Final Reflections

To be honest, i chose this module not because i think that it will benefit me ( i had no idea what was the assessment/content/workload of this module when i was bidding for it) but because it cost only 1 point during bidding. OOPS! Haha. Of course i wasnt totally not interested but i was hesitant as there was OP - the thing that i dread most. However, since BN was taking it and i was really really short of modules to take i decided to have a go at it. After all, i can S/U this module :P

It was really an enriching module as it involves writing of resume and cover letters which are essential for job application and learning how to communicate effectively. The job application letter assignment really made me realise how a professional resume and cover letter should be written. My previous resumes and letter paled in comparision since there were some basic formatting of a resume that i have overlooked. Churning out a good cover letter was really difficult for me as i was actually writing one for a real job application at the same time. Luckily Christine was nice enough to help me take a look at it before i submit it to the company =)

The 'mock' job interview was fun! Though i was stumped and my mind blanked out after a while. Haha! Christine knew i was applying for a job thus she asked some 'tough' questions (which were really good) that had me stumped and blabbering. HAHA.

We had some scenario reenactment during class which was really fun and interesting. It was like watching a mini skit. Almost all our re-enactments became a joke as we try to inject some humour. This also allowed us to interact with other classmates, rather than always staying in our own clique =)

OP and peer teaching were good learning experiences. However, in the course of doing our proposal we were faced with some problems and that got us frustrated, especially the format of the proposal as the format on skill builder was different from the report style that we usually do.
As the 3 of us had different schedules, with my other 2 teammates doing their fyp at the same time, we had to adhere to tighter deadlines than the rest of our peers. We made use of the breaks we have after lesson to finish up, corresponding through email and trying our very best to finish our work way before the deadline so that we will not have to rush our work.

Having to write a blog every week was quite troublesome, especially for someone like me who doesnt have the habit of writing one. It was time consuming as i had to come up with the appropriate content on top of other assignments for other modules. Nevertheless, at least now i know how to create a blog =)

It was really an enjoyable experience though the workload was quite heavy. I did not regret taking this module, considering that the stuff i learnt had and will benefit me =)

Reflections on Oral Presentation

Finally, the most dreaded part of the module - OP. It was really a nerve wrecking experience but it was better than i expected =)

Though i prepared cue cards (ok.. my cue cards a bit big haha), i knew that i should only refer to it only when necessary and not throughout the presentation. I was freaking out when i was practising at home as i could not remember what i was supposed to say! I really really freaked out as this did not happen during our peer teaching session. I was more relaxed compared to OP. This may be because i was presenting a part that i was not very familiar with. Nonetheless, i kept practising till i could get the content flow right.

Monday morning came. We were supposed to be the last group to present so that calmed me down a little as there were butterflies in my stomach. I was afraid my mind would blank out during my turn to present thus i kept trying to refresh my memory. However, we became the 2nd group to present. Imagine how fast my heart was beating when Christine asked us to go first! I had to take long deep breaths to calm myself down while waiting for MJ to finish presenting her part.

My turn came. I was still very nervous and i skipped some content as i forgot to elaborate on the points. After my turn was over i heaved a huge sigh of relief. Christine said that i was less nervous than BN and MJ though i was a bit fast in my delivery. Little does she know that that was actually sign of my nervousness. HAHA!! When i am nervous i tend to speak faster.

During the QnA session, i think it was a little messy but other than that it was quite good as we managed to answer all the questions thrown at us =)

Whew! OP is finally over.. and this sort of marks the end of the ES2007s module. I was really happy that OP was over. It was like a huge load off my shoulders as the workload for this module is not that light. OP served as a good experience to me and a start to training me for the workplace in future as presentations are inevitable. OP has made me realise that speaking in front of the class is not that frightening after all! =)