NBS Y2 Semester 2 AY2015/2016

Secret War Journal[January - May 2016]

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AB1201 Financial Management

Lectures attended: 100% (Dr Chanika / Angie) [E-lectures]
Tutorials attended: 100% (Dr Chanika Charoenwong)
Textbook(s): Brigham, Eugene F., Joel F. Houston, Jun-ming Hsu, Yoon Kee Kong, and A.N. Bany Ariffin,
Essentials of Financial Management, 3rd edition, Cengage Learning Asia. ISBN-13: 9789814441377.

Assessment: Tutorial Presentation (7%), Group Project (8%), Online Assignments (5%), Mid-Term Quiz (20%), Closed-book Final Examination (60%)
Comment(s):
This is one of the most important Year 1 modules for Business students if you are gunning for the Business and Finance specialisation. This is due to the grade requirement to be be considered for the specialisation. (Should be at least B+ but do not quote me for it because I am not familiar with this!)

The content delivery of this module had changed much since its inception. Now, it delivers its lectures through online lectures. The plus side to this is that there is no need for you to go to school for lectures. For some, it is a lost opportunity to clarify questions. (There are still forums and emails, no worries hardworking students hahas)

The assessment breakdown looks daunting but it is less taxing than it seems. It really is more of continuous work. As long as you keep up to the pace of the coursework, it should be a breeze for you.

I would recommend Chanika as your tutor, if possible. She puts in the extra effort to go through the contents once more and clarifies any doubt you might have for the chapters. Also, she gives additional questions for you to attempt in class, preparing you for the mid-terms and the finals.

The Mid-Term Quiz is fairly important and you should never dismiss this. Doing well for this quiz is indicative of your knowledge in Financial Management thus far. The quiz traditionally focuses more heavily on the concepts. It is also the course's tradition to release the questions and solutions for the past 3 semesters so you will be adequately prepared for the quiz.

The finals is similar to the mid-term quiz but includes more calculations. Again, the coordinator will traditionally release past papers and solutions for your revision. I found this to be especially helpful as not every business modules readily give away such resources.

In the event that you do not feel prepared after attempting the past papers, feel free to attempt the self-practice questions in the tutorials (strongly recommended, by the way) and textbook questions. Speaking of textbook, the textbook is essential as there will be contents exclusively in the textbook that will be tested. These concepts will not be found in the lecture notes. Finally, while studying with the textbook, do not discount the footnotes as they can be tested as well.

CS8700 Becoming a Culturally Competent Communicator in a Multicultural World

Lectures attended: No lecture.
Seminars attended: 84.62% (Dr. Chen Hsueh-hua Vivian)
Textbook(s): Baldwin, J. R., Coleman, R. M., González, A., & Shenoy, S. (2014). Intercultural communication for everyday life .Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Assessment: Mid-Term Quizes x 2 (40%), Final Project (30%), Class Participation (30%)
Comment(s):
This was offered as a GERPE-BM module during this semester. This may change as I had heard from the School that they are restructuring the basket for GERPE-BM.

This may end up as a rant for me. However, if you are considering this as an elective module, I would strongly advise against this unless you have an interest and ample time for this. My belief is that fulfilling only one condition is not sufficient.

Here is why. There are almost weekly writing assignments for this module. Yes, there is only one 3 hour seminar session but the assignments require a bit of time investment. If you are already overloaded with other modules, this is not for you.

That said, the concepts taught are interesting and potentially useful. This modules aims to teach you how to communicate effectively with people from a different culture. This is increasingly important in the globalised world. Dr Chen is good in trying to make the seminar sessions interesting and interactive which helped. If you enjoyed AB1601 Organisational Behaviour, you should enjoy this module as well.

If you have noticed, there are no finals! That is a plus point. However, there is a catch. The final project's deadline is perilously close to the start of the final examinations. Hence, this is something you need to take note before deciding to take on this module.

The final project is essentially another writing assignment. It will be similar in nature to your weekly assignments, just longer in length.

All mid-term quizes are closed book and in multiple choice format.

Textbook will be helpful if you are not planning to exercise your S/U option. Otherwise, skipping the textbook should be safe.

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For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

NBS Y2 Semester 1 AY2015/2016

Secret War Journal[August - December 2015]

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AB0901 Principles of Economics: A Singapore Perspective

Lectures attended: 80% (Dr Rosalind Chew)
Tutorials attended: 92.3% (Dr Suman Kumari Sharma)
Textbook(s): Economics: Global Edition, 11/e [ISBN : 9780273789963]

Assessment: Class Participation (10%), Quiz 1 (10%), Quiz 2 (10%), Finals Closed-Book (70%)
Comment(s):
Be prepared for a steep bell curve for this module. Be aware that a large group of students have a basic foundation on the principles of Economics and you would be competing with them. Thus, if you do not have any knowledge of economics, be prepared work twice as hard to be on par.

The syllabus for this module, as a whole is pretty rushed. Students without prior knowledge will likely grasping for air to take a breather after each lecture. All is not lost for students who are new to economics though. The module seems to have gone for breadth over depth. Hence, no deep understanding of the concepts are required to score.

For students who had taken H2 A levels Economics, there are new concepts being taught in this module. Thus, it is not exactly a breeze for you. Some new concepts include indifference curve and the new AD/AS curves used for this module. The concepts learnt in JC will still be beneficial to you in understanding the concepts in this module.

The quizzes are MCQ in nature. If you are prepared for the topics covered, you should do fine in those.

Textbook is useful for consolidation of knowledge. I did not buy the textbook. Instead, I relied on my JC textbook which was a University textbook.

AB1000 Career Foundations I

Lectures attended: No lecture.
Seminars attended: 100%, one day affair
Textbook(s): N/A

Assessment: Attendance (20%), Class Participation (30%), Pre-Assignment (25%), Post-Assignment (25%)
Comment(s):
A prerequisite module for Career Foundations II, this is an one day affair module with a Pass/Fail grading.

There are quite a number of assignments for this module. Most of these assignments are personality tests and career profiling assignments. Completing these and attending the seminar should likely get you a Pass for this module.

The seminar will be held during the week of Recess Week and will take the bulk of the entire day.

AD2101 Management Accounting

Lectures attended: No lecture.
Seminars attended: 100% (Dr Hu Kin Hoi, Billy)
Textbook(s): Customised Text “AD2101: Management Accounting”, McGraw Hill, 2015.

Assessment: Class Participation (10%), Online Assignments (15%), Project and Presentation (20%), Finals Open-Book (55%)
Comment(s):
This is a very content-heavy module. An average of 3 chapters will be cleared per week. Be prepared for heavy reading.

It is roughly 50% on calculations and 50% on ethics. Knowledge on Financial Accounting is expected.

Class Participation includes a group presentation. It generally involves your group taking over a seminar and cover the contents to be taught during the seminar.

There are 2 textbooks for this module. You have every right to be intimidated because you will finish the two books by around week 8. Ain't you glad this is a open book final examination?

Dr Billy Ho is very approachable and allows people to clarify any doubt, even outside of seminar, easily. He is also very open to feedback. Therefore, if you feel that his teaching methods do not suit you, feel free to inform him.

Textbook is a must for this module, especially the e-learning access. Online assignments use an external vendor platform (McGraw Hill) as of this post and can on be accessed if you buy the textbooks. Expensive, but this is 15% we are talking about. There are 3 online assignments in total, they will take the best 2 out of the 3. It varies from MCQs to structured questions.

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For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

SCE Y2 Semester 1 AY2015/2016

Secret War Journal[August - December 2015]

CZ2001 Algorithms

Lectures attended: 90% (Dr. Tan Ah & Dr. Zheng J)
Tutorials attended: 100%
Labs attended: 75%, attendance are taken. Missed one, it was a make-up and I could not make it.
Textbook(s): Computer Algorithms.  Sara Baase & Allen Van Gelder, 2000. Third Edition. Addison Wesley.

Assessment: Lab Presentation (20%), Mid Term Quiz (20%), Finals Closed-Book (60%)
Comment(s):
Many seniors have commented that this is the most difficult module you will ever take during your Computer Science Course and I can see why.

I would think the more accurate description for the module would be the Mathematics behind Algorithms. While they do teach you the logic behind the algorithms, the tests would really test your understanding of the mathematics behind these.

Do pay attention behind the mathematical analysis of the various algorithms, including the proofs (tedious, yes). It may seem like a mathematical module (indeed, it is a similar to a math major module, be prepared) but at least it is not as vigorous.

Do not discount the mid term quiz, the weightage will come back to haunt you during the finals. Securing this 20% would serve as a morale booster during your revision.

Textbook is not essential for this course. However, I found online materials to be useful for further understanding of the concepts taught.

CZ2002 Object Oriented Design & Programming

Lectures attended: 90% (Dr. Zhang Jie, Mr Tan Kheng Leong)
Tutorials attended: 80%
Labs attended: 100%
Textbook(s): Matt Weisfeld, The Object-Oriented Thought Process, 4th Edition, Pearson / Addison Wesley

Assessment: Clicker Quiz (5%), Lab (5%), Group Assignment (30%), Finals Closed-Book (60%)
Comment(s):
This course will touch on two programming languages to teach the object-oriented principles. They are Java and C++ with a heavier emphasis on the former.

One thing to look out for this module would be the assignment. The assignment is group-based and it arrives pretty late, after recess week. Thus, you will be in a rush to finish it. The professor might cancel tutorials to allow more time for your group to finish the assignment. Nevertheless, pacing is important.

Textbook is not essential. Practice is crucial for this module. Be consistent with the tutorials and you should do fine for finals.

