Critical Reflection - The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

At first when I knew I had to attend another “English” module in the university, I thought it was a little burdensome as I am not a fan of English writing courses ever since I took it during my 3 years in the polytechnic. I guess as an engineering student, it is natural to think that there is no need to master writing skills because engineering would be full of formulas and technical matters. Little did I realize the importance of good writing and communication especially for engineers, because it is an essential skill to develop so that engineers can explain the technical report in clear and concise manner. Therefore, I am very glad I took the Effective Communication module in my first trimester in university.

 

The first time I received peer feedbacks in this module were for the reflection post, “My English Learning Journey”. Personally, I really like Serene’s feedback to my post. I would like to thank her for giving me many constructive comments on how I can further improve my writings. At times, I do get intimidated from peer feedbacks for my writing because I thought I would get affected by the criticism my friends gave. However, the feedbacks I received made me more meticulous on my grammar and sentence structures.

 

Of course, I really appreciate Brad’s comments on every essay I wrote. He gave specific remarks on my writings and furthermore, he would give several sources online so that we can learn to write better for the report. Brad’s feedbacks on my essays are helpful because it allows me to understand what went wrong especially my tendency to use “hence”.  Now, I try to refrain from using hence and I find other alternative for suitable transition words and use appropriate vocabulary in my sentences.

 

Every student in SIT should take Effective Communication course because it builds up the foundation for writing skills and allow students to practice writing reports with proper citations according to the APA Style. I will definitely apply the skills that I have learnt, such as writing in APA style, for future reports for other modules. 

The 2 oral presentations that I did in this module have definitely build up my confidence level to present to public after a long time of not presenting. It helps me to take note about the important techniques to deliver a  good presentation such as having a good stand and good eye contact with the public. I will put in mind these points when I present in the future for other modules' presentations.

- 29 Nov 2015, 7:50pm
- Edited on 09 Dec 2015, 10:30am

Reader Response on Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities by Heidi Cho - Final draft 4

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”, Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in cities.  She further asserts that the key factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite cities is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. While emphasizing the goal to achieve sustainable infrastructural development, the writer explains about the Envision Rating System. The rating system is a tool to evaluate the performance of an infrastructure, particularly for its sustainability. Cho mentions about her involvement in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) project that would bring a positive impact to the Saudis in the future. The writer believes that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change.
 

I agree with Cho that both government and the private sector need to agree on sustainability. However, she fails to explain that approaches for policies, strategies and projects from the government that is important for sustainable development while considering the economic, social and environmental issues.
 

 At the start, sustainable development can be hard to implement. In order to prevent sustainable ideas from being short-lived, a firm decision made by government is vital. As stated in the article “Sustainable Development” from the Legrand website (n.d.), governance is needed in decision - making process so that policies can be implemented with respect to sustainable development.  The author claims that all members of the society including the private and public sector companies, associations, unions and citizens need to come to an agreement for sustainable development to avoid conflict of interest. This links back to what Cho had mentioned in her article, that government and private sector have to work hand in hand towards sustainable development.
 

Clark (2012) reports that “effective governance is a prerequisite for putting in place the integrated policymaking capacity which is needed to drive sustainable development.” To demonstrate good decision making towards sustainable development, the same author uses Singapore as an example. Singapore has set up a plan called the “sustainable development blueprint,” which involves all relevant ministries to analyze urban problems and the ways to manage these. Personally, I feel that the sustainable Singapore blueprint project signifies a great effort by the Singapore government to further instill a positive mindset of the public and private sectors towards sustainable development.
 

For example, Singapore was awarded the intelligent city award for its smart transport system and became one of the least congested major cities in the world.  The success was led by the Singapore government, who understood the importance of efficiency and affordable transportation system (Reyes, 2013). Reyes remarks that the Singapore Land Transport System Authority will further invest in transport infrastructure. In my opinion, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport made the right decision to invest in transport infrastructure so as to achieve “car-lite”. In this way, the public would not have to rely on cars as they can take the public transport to get from one place to another conveniently.

Additionally, Singapore’s skills in green buildings were featured in prestige multi-national expansions called the Sino - Singapore Tianjin Eco City. In June 2013, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) became the first government agency outside North America and Europe to obtain the Alliance to Save Energy’s International Star Award. On top of that, BCA’s dedication and leadership in green building development was reflected in other global accolades such as World Green Building Council’s Government Leadership Award and Aspen Institute Energy and Environment (Government) Award. (BCA website, n.d.).

In conclusion, I strongly believe that Singapore government plays an important role by setting the first step in sustainable development. The Singapore government should be transparent, open to sustainable ideas and responsible. Not only do infrastructure engineers need to think about an improved approach for infrastructure, they need to communicate to the citizens about what sustainable development can bring to a society. Therefore, I feel that the government can help to convey and convince the public for a good change.

Moreover, the government can implement a certification system whereby companies all over the world would need to fulfill international standards on sustainable development. One example is the Green Mark, a rating tool made by the BCA to ensure buildings are environmental friendly. This also could coincide with what Cho had emphasized in her article that both the government and private sector need to be equipped and capable to evaluate sustainable infrastructure development using systems such as the Envision Rating System.

