Delivering lectures and tutorials online

I am currently in my 9th semester. I find it interesting to see the various techniques, my tutors choose to deliver their material online. MCO seemed to have sparked a lot of creativity among educators in how to maintain students’ interest in online study.

While some tutorials remain traditional with PowerPoint, some have taken the leap into using other alternatives like Wix and other online applications. In a way, I could also learn these different modes of presentation/ material/ software for my own presentation. There are tutors who love to use Youtube videos as adjuncts to their teaching. Or direct us to links online where we could find additional reading materials.

This semester, one of my tutors had a pre-recorded video of her giving her talk. She was present as well, of course, to answer students’ enquiries as we listen through the video. I mean her slot was 2 hours so it’s not a wonder that it was a good strategy. That is something to learn as well. Putting myself on video, synchronizing beside the slides.

Practicing handwriting

Help.. it looks so ugly 😭

Trying to make sense of the Chinese language

Random thoughts on the language.

Pinyin is meant for you to know how to pronounce the word.

To write a Chinese character, you use various strokes. These strokes have names and ways how to write them. It is a very fine form of art.

The Chinese language has 4 different tones. A word may have the same pinyin spelling BUT will bring different meanings depending on the tone used.

If I understand this correctly, to be at a certain level of mastery of the language, you need to know a certain number of words. This means you need to memorize thousands and thousands of words. I think I am beginning to see why young children have loads of homework pertaining to the writing exercise.

The current OUMH1403 course is aimed at students to know basic communication – to listen and speak. Knowing how to write and read Chinese characters is a more advanced lesson but students are welcome to delve into the language and steer through the course in any way they wish. Maybe this is the pathway I am looking for as a motivation to sit for the HSK exams.

OUMH1403 – The registration

It was a choice between learning Chinese and Japanese by substituting one of my subjects. I swapped SBFS1103 : thinking skills and problem solving with OUMH1403. I figured it would be more interesting to learn a new language. It was a bit confusing for me at first to sign up for this subject. I had thought that when we dropped a subject, we would be automatically enrolled in it. Or it would be offered as one sometime during the semester.

This is why I waited and waited for the subject to appear as an offer. But it never happened.

Time is running out though. I used the UKR06 form to add the Chinese language as a subject. It worked this time. I will be learning Chinese for semester 8!

Calming the nerves – starting Semester 8

Studying is overwhelming when you see it as a whole. Even the module name ‘industrial placement’ can put you in shivers as you look at the amount of information presented to you. I remembered when I started in 2020 as a 1st year student – it was a daunting feeling as I saw that I have to do a final year project to complete my degree. I was honestly hyperventilating at the thought of having to go to school while working during the pandemic.

The trick to calm my nerves at the time was

• reassure me that I am not competing with anyone and that this learning journey was intended to add value to my job
• take it one semester at a time
• enjoy the process

Although I was able to take 4 subjects in a semester, I chose to stick to only 3 at a time because I do not want to stress myself.

This semester however I am taking 3 subjects with 12 credit points on board. This is because Industrial Placement will carry 6 credits whereas Clinical Psychology and Chinese language with 3 credits each. Online classes will start next week. I have already received my starter pack for my Industrial Placement module and yes, it’s overwhelming but I will take it one step at a time.