Blog Entry 4: Final Reflection on Learning

It’s now the final week of semester, my last blog post and also the last component of course work before final exams. This is a bittersweet moment, I'm one step closer to completing my degree however it also signifies that my time here in NUS as an exchange student is drawing to an end. My journey here has gone by breathtakingly fast, I've met so many people, learnt so much about the Singaporean culture and have gained a greater perspective of various subjects. I could not imagine a better semester spent abroad. My experience in taking ES2007S has been one filled with many positive memories and huge learning opportunities.

I chose this module with intention of improving and developing both my soft skills and necessary abilities for a professional setting. Being a university student, there is a certain inevitability that we will find ourselves contributing our efforts in some kind of a workplace, regardless of whether we pursue a professional career or something else altogether. That being said, I feel that course has allowed me to gain so much more insight into the dealings involved in working in the real world, as well as greater knowledge of the skills needed to be able to communicate effectively.

Specifically, communication skills were heavily emphasised and there were many opportunities where I was pushed to develop my skills, whether it was participating in class discussion or presenting. Public speaking had always been a challenge for me and before this semester, I rarely would speak up or contribute to class discussion. Back home, tutorial participation is not common and as such, there was a fair amount of adaptation needed for me to have a two way conversation with other members of the class and even the tutor. Initially it was confronting, but the amount of presenting and public speaking in this module really pushed me to overcome any fears or worries that I had in the past.

In the very first presentation we had to give, due to other engagements I was not prepared at all and literally improvised my speech. Previously, for every speech or presentation I had done, I would come ready with a script cut down into palm cards that I would go over thoroughly before.  This was such a huge contrast and although it went okay, I knew this would be a semester of much growth and learning. I'm really glad to say that since the conclusion of this module, I am now able to present with much more confidence in my own ability, am more aware of how to communicate effectively (7  C’s!) and find interacting in class discussions much easier. Thank you Dr Radhika for a really well taught module, my fellow peers for all your constructive feedback and to all for the enjoyable semester!

Blog Entry 3: Reflection on Team-based Research Project Proposal

Looking back in retrospect over the past couple of months, it’s hard to believe that the team based research project proposal will be completed and concluded by the end of this week. Working in a team with Nazyra and Nabilah has been both a memorable and enlightening experience. In fact, it’s even a little strange to think that before working together with my group members, they were two completely unfamiliar individuals. Nevertheless, it just goes to show how easily a task can be achieved when you are able to work well together as a team.

I thought that as a group we worked cooperatively and effectively. Each team member was easy to get along with and there were no conflicts or struggles that we couldn't overcome collectively. Initially we took a while to get started on our project and as a result, when it came to choosing a topic, problem and effective solution, we found we were hard pressed. We ended up deciding on the issue of overcrowding in MRT systems which proved to be a fairly complex issue as we soon realised that it required extensive research and data. However, everyone was committed to doing their part and regardless of our rocky start, everyone still was able to fulfil their responsibilities by the given deadline. Even when we didn't have delegated tasks (such as emailing a Professor to set up an interview) each member took the initiative to make sure something was done.

The biggest challenge we faced was trying to set up an interview with a Professor, where we had to keep emailing back and forth to reach a mutual time due our conflicting schedules. In the end, our only option was having only two of us present at the interview. This may have worked out better if we had chosen our topic earlier and started the correspondence earlier. However, from this learning experience of a team based project, it can be seen that good communication and time organisation as well as having initiative and taking responsibility are all integral components of effective team work.

In the context of the workplace, all these elements can be realistically translated to team projects. Even if there are conflicts or negative issues, the combination of these effective team attributes can be applied to assist with easing and also resolving problems caused by ‘bad’ team behaviour. Examples of bad behaviour include domineering, inflexible, irresponsible individuals and also those who may have another agenda.  None of these traits were present in my team at all and we were able to succeed because we communicated effectively, compromised, committed and were held accountable to each other.

Taught well & effectively avoided!