HOD Project Work addresses PW concerns
Project Work – this compulsory subject sends chills down some of our spines. And who can help it? PW consumes a lot of the JC1s' time. Considering the stringent standards imposed on us, the sometimes difficult group dynamics and the pressure from other subjects we’re taking, it is nary an easy task to get a good grade for this subject. NYconneXions' Wu Xiaoyu interviews Ms Ng Wan Har, NYJC’s HOD - Project Work, to address the concerns of PW students.
NYconneXions: In a lecture before the holidays, you made it clear that you were not satisfied with our PW performance so far. Mind recapping what our flaws were?
Ms Ng: At that time, a number of students were not that serious, based on some of the staff's personal classroom observations. The general trend was that many teams had good ideas, but there was little substantiation. This showed that many teams were not doing sufficient research, and not taking a responsible enough approach to their projects.
NYcX: Have you seen any improvements in the weeks since?
MN: There have been certain improvements. From my observations and staff feedback, quite a number of students now have a more positive attitude toward the drafting process of their Written Reports (WR). In addition, I see that the students are managing their time better.
NYcX: The WR outline we produced was for most groups just copied from the best examples of last year’s WR contents pages. What’s your opinion on that?
MN: The purpose of the outline was to make sure that the time on the weekend was not wasted. With some of the students going for the LTC and many groups not having enough material to properly substantiate their written reports, we really wanted the students to produce an outline for their project so that they could see for themselves if there was any information they were still lacking and that they could patch up these gaps while there's still time to work on them. But simply copying last year's examples doesn't serve this purpose.
NYcX: Many of us noticed that last year’s theme was very different from this year’s -- easier in fact. What do you think?
MN: In terms of difficulty, I would say both years' project tasks have their challenges. Personally, I think that this year’s topics are easier to pass, but are perhaps harder to score in. Last year’s topic was actually harder as it concerned "Momentum", a concept many teams found difficult to grasp. Many projects submitted focused on solving discrete problems but had little to do with a development gaining momentum -- not so easy, after all.
NYcX: How should this year's project groups use the past years' WR samples that we now have access to?
MN: The WR constitutes 40% of the overall grade -- quite a hefty weightage. The current project groups should use the samples to understand what comprises a good written report as early as possible. Furthermore, the tutors have added comments throughout the samples to show the kind of substantiation needed in the WR and how they correspond to the requirements of the exam.
NYcX: So, the samples are only an example for the kind of substance and substantiation a good WR should contain, but they are not a template?
MN: That pretty much sums it up.
NYcX: The past week (9-13 July) was run on a special timetable for us JC1s to focus on completing our first WR drafts. Why was such a programme necessary?
MN: With so many things happening for the JC1s during this term, such as your oral examinations, reviews of your mid-year exams and the LTC, we decided that time was desperately needed to write a good WR draft and to do so early enough so that there will still be time to work on and refine the report before your final submission.
NYcX: There were large discrepancies in the PW scores of the different colleges last year. How did we do?
MN: Our results were in fact quite decent when compared to other JCs of the same level. We did in fact attain 41% "A" and "B" grades. Of course, that is no excuse to be complacent, so our main focus now is to increase the percentage of teams that can get an "A".
NYcX: Why is it that some students are falling through the cracks?
MN: While we did not do all that badly, improvements need to be made on the overall quality of our WRs. One major factor that erodes the quality of the WR is that we lack strong substantiation in our research and in our depth of analysis and evaluation.
NYcX: That would explain the current focus on the WR.
MN: Yes.
NYcX: What are some of the programmes the department has planned to make sure we deliver good work?
MN: We are working closely with our library to showcase as much relevant information as possible so that the teams can have a constant reference to some of the crucial skills needed to produce a satisfactory project. The reception to this initiative is quite satisfactory, as a lot of students have already browsed through the Group Working File sample. The PW committee will still be sending our tutors to the classrooms during lessons to function as an additional resource. Also, expect a lot of intensive training for your Oral Presentations after the promos, and there will also be focused lessons conducted to help you with the EoM component soon.
So there you have it, opinions and advice straight from the top. I got the impression that Ms Ng really means to lead the PW programme in a direction that will benefit this batch of JC1 students. But while we are in good hands, the ball still is in our court, so let's do our own part for our own sakes.
By Wu Xiaoyu