CZ2003 Computer Graphics and Visualisation

Lectures attended: 40% (Dr. Alexei Sourin, Dr Jianmin Zheng)
Tutorials attended: 100% (Graded) (Dr. Alexei Sourin)
Labs attended: 75%
Textbook(s): A.Sourin, Computer Graphics. From a small formula to cyberworlds, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 2012.

Assessment: Lab Assignments (30%), Tutorial (20%), Finals Closed-Book (50%)
Comment(s):
This is another mathematics heavy module. The module is actually teaching you how to convert mathematical formulas to 2D and 3D shapes. If you recall all your geometry formulas, now is a good time to apply them.

The second half of the lecture touches on lighting and rendering. It might be a bit strange for physics students but just remember that this is a mathematical model, not a scientific one.

The programming language you will be learning would be a version of VRML designed by Dr Sourin. The programming syntax is not tested for finals. However, it is used extensively for the lab assignments. The lab assignments can be be time consuming in the beginning, given the number of tasks in the early stages. Try to complete them as they are given and you should be fine. Once you have completed the assignments, you would not need VRML anymore.

One interesting thing to note about this module is the graded of tutorials. If your tutorials are taught by Dr Sourin, you will need to submit the tutorials at the start of the respective tutorials. They are graded and will be counted towards your final grades. Also, for Dr Sourin's classes, you will get back your tutorial a week later though there will not be any indication if your answers were accepted. Do take note.

I have heard that the textbook has provided more useful information regarding the topics taught. I did not purchase the textbook and I think it is possible to do well without it. If you find yourself struggling with the concepts taught during lecture, consider getting a textbook to help in your learning.

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For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

NBS Y1 Semester 2 AY2014/2015

Secret War Journal[Jan - May 2015]
Semester 1 has officially ended with the passing of 2014. During the first semester in NBS, I took 2 business modules.

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AB0601 Communication Management Fundamentals

Lectures attended: No Lectures. It is 100% seminars.
Seminars attended: 100% (Ulrike Murfett)
Textbook(s): Communication Strategies for the Global Workplace, 2/e [ISBN : 9789814628327]

Assessment: Written Assessment (30%), Assignment (20%), Oral Presentation  (30%), Class Participation (20%)
Comment(s):
To some, it is the dreaded presentation module. We have to admit that most of us are not born talented presenters. But hey, this is what this module is about. Granted, 3 months is not enough time to transform you into a professional presenter but it's a start.

Students with prior experience with presenting will definitely have an advantage for this module. I believe that if you do not, you will still learn a lot because that is the whole point of coming to school right?

In this module, you will learn basic concepts regarding approaches to presentation, various means of communication including non-verbal forms and email etiquette. All of which will be useful for you in the working world. This is definitely a module that is highly applicable for your future career.

Unless your style requires little practice before the actual presentation, be prepared to invest quite an amount of time for your presentations (at least 2 but subject to your tutor).

The textbook is written by my tutor! :) It is not compulsory but if you are worried that you will forget what you learnt, get it. E-book version available.

AB1202 Statistical & Quantitative Methods

Lectures attended: 100%. No easy feat.
Tutorials attended: 100%. (Chin Chee Kai)
Textbook(s): Bruce L. Bowerman, Richard T. O’Connell, Emily S. Murphree (2014). Business Statistics in Practice, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill International Edition.  ISBN 13: 978-125-906039-7.

Assessment: Course Participation (20%), Quiz (20%), Final Examination, Open Book (60%)
Comment(s):
If you think stats was easy, you will be in for a surprise in this module. This module requires a lot of practice. Think of this module as though it is a mathematics subject, you need to practice and experience to perform.

Students who took A Levels Mathematics will benefit as the first half of the module is similar to what you had learnt during your Junior College times. Do not let your guard down though, as the new topics in the second half are important and will determine whether you score well or not in this module.

My tutor is one of the recommended tutor to have. He is decent, he will explains concepts well during tutorials and ensure that your doubts are cleared. He will also elaborate on the concepts further to allow you understand better and apply in different situations. Expect tough questions to be answered during tutorials. ;)

Getting a graphic calculator is important (It is costly, yes. Alternatively, borrow it from someone for this semester.) It may feel like you are taking the short way out but you will need to get familiar with it as much as possible before the big day itself. Of course, if you have the time, and passion, please do know how to get the solution without the use of the calculator because understanding the concepts is key to scoring well in this module.

I would recommend getting a textbook, the physical one. I made the mistake of getting the E-book before purchasing the hardcopy (my wallet). You will be reading extensively and the e-book platform they are on will just slow you down. Besides, you will need the extra practice from the textbook.

