Virtual National Science Challenge (VNSC)
April 15, 2021ASM has been organising the National Science Challenge (NSC) for the past 20 years from 1999 until 2018. From November 2019 to April 2020, an Impact Analysis Study on NSC was carried out with the objective to evaluate the impact of the competition (from 2008 to 2018) to improve future implementation of NSC.
The Impact Analysis Study shows that NSC develops students’ interest in STEM and increases their soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and time management. NSC is also the turning point for the students to pursue education and career in STEM, apart from giving the opportunity for the students to build a network among their peers and experts.
Chair: Associate Professor Dr Noor Syamilah Zakaria from UPM
• 175 respondents including NSC state and semi-finalists, and potential NSC participants were involved in the
study:
- 135 respondents involved in online survey
- 40 respondents involved in focused group discussion (FGD)
NSC increased students’ tendency to pursue study and career in STEM:
- 90% of the respondents agreed this competition nurtured their interest in STEM
- 88% of the respondents agreed the competition has increased their interest to continue education and
career in STEM - 93% of the respondents are currently studying and working in STEM fields