Over 500 people, probably including you, have read the previous post in the last four days. If you’ve joined in the dialogue, you’ll be glad to know that the schools have been following the post and they’ve been reading the comments. Let’s continue airing our views and tell them what we students think.
Issue One
Are specialisations really necessary? For example, if a Mass Communications student would be able to enter the advertising industry with just a Diploma Mass Communications, would an holder of a Diploma in Advertising & Public Relations do any better? That’s to say if the diploma holder didn’t go on to university. Does it seem like polytechnics are coming up with way too many diplomas? Discuss.
Issue Two
Does it matter if the equipment budget for MCM/DVFX/FSV courses pay for equipment which will be shared with other schools, and courses from HMS? I don’t know how the budget is worked out, but does it matter? And how do we resolve the issue of having equipment booking crunches without drastically increasing budget? Already, the Polytechnic spends three times as much educating an FSV student compared to an Accountancy student. In my opinion, they have to continue doing that because without proper equipment, FMS will be just like any other wannabe media schools. Discuss.
Issue Three
If the equipment is constantly failing, it’s most of the time simply equipment failure. The TSOs seem overworked (with the new Chapman Uni stuff and everything else). And they can’t fix all the major equipment problems in school. Sometimes equipment has to be sent overseas, and that increases downtime. But anyway let’s tell the school how bad the problem is. Please state in the comments 1) Your name 2) Your course 3) What was the specific equipment you wanted and what problems there were. These will be submitted to the Directors as feedback. Comment away!
25 responses so far ↓
archigearour // August 21, 2008 at 11:58 pm |
At the end of the day. If you are really passionate about, say Advertising and PR, work hard and you’ll get to where you want, it doesn’t really matter if you’re in MCM or a new specialised course.
A diploma education is a stepping stone to the working world, and while it should arm you with the proper skills, it’s ultimately up to you to decide what you do with those skills and knowledge.
I’m not particularly knowing of the detail specifications of the new course, but I doubt that a passionate Advertising or PR student who goes for the new specialised course would go any less further in the future than if he had taken MCM.
- Goh Wei Choon, 3rd–Year MCM student
rae // August 22, 2008 at 12:13 am |
1. specialisations at such an early age? no. advanced dips after graduation? yes. it’s hard for any 16-year-old to determine what they really want to do in the future. i think lots of us who entered mcm wanting to do a particular aspect of media (journalism, advertising, etc.) have now changed their minds as to what they want to do after graduating. besides, you can’t just learn about ad and pr without knowing about journalism or design. you have to learn the basics of other media to really go far in ad and pr. it’s going to take a lot of passion to really want to be in apr. i salute the 40 going in.
2. mmm, do we really need an air-conditioned canteen? the money for upgrades could be used for us.
3. there are never enough tripods and cameras for tv journ students. and daws/m-boxes are always snatched up really fast. also, the digitising room is constantly filled with non-fms people. i don’t know where they come from, but the machines always fail after they leave. sooo…
rae/mcm
Kristle // August 22, 2008 at 12:26 am |
Specialisations are necessary actually, especially for those who at the age of 18 or so already know what they want to do with their lives.
Honestly, why do we take MCM? We know we want to be in the media industry, but do we know exactly what we want from it? MCM’s a dip which teaches us everything we need to learn before taking that first plunge into the media field, plus with the 3 years worth of getting that dip, we’re given the opportunity to decide what we want in the end.
But for those who are already set on doing just Advert and PR, I think the specialised course was a pretty reasonable idea. However, there is no doubt that a holder of a MCM dip cannot be as good as one with an Advert & PR one.
- Kristle Chia, 3rd Yr MCM
Kristle // August 22, 2008 at 12:29 am |
DAYUMMMM! I made a very BIG typo. I apologise.
I MEANT TO SAY THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT AN MCM DIPLOMA HOLDER CAN BE AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER THAN ONE HOLDING AN ADVERT & PR ONE.
