LECTURE 1:
Engineering an Education to Create Student-centred Learning Environments
Associate Professor Ashwin M. Khambadkone
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Faculty of Engineering

Synopsis:
Though engineering education has undergone major transformations over the years, educating tomorrow’s engineer remains a great challenge. How do we train engineers to create something new using science and mathematics? How do we create conducive learning environments for future engineers? This talk explores these questions and traces the history of engineering education in the United States and Europe. While an engineering education may have some specific requirements, we still have to address the general learning issues like deep learning, learning outcomes and their assessment. In short, how do we create student-centred learning environments in tertiary education? Can we engineer an education that addresses these issues? This session will attempt to address these questions while reflecting on what makes a good education. Join us during this session as we seek the answers to these questions and reflect on what makes a good education.

Biography:
Associate Professor Ashwin M Khambadkone is passionate about education. For him, education is about creating learning environments that draw out the best from the learner.

Ashwin is probably one of the few in the Faculty of Engineering with a graduate certificate in education. Thus he is able to approach teaching and learning in a systematic way to help students achieve deep learning. What makes Ashwin stand out is his ability to apply pedagogical principles and theories in his teaching.

Ashwin is actively engaged in all aspects of tertiary education: curriculum design, teaching methodologies, assessment method, quality assurance and accreditation. In his department, he has been a member of the curriculum task force since its inception in 1999 and has co-chaired the accreditation task force through two accreditation exercises. He has designed criterion-based continuous assessment for the department’s final year project module and has used problem assisted learning in large classes.

Ashwin is also an active researcher. In addition to the published results of his action research in education at the International Conference on Engineering and Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) workshop on education, he is also the principal investigator in various research projects worth over $2 million dollars in funding. He has received three paper prizes and three best presentation prizes from IEEE.

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LECTURE 2:
Teaching Tech-savvy Students: Thoughts of an IT-naïve Old Fogey
Associate Professor Erle C.H. Lim
Department of Medicine
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Synopsis:
It is difficult enough being an effective teacher without having to compete with the panoply of online tools available to today’s students. These tech-savvy students, many of whom were brought up in front of the goggle box and computer, often complain that they are bored by lectures which use the blackboard or PowerPoint presentations. While teachers are not entertainers, we need to captivate our students to impart knowledge effectively and train their minds. This talk highlights one teacher’s struggle to pick up new skills in an effort to entertain and educate.

Biography:
Associate Professor Erle C.H. Lim obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Medicine (Internal Medicine) from NUS in 1990 and 1997 respectively. After completing his training in Neurology at the Singapore General Hospital, he trained in movement disorders under Professors C. Warren Olanow and Mitchell F. Brin at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. He is currently Senior Consultant Neurologist at the National University Hospital (NUH) and is also Assistant Dean of Education at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS.

Erle’s subspecialty interest is in movement disorders, focusing on clinical applications of botulinum toxin, Parkinson’s disease, spasticity and dystonia. He has been invited to lecture in Southeast Asia and at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and also teaches regional and international neurologists techniques to inject the botulinum toxin using electromyographic guidance. He has published widely in international journals, covering topics such as general neurology, movement disorders, botulinum toxin, general medicine and medical education. He is an editorial board member of Annals, published by the Academy of Medicine Singapore and is also a member of the specialist training committee in neurology. An avid educationist, he conducts weekly postgraduate clinical tutorials at the NUH, and is director of NUH’s annual neurologic localisation course.

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LECTURE 3:
Effective Use of Demonstration for Teaching and Learning
Associate Professor Sow Chorng Haur
Department of Physics
Faculty of Science

Synopsis:
Demonstration is a powerful means for stimulating students’ interest, focusing attention and initiating learning. Demonstration invites students to perceive, filter and transform observable phenomena into concepts and models. In addition, students see, reflect and become involved with scientific phenomena through demonstration. Hence demonstration models, video clips, animations and real experiments are useful learning tools. Not only do they help students connect concepts taught in the lecture with real-life examples, such tools also make the lecture fun and engaging. This presentation will share some personal experiences and show how demonstration models can be used to enhance teaching and learning in science-related topics. Hopefully, this approach can be adapted for use in other disciplines.

Biography:
Associate Professor Sow Chorng Haur graduated from NUS in with BSc (Honours, Physics) in 1991 and MSc degree in 1993. He went on to complete his PhD degree at The University of Chicago in 1998. After two years of postdoctoral training at Bell Labs, he returned to join the Department of Physics at NUS in 2001. As a firm believer of making science reachable to all, he developed the highly interactive Physics Demonstration Laboratory where learning is achieved via fun-filled hands-on activities and explorations. To date, the laboratory has received more than 3,000 visitors including students from primary schools and universities. He is actively involved with the Singapore Science Centre as well as in outreach programmes that promote the learning of science to schools. He also mentors award-winning students in programmes such as Science Research Programme (SRP), Student Mentorship Programme (SMP) and other school-based projects. He is known for always pushing a ‘mobile physics laboratory’ on a trolley to the lecture theatre. He is able to relate abstract physics concept to simple everyday phenomena through effective use of demonstration materials, animations, video clips and IT resources. Many of the demonstration materials are designed and constructed in-house.

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