Dr Seow, please introduce yourself and your work in NUS.

I am a Lecturer, on teaching track, at the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. Currently, the modules I teach are LSM1301 General Biology, LSM1401 Fundamentals of Biochemistry, and LSM2202 Experimental Molecular and Cell Biology. As you are probably aware, all of the modules utilize IVLE heavily.

How do you characterize your teaching style?

I am not too sure how to characterize my teaching style. Basically, my main aim is to try to make sure that my students understand the subject matter and develop an interest in it so that they would want to find out more on their own. Besides that I would also like to see my students develop useful life skills (e.g. critical thinking and effective communications) and societal values (e.g. responsibility and integrity).

What role does technology play in education?

Technology should be used as a tool in education. There are so many possibilities that could be achieved using today's technology, and I am sure even more with tomorrow's technology, which were not available when I was a student.

Moving on, when and how did you get to know about IVLE?

When I started teaching as a Teaching Fellow in 2002, I was informed of the existence of IVLE.

What do you like about IVLE?

With IVLE, I don't need to go through the hassle of designing and setting-up a website to host the educational materials like lecture handouts, assignment worksheets, practical protocols, animations, etc. Furthermore, it also saves me the trouble of having to put up a box for completed assignments as I can use the Workbins to allow the students to submit their completed assignments online. The ability to set a deadline is very convenient too as it is very clear and objective. No problems with students coming a few minutes late and then begging to be given a chance. Having the students submit their assignments online is also great for the environment as I feel that we are cutting down too many trees already.

We understand that you use the Project and Multimedia tools. Tell us more about how you use them.

The Multimedia tool is used to put up the animations that I screen during lectures. This gives the students a chance to review the animations. The fact that they have to view it from the website also helps me to overcome copyright problems as the students don't have to download the original files to view the animations.

As for the Project tool, I am afraid to say that I do not use it to mount projects at all. Instead I use it too set up groupings for the class as the Class Management tool will restrict one group to one student only. This is because I have different groupings for tutorial and practical classes.

How else do you incorporate IVLE into your teaching?

I use the IVLE Forum to allow the students to post their queries. This is my preferred method as the classes I teach usually have very large enrolments, and if the students send their questions to me directly, I often end up answering the same questions posed by different students. The Announcement tool (with SMS option) is used to make urgent announcements and send reminders of deadlines to students. I try my best to keep the messages within 160 characters to enable me to have the announcements delivered to their mobile phones as well. I also use the Chat Room during the Revision Week and a few days before the exam to attend to queries from the students on a real time basis.

What is your students' response to your IVLE usage?

Although there are many positive comments, there are also negative ones. The students generally liked the fact that the animations, references, announcements, and reminders are posted on IVLE. While many also liked the idea of electronic submission of assignments and posting of questions on the Forum, some were not too happy with the practices. The ones who were not too technically-savvy felt that online submission were too stressful, while others preferred me to answer their questions personally via e-mails. One of my students complimented my IVLE usage in a survey. The student said:

There should be a course teaching some of the lecturers to use IVLE as I feel that a lot of lecturers have not optimised IVLE's usage. Some only use it to deposit their notes but not as a means of communication. If only the lecturers can use it like Dr. Seow TK as he makes full use of IVLE for my LSM 1401 module. Highly commendable!

Are there any other educational technology tools that you use? If there are, what are they?

I use wires, a bingo-like games, stories, anecdotes, Internet websites, and whatever I can find that would help me to clarify and illustrate the concepts and principles that I teach.

Thank you, Dr Seow, for your time and candid responses!

Mr Aaron Tan Tuck Choy, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, School of Computing graces the Faculty Voice section in this issue. The winner of the Students' Choice Award 04/05 and 05/06 reveals the secrets of effective and interesting module websites.

Congratulations on winning the Students' Choice Award once again! Please introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a lecturer at School of Computing, currently also holding the appointment of Assistant Dean in charge of Special Programmes. I teach programming and computer organisation, and I am also an advisor of the NUS Students' Computing Club.

Your module website for CS1101X Programming Methodology is consistently very popular with students. Why do you think this is so?

This question may be best left for the students to answer.

My own guess is that perhaps it scores on two fronts: attracting students on their first visit and making them return subsequently.