AB1601 Organisational Behaviour & Design

Lectures attended: 100%. Only 1. It's a review lecture, and it's important.
Seminars attended: 100%. (Ms Shan Wen)
Textbook(s): Customized version of Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. 2013. Organizational Behavior. 10th Edition. McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Assessment: Creative Thinking Individual Assignment (20%), Critical Thinking Individual Assignment (20%), Team Presentation including Peer Appraisal (10%), Final Examination, Open Book (50%)
Recommended Tutors: by seniors: Don Willis, Cheryl Tay Lee
Comment(s):
Think HR, think Psychology. Fun subject to learn, not easy to score.

There are a number of components that make up your final grade for this module. I would recommend putting in effort for the assignments as they play a large part to your grades.

First, the Creative Thinking Individual Assignment. This is generally unrelated to the module as a whole. Let loose your creativity and critically analyse a given document/file. Take care to not write the same things as your classmates, this is a creative thinking assignment after all. Think of novel ideas and insights and you should do fine.

Second, the Critical Thinking Assignment. This has more relevance to the module. The nature of this assignment is similar to the first but without the creativity component. It can be easier and more difficult at the same time. You will be expected to go more in-depth and critique the article given.

There's nothing special about the Team Presentation unless your tutor decides otherwise. Do take note of the Peer Appraisal, do not forget to do it!

My tutor was a PHD student and she is a very motivated tutor. She offered consultation slots for us to clarify any queries regarding the concepts or doubts regarding the assignment. She also took the time and effort to do up her own slides for the seminars. That is no mean feat.

This is a open book final examinations format, buying the textbook is highly recommended. This is a content-heavy module, you would be thankful for it being open book. :P

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I did not include the number of AUs for each module. If I receive feedback that such information would be useful. I might update it in the primary list. :)

For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

SCE Y1 Semester 2 AY2014/2015

Secret War Journal[Jan - May 2015]

CZ1005 Digital Logic

Lectures attended: 70% (Dr. Chan Syin & Dr. Suhaib Fahmy)
Tutorials attended: 92.3%
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken. Every 2 weeks.
Textbook(s): Fundamentals of Digital Logic with Verilog Design, 2nd Ed., by Stephen Brown and Zvonko Vranesic, McGraw Hill, 2008, ISBN-10: 9780071265980.

Assessment: Coursework (30%) - Written lab quizzes (at the end of each lab class), Closed-book exam (70%) - 2 hour written paper
Comment(s):
Before I begin, bear in mind that I took this module without the majority of the Computing Science students. Thus, many details on how this course was conducted would differ from how this course is normally conducted. I took this module during Semester 2. Hence, if for whatever reasons you are taking this module during Semester 2 (especially if you're in BCG or BCE), this will be relevant to you.

One important thing to note when you are not taking with the main cohort for this module, chances are there are very few other coursemate taking this module in this semester. What this means is that there is a very high chance that there is no bell curve. Of course, that is not guaranteed but you should be prepared of such a possibility.

The first half of the lectures are conducted online. Hardly any face-to-face interactions are required. All lectures in the first half are recorded and upload online just like any other e-learning course. Before you disregard this altogether and save it for cramming in the final weeks, I will advise you not to. There are many reasons. Notably, every lab session will test on the previous week's content. More importantly, the lab tests contribute 30% of your final grades! As a result, you should never disregard the marks from the lab tests. From my experience, going through the recorded lectures and the lab manual concerned one day before should do fine. Try to score as high as possible for this component as it will help to relieve a lot of stress on this module.

The second half lectures are conducted traditionally, which I preferred. Here, you will learn more in-depth in a hardware describing language called Verilog. Prior knowledge will aid you a significant bit in this module, especially during the lab sessions.

Tutorials wise, nothing much to comment on. No attendance were taken. It was a simple going through of answers. You could try to clarify answers during the tutorial though I found consulting the lecturers to be more productive in nature.

Textbook? Not compulsory. E-book editions are available too.

CZ1006 Computer Organisation and Architecture

Lectures attended: 100% (Dr. Goh Wooi Boon & Dr Oh Hong Lye)
Tutorials attended: 100% (Dr Oh Hong Lye)
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken. Every 2 weeks.
Textbook(s): 

1. Linda Null & Julia Lobur, Computer Organization and Architecture, Jones & Bartlett Learning (3rd Edition), 2012
2. Randal E. Bryant & David O’Hallaron, Computer Systems – A Programmer’s Perspective, Pearson Education International (2nd Edition), 2010
3. John L. Hennessy & David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture – A Quantitative Approach, Morgan Kaufmann (5th Edition), 2011

Assessment: Coursework (40%) - Written lab quizzes (at the end of each lab class), Closed-book exam (60%)
Comment(s):
Remember CZ1002? Well, this is basically a continuation to that and CZ1005. If you are strong in the two aforementioned modules, you will do fine in this module.

Dr Oh Hong Lye is a good lecturer and tutor. I had the good fortune of being in his class. One thing to take note though, many students will go to his classes, even if he is not their tutor. Every week, I have issues finding a seat in the classroom as it is very packed. Dr Oh explains concepts in detail and is willing to answer your questions should have any doubts on the topics at hand. This will be very beneficial for you.

