Monday, April 19, 2010

Auf Wiedersehen

They say time flies after you hit 21, I think the same could be said with regards to this module. The past 12 weeks have gone by in a flash, and we have now come to the end of the semester. Although it was only a short 12 weeks (how I wish this would have been longer), the wealth of knowledge and experiences I have obtained is surprisingly immense.

The main reason why I had initially decided to take this module was the fact that it fitted nicely in my timetable, allowing me to function on a 3 day study week (For those of you who do not realise, know I get my Wednesdays and Thursday off something quite rare for a Science Major). However, I soon came to realise that this module actually had a plethora of knowledge to impart. I have yet to come across a module which imparts the skills taught in this module! These skills range from writing skills to presentation skills and even skills on non-verbal communication.

Besides the skills taught in this module, another great take away was the amount of feedback I received. Yet again I have never come across a module which had this much feedback. I got feedback on every single assignment I submitted. Feedback on every presentation I had. This module had a whole new definition of learning. For once in my university education, I could truly say I have learnt from the mistakes I made based on the feedback I received.

Finally, there were the hands on “practical” sessions we had. Yes, I am referring to the mock job interviews and oral presentation. I found that those were extremely helpful, as it allowed us to truly practise what we have learnt. On a side note, I would like to apologise to anybody whom I may have offended during the mock interviews or oral presentations. I was not trying to be mean or difficult.

I guess this is farewell for now. Thank you for the past 12 weeks, this has truly been the best module I have ever read in NUS.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Joshua,

    Time indeed flies after you hit 21. As it is, I could hardly believe that I am 24 (I still think I'm 18)!

    I definitely do agree with 2 key take-away points for this module, but I think you have missed out the important fact that we have managed to get all these learning done while HAVING loads of fun!

    For the mock interview, I suppose I was fortunate to not have been one of your "victims", but I am sure that those who were grilled by you are not offended, but would rather be thankful to you. This is because now that they have faced the one of worst, I am sure they have gained the confidence to handle all sorts of interviews in the future!

    On a final note, although I did not seem to have much personal contact with you during the course, I am glad that I have been able to share this learning experience together with you, Joshua, and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Cheers to the best module we have ever read in NUS! And さようなら!

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  2. Hi Joshua,

    It is good to know that you learned from your mistakes. That is the best part for the feedback aspect. I also have to agree that most of the modules in NUS offers little amount of feedback from both teaching staff and course mates.

    Perhaps with emphasis of feedback sessions in modules throughout NUS, I guess students will be able to improve at a faster rate.

    All the best for the upcoming exams!

    Cheers,
    Godwin

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  3. Thanks for the heart-felt reflection, Joshua. Your satisfaction shines through this post, as does your positive attitude, the same one that allowed you to not only give of yourself so generously throughout the course but to accept the "gift" of others --- including the comments meant to help you improve your skills. On that front you have been a very good sport. I appreciate the recognition of the value of such feedback. I hope that it proves useful to you and your classmates far into the next stage of your learning journey.

    All the best to you in your future endeavors, Joshua!

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  4. Dear Joshua,

    I guess we can really only say this course was a tad too short. But the skills and knowledge were a tad too many and too useful!

    I suppose feedbacks were one of the highlights of this course. Honestly, I haven't learnt from my mistakes made in the modules I took in year 1, mainly because I don't even know what and where went wrong!

    Another thing I want to put in my comments: Thank you for being such a great teammate!

    Best regards and all the best from here on!
    Kian Leong

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  5. Hey Guys,

    Once again thank you for all the feedback. I stand by what I say that the feedback provided has been one of the greatest benefits of this amazing module.

    Clement: It was a shame that we did not get much personal contact during the course; however I am glad that I got to share this experience with you.

    Kian Leong: Thank you for all the hard work you put in during the group work. You were a fantastic group mate.

    Godwin: Thank you for all the feedback you have provided me with during this module. It was very much appreciated.

    Brad: Thank you for all the guaidaince you have provided during this module. Truly the experience I had would be totally different if I had a different tutor. I am glad that I signed up for your tutorial slot.

    Cheers,
    Joshua

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  6. Mr. Mean interviewer! (Just joking)

    I am sure everyone will never forget your wonderful acting skills during the mock interview session.

    I do agree with you, time indeed flies. How I wish we still have ES lessons every Tuesday and Friday, exchanging learning points. I am sure this learning points are imprinted in our minds and serve as stepping stones for all of us.

    Also, it had been nice working with you on the final project. I is a new experience and I have learnt a lot from you.

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  7. Hey Joshua

    Nice introduction! I feel the same too, learning so much in such a short period of time. How I do wish there really is an ES2008S. To add to your point, I have never come across a module with this much interaction during classes too.

    My only regret is that I did not get a chance to be interviewed by you during our mock interview sessions, after hearing much of your performance reviews. Well, all the best for your exams!

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