Friday the thirteenth. Dreaded day. Hopefully I will not get any nightmares when I sleep later. SIM University sent me another letter informing me of some pre-course seminars I need to attend. At a glance, I have to go for three seminars on three consecutive Saturdays, namely “Studying at SIM University : Essential Academic Skills”, “Writing Skills For English Students” and “Seminar On Poetry Analysis”.
Now if I am formally a student, why do I still need to pay extra for these seminars, especially since I already blew a substantial amount of my life savings on the course fees already? Should not all these workshops be free?
The topics covered are rather interesting and useful though. “Essential Academic Skills” covers Reading Skills, Listening Skills, Note-taking Skills, Writing Skills, Academic Integrity and Study Skills.
Reading Skills encompasses adopting a suitable strategy and extracting information from a test. Listening Skills is on identifying important information in a lecture. Note-taking Skills is on making meaningful notes from various texts.
Writing Skills covers how to express ideas, knowledge and information clearly and coherently by overall organization, mechanical accuracy, spelling, punctuation, summarizing, essay writing, report writing, addressing the assignment question (which comes with an assignment booklet guidance for students), how to write a good assignment that tutors want, bibliography and referencing, and learning from feedback on assignments.
Academic Integrity is on collusion versus co-operation and how to avoid plagiarism. (Well, best way to prevent plagiarism is to not share your notes and essays with anyone! Hard lesson from the past.) Study Skills covers using multi-media course materials, using library facilities, time management and preparing for an examination.
Sounds so familiar! How have I been studying in the past? Reading textbooks and notes, highlighting important points, categorizing the different points, researching and doing tutorials, listening and taking notes during lectures, summarizing notes using different coloured pens and mind-mapping.
I am a visual person, so I can only grasp everything if it is visually attractive. Thus, my study notes normally went through about four rounds of summarizing before I can finally remember everything. Sometimes I wish I can be an audio person, so I can listen and remember what the lecturer says without even needing to take down any notes. That will save a lot of time.
The second seminar is “Writing Skills For English Students”. The topics covered are academic essays, organizing academic essays, interpreting instruction words / question analysis, selection of material, establishing and maintaining a point of view, introductions, paragraph structure, argument structure, conclusions, avoiding plagiarism / collusion, and proof-reading and editing.
The third seminar is on Poetry Analysis. That should be interesting, as this is one area I always want to improve on. The topics include myths about poetry (what is and what is not), the “meaning” of a poem, the parts of a poem, poetic terminology, and how to write effective analyses of poetry in an assignment or exam essay format. There will also be a discussion on analyzing traditional and contemporary poetry.
I have just looked through the grading system, and it seems hard to score well. Students must score 85 and above before they can achieve an A+, and at least a 75 before they can achieve an A-. How in the world can anyone score so well, especially in a course with such subjective subjects?
To top it off, my parents do not seem happy. They keep asking me what is the purpose of taking this course, to which I told them to upgrade into a higher academic qualification. My parents are really so contradictory. For the past few years they have been pestering me to go upgrade my qualifications, then now I am finally doing it they do not seem happy.
The orientation programme is this Saturday afternoon. I will be stuck at a weekend chalet, as I helped my sponsor book two rooms at the chalet in Sentosa island as a retreat for his church choir. I will be away the whole weekend, but luckily I have been excused to attend the orientation.
And I just received news that I can collect my course materials next Thursday. I am really looking forward to it, then I can do some advanced studying and reading up before the first class starts Chinese New Year. Really nervous about going back to school again. Wonder how well I can do this time.
Now if I am formally a student, why do I still need to pay extra for these seminars, especially since I already blew a substantial amount of my life savings on the course fees already? Should not all these workshops be free?
The topics covered are rather interesting and useful though. “Essential Academic Skills” covers Reading Skills, Listening Skills, Note-taking Skills, Writing Skills, Academic Integrity and Study Skills.
Reading Skills encompasses adopting a suitable strategy and extracting information from a test. Listening Skills is on identifying important information in a lecture. Note-taking Skills is on making meaningful notes from various texts.
Writing Skills covers how to express ideas, knowledge and information clearly and coherently by overall organization, mechanical accuracy, spelling, punctuation, summarizing, essay writing, report writing, addressing the assignment question (which comes with an assignment booklet guidance for students), how to write a good assignment that tutors want, bibliography and referencing, and learning from feedback on assignments.
Academic Integrity is on collusion versus co-operation and how to avoid plagiarism. (Well, best way to prevent plagiarism is to not share your notes and essays with anyone! Hard lesson from the past.) Study Skills covers using multi-media course materials, using library facilities, time management and preparing for an examination.
Sounds so familiar! How have I been studying in the past? Reading textbooks and notes, highlighting important points, categorizing the different points, researching and doing tutorials, listening and taking notes during lectures, summarizing notes using different coloured pens and mind-mapping.
I am a visual person, so I can only grasp everything if it is visually attractive. Thus, my study notes normally went through about four rounds of summarizing before I can finally remember everything. Sometimes I wish I can be an audio person, so I can listen and remember what the lecturer says without even needing to take down any notes. That will save a lot of time.
The second seminar is “Writing Skills For English Students”. The topics covered are academic essays, organizing academic essays, interpreting instruction words / question analysis, selection of material, establishing and maintaining a point of view, introductions, paragraph structure, argument structure, conclusions, avoiding plagiarism / collusion, and proof-reading and editing.
The third seminar is on Poetry Analysis. That should be interesting, as this is one area I always want to improve on. The topics include myths about poetry (what is and what is not), the “meaning” of a poem, the parts of a poem, poetic terminology, and how to write effective analyses of poetry in an assignment or exam essay format. There will also be a discussion on analyzing traditional and contemporary poetry.
I have just looked through the grading system, and it seems hard to score well. Students must score 85 and above before they can achieve an A+, and at least a 75 before they can achieve an A-. How in the world can anyone score so well, especially in a course with such subjective subjects?
To top it off, my parents do not seem happy. They keep asking me what is the purpose of taking this course, to which I told them to upgrade into a higher academic qualification. My parents are really so contradictory. For the past few years they have been pestering me to go upgrade my qualifications, then now I am finally doing it they do not seem happy.
The orientation programme is this Saturday afternoon. I will be stuck at a weekend chalet, as I helped my sponsor book two rooms at the chalet in Sentosa island as a retreat for his church choir. I will be away the whole weekend, but luckily I have been excused to attend the orientation.
And I just received news that I can collect my course materials next Thursday. I am really looking forward to it, then I can do some advanced studying and reading up before the first class starts Chinese New Year. Really nervous about going back to school again. Wonder how well I can do this time.
4 comments:
I want that writing skill stuff thingamagic!
Now if I am formally a student, why do I still need to pay extra for these seminars...
Nah, those are what they call as value-added seminars. It adds values ($) to the organizer. Enjoy the class! ;)
School should be fun and perhaps you can take these classes to refresh your mind. Maybe they will teach something new to you?
Ole Wolvie : Let me go to the workshop first then let you know how it goes.
Anon_X : Thanks! Although I prefer the course to really add value to the students, rather than the institution.
Goy : Yup, that's partly why I'm going as well.
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