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Date: 16 September 2010 (Thursday)
Time: 5.00pm to 6.30pm
Venue: USP, Blk. ADM, Level 7 (SR3)
At this gathering, A/P Sow Chorng Haur, who is now leading the Teaching & Learning Club (TLC), thanked the Director of the University Scholars Programme (USP), Professor John Richardson, for organizing the visit.
Several issues were raised during this session, which mainly focused on the USP small class sizes. Some of these topics could be further discussed at future TLC events.
Issues and Concerns
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Teaching large classes
TLC members were interested to know if USP would bring the philosophy of education into large classes. However, USP was concerned that interactive learning might be difficult in large classes. It encourages face-to-face interaction in small groups where students get to learn from each other. Nevertheless, it was agreed that applying its philosophy to teaching large classes was worth exploring.
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Similarity of USP
There was a concern among some TLC members that the programme offered in USP is similar to other faculties. The Director of USP highlighted that the students come from 6 faculties and they are able to mix with other students and learn a lot from each other.
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Number of teaching staff versus students
One of the TLC members felt that small group teaching results in the need for a bigger pool of teaching staff but was skeptical if NUS would spend the money to increase its staff strength.
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Evaluation from students
The Director of USP highlighted that the feedback from students had been generally kind in terms of scores. They value the individual attention they get from teachers and look forward to taking on the challenges with which they are faced as they see this as an opportunity to learn more.
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Success rate of USP students
There has been a lot of soft evidence as well as good testimonials from students and employers who have seen a difference in the approach of USP students (although it is not across the board). Students of USP are self-motivated, more independent and ready to take on challenges. USP also has a strong alumni group who share their USP experience by giving talks, which shows that the students have had a valuable experience at USP.
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Statistics of USP graduates.
USP has some statistics of students who venture into the market after their completion of studies. A considerable number of students take on jobs in the public sector.
Visit to the Writing Centre
Dr Lo Mun Hou gave an introduction to the USP Writing Centre. The Writing Centre serves the USP faculty members as well as the students. It has 12 trained writing assistants, who offer writing conferences to USP students. The writing assistants help reinforce what students have been taught in the writing classes. They encourage critical thinking and help students to build oral communication through the one-on-one dialogue sessions. The Writing Centre also encourages peer learning, collaborative learning and student-centered learning where the students are able to work with their seniors and relate to them.
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