My apologies XJ.
- Kristle Chia again!
Singwei // August 22, 2008 at 12:54 am |
Recently I faced a problem with a faulty camera. I was shooting my Directing project’s Television Commercial assignment and we were using PD170 to record sound and SRII film camera to shoot the visuals. I placed in a tape and the tape was not detected by the camera and it was unable to record. Luckily my friend Calvin was shooting his commercial in the vicinity and I was able to borrow his camera.
But to my horror, when I went to digitize the tape, the first 5 mins has no timecode and I was unable to digitize. Calvin later realize he face a similar problem with his recording as well.
This was not the first time we faced such a problem. Last year, one entire tape was ruin due to a faulty camera.
Other equipments in the cage seems to be working fine. Like the lights and gaffering gadgets and gripping equipments. I dont have any problem with the sound equipments as well.
The Final Cut Pro editing stations and sound recording room has been well maintained.
The problem of the shooting crunch time can be improve by a more improve programming of the equipment booking system. Now the equipments availability is based on “availability on current date”. If we program it to “availability on booking date”, there will be a more accurate reflection of equipment availability without the hassle of the TSO being secretaries to facilitate this process. On top of that we should encourage cross level and course communication. At the same time, increasing the transparency of equipment booking. This way, we are able to contact one another to renegotiate shooting dates to accommodate everybody. This is a complex process as production is affected by multiple variables, such as interviewers or logistics or locations. So rather than fixing a rigid system I think we can liberalize this process and promote a channel of communication between groups that share similar equipments. If we have a system that ensures ownership after the equipments was transferred, the student group that takes over the equipment will hold responsibility for it. Anyway we have been doing that all along (even between FSV and MCM) but just without the acknowledgment of the school.
With the addition of more school this cluster f88king will undoubtedly increase. A drastic possibility is to stagger the shooting dates. If they use equipments, there will certainly be depreciation and they would have to split the budget for it. Yes, its the school’s the equipment and we are under the same school. But since we have departmentalize the different schools for management and financing, there shouldn’t be any excuses not to share the cost. You don’t see us using Singapore Poly’s facilities claiming we are ultimately under the same organization.
With the departures of more and more good teachers, depreciation of equipments, increasing courses and sharing of school’s resources… I just wonder what will this equation add up to. For now, if somebody ask me whether they should join FMS, I’ll think twice, and hard, and for now I’ll still answer, “yes”.. But who knows…
Mohsen/Oliver, 3rd year mcm // August 22, 2008 at 1:11 am |
I am just super curious about the future of those who go into such …”specialised” (read narrow, focused) courses.
In my OPINION, (yes its my opinion. Oh powers that be don’t send any secret police after me) abt half our our MCM cohort seems relunctant to go into the media industry after 3 years in MCM.
How many of us(MCMers) have said this,” Oh i want to be a director/journalist/Radio DJ” at year one.
How many of us ended up eating our words and go: “i want out”.
MCM can be classified as a “general” course in contrast to these new courses coming up.
My point is, what happens, if – IF- the bugger, after forking out all that cash and spending nearly 3 years in Adv. & Pr. decides; “aww man. What have i gotten myself into. This isn’t what i want. I want to be a ____(insert ambition).”
While i can see the benefits of a highly-focused diploma, do those who sign up really know what they’re getting into? Is there any back door for them?
In such a general course like MCM, you can do lots (and i mean lots) of other related fields you can jump to. But what about those going into such a focused diploma like Adv. & PR?
I think the real problem here, (call me an idealist) lies not with the course or available equipment or even the industry. But rather, what the hell are we doing to our youths? (present company excluded, ladies and gentlemen we’re old).
I mean, does a 16/17 year-old really know what he/she wants to do at that age? I think not.
