GPA (aka Grade Point Average) - while not an unfamiliar term, it is definitely a new concept to those who are entering Polytechnic. Slightly different from the grading system in Primary school and Secondary school, GPA works in a credit unit system where the max score is 4.0.
Credit units for each module are assigned depending on the number of hours allocated to the respective module. Students are graded based on the performance of both the continuous assessment and examinable modules. For continuous assessment modules, students are assessed based on their daily work, projects and tests. Whereas for examinable modules, students are assessed based on their coursework and examination.
During the Poly Preparation Programme, we sat down with Mr Albert Sng, Nanyang Polytechnic lecturer, to learn more about the Polytechnic system. During the session, Mr Albert shared what were some problems he observed students faced while transiting from Secondary school to Polytechnic and some advice he had.
#1: Project Work - Working in groups
In Poly, project work is often part of the assessment criteria which plays a big part in one’s GPA. This means that in order to score well for a module, it is important to work well within the team and perform for the project. However, while some lecturers allow students to choose their own group, there are times where the lecturer picks the group themselves. The reason behind doing this is so that students will be prepared for the working world where they do not have a choice in who they work with.
Not having a choice in group members may mean the possibility of having free-loaders within the group. If ever met with a situation like this, it is important to highlight it to your lecturer when the group project is still ongoing. This is because if you were to only inform them at the end, there is limited help they can provide your group as compared to if you chose to inform them when the problem first arises.
#2: Overwhelmed by Independence - Poor Time Management & Lack of self-discipline
When students first enter Poly, they may be overwhelmed by the lack of guidance provided by lecturers. An example would be the submission of assignments. In Secondary school, your teacher would chase you for the assignments if you were to not hand it up. However, in Poly, your lecturers would not chase you for your assignments. If you choose to hand it up past the submission date, they would just deduct marks and mark it as late submission and if you fail to hand it up, it would be an immediate zero for that particular assignment.
In Poly, you are left on your own and you have to learn to be independent. If you lack self-discipline and time management, you would then lag behind in your work and your grades would be affected as a result. Therefore, it is important to learn to manage your time well and set aside enough time to complete your work on time.
#3: Big Classroom Teaching & Quicker pace of teaching
In Poly, classes can either be conducted as tutorials or lectures. Tutorials are conducted similarly to lessons in Secondary school where the lecturer conducts lessons in a classroom with a smaller group of people. However, lectures are conducted in lecture halls within the whole semester (or sometimes the whole cohort depending on your cohort size and how your course is split). This means that the lecturer is unable to pay attention to everyone and ensure that everyone is following along.
This also means that the lecturer is unable to slow down the pace of teaching just because some people might not be able to follow along. In Secondary school, the subject teachers would slow down their pace of teaching if they see that some students are not following along. However, in Poly, the lecturers usually go at a quicker pace of teaching mostly because there is limited time for them to cover an abundance of information every week.
Therefore, it is important to take initiative in your own learning. If you realise that you’re not following along, don’t be afraid to approach your lecturers for help because it is unlikely they would realise that you’re unable to follow along with the large number of students they have.
While 3 years may seem like a long time, it will be over before you know it. So while enjoying your Poly life, it is also important to learn to manage your time well and exercise self-discipline so that you will perform in school and not leave regrets when you graduate.
This article is part of a back-to-school series. Check out the next article about making friends in Poly!
