With effect from Academic Year 2019/2020, Design-Your-Own-Course (or DYOC in short) has been officially introduced as an option for students to broaden their education. With this initiative, students may choose to do something within, or outside of, their disciplines – within the unrestricted elective courses (UE) space.

Students can thus choose what to learn, how they wish to learn it and from whom they wish to learn (e.g., to learn in a DYOC group by choosing their own supervisor). With effect from Academic Year 2020/2021, eligible students may utilize up to 8 Units for DYOC, an increase from 4 Units.

DYOC Group is where a group of 10 or more students come together to learn from a supervisor.

The scheme gives students opportunities to pursue self-directed learning, with up to 8 Units allowed within the UE space during his or her Undergraduate candidature and will be graded on a ‘CS/CU’ (Completed Satisfactorily/Completed Unsatisfactorily) basis.

The maximum number of Units that students can gain from DYOC scheme throughout candidature is subject to the condition that the sum of Units for DYOC and IaaS (Internship as-a-Service) courses is less than or equal to 8 Units.

DYOC will constitute up to 8 Units within the Unrestricted Elective (UE) space, and graded on a ‘CS/CU’ (Completed Satisfactorily/Completed Unsatisfactorily) basis. Only a maximum of 8 Units, made up of DYOC and IAAS courses, will be considered for graduation. The DYOC courses will not count towards the calculation of the grade point average (GPA). While DYOC courses are Level-1000 courses, they will not be counted toward the limit stipulated on the number of Level-1000 courses.

 For DYOC Group:

Other students must complete the assignments and assessments as stipulated in the proposal or “contract”, and fulfil the requirements as agreed for the DYOC Group course, in order to be awarded a “CS” grade.

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

DYOC is optional. Students may choose to do a range of 1 Unit to 8 Units DYOCs (depending on the selected options), up to a maximum of 8 Units within the UE space, within the established degree requirements.

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

If you wish to read DYOC Group Courses to earn course credits under the Unrestricted Elective (UE) space, your group should submit the proposal form to the respective Dean’s Office during the application period for DYOC (Group), as indicated on the DYOC webpage.

For students doing the option of DYOC Group, registration of DYOC is not encouraged for the first semester of their undergraduate studies in view of the many compulsory courses in the first year (e.g., General Education).

You can get started in several ways:

1. NUS faculty members or NUS administrative staff (e.g., from units such as the Office of Student Affairs, Residential Colleges, the Centre for Future-Ready Graduates, NUS IT, etc.) may supervise a DYOC topic ranging from 2-Unit- to 8-Unit equivalent (60 to 240 hours of work). Students may propose a course and form a group of 10 students or more for this course. They may then get a supervisor (as above) to determine the course materials, assignments, and assessments (to constitute satisfactory completion of the course). Such courses have to be approved by NUS (e.g., Faculty or the Office of the Provost (PVO)).

2. Students may design a DYOC course where Industry leaders and NUS faculty supervise assignments and assessments. Again, students must organize themselves in a group of 10 or more, and approval will have to be sought from faculty or the PVO.

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

The DYOC initiative empowers students to customise their learning experiences. An interesting feature of DYOC is that students will be organizing themselves in a group of at least 10 to encourage students from different schools and faculties to come together to explore educational experiences that are both stimulating and enriching.

We are recommending a group of at least 10 students to encourage collaborative learning through teamwork (i.e., group activities may be prescribed by the supervisors where applicable).  We hope students can achieve the learning objectives set out in their commonly selected DYOC, in a self-motivated manner, and foster community spirit during the process. A team of 10 or more could also mean that students can leverage on the varied strengths of one another, creating economies of scale through synergy.

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

Students are encouraged to organise themselves in a group of at least 10 to encourage students from across different schools and faculties to come together to explore educational experiences.

Students may form groups through their own social network.

Students are expected to plan ahead for their DYOC journey (i.e., before the start of a semester), especially if they wish to customise their course(s).  Once the group and their supervisor agree on the modular details, assignments, projects, and assessment, the proposal form should be submitted to the respective Dean’s Office during the application period for DYOC (Group), as indicated on the DYOC webpage.

Students must note that once a DYOC has been added to their record in EduRec by the host department, any de-registration or dropping of the course could have an implication on their academic record (e.g., “W” grade, etc.).

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

There may be sensitive topics which students may be advised to avoid (e.g., topics which promote racism or sexism). Should a group wish to invite guest speakers, e.g., from industries, NGOs, etc., the invitation should be made in consultation with the supervisor. There may be instances where the approving authority may suggest modifications to the topic or the list of teachers/speakers.

For enquiries regarding DYOC Group, please email pvobox31@nus.edu.sg for assistance.

Students in the DYOC group could approach the host faculty (for the intended topic) to request for help in finding a supervisor.

Once you have formed your group (including the group supervisor), a representative can log into myEduRec to submit an application.

A standard template is provided in EduRec for online application before the start of a new semester. This template will require students/ supervisors to list learning outcomes, course requirements/ details, assignments/ projects, and assessment criteria.

The proposals will then be submitted (i.e., online application via EduRec) to respective host schools/ faculties or PVO (for Halls of Residence, non-teaching units) for approval. 

Refer to User Guide for submission of DYOC (Group) Application.