I can only hope, that there is indeed some kind of backdoor for those students, (that does not involve quiting the course or poly), because, no matter what these kids might think now (ie oh i want to be a Account Director and reel in the dough time), they might end up getting a very bad wake up call during the course.
yangcheng // August 22, 2008 at 2:02 am |
firstly, i’m pretty glad to see that issues like these are open for discussion on web and not confined to mindless gossiping outside fms office.
secondly, in regards to the new courses introduced, what done is done, and i’m afraid no amount of unhappiness expressed can change the school’s decision. thus, i believe there are 2 steps to take:
1. take heart that your concerns will be the exact concerns of the incoming 2009 students. as such, bring your discussions to the right people and right places in school. though nothing will change overnight, but at least the school may address these concerns when they do their annual review.
2. as much as the need for your concerns to be addressed, do not be carried away by these because life goes on: incresing lack of equipments, daws, editing suites etc while assignment deadlines remain. i believe channeling energy to the seeking of alternative solutions and a change in work strategies will work for the better.
lastly, speaking as a graduate who has stepped into the workforce, i choose to say that ’specialise-or-not-to-specialise’ is not really an area of conflict at all:
1. in local unis, overall gpa is the deciding factor for admission (not course or specialisation). thus, work towards a good gpa. for all you know, you may change your field of study in uni. after which your diploma and specialisation will not matter anymore.
2. perhaps the greatest difference this specialisation will make is entry into overseas uni for mass comm or related degrees as they do look into the specific modules you take in your diploma course to determine your exemptions.
for eg. it will greatly help to have a pr and advertising diploma (over a mcm diploma) if you wish to take bachelor of communication in PR & advertising.
3. when i went for my job interviews, no one asked about school, electives, specialisation or grades for that matter. employers are really more concerned about your attitude, willingness and commitment. if you are positive to learn and contribute, they will not refuse you for not having specialised in a certain field. similarly, they will not accept you just because you did specialise or have an amazing portfolio.
at the end of the day, embrace the days in fms. they may seem dark and bitter, but looking back, you will realise how much it moulded you.
ps: the working world may be worse off.
cheers,
yang / mcm graduate
shafik // August 22, 2008 at 2:29 am |
Don’t you think that having us to include our names and course will deter us from commenting? I mean, it is very alleviating knowing that the school is aware of this problem and is carefully evaluating this issue, but it seems like we’ll be hounded and interrogated upon individually for our views. i.e, “state 1) Your name 2) Your course 3) What was the specific equipment”. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but we know how our faculty takes libel in blogging seriously.
1. I’m majoring in Advertising and Marketing Communications, and frankly speaking, I was quite swayed and allured when I heard of the APR diploma. But that’s simply because I already have my heart set on that area in the industry. What I’m trying to convey is that I don’t think the prospective students would have a concrete idea of which part of the industry that will best suit them. As what Rae and Oliver have said, most of us joined Mass Communication with an interest in one area, and eventually ended up snubbing it, but adopting a strong interest in another area, after possessing true, strong conceptions of what they can expect to encounter. With the broad foundation of the media industry it exposes us to, MCM plays a good backdrop for us to choose the right path that best suits our skills and personality. Specialising is too big a move at such a young age. I strongly believe that a witty route would encompass testing the water first, and forging the ideal career decision in the Diploma, and delve more into it by furthering studies and taking up a Degree. I have countless friends who have regretted taking up specialised Diplomas due to juvenile ambitions.
I feel that, yes, with the impending introduction of specialised diplomas like APR, it will more or less jeopardize the appeal of an MCM graduate, in the respective industries. After all, it does make sense for an employer to hire someone with a more comprehensive three-year background in Marketing, rather than one who has spent almost half of the time in a Diploma course dedicated to irrelevant modules like Radio. Will this foil the years of attempt of building the prestigious name MCM has built? Won’t this sabotage the career of the alumni riding on the waves of MCM history? With so many diplomas, there is bound to be a chain reaction. It will inevitably neutralise the appeal of other diplomas.
