Just rewinding some 12 weeks back I had no idea what
this module was about to offer me. I took this module because it was a core
module for Computer Engineering students but now I just do not have enough
words to express all things that I have got out of this module. So in this
final blog let me concentrate on the Research Proposal which I believe
contributed a lot towards my betterment.
This was the first time I was writing a proposal and
the concept of it was really exciting. As I mentioned in my previous blog this
was one of the best teams I have ever worked with. We worked on this proposal
for nearly half of this semester and I really did not feel the workload because
working on this proposal was more of fun than work. Of course through the
course of our proposal we did face some challenges. One of them was surveying
the public, we just went to Kovan and then we took surveys from random people.
It was a whole new experience because personally I did not know how people would
react to strangers asking them questions. I got different reactions from different
people and it was a completely a different exposure for me.
One more problem we faced was in finding a person to
interview. At first we thought it would be easy to find an expert to interview
because our topic was on "Viability of solar energy for Singapore"
and there was Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore(SERIS) within NUS.
But unfortunately no one could give us an interview because they were busy with
a presentation coming up in December. After a lot of hard work we finally found
an expert who is a professor in NTU who was willing to give us the interview.
Apart from these few challenges, this is the period
where I learnt how team work should really be done. Ours was completely hassle
free. Even though each one of us had different time table, we managed to meet
online. We discussed major issues pertaining to the proposal after the class.
So everything went on smoothly. It also enabled me to improve my presentation
skills. Since each one of us were deeply involved in this proposal each one of
us knew the facts like the back of our hand. This gave me immense confidence to
go out and deliver a proper presentation in front of my classmates. This taught
me an important lesson: if I was well prepared and confident then nothing can
stop me from giving a good presentation.
All these things that I have mentioned that I have gained
from this module is just the tip of the iceberg. If I start to mention all the
takeaways from this module then this blog might just run into lot of pages.
Apart from learning new things I also had great fun. This is by far the best
module that I have taken in NUS. I would like to thank all my classmates and
especially Prof.Radhika for giving me such a memorable experience.
Hi Edwin
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that you had a great time working on the proposal. It was a very good group indeed, and we were always hassle-free. Kudos to you, Tobi and Clarence for making that happen!
Being in the same situation as you, I had no idea of what this module would provide me at the end of 13 weeks. However, after going through it all, I think we both are extremely glad to have taken this module!
What we have learnt from this module can be used by us in all spheres of our life, and in this lies the module's value. Your takeaway on how group work should be done is just another example. I'm sure it will help you later on in life, as since you're happy with the way it went off, you will judge all your future groups based on your experience in this one. Hope all of them give you equal or even more satisfaction!
Take care, and best of luck!