I created my personal website in year 1993 or 1994, way before websites became common and IVLE came into existence in 1998. Since then, I have picked up tips from various sources such as "Web Pages That Suck" on the do's and don'ts of web design. My design has thus evolved from one that was loud and flashy with many animated gif files, to being simple and plain but fast and functional.

What are the elements of a successful module website?

Besides a neat design, I feel that as a course website, it must serve its primary objectives, that are to provide instructive, relevant and interesting contents for the students. To engage students further, the website should be frequently updated with the introduction of new and timely materials.

My course website consists of a few sections:
a. Module information comprising module description, staff, schedules and policies;
b. Online resources such as links to other websites, and information on books and lectures;
c. Continual assessments including tutorials, laboratory exercises and term tests; and
d. Miscellaneous articles and information. In particular, since I am teaching modules that are taken mostly by freshmen, I have a page that provides useful information and guides for first-year students.

How does your module website complement your teaching?

Many students, especially freshmen, have to cope with a mountain of information. The module website provides a convenient place for the lecturers to put up essential information such as announcements, schedules, policies and rules, and other repositories so that students can refer to them as and when the need arises. A one-stop centre also reduces confusion and disputes. These help free up the lecturers' time so that the lecturers can focus more on the delivery of the course.

It goes without saying that the website extends the classroom into a virtual one, where students can explore more on their own outside class at their own pace.

What are the challenges you face in creating e-learning content for students?

I think the biggest challenge is time. To maintain and update a module website, it takes a lot of effort to keep things in place.

How do you source for content?

My main source comes from the Internet. I also create some of the content myself, such as articles and quizzes.

How do you use the module website in conjunction with IVLE?

I use the assessment and forum facilities in IVLE. I used to set up quizzes on my own module websites, but have transferred them over to the IVLE as the latter supports better functionality.

The IVLE forums encourage participation outside class. I open the access to all NUS staff and students so that other colleagues and senior students may join in the discussion. It is a good platform to gauge how much the students have understood the course materials, and what problems they are facing. I am also able to check whether students have done the reading assignments or exploratory questions that I have told them to do.

All in all, websites and IVLE are merely tools. What is still important is understanding the needs of the students and providing challenging and interesting experiences for them.

Thank you, Mr Tan, for your time and insights.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work in NUS.

I am an attorney trained in the United States, and am currently an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and Deputy Director of the Faculty's Legal Writing Programme. I started practicing law in the US as a litigation attorney, and did civil defense with the California Attorney General's Office. Our family lived in Okinawa, Japan for five years, where - in addition to acting as a staff attorney for a branch of the US government - I first taught law. The teaching was exciting because I got a chance to share what I had learned as an attorney with students. After moving to Singapore, I initially engaged in private practice but then joined the Law Faculty's Legal Writing Programme in its inaugural year, AY 2002-03. I am now Deputy Director in charge of the first year course, LC1006 Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research. I also teach a graduate course for civil law students in common law torts and contracts.

What does the module Legal Analysis, Writing and Research entail?

Legal Analysis, Writing and Research (LAWR) focuses on how to engage in legal reasoning, how to write and organize legal analysis, and how to conduct legal research. In the first semester, LAWR teaches the skills involved in writing objective legal analysis and research into common law or "case" law. In the second semester, LAWR teaches statutory interpretation and research as well as persuasive legal analysis directed at opposing counsel and courts. Students end the year by engaging in a moot court where they stand and deliver an argument to a mock appellate court and answer questions about the argument from instructors, who act as judges.

LAWR is a skills course and so the teaching methodology is experiential. We don't do much lecture. Students practice the skill they are learning in class exercises and assignments. The course also uses what we call a spiral method of learning, which refers to the repetition of skills in different contexts with ever increasing levels of difficulty. This method ensures that students understand fundamental course concepts and can apply them to new situations.

When and how did you get to know about IVLE?

Eleanor Wong, the Director of the Legal Writing Programme, is an extremely proficient and enthusiastic user of technology in the classroom. She arranged for an introductory lecture by CIT's IVLE staff for all Legal Writing Instructors when the programme was first started. Since the programme was in its beginning stages, we were looking for ways to integrate technology with it, and IVLE was one of those ways.

What features do you use most?

We use IVLE in a number of ways, but a main use is student submission of assignments via the Workbin. Previously we had students submit their assignments via our Law Faculