I am really
glad that this module has not disappointed me a bit. At the start of this
semester, one of my friends advised me not
to take this module as she found it very time consuming and did not benefit her much. Despite her advice, I went on to bid for this module and
I am really glad that I did because I find that this is one of the best modules
I have taken in NUS thus far. One of the best elements in this module is its
interactive nature, which is also something I have hoped to experience in all my
modules but hardly any modules which I have taken so far is anything like this.
Besides the
module itself, I wish to give Brad extra credit for
doing such a good job in facilitating all the lessons. I believe the experience
in this module will not be the same if we have a different tutor and this might
be the reason why my friend did not enjoy this module as much as I do. I
greatly appreciate the effort that Brad put in to ensure that each of us has a
chance to interact with every student in the class.
Some of my best takeaways from this module are better writing and conversational skills,
professional resumes and cover letters, proposal writing experience, increased
level of confidence in presentations and last but not least, the bonds that I
have fostered with my classmates.
One aspect of communication that has benefited me the most is written communication. Writing ,especially formal writing, has always been something I lacked confidence in. Through this course, I have several opportunities to write formally, from cover letters to proposal to regular blog posts (which entails semi-formal writing). These are not only good exposure for me but also useful ones because now, I have my own cover letter which can serve as a reference for me in my future job search. Besides, the research that I went through before writing the proposal also allowed me to gain better understanding of the history and problems on the Academic Mentorship Scheme in NUS, something which I have a personal interest to find out.
Even though my experience in this module has exceeded my expectation, there are some areas which I
feel could be improved upon. The content of this module covers a very wide
range of topics and this makes the workload of this module very heavy. Even
though we covered many different skills throughout the 13 weeks, many of them are
just touch-and-go and we do not have sufficient time to learn and practice them
in depth. My suggestion is that the content this module can be divided and be taught in 2 modules, so
that one focuses on writing, conversational skills and resume writing while
the other one focuses on proposal writing, presentation and interview skills.
In this way, students will have more time to develop each type of skill.
Finally, I
would like to thank all my classmates for diligently commenting on my blog,
giving me useful suggestions to improve on various aspects of my communication and for being through this learning
journey with me. All the best for your future endeavors!
 |
| Class of Tutorial Group 4 |
Hi Jestina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fine post and for pointing out the improvements that could have been made to the module. Like you, I find the workload heavy and that it is a shame to only skim some topics over the surface. The whole process of preparation of the proposal is way too rushed in my opinion. I think the grouping and proposal should be introduced right in the beginning (say Week 2) so we have more time to put up a stronger piece of work. Also, I feel that the time allocation was too skewed towards the end of the semester. We did not have as much workload before the recess week, but it was a bullet train after. It might be good to spread the workload more evenly.
Coincidentally, I was warned by my friends not to take this module as well and it was also because of the workload. Well we took it anyway and I must say, there is absolutely no regrets. I am glad to know that you have benefitted so much from this module, I can not pinpoint an obvious improvement because you were already quite a pro at communication right from the beginning! But I am sure you have further refined your skills and become a super-pro now. Well done Jestina and good luck with your finals!
Min
Hi Min,
DeleteThank you for comment. I feel that you have a good point about the distribution of workload in this module. Indeed, it would have been better if the proposal was introduced right at the beginning of this module. In fact, I feel that all the peer teaching should be cleared before recess week so that there would be any groups juggling between the preparations for the peer teaching and proposal in the recess week.
Thank you for your well wishes and all the best for your finals too!
Cheers,
Jestina
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely reflection of the module. I agree with you that this module is different from others and focuses on some very basic, but essential topics that we would ignore otherwise. One thing that I particularly liked about this module was the diversity! When do we see students from different cultural, ethnic and academic backgrounds sitting together in a common lecture? Since all of us had different viewpoints, it made learning even more interesting. Don't you think?
ReplyDeleteRegarding your thought of dividing the module into two, I think that this was a perfect introductory course that provided us with a wholesome knowledge about verbal and written communication. I was just browsing the webpage for the Department of Communications and New Media (under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS) and they seem to have some communication courses that might interest you. I am guessing that you might be able to take some of them to satisfy your elective requirements? Here is the module list in case you are interested (https://aces01.nus.edu.sg/cors/jsp/report/UEMInfoListing.jsp). Thank you again for being a great class mate. I enjoyed reading your posts. Let's try to keep this blogging tradition alive. You can definitely expect more blogs from me in the future, and I hope the same from you! Good luck on your finals.
Hi Nirav,
DeleteThank you for comment. Yes, I would love to continue reading from your blog even after this module has ended. I also have to agree that a class with so much diversity is really hard to come by. It is my pleasure to be in this tutorial group with such an interesting mix of students.
Thank you sharing the link for other communication modules with me. I will take a look and see if any of the modules interest me.
Cheers,
Jestina
Dear Jestina,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this beautiful experience in all the more beautiful post. I enjoyed reading your perception of the module and you well highlighted the areas you saw yourself improve. I am glad to know that you enjoyed doing the module as much as I did and would love to continue the process of learning.
I really liked the post, however, Jestina if you look into the rubrics, the last post should be focussed on one particular area of the module you really liked! For example, proposal writing , OP, resume and cover letter, interview.
You can probably transform this post into an excellent one by putting that it.
Always a pleasure to read your ideas.
Thanks
Aditi
Hi Aditi,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for pointing out my mistake for taking a wrong approach in this blog post. I will revise it accordingly.
Cheers,
Jestina
Thank you, Jestina, for this detailed overview of your take aways from ES2007S. As always, your writing is clear and concise. You briefly discuss what you see as the key learning areas, and you add on a very valid suggestion for a way to improve the course. (I've always thought that a two-satge course would be a great way to handle the topics in more depth. However, the question is, would students be willings to spend two terms doing so?)
ReplyDeleteLike Aditi states, technically speaking, you were supposed to focus on one learning area. That would be easy to do in an edit.
In any case, I really appreciate all your effort and congeniality this term, Jestina. You have been a highly spirited, enthusiastic and engaging participant this term. The accolades you have given me are really a reflection of the types of students who have joined this course You all have made ES2007S Group 4 a very fine community of learners.
All the best to you as you continue your learning journey!