1.1 Introduction
A teaching career in junior college (JC) is one of the possibilities that National University of Singapore (NUS) engineering and science graduates would consider. However, the curriculum in NUS do not adequately prepare undergraduate to communicate effectively, especially in their future career as JC teachers. Hence, in the following proposal, various forms research will be proposed in details. Once equipped with the findings of the research, we could then further propose some recommendation to be implemented in NUS.
2.2 Problem Statement
From our experiences, we are cognizant of the lack of awareness of as well as access to modules in development of effective communication skills for engineering and science undergraduates. This implies that graduates from these faculties may not possess the optimal skills for a teaching career path, and also to career choices in the various sectors of the workforce. As it is unlikely that effective communication skills can be taught to graduates within the short amount of time before their deployment in the workforce, it seems definite that more must be done in this area in the NUS undergraduate engineering and science programmes.
2.3 Purpose Statement
This proposal aims to highlight the essential skills related to oral communications required in the workplace (and specifically in a teaching in junior colleges (JCs)), and the inadequacy of the current NUS curriculum in preparation of undergraduates in this area. The procedures the team would follow in gathering information, which will be used to support the above, will also be highlighted in this proposal.
Dear Clement,
ReplyDeleteI must comment on the wonderful command of english in the above sections in your team's proposal.
Here is a suggestion for your team. It's something technical and has to do with your team's future research/suggested change (to be discussed in your oral presentation. Instead of focusing on science/engineering faculties, you might want to go a level deeper to recommend some modules/communication training not for the general science and engineering undergraduates but rather the teaching scholarship and teaching award holders in these two faculties.
I am myself under the MOE Teaching Scholarship and I see the same problem/need as the one driving your team's research. So honestly, I'm totally in support of what your team proposes.
The teaching scholars and teaching award holders make up a big portion of the science/engineering/arts faculties in NUS. About 25% of science undergraduates in NUS end up in a teaching career (real statistics). And among these 25%, 80% are teaching award holders with 20% teaching scholarship holders. In our whole course of undergraduate study we do not undergo any training in terms of communication skills. The only thing we get is a teaching attachment to a government school (which is a secondary school not a junior college). That is all... and the next thing that exposes us to the classroom environment would be our post-graduate diploma course in MOE already.
So instead of targeting the general cohort, where 75% will not end up in the teaching career, your team might wish to consider targeting the teaching scholars and teaching award holders (working in conjunction with the scholarship unit of MOE). Each year, 350 teaching awards and 70 teaching scholarships are given out. Hence at any point in time in NUS there are actually (350+70)x4yrs = 1700 undergraduates who have already committed themselves to a teaching career.
These 1700 people might be people your team would like to work with. The above suggestion is just my 5cents worth, coming from someone who really sees a need in this.
Thanks, Clement, for this effort.
ReplyDeleteFirst, a few minor language issues:
1) the curriculum in NUS do not >>> does not
2) various forms research >>> various forms of research
Regarding the problem statement, what then is the focus of your study? Can you state that focus in a single statement?
Hi Brad,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestions. Will take note to make the necessary changes in the final copy of the proposal to be submitted.
Hi Diana,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments and suggestions. They are indeed very useful for my team's further research.
I wish I could quote you as my source, but nevertheless, you have provided me with new directions for research.