Outstanding Educator Award

Assoc Prof GOH Say Song

University Scholars Programme

The Outstanding Educator Award is presented to Dr Holden for his commitment to work in partnership with his students, to develop their potential and to increase their awareness that they can make a difference.

Dr Holden's pedagogical approach and goal are shaped by his conviction that people should be empowered. As an educator, he interprets his role as that of an enabler - the turnkey that sets in motion full realisation of his students' latent potential and talents. He provides the road-map; while they make their own journeys to discover their individual strengths, riding on the challenges to acquire multiple perspectives and to create original solutions without fear of making mistakes.

The cultivation of this independent mode of learning lies at the heart of the University Scholars Programme, an honours programme that provides personal, intellectual and leadership development to highly motivated students.

There are many who would say that Dr Holden's greatest attribute as an educator is his sensitivity in balancing his roles as facilitator and knowledge authority. The quiet partner in the student-centred team, he is nevertheless spot-on with his timing to step in and offer them the benefit of his expertise whenever the need arises.

In fact, his supportive presence is never far away. At times, his guiding hand is represented by a framework of well-designed course material, which leverages on the strengths of a range of media - print, electronic, visual and web-based. This wealth of material makes an impressive teaching portfolio that stands out for its clarity in thought and logical progression.

Dr Holden receives the award with high aspirations and feet firmly planted on the ground. He hopes that by highlighting the strengths of each winner, the awards will open doors to greater connectivity between different disciplines and thereby, strengthen the pillar of education at NUS.