 

References:

Building and Construction Authority. (n.d.). Leading the way for green buildings in the tropics. Retrieved from
https://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/others/sg_green_buildings_tropics.pdf

Cho,H. (2014). Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities. New Cities Foundation. Retrieved from
http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/

Clark,H. (2013 March 13). Helen Clark: The importance of governance for sustainable development. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2012/03/13/the-importance-of-governance-for-sustainable-development.html

Reyes,E. (2013 September 9). Singapore,Tokyo among top ten best cities for urban sustainability. Eco-Business. Retrieved from
http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability/

Legrand. (n.d.). Sustainable development. Retrieved from
http://www.legrand.com/EN/sustainable-development-description_12847.html

 

Someone who influenced me

Someone who influenced me?  I would say it is none other than my older siblings.  The 3 of us are 6 years apart from each other.  My brother was born in 1982, my sister was born in 1988 and I was born in 1994. Despite the huge age difference, the bond between us is really strong.  First, I am going to talk about my brother.   When I was a little girl, my brother dotes on me a lot. Even though I am a girl, my brother and I would often play shooting guns and ball games in the house. Sometimes, we would play rough games with each other like “wrestling”.   My brother was very strict and overly protective towards his 2 little sisters.  He would scold my sister and I if we came back home late at night, and going to chalet for any class outing was an impossible thing to do. 

At the age of 21, I embarked on a new journey of my life and that is; entering the university. The first 2 weeks in the university was REALLY tough for me.  It was hard to adjust to the fast paced of college life and on top of the assignments that keeps on piling up, I had to babysit my 6 year old niece and 4 year old nephew. This was because my brother and his wife went for a backpacking trip in Europe for 2 weeks. It was those 2 hellish weeks that I went through which made me realized how tough it was for my brother when he was pursuing for his degree.

Right after completing his diploma, my brother worked as a security guard at Suntec City and earns $50 a day.  Even with his little earnings, he saved up as much as he could to buy a new television to replace the old fashioned TV which was big and heavy.  After nearly a year or so, my brother got a stable job in a government state board as a career consultant.  My brother realized that he needs to upgrade himself in order to keep up with fast paced competitive life in Singapore.  He applied a part-time degree in business course in Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).   The journey towards his degree wasn’t smooth sailing as he had to juggle with his family, his career and being a student.  Finally after 3 years of hard work and dedication, he graduated on 16 October 2013 (which also falls on my birthday hehe).  My brother definitely motivates me to not give up even though the journey in University is tough.

 

My happy brother has graduated!

 

My brother and his lovely wife

 

                                                    My brother and my beloved parents

 

My niece

 

I would say my sister is more than just a sister to me. She is someone whom I cannot live without. Of course at times we had our bad days and it is normal for sisters to fight.   Back in secondary school days she was in the technical stream and managed to secure a seat in the normal academic stream.  After completing her o-levels, she entered Ngee Ann polytechnic in maritime offshore technology. She made the family even more proud by entering NTU, majored in mechanical engineering. I witnessed how hard she struggled for the degree and it really touching to see how much she endured on when she feels like giving up.  Even with a degree, finding a job was quite a challenge for her. After 6 months, she joined in a company which she needs to serve for 2 years. She was really reluctant at first, but she took the job eventually because she feels that it would make her gain a lot of experience. After completing the 2 year bond she now landed in another company and is coping quite well with it.

I would like to thank my sister for always be there for me whenever I need someone to talk to about my problems. I thank her for tolerating my moody self at home.  I also like to thank her for supporting me financially when I need some extra allowance. She even bought a laptop for me to use it for university as my old laptop is spoilt.  Thank you for being my partner in crime for all the impulse overseas concert trips. I love you sister!!!  

 

Kitty (her nickname I gave) has graduated from NTU

 

concert trip with Kitty in Jakarta

 

Concert trip with Kitty in Seoul

 

Selamat Hari Raya from the sisters <3

 

 

Reflection on Oral Presentation - NFC Hype!

My group and I had our oral presentation on Monday, 9 November.  It was very nerve wrecking because all of us were not allowed to present with a script or cue cards. My teammates advised me not to memorize word by word from the script I had drafted out because once I forget a sentence or a word, it will definitely affect my delivery. Before the presentation, my teammates and I went to an empty classroom to rehearse on our presentation. The practices really benefit me as I became more confident to speak to my classmates and it helps me to memorize the content that I am suppose to convey for the actual presentation.

According to the feedbacks my classmates had given me, I felt that I did okay for my oral presentation. However, there are few things that I can improve on, like not to rush my points and ensure a good eye contact with the audience at all times. I also had some filler words here and there which I need to avoid in future presentation. Overall, this presentation is a good head start for me to prepare for other presentation in my university life here in SIT.  Lastly, I really thank Brad for putting me with a bunch of fun and understanding group mates!

Yours sincerely,

Siti Mardhiyyah from

HipsterDotCom J