Final Reflection on Learning

How time flies, it felt like just yesterday when I step into this class. To be honest, the reason why I chose this module initially was because it has no final examination. Never did I know that this enriching module would effectively equip me communications skills that will greatly benefit me when I enter the workforce. The learning of non- verbal communications especially, had led my deeper understanding of communications between people thus, enabling better interpersonal relationships.

Personally, I felt that the most useful part of this module is the mock interviews, the crafting of CV and doing up a proper resume as I will be entering the workforce very soon. Nevertheless, the presentations and the other skills we acquired through this module are useful to me as well, because it fully prepares me for the future job assignments.

Apart from learning communication skills, the other thing I loved about this course is the way that lessons are being carried out every week. One thing is for sure, I enjoyed this module way more than the other mundane science module that I am taking for this semester. I will miss this.

Lastly, I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to our tutor, Madam Fazilah for making the lessons enriching and enjoyable. All the best and see you all around in school!

Blog#3 Reflection on Team-based Research Project Proposal

The Team-based Research Project Proposal is similar to the Project Work students have to take in the first year of Junior College, and I was rather confident about it when the team was first formed. Since all members of the team have had prior experience on research proposal writing, I assumed everything would be going very smoothly. However, obstacles begin to appear as workload starts to accumulate and everyone was kept busy. It became increasingly difficult to come together for a group discussion, and experienced difficulty conveying out thoughts and ideas effectively. This is a new thing the group has to deal with, since Project Work meetings in the Junior College days were much easier as all the team members had the same timetable.

The team recovered quickly, and decided to adopt an alternative method to get work done. We delegated work to be done within a deadline, and minimized the number of long-hours meetings. This way, work gets done and deadlines met, without having to compromise other work and commitments we have on hand. I was over the moon when teamwork was at its peak and the team was productive. Along the way, there were times when ideas and suggestions worked well together, there were also times when it did not turn out the way we wanted. Different people may have a different ways of doing work, and it is important that we try to accommodate each other. Instead of pushing our own way through and insisting on how work is to be done, it is good to listen to what others have to say sometimes. On the other hand, when new suggestions and ideas are not accepted, one should not take it to heart. It is definitely important to be supportive of one another and everyone wants it to turn out well. I am sure this is yet another experience that will help everyone in our future endeavors.

Would like to wish everyone all the best for the Project Proposal and upcoming Oral Presentation!

Blog#2 Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

Singapore is like a miniscule of the world; people with vastly different cultural backgrounds living together, hence it is common to observe some differences just by paying more attention to the people around you. One interesting observation is the act of returning of trays after a meal. This act is more common among Caucasians but not the locals. I learnt that it is only basic courtesy to do so after a meal in the western countries, but not so much in the Singapore culture. Although fast food restaurants have tray-returning stations, the locals are so used to having someone to clear up the tables after them they simply do not bother to clear up after their meal. It seems that not cleaning up after a meal is a norm in the local culture the fast food restaurants employ floor staffs whose main duty is to clear clean up the tables after customers have had their meal.

Studying in NUS allows me to interact with more international students from various countries and learnt that education should not merely be a pursuit of academic results. I had a few ASEAN scholars in my class in the secondary school days who focused more on the final result, while the Caucasian students place heavier emphasis on the learning process. The “result-oriented” culture may prove to produce more hardworking students, but I personally feel that the process of learning is more important.

Despite the great impact globalization and westernization has on Singapore, the locals have yet to pick up some cultures which I feel that may be better than what we have now. On the other hand, I am quite relieved that Singapore has not lost its unique identity. Different cultures have to be embraced and respected, and try to integrate when entering a new one. 

Blog #1 Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Last semester, I took up a module that required me to form a group to work on a proposal. Although I signed up alone, I found 3 friends and we decided to come together to work on the proposal. The group was working well; we were enthusiastic and had high expectations of it. Two weeks into the semester, a girl, Jane, requested to join the group. After the formalities, we thought that she was suitable for the design section for the proposal as her major is in the same discipline. We welcomed her into the group and reassigned the workload.

Everyone was busy with work, and felt that the most feasible way to complete this proposal was to do each section individually and do meet-up regularly to comment on each other’s work. As Jane was from the Arts faculty and the rest of us Science, the best place to meet up would be Science. No effort was made on her part to be punctual, and gave many excuses. Besides meeting up, we also created an online portal to communicate and share resources. She failed to update her work online and was seldom involved with conversation as well.

The group was rather annoyed with her actions, and even contemplated reporting it to the lecturer. However, we were concerned that this would reflect badly on our team. She managed to turn up for the final draft discussion, hence we dropped the idea of reporting her. We felt that Jane’s work was unsatisfactory and decided to redo her part, which eventually got us good grades. I felt that Jane did not deserve this grade; moreover, we did not hear from her again.

The group chose to avoid a head-on confrontation with Jane, but what could we have done better?