, UKM, UTP, UTEM, USIM, IIUM, UITM, UNISEL, and UMPSA.
The event was primarily organized by the Software Engineering Club, with Miss Nurfatin Nabilah binti Ahmad Fuad as Program Director, along with the Creative Multimedia Club, Information Technology Club, Digital Games Club, Computer Science Club, and Engineering Technology Students Club. Some members are in semesters 2, 3, and 4, while the Program Director is in semester 6. \
We are proud of their efforts in managing this prestigious event. They worked together as a team to achieve a common objective: ensuring the DICRATHON’s success. The Program Director perceived DICRATHON as an extended competition format emphasizing the development of market-relevant solutions over several months.
This format allows participants to engage in meaningful learning, refine their ideas, and produce high-quality projects with advanced technological tools, compared to the well-known Hackathon by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), which focuses on rapid development over a short period.
The event featured distinguished guests such as Dr. Hasnul Auzani bin Hassan, Chairman of the Malaysian Digital Professional Association (DigitalPro); En. Es’Aedi bin Asmit (DigitalPro); En. Mohd Hanif bin Mohd Yusof (DigitalPro); Mr. Chua Kah Boon, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of EvoPoint Sdn. Bhd., a Microsoft Partner Company; and En. Mohd Nazron Bin Rusly from EvoPoint Sdn. Bhd.
Additionally, En. Saiful Yazan bin Ramli, General Manager of PowerIT Solutions, along with Dr. Roznim Mohamad Rasli and Dr. Laili Farhana Md. Ibharim, attended as Advisors of the Software Engineering Club and Digital Games Club, respectively.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Associate Professor Dr. Suzani binti Mohamad Samuri, Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation of the Faculty of Computing and Meta-Technology at UPSI. She expressed her excitement to see future leaders and innovators develop amazing ideas.
The event was initiated by META Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and co-organized by Data Intelligent and Knowledge Management (DILIGENT), the MindGames Think Tank, and EduGreen@UPSI. As part of this initiative, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with DigitalPro will soon be signed, involving sponsorships from agencies including Microsoft-Malaysia, ISTIC-UNESCO, Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad, and many more.
As we begin this journey, let’s take on the challenges, celebrate our successes, and most importantly, learn from each other. We hope this program helps students develop great projects that could be promoted and commercialized in the future, benefiting both students and the industry. To all the participants, we are excited to see your energy and creativity. You are the future leaders and innovators, and this event is here to challenge you, inspire you, and help you grow.