Programming languages that you be touching on would be mainly Assembly. There are generally quite basic in nature so you should do fine with a bit of refreshing before the exams or lab quizzes.

Like most Computing modules, the textbooks are not essential. Practicing is more important. Do note that this module is heavier on theory. (Yea.... Memory work....)

CZ1007 Data Structures

Lectures attended: 90% (Dr. Hui Siu Cheung & Dr Jing Han)
Tutorials attended: 70%
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken. Every week.
Textbook(s): “Programming with C”, B. Tan and S.C. Hui, Prentice Hall, 2011
Assessment: Coursework (50%) - 2 Assignments, 1 lab quiz, Closed-book exam (50%)
Comment(s):
This is probably the one module I had the most fun with during my Year 1 Semester 2. Yet, at the same time, it was one of the module I complained the most to my peers.

Do not confuse this with CZ2007 or CZ4031, you would not actually work on a database. You will only learn basic concepts on how programming languages store data and various methods in doing it.

The programming language you will be using for this module would be C. Here's where I have some gripes on how the module is taught. The module is using a obsolete standard for C. If you have self-taught the language complying with the current adopted standards, be prepared to adapt accordingly as your code may not run in accordance to the old standard. If I recall, they are using C98.

I am not exactly sure why they are not teaching the new standards, several emails were exchanged between the professors and I. The reason given was to maximise portability which can be true. However, as an counter example, most compilers have adapted the new standards because, well it is the current standards right now. That aside, just remember to take note.

Lab sessions are conducted weekly. There is no work to be submitted at the end of the lab sessions, just attendance is taken. Towards the end, the lab questions and the tutorial questions are the same, making one of them kind of redundant.

Textbook is not essential.

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Note: I underloaded this semester because I was exempted from CZ1008. Thus, CZ1008 will not be covered by me. Sorry.


For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

Let's Talk NTU 2015

Secret War Journal[24 January 2015]
Prospective students thronged Let’s Talk NTU 2015 on Saturday to hear about NTU’s holistic programmes and diverse curriculum from professors and students.

But wait a minute, I am already a student of NTU, what am I doing there? I was one of the ambassadors along with my fellow coursemates.

I was in the afternoon shift and as it turns out, my lab supervisor for CZ1003 last semester was there too. I was really happy when he found me familiar. He's a south korean professor working in NTU and he is really friendly. After talking with him, he begun to recognise my coursemates who came with me too.

As an ambassador, our job was to answer any queries that the visitors may have on our course. Since this exhibition is largely meant for future students. Many people who attended the exhibition were polytechnic and junior college students. In addition, some were accompanied by parents. Usual questions include the eligibility to exempt certain courses and cut-off points for the course. Many should be happy to note that both Poly and JC students are eligible for exemptions in certain circumstances. (Mmm, I should probably write a post regarding this when I am free. That would useful for interested readers, no?)

This year's goodie bags are actually pretty decent. A cute little bear, notebooks, pen light, and pens were some of the goodies being given today. However, I heard that the turnout for this year was less than last year's. This can be attributed for the lack of publicity this year. (I am sorry for not mentioning this earlier, I was busy with work, evidently. Hahas)

Personally, I really enjoyed the experience today. It was really fun sharing your school experience with potential juniors. That said, I should be participating in future ambassador events. (Next one being, RNS Men Talk 2015 [COE])

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After the exhibition, my peers and I headed off to Bugis Steamboat street (as I call it) and enjoyed some great steamboat to celebrate our great work today. :)

SCE Y1 Semester 1 AY2013/2014

Secret War Journal[8 January 2014]

Semester 1 has officially ended with the passing of 2014. I would say I did pretty well for SCE modules but I could had gotten better if not for the carelessness during Finals. Dang.

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CZ0001 Engineers & Society

Lectures attended: 100%,
Tutorials attended: No tutorials. Tutorials are conducted during lecture
Textbook(s): N/A

Assessment: Finals, closed book (100%), suspected hidden class participation
Comment(s):
There is only one lecturer throughout the course. There are no tutorials though he will conduct a large scale tutorial during lectures weekly.
The lecturer himself is not bad. Sadly, the content was too dry. Many students found the content very boring and started to skip lectures. I do not blame them. This module is one of the modules that do not require much attention until the nearing the end of the semester. The reason being is that it is a very heavy content module with relative little thinking required. That said, it is an essay so you still need do some common sense. Otherwise, memorising the content a few days prior to the finals and you should be good to go.

