Final Reflection on Learning

ES2007S is the most useful module that I have taken in NUS so far. It teaches us how non-verbal cues play a significant role in communication apart from verbal skills as it can either enhance or distort our message to the other party. Therefore, it is important to take note of our non-verbal cues in different settings such as interview.

Besides that, I also learnt how to apply the 7Cs in my presentation and essay writing. It is essential to be clear, concise and complete in order to convey our messages effectively. Being grammatically correct is also equally important as too much grammar and spelling errors will disturb your readers.

The next component of ES2007S which I benefitted greatly is peer teaching and oral presentation. After receiving feedback from my tutor and peers, I know what are my strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I am more mindful of my standing position during presentation to avoid blocking the projector screen.

The most interesting part of this module is mock interview where everyone gets to play the role of interviewer, interviewee and observer. Being an interviewee, I am more aware of my body languages now during interview after receiving feedback from my tutor and peers. Being an observer and interviewer, it was an eye-opening experience for me when I see how my classmates tackle those difficult interview questions. I can still remember vividly how Jieyang answered this question “Which one will you choose if you were given an apple and one dollar?” and he actually chose one dollar because he can buy two apples with this money.

To end my final blog, I would like to thank Mdm Fazilah for her patience, guidance and encouragement all these while. I would also like to thank my classmates for making ES2007S such a fun-filling learning experience.  

Reflection on Team-based Research Project Proposal

Our team has decided to choose Choa Chu Kang LRT Station as the topic for our research proposal after listening to my personal experience as a frequent LRT commuter. There are many underlying problems behind Choa Chu Kang LRT Station which are quite serious and yet underrepresented.

To better understand the situation, my team members actually took the effort to come all the way here to conduct on-site surveillance even though they stayed very far. We took photos of the infrastructural issues which we had identified, conducted interviews with SMRT staff and 50 LRT commuters. To help our classmates to have a clearer picture, we also recorded a video about how inconvenient it is for wheelchair-bound to transfer between LRT and MRT.

However, one of the main challenges that we faced is the interview with SMRT staff. He was unwilling to disclose more about his opinions on LRT issues and usually gave us politically correct answers due to his sensitive standpoint. Despite that, we were still grateful that he accepted our interview and we managed to catch a few key points that he mentioned during the interview. Another challenge that we faced is seeking assistance from LRT commuters to do our survey. Many of them walked away when we approached them. It was quite demoralizing after many failed attempts to get their help. Despite that, we never give up and did our best to get as many respondents as possible.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience working with my team members. We had great teamwork and everyone was receptive to each other’s ideas.  It was also interesting to see how everyone looks at similar things from different perspectives partly because we came from different backgrounds. It was truly an eye-opening and unforgettable experience for me.