2. I really hope that the school DID look into the matter of facilities when they decided to introduce the new courses. Conspicuously, we are already having problems of our own right now, having to share facilities with other courses/schools. Is there enough equipment/rooms to facilitate the new influx of students? I would abhor the idea of going through the booking system. Not being able to handle the stress of handling the booking, the facilities staff will always take it out on us (always). I have been facilitating tours of the faculty for secondary school students, and I am aware that the school has problems having to update their equipment due to downtime needed. This is already an issue itself, because we do not want to come across as a wannabe media school. With more students coming with the new courses, wouldn’t this mean that we require MORE of such necessities? Inevitably, budget will increase. But they asked for it.
Booking slots are already limited due to lessons, and we can’t always be flexible when booking slots due to commitment to other modules. On top of that, we have to vie for a slot that accommodates our schedule with students of other schools/courses. This will hence disrupt the efficiency and quality of the work assigned. I admit that some of us tend to do last-minute completions for assignments, but I don’t think it makes any difference if we are all like our ‘guai’, time-smart coursemates (spoil market!) who work on projects early. Adding to that, it will spark conflict between students of different courses. As it is, we are having cold wars sharing our facilities. If you’re lucky, you’ll receive a “sweet” message left by someone from the other course, on the whiteboard or the monitor screen. I’ll leave you to ponder on the possibilities of the contents of such messages.
3. The radio DAWS are always booked to the max, you can see students resorting to hijacking DAWS instead of booking them. Have you guys seen the number of students camping outside the DAWS during crunch time? Like lionesses waiting for prey! And the mad rush to book for M-Boxes was a NIGHTMARE!!! There’s almost always a queue for it.
May I take this opportunity to express that we need a thumbdrive-to-print service in the FMS building? The rooms of the services at the Library and Canteen 2 are particularly stuffy, smelly and sweat-inducing when it’s crowded with students from ALL FACULTIES. Even better, professional printing of collaterals for graphic communication and advertising/marketing materials.
Shafik Basir, MCM, Year 3
HRM // August 22, 2008 at 12:30 pm |
My name is He Ruiming, I am a Mass Communication Student completing his third year in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Not literally).
Issue One:
What’s the big deal about specialization?
I don’t see how current and future MCM graduates will be any worse of than their new APR juniors.
After all, just because you are labeled an Advertising and PR Diploma Holder doesn’t mean your job will limit you to tasks of that nature.
I would think that employers would appreciate someone that would understand other areas of the industry, even though he/she is not as “specialized” as her/his counterparts.
As many have said before me, specialization may not be the wisest choice when you are only 16-18 (the norm, haha).
Think about this analogy : You want to race across the world on road that brings you through various terrain.
Would you take the speedy sports car that functions well on roads, or the trusty Sports Utility Vehicle that is somewhat slower but can traverse in places the former can’t go?
Lastly, I would like to point out that while education from NP will probably be helpful, the deciding factor will ultimately be yourself ; your willingness to learn, your attitude, your network, how you look (yes I believe the world is superficial), how resourceful you are, etc.
This is the reason why we have Photojournalists that have a Degree in Engineering and Actresses that have qualifications totally unrelated to their profession. I’m not saying we all wasted three years (some of us five or more) in NP. My point is the greatest teachers on earth are not our lecturers in NP, but experience. I would probably learn more in SPH in a month than if I took the Print Journalism module for an entire semester. I would be wiser when it came to Advertising if I spent a year in Saatchi & Saatchi or some other agency. You get the picture.
Life doesn’t end after getting your Diploma. You can get a degree in something else, learn new things from your job and even do something completely different in the future. It’s called lifelong learning and everyone has been hounding it into us since the dawn of time.
PS : That said, I don’t think APR graduates will suffer in the future. I mean, this isn’t too specialized (It says Advertising AND PR). What is too specialized would be something like, umm, Diploma In Print Journalism.
