Next, seasoned faculty members related
their views on teaching at NUS. A/Prof Anjam Khursheed (from the
Electrical & Computer Engineering Department) talked of his
success in eliciting responses from students when they were forced
to participate in class through experiments with inventive thinking.
A/Prof Malcolm Murfett (from the History Department) emphasised
that there was no ‘universal guide’ to good teaching,
but students could always tell whether teachers were passionate
about their subject; he noted that teachers should evaluate how
much Information Technology (IT) to use in their classrooms, as
IT could potentially compromise independent reading and note taking.
A candid panel discussion on major issues in undergraduate tuition
followed. Involving Prof Ivan Png (Vice Provost), Prof K.P. Mohanan
(Deputy Director, CDTL) and A/Prof Rachel Davis (Vice Dean, School
of Business), the discussion touched on the following issues:
Staff Training:
Prof Mohanan discussed the aim, structure and content of the Professional
Development Programme (PDP). This discussion highlighted the need
to track the impact of the PDP on the individual’s teaching
performance. The participants also agreed that there should be greater
cooperation between Faculties/Departments and the programme to supplement
and reinforce the efforts of the PDP.
Assessment and Learning Initiatives:
A/Prof Davis noted that a number of faculty members across NUS
were already experimenting with various examination models, ranging
from 100% Continuous Assessment (CA) to some combination of traditional
paper exams and CA. The participants agreed that a university-wide
study examining the impact of these initiatives on student learning
outcomes would be useful.
Prof Png stressed that NUS needed to differentiate its students
from other institutions through its innovative teaching practices.
Consequently, it would be important to monitor the response of Singaporean
and multinational enterprises to the quality of students produced
by NUS.
Feedback on the retreat elicited from faculty members indicates
that the student contributions were particularly helpful as they
provided the learner’s perspective. The participants also
felt that the issues raised at the retreat should be fed back to
all NUS teachers. |