CZ1002 Introduction to Computing System

Lectures attended: 100%,
Tutorials attended: 90%. I skipped the last tutorial. :O (Dr Graham Leedham)
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken.
Textbook(s): Computers Are Your Complete Future, 12/E, Catherine Laberta

Assessment: Clicker Quizzes x 4 (10%), Lab (30%), Finals, closed book (60%)
Comment(s):
With his signature eye-patch, it is hard to miss my tutor. He is quite an easy-going professor. I would say among the list of tutors available, he is not bad. You would learn more interesting things with him during tutorials. Those who are only interested in grades would be slightly disappointed but he will also cover the essential content so no loss there. It helped that he is one of lecturers and setters of the finals so feel assured that whatever he teaches are relevant. :)

Textbooks are not essential for this module. I did not buy the textbook for this module and I did not feel that I lost out in any way.

Clicker quizzes are relatively simple. It is a way of giving you free marks. Thus, be sure to be there for the clicker quizzes. They are held during lectures, you will be informed. Until they find a better way to prevent cheating, many students are just getting full marks for it.

Labs, please attend all of them. Each lab is graded. The tasks varies and may be not what you had learnt during the lectures. For example, during my semester, I was suddenly tasked to do assembly coding. Do not worry, it is just simple assembly coding so you should not have much trouble and it is not tested in the finals. Other tasks include simple research work on existing technology or hardware.

For Finals, I cannot guarantee that the lecture notes format would stay the same but I noticed that the color coding matters. Certain words colored in a certain color all turned out to be answers for the finals. Hope this helps. :)

CZ1003 Introduction to Computational Thinking

Lectures attended: 100%
Tutorials attended: 100%. (A Chinese Tutor)
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken.
Textbook(s): Learning Python

Assessment: Assignment x 2, Lab Quizzes, Finals, closed book
Comment(s):
Python knowledge beforehand would be extremely useful. This is especially so when it comes to assignments. Assignments ranges from simple to badly set. My second assignment requirement was very unclear. As a result, I have no idea how well I did for it.

Tutorials are pretty straight forward. Nothing much happens there except for discussion of different method in fulfilling the requirements of the tutorial questions. Pretty useful to gaining more insight on the different techniques you can apply from you had learnt in lectures.

Finals are similar to the quizzes in format, more questions asking on the expected output, possible compiling errors, etc. It is recommended to look through past years papers for insight.

CZ1004 Great Ideas in Computing

Lectures attended: 100%
Tutorials attended: 100% (Dr. Kevin Anthony Jones)
Labs attended: 100%, attendance are taken. Only 3 lab sessions
Textbook(s): N/A

Assessment: Team Project (50%), Quiz (30%), Peer Assessment (10%), Self Assessment (10%)
Comment(s):
I generally enjoyed the module. If you had read the module description, this is indeed a module that is taught very differently from how other SCE modules are taught. The content taught in this module are quite broad. Thus, studying the content could prove to be more taunting. My advice would be to understand the concepts more than memorising them. Having an interest in computing would quickly put ahead of other people. Here, passion and interest is trump.

My tutor was also one of the lecturers for this module. Attending his lessons, you would quickly realise that he is really passionate in this field too, hence the emphasis on interest and new technologies.

The bulk of the marks come from the team project, the quiz plays only a small part to it. Consistent effort into researching and development of the project would help to reduce your workload later on when other assignments from other modules kick in in full force. I would suggest being creative and aim to have your presentation generate interest as this module is suppose to allow students to have fun while learning.

Regarding the quiz, I must admit, given the breadth of this module, it can prove to be difficult to study. I myself faced some difficulty while revising for this. As long as you paid attention during the lectures, you should turn out fine. :)

MH1812 Discrete Mathematics

Lectures attended: 100%
Tutorials attended: 100% (Asoc Prof Frederique Elise Oggier)
Example Classes attended: 100%, similar to tutorials
Textbook(s): N/A
Assessment: Tests x 2 (50%), Finals (50%)
Comment(s):
Think Junior College/Secondary mathematics, just more difficult and faster pace. Junior College students will have an advantage here because much of the content taught here are similar to what was taught in junior college. Poly students would need to work extra hard for this module.

A graphic calculator is highly encouraged. It will help double-check your answers for matrix questions and complex number questions too. We would touching on matrix quite often in computing so the investment would be worthwhile.

For the tests, it might be changed but during my semester, as long as you revise for the tutorials and consistently do them, you should be fine.

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Well, that would be all.

For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

NBS Y1 Semester 1 AY2013/2014

Secret War Journal[7 January 2015]
Semester 1 has officially ended with the passing of 2014. During the first semester in NBS, I took 2 business modules.

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AB1301 Business Law

Lectures attended: No Lectures. It is 100% seminars.
Seminars attended: 100% (Chew Yuen Ming, Melvyn)
Textbook(s): Singapore Business Law 6th Edition, Benny S Tabalujan & Valerie Du Toit-Low
[ISBN: 978-981-07-1709-4]

Assessment: Assignment x 1 (20%), Class Participation (20%), Finals, open book (60%)
Comment(s):
Seminars with Melvyn Chew would be interesting but I would say that his teaching style is not for everyone. You would need to prepare extensively before the seminars. Going in unprepared is not devastating but definitely would cause you to be very lost in the seminar as the basics would be briefly touched as to allow the more critical thinking questions to be addressed.
For Melvyn Chew's seminar, attendance is marked so I would not recommend skipping seminars.

In General, remembering the case laws are important. One mistake I made was not making summary sheets earlier. I think making one right after seminars for consolidation seems good. While the finals is open-book, the lack of time to refer and the amount of MCQs would be the end for you if you are too reliant on the textbook. Textbook is a must for this course, it is very hard to survive without them, the notes provided by seniors are not exactly accurate. My advice for finals would be to write out templates which you can quickly copy and paste snippets without referring to your textbook. That would help you out during the essay questions.

AD1101 Financial Accounting

Lectures attended: 100%
Tutorials attended: 100% (Adj Assoc Prof Anil Shukla)
Textbook(s): Financial Accounting: Global Edition: International Financial Reporting Standards, 9th Edition - Walter T Harrison, Charles Horngren, Bill Thomas, Themin Suwardy
[ISBN: 978-0-273-77780-9]

Assessment: Team Presentation (10%), Team Project (20%), Mid-term (10%), Class Participation (10%), Finals, closed book (50%)
Comment(s):
Adj Assoc Prof Anil Shukla's style of teaching is useful for consolidation and revision. Before attempting on the tutorial questions proper, he would summarise and highlight the key points of the topic discussed. I used the time to make summary sheets for consolidation of key concepts which I found useful.

Textbook is not essential. Most questions are taken from the textbook though you can obtain them from your peers. The textbook is, however, useful for clarity of concepts as I found the lecture notes somewhat lacking.

While we are on the topic of lecture notes, do note that the lecture notes have blanks. If you are planning to skip the lectures, either get the missing content from online lectures or from your peers. Otherwise, the blanks virtually makes the lecture notes useless, if not misleading.

One important thing to note for this course is that Team Presentation and Team Project component are separate. That means you basically have two team assignments for this module. It has a relatively heavy weightage so I would suggest dedicating effort into it.

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Well, that would be all.

For a full list of the modules I took, see link here. :)

Entrepreneurship Analysis

Secret War Journal[8 September 2014]

My Scores

Student's Name: LIM LEROY
Date of Survey: 08 September, 2014

Your ENTREPRENEURIAL Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for NTU students	Where you stand among NTU students	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Motivation	3.00	3.02	High
Intent	4.00	2.71	Very High
Efficacy	2.57	2.99	Moderate

Your PROFESSIONAL Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for NTU students	Where you stand among NTU students	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Motivation	3.83	3.84	High
Intent	4.75	3.76	Very High
Efficacy	3.40	3.43	Moderate

Your LEADERSHIP Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for NTU students	Where you stand among NTU students	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Motivation	3.83	3.57	High
Intent	5.00	3.70	Very High
Efficacy	3.14	3.30	Moderate

Your ENTREPRENEURIAL Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for Undergraduate students	Average score for Business students	Average score for Male students
Motivation	3.00	3.01	3.03	3.08
Intent	4.00	2.68	2.66	2.78
Efficacy	2.57	2.96	3.19	3.08

Your PROFESSIONAL Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for Undergraduate students	Average score for Business students	Average score for Male students
Motivation	3.83	3.81	3.91	3.85
Intent	4.75	3.73	3.77	3.77
Efficacy	3.40	3.34	3.36	3.52

Your LEADERSHIP Career Aspiration 

	Your average score	Average score for Undergraduate students	Average score for Business students	Average score for Male students
Motivation	3.83	3.60	3.66	3.58
Intent	5.00	3.71	3.91	3.74
Efficacy	3.14	3.27	3.39	3.37

* N of Undergraduate students = 11,501; N of Business students = 2,153; N of Male students = 7,404

Career development opportunities in NTU

In this section, we hope to bring to your awareness some of the opportunities available in NTU for you to further develop your knowledge and skills on entrepreneurship, professional and leadership careers. This list is by no means exhaustive and we encourage you to find out more beyond this page.

General career development:

• Career-related course(s) in NTU: HP8002 Working in the 21st Century by School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• NTU Career & Attachment Office (CAO) – The CAO provides a comprehensive range of career such as services attachment or internship opportunities and to prepare you for the workplace.

Entrepreneurship:

NTU Ventures
http://www.ntuventures.com

• Makan Night – an informal networking session organised by NTU Ventures that gathers start-up founders and professionals. It is held on the last Friday of every month at NTU Ventures @ Innovation Centre. Look out for the monthly emailer for more details.
• Ad-hoc events and workshops – Look out for the emailer or check their website (see above url)
• Besides events and workshops, NTU Ventures also provides incubation and mentoring support should you wish to start your business soon.

