Chiew Le Wei's Critical Reflection on the UCS Module

Module Learning:

Language modules in general have always been one of my weaker modules since my time studying in Singapore Polytechnic as I could not properly grasp the correct grammar when crafting reports. Before coming to university, I did not expect to be doing another language module and imagine my surprise when I saw the communication module in my timetable! However, as it is still a graded module, I started reading up newspapers and watching english dramas to brush up my english language and I think it paid off. During the module, I often find myself coming out of my own comfort zone and participating in class discussions. Being an introverted person, this was no easy feat and often I had the worry of "what if I said something wrong", but I am glad I participated as I have gained a lot of experience and lifelong friends. 

I have grown to realise that some skills are meant to be learnt hands on which holds true to the knowledge and skills taught in this critical thinking and effective communication module. What shocked me the most was the vodcast pitching competition. Even though I planned the video well, I personally felt that my execution had room for improvement as I was reading from a script and had broken eye contact at times. Nevertheless, I am thankful for prof Brad's encouragement to submit and win the third prize. 

After attending this module, I also realised that I might not be as introverted as I imagined myself to be. If I am comfortable with my group and classmates, I have a tendency to keep the energy levels up by joking around at times and giving my constructive input too. However, with this newfound personality, I do have to learn how to better manage when to be serious and when to joke around to ease off the tension, it is all about finding the sweet spot to balance both.

Project Learning:

For the group project on the technical report, I was assigned the role as group leader and had the role of managing, coordinating and setting tasks for the members in order to ensure the report and presentation are on task in order to meet the deadline. Being a leader, one thing I found challenging was delegating various tasks to the different group members. I had to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each member to best optimise the effectiveness of the team before assigning the individual parts to them. However I realise that everyone has a myriad of strengths and weaknesses and within these 13 weeks it is impossible for me to learn every member. 

 Another aspect of the project I struggled with was meeting the demands of every group member. For example, when I set a specific date and time for a meeting, there are times where members are preoccupied with their own daily lives and are unable to join in the call to discuss the project. To work around this, often before each call I will type out a message statine the agenda of the meeting so that members who are unable to join know what is going on and after refer to the minutes written by Sky to find out the necessary tasks they need to accomplish. 

Nevertheless, I am extremely grateful for this team as personally I felt that my tasks can be demanding at times but they still put up with it and completed the assigned tasks without any complaints. Furthermore, they are not afraid to voice out their own opinions which sparked mini debates within the group to come up with the best idea and solution for the team.