Alan Swee Kit Soong | National University of Singapore (original) (raw)

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Papers by Alan Swee Kit Soong

This study evaluates the effectiveness of using streaming video and synchronous discussion forums... more This study evaluates the effectiveness of using streaming video and synchronous discussion forums to provide feedback to a presenter in an oral skills tutorial. A pilot online tutorial was trialled with a group of 13 students enrolled for English Proficiency at the Nanyang Technological University. A survey was administered to collect information on the participants’ perception of their learning. Discourse threads created on the discussion forum were also analysed to evaluate the effectiveness of the online activity. Students felt the forum supported their learning and enhanced their understanding. The findings also showed a high level of student involvement in the oral activity. The quality of knowledge in the form of the feedback constructed by students was a significant finding in this study. The feedback jointly constructed by students was found to be accurate and insightful without requiring much involvement from the moderator or tutor. Synchronous discussion forums and streami...

Abstract This study evaluates the impact of Lunch and Learn Sessions on faculty members' use... more Abstract This study evaluates the impact of Lunch and Learn Sessions on faculty members' use of Discussion Board in Blackboard. A survey was designed and administered to 87 faculty members who attended the training sessions. Interviews were also used to clarify the findings of the questionnaire. Majority of the respondents teach in engineering schools. The findings suggest that the Lunch and Learn approach has worked and it helped to increase the number of faculty members in using Discussion Board. More importantly, the levels of ...

This proposal describes the features of a curriculum model that can be used to develop paragraph ... more This proposal describes the features of a curriculum model that can be used to develop paragraph writing skills for university students who fail their Qualifying English Entrance Test (QET). The model called the Spring-Cycle Blended Curriculum (SCBC) Model combines the strengths of two learning pedagogies namely blended learning and scaffolding for the design of a new curriculum. The initial simplified version of the curriculum was piloted for the module HW001, English Proficiency at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in January 2007. It was found that the model was effective in achieving the target learning outcomes for students within shorter contact hours with the tutor. The model is currently being implemented and evaluated on a full-scale for HW001. Survey findings from the earlier pilot showed that students both enjoyed and benefitted from the new model. The study by Thanasingam and Soong (2007) on the online oral skills activity used in the model also supports this. O...

Internationalisation has been associated with the cultivation of global competencies. However, th... more Internationalisation has been associated with the cultivation of global competencies. However, there have also been contentions about inclusivity, accessibility and mobility, and that it may privilege some. This reflective piece attempts to respond to these tensions through a description of, and reflection on, the effectiveness of two Internationalisation at Home (IaH) initiatives. It focuses on informal curricula in living-learning contexts where literature and concrete examples are scanty. Drawing on the learning points, it shares thoughts about the need for critical mass, whole university experience, and intentionality. Keywords: Global citizenry, Internationalization at Home (IaH), Internationalisation, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning How to cite this article: Lee, K.C., Soong, S.K.A. & Putra, A.S. 2021. Internationalization at Home (IaH) in Living-learning contexts. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. 5(1): 129-138. DOI: 10.36615/sotls.v5i1.164. This work is...

This study evaluates the impact of the Spring Cycle Blended Curriculum (SCBC) model on students l... more This study evaluates the impact of the Spring Cycle Blended Curriculum (SCBC) model on students learning in an English Proficiency course for undergraduates. The model took a blended learning approach, intending to combine the best of face-to-face interactions and the affordance provided by the Internet. The model was used over one and a half academic years to teach English Proficiency at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Pre- and post-course surveys, student focus group discussions, discourse analysis and samples of student writing were used to evaluate the impact on student’s learning which in this study was their ability to write better paragraphs. The survey and focus group data on student’s perceptions showed that the model helped them to gain knowledge and regulate their learning to achieve the target writing outcomes. The workshop mode of instruction enabled students to learn from systematic input and discussion with peers and tutors. The consultation mode of i...

Nurse Education Today

BACKGROUND Effective communication is important for nurse and patient outcomes. Nursing students ... more BACKGROUND Effective communication is important for nurse and patient outcomes. Nursing students often feel unprepared to communicate effectively with patients and other healthcare workers within the clinical environment. Blended learning pedagogy-based communication skills training can provide an alternative to traditional methods of teaching to enhance students' satisfaction and self-efficacy levels in communicating with others. OBJECTIVES To examine the effectiveness of blended learning pedagogy in a redesigned communication module among nursing undergraduates in enhancing their satisfaction levels and attitudes towards learning communication module as well as self-efficacy in communication. DESIGN A single group pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS Data were collected from August 2016 to November 2016 from 124 nursing undergraduates from a leading nursing school. METHODS Blended learning pedagogy was adopted to redesign a communication module that offered a wide array of learning opportunities via face-to-face classroom and online sessions. Validated and reliable instruments were used to measure satisfaction levels with blended learning pedagogy, attitudes towards learning communication, and communication self-efficacy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Participants had enhanced satisfaction levels with blended learning pedagogy, better attitudes in learning communication skills, and improved communication self-efficacies at posttest (week 13 of the semester) when compared with their pre-test scores (week one of the semester). Participants scored higher in the Blended Learning Satisfaction Scale, the Communication Skills Attitude Scale, and the communication skills subscale of the Nursing Students Self-Efficacy Scale. CONCLUSIONS Blended learning pedagogy can be effectively used in facilitating communication modules and enhancing student outcomes among nursing undergraduates. The long-term effectiveness of using blended learning pedagogy in facilitating communication modules should be evaluated from students' and patients' perspectives. Additionally, the technology should be constantly improved by incorporating more interactive functions and should be tested to accommodate the learners' needs.

A bring-your-own-laptop high-stakes open-book final examination for a General Biology course with... more A bring-your-own-laptop high-stakes open-book final examination for a General Biology course with an enrolment of 672 students was held in November 2013 at the National University of Singapore. Pre- and post-exam online surveys were conducted to solicit the perceptions of the students with regards to the introduction of a bring-your-own-device open-book electronic final examination. Focus group discussions were also held to deliberate on the perceptions in greater
detail. Both the surveys and discussions revealed several key areas of satisfaction and also areas for improvement, which will be explicated in this paper. The implementation and limitations of the exam will also be discussed.

A growing body of evidence suggests that one area in which new approaches have been a significant... more A growing body of evidence suggests that one area in which new approaches have been a significant improvement over traditional teaching methods in tertiary education is where there has previously been a detachment between what is taught in the classroom and the real life scenarios where that content is used. For this reason, the creation of authentic learning environments in tertiary education has been advocated over the last decade. The literature now provides the necessary theoretical framework and boundaries of what can be defined as an authentic learning environment.

Here, we present the design of several teaching practices aimed at creating an authentic learning environment in a large undergraduate engineering class. In particular, we leverage on various technological tools to overcome the inherent difficulties of providing an authentic learning environment in the presence of a large group of students.

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, first discovered by Mishra and... more The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, first discovered by Mishra and Koehler in 2006, has gained much interest among teacher educators as it recognises that pedagogical uses of technology are greatly influenced by
the content domains in which they are situated in. Recent studies on the TPACK framework have been focused mainly on analysing the TPACK constructs and measuring as well as assessing TPACK of teachers. However, how TPACK can be utilized by teachers to guide them to integrate technology into their teaching has yet been well developed. This paper describes a proposed TPACK-based design guide for teachers to use when they consider integrating technology into their lessons. A case vignette that further articulates the design guide is included.

Nurse Education Today