Nanyang Technopreneurship Center (NTC)
http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/ntc/

• Minor in Entrepreneurship program by NTC, consisting of 16 Academic Units (AUs)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation Weekan annual week-long celebration (usually in August) with entrepreneurship-themed events
• Startup Design Week – a multi-day bootcamp on how to start a business. Look out for the emailer or contact NTC for more information.
• ideas.inc business challenge - an annual business competition organised by NTC where you can validate your business ideas with experienced entrepreneurs and stand a chance to win some prize money and start-up funding. Do visit its website for more info,http://www.ideasinc.sg/

Student Clubs

• Enactus NTU (formerly NTU-SIFE) focuses on applying business and enterprise concepts to develop social and community outreach projects. http://www.enactus-ntu.com/
• NTU Entrepreneurship Society (NTUES) organises entrepreneurship events and seminar talks.https://www.facebook.com/entresoc.ntu

Specialised professions:

• Formal academic training and job exposure are also essential in your professional growth. You may wish to contact your school’s administration or the CAO for advice on NTU’s academic courses, seminar talks, events, and industrial/professional attachments.
• There are many professional communities where you can meet fellow students with common interests. More information can be found in your school’s website or you can refer to the clubs & communities page:http://www.ntu.edu.sg/CampusLife/Clubs/Pages/default.aspx
• The Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) of NTU provides continuing education programmes and services for NTU alumni and others who are keen to advance their knowledge and learn practical skills. For more info about the professional development courses provided by CCE, please visit: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/cce/Prof_Dev_Course/default.htm

Leadership:

• Leadership opportunities are plentiful in the campus for you to experience what it is like to manage as a leader. You can be part of the Students’ Union executive committee or the Union Council, or assume a leadership role in the committees of Halls of Residence, clubs & societies or sports teams. Do visit the following pages to learn more about these student organisations.
  http://www.ntu.edu.sg/CampusLife/Clubs/Pages/default.aspx
  http://su.ntu.edu.sg/?cat=16
• There are a few leadership & management courses that you can take as electives, such as Leadership in the 21st Century (course code: BU8642) and Fundamentals/Principles of Management (course code: BU8601/BE2601). You may search for leadership & management courses at https://wish.wis.ntu.edu.sg/webexe/owa/aus_subj_cont2.main
• Some schools also administer their own leadership progammes, such as the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering’s Leadership Development Programme. You may refer to your school’s website for the availability of such initiatives.

About the EPL framework

The EPL framework: A holistic assessment of career aspirations

In today’s ever-changing globalised economy with growing opportunities and challenges, it is uncommon that people adhere to a single career track. Increasingly, people make mid-career switches to other professions or specialisations. While furthering their careers, many are tasked to do something they have never done before, such as leading a huge organisation or developing a brand new product. There is a need for people to acquire a diverse set of skills and knowledge in preparation for a dynamic, multi-dimensional career. In view of these trends, the NTU Career Aspiration Study (CAS) seeks to develop a comprehensive and holistic framework of career aspirations, assessing people’s career inclinations in a three-dimensional space: Entrepreneurship (E), Professional (P) and Leadership (L).

Using this multi-dimensional framework, the NTU CAS enables a better understanding of how these three career forms, E, P & L, relate to one another (Chan et al., 2012). CAS examines not just the intended career path of individuals, but also their motivations and self-efficacies associated with each career form. In doing so, CAS provides a comprehensive understanding of a person’s career aspiration.

This report is intended to help you understand your aspirations towards entrepreneurship, professional and leadership careers. The results reported based on your survey summarise your inclinations towards each of the three highlighted career forms. It is important to note that any inferences drawn from the report must be further validated against other sources of information not provided by the survey. All information in the report is confidential and should be treated responsibly.

Intent, motivation and efficacy

The report takes into consideration three aspects in examining the career aspirations of the individual; namely, the intent, motivation and self-efficacy towards each of the three EPL career aspirations.

Motivation refers to a person’s level of interest or enthusiasm towards a particular career form. CAS also assesses a person’s self-efficacy, i.e., his or her perceived capabilities to succeed. The EPL framework hypothesises that career motivation and self-efficacy are determinants of a person’s career intent, which measures his or her readiness or conviction towards each of the EPL career forms.

As you read through the report, it is important to keep these definitions in mind. For example, it is important to remember that these measures are not the same as actual abilities, and do not necessarily or directly translate into performance.

Norm group: NTU CAS Survey

NTU CAS survey comprises 14,129 complete responses from NTU undergraduate and postgraduate students (male: 53%; female: 47%). The mean age of the respondents was 22.73 (age range: 16 to 57).

Reference: Chan, K.Y., Ho, M.H.R., Chernyshenko, O.S., Bedford, O., Uy, M.A., Gomulya, D., Sam, Y.L., Phan, W.M.J. (2012). Entrepreneurship, professionalism, leadership: A framework and measure for understanding boundaryless careers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81, 73–88.