Ivan Yeow // August 22, 2008 at 4:51 pm |
Enough has been said.
Just wanted to add my two pieces of “insight”.
1. I really see the need to specialize early now that I’m doing my attachment. No doubt it’s the first two day, but I somehow realised that I do not know enough about advertising even though I majored.
2. I do not know the development of a whole new course is good for ngee ann as from my “majoring” I was doing similar things for 3 modules instead of learning new information like how an agency is structure, what is the work flow like etc.
If you’re gonna have a lot of repetition and similar information, a three-year course in advertising and PR is gonna be painful to sit through and a lot of people will want out.
Ivan Yeow, Year 3, Mass Communications.
Ivan Yeow // August 22, 2008 at 4:55 pm |
Additional point, fluidity is something I believe a lot of student want in their course.
Being able to switch internally among FMS course shouldn’t be something only the “top students” should be able to do.
Interest and Ability in that specific area is very important as well (i.e. a DVFX student who want to do FSV should not be made to repeat a whole year).
We need to make our course flexible and to make them suit every individual for FMS to become a “lovemark” (means a highly respected and highly loved organisation) for all students.
Love, Ivan.
Ivan Yeow // August 22, 2008 at 5:02 pm |
Just to add on, any “official sources” reading this message, please reply if you can?
Persuade us, justify your actions, let us know that your actions are based on feedback and research.
You do have the right of reply you know? Right XJ?
Sorry, triple post.
Mohsen/Oliver, 3rd year mcm // August 22, 2008 at 6:09 pm |
HIYA. ivan. stop hogging the space. I know your name nice, but my name nicer. (kidding2)
ahem. okay lets go:
@ HRH: good point about the Photojournalists who have degrees and diplomas in other fields.
But how are there?
And what price did some of them have to pay for jumping fields?
Eh, XJ, is the school monitoring this dialogue? Cause as one chap said: no point we have fun here but no err….action is taken along the formal lines leh.
Oh yea, i’m just curious myself, who makes the decisions to make the new courses ah? Is that MOE? or FMS? or NP? or some other shadowy figure who has an army of staff behind him, including some sort secret police?
No seriously, any ideas who makes the decisions?
Blüdrayne // August 23, 2008 at 7:11 pm |
no, even if the school is monitoring the dialogue, there’s no difference. remember the conglomerate thing? whatever we say makes no difference whatsoever. the decision has been set in stone.
you guys all know this is all the various lecturers pushing their various agendas.
its all a crock of bull and nothing we say will change it.
and anyway, i think both of the new courses are a bad idea. because they’ll endanger the students in the original courses.
furthermore, our facilities are insufficient to support more people.
true, we do indeed have the highest budget among all the schools in ngee ann.
something people from other courses never cease to bitch about.
but its for good reason at that.
our equipment is insufficient and outdated. i would very much like for the “powers that be” to address this base issue instead of worsening it.
Selwyn
MCM 3rd year
(hi guys lol.)
Satsueisha // August 23, 2008 at 8:41 pm |
@ Tyler: I think the concern is not whether APR students will do better than MCMers. For me, the concern is that APR students may not want to do advertising or PR after they learn what it is all about. The industry is glamorous, and the lure is great. Even with MCM, many of us learn that what we want to do may not be cut out for us. APR is even more specialised – isn’t that more dangerous?
@ Rae: Agreed – I think APR students lose out because they don’t know about the other facets of the media – like how journalists and broadcast people work.
@ Kristle: I think MCM is not as specialised – it covers the entire media industry, from broadcast, to journalism, to advertising and PR.
@ Singwei: Agreed. If the polytechnic wants to compete with other film schools in the region, it has to upkeep equipment and upgrade itself. No one said film is cheap. Even for radio equipment, they have to upgrade to DAB – expensive also.
@ Mohsen: True – that’s why I will not recommend anyone to attend APR. Unless they have previous experience working in the advertising / PR industry and know what it’s all about. Then again, if they’ve already worked in the industry, then why attend the diploma?
@ YC: My view is that even if universities accept us, the main point should be improving the curriculum. The polytechnic should design its diploma courses based on latest industry developments, and adapt faster.
@ Shafik: Agreed – my concern is also of equipment. Squeezing the resources like this will make all the diploma courses suffer.
@ HRM: I think educational institutes shouldn’t be complacent and have the view that they’re “just a school”. They should be experimental labs to see what will survive in the industry. For example, photojournalism classes can include multimedia slideshow lessons to help students face new media challenges. This requires a major shift in thinking.
@ Ivan: I think fluidity, the point you mentioned, is important. But the problem is, would finicky students do the same? Anyhow, if FMS shows that it can listen to students, and respond to questions openly, then FMS can be a true “lovemark”, as you mentioned.
@ Selwyn: I deleted your second comment because it had expletives. As for the conglomerate, I’m supportive of it because it reflects how the media in the States is adapting. No longer is it enough for newspapers to be newspapers – they have to be news outlets, putting out vodcasts and podcasts, and package their stories as a multimedia package. That’s why the conglomerate will help do that. However, your point about equipment is valid. It can be argued that the best isn’t necessary and students can do without them. But without a proper digital workflow, will our students have an edge above their competitors?
ira // August 23, 2008 at 8:49 pm |
i think the rest pretty much raised the main concerns. a more specialised course would be good for students who have set their minds on what they want to do, but as we’ve seen from many people through a broader course like MCM, we might find that we really don’t like it, and fall in love with a totally different part of the media. so yes, would choosing such a specific course at a young age be good?
and yes yes yes, the equipments and facilities bookings are already stretched to the max. ): how can they expect us to share with so many new different courses?
- sahira/mcm
Blüdrayne // August 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm |
ah, yes, i was wondering where that post went.
anyway, the conglomerate reflects the US industry, which is fast becoming obsolete. with the advent of the internet, people commonly rely on independent sources as well. Hence the importance of independent media sources. similarly, the record industry is increasingly moving towards smaller, independent record labels.
as for the equipment, its truly a question of priority.
is it their priority to uphold the standards of existing courses and to improve upon them or to add more?
i feel that FMS should focus on maintaining standards first. the industry is now using digital equipment. yet we still learn how to use MD players and DV tapes.
even such, we do not have sufficient equipment for ourselves, much less for loan to other courses.
Satsueisha // August 23, 2008 at 10:13 pm |
The US media industry is failing precisely because most companies aren’t multimedia enough. Those thriving ones are using the business model the conglomerate is using. I don’t see how the Label IBP fits, but all the others do.
Mukkey // August 23, 2008 at 10:49 pm |
Ouch, burn.
And does anyone else feel like we’re diverting off topic somehow?
anyways,
Issue 1:
i think that all that needs to be said about this has already been said. no need to repeat the same arguements again right?
Issue 2:
IMO, as a media school we should understand the importance of “looking good for the camera”, and no matter what, FMS budget IS ALSO Ngee Ann money, so sharing the equipment budget to look good makes sense AS LONG AS other schools do the same.
For example, what if suddenly for some inexplicable reason an MCM student needed a ME worksohop for a project?
As for the equipment lease issue… no bright ideas.
Issue 3:
As a radio journ student, i am SCARED S**TLESS of the MD players. It’s like roulette, 1 in 10-or-so fail.
I must point out that they’re trying to change to MP3 recorders now, but i had a field test with those, and they were more complicated than the average ipod, so no luck there.
maybe something simpler?
whatever.
Mok//MCM 3.2
Blüdrayne // August 24, 2008 at 4:07 am |
change is indeed happening, just not fast enough.
shouldn’t fms be 2 steps ahead of changes in the industry? after all, by the time we enter the workforce whatever we learnt might very well be long obsolete.
i’m not trying to stir up controversy for its own sake, but i believe that we should secure the standards in the status quo before striving to further excel.
the current situation is akin to the weimar republic pursuing an expansionist policy.
(btw @Mok- whats that dj software u showed me the other time? i’d like to play with it.)
Anon Joe // August 25, 2008 at 1:54 am |
I will voice my opinions on three issues here:
1) Equipment:
I thoroughly agree that FMS is, and has been, experiencing an equipment crunch for the longest of time.
But that is not to say that nothing good came out of it.
While it does suck having not enough time to use the DAWS, not granted access to lighting for advert shoots and LEARNING AN OUTDATED VERSION OF DIALET, through it I guess I learnt to be more resourceful in seeking alternative solutions.
I still got by using garageband for radio production and my advert was completed by adopting a new idea that didn’t involve having to conduct a photoshoot.
While there is certainly much room for upgrading and improvement in order for the MCM course to be of a worldclass standard (I hope that’s what the school is aiming for), I think we should also learn to be contended with what we have now and learn to make do and improvise. Afterall, we are creative individuals capable of seeking new solutions right?
2) New courses, new rivalry. Will I be at a disadvantage?:
Why so scared is the thing I want to ask everyone? I mean if you’ve got the talent, why so afraid that someone taking a specialised diploma will overshadow you?
The truth is, there will always be someone better than you. So why so afraid about the influx of graduates with specialised diplomas? Will EVERY SINGLE agency hire someone with specialised diploma over a regular MCM-er with advert major? No. If you can shine at that interview or prove your worth, I doubt that any agency will hesitate in taking in a talent like you (and I believe that many of my peers are more truly talented than they like to think).
Perhaps we should rethink about stereotypical thinking that employers will see taking radio production and the journalism modules as “redundant”, “irrelevant” and “waste of time”. It is not a waste of time, cos we know first hand what the radio medium is.
I think someone who has experience the radio medium and truly understands how it can deeply connect with listeners can create a better radio advert than someone who only knows the characteristics of radio through a textbook.
Have heart my friends, I believe if there’s a will there’s a way.
3) Braindrain at FMS?
Someone mentioned in a post earlier that there some of our most acclaimed lecturers have left FMS.
I do agree that FMS needs to do more to attract exciting talent to become lecturers. Some of the more senior lecturers seem to have lost a fair bit of their passion in teaching. Some apparently, are only teaching for ‘easy money’.
I think we need lecturers who aren’t burnt out (and sick of teaching a bunch of rowdy teenagers) and can appreciate the joy of grooming students to the best of their abilities. We need lecturers who still believe they can make a difference.
I’m not sure if anyone relevant will really read this. But I guess it is still worth saying.
HRM // August 25, 2008 at 3:30 am |
Dear Anon Joe,
While I agree with many of the points you have stated, I do not believe it’s fair to any of the FMS lecturers say :
“Some of the more senior lecturers seem to have lost a fair bit of their passion in teaching. Some apparently, are only teaching for ‘easy money’.”
That is all.
Satsueisha // August 25, 2008 at 7:50 am |
@ Anon Joe: While I feel that yes, we can ‘adapt’ here and there and ‘be resourceful’, yet equipment is the core reason why we’re ahead of everyone else. There is a threshold here: We’re smack in the middle, where just a little better leads to a lot better.
About ‘brain drain’, I can’t comment because I haven’t been taught by most of the lecturers who left. But I can only suspect it’s semi-caused by overwork in some cases.
Blüdrayne // August 25, 2008 at 2:20 pm |
but why should we have to adapt in our own backyard to suit the visitor.
yes we can.
the question is why should we be required to?
shouldn’t FMS equipment be for FMS students first and foremost?
Mohsen/Oliver, 3rd year mcm // September 5, 2008 at 2:39 pm |
i just remembered something.
er..if IF IFFFFF im not mistaken, next year’s mcm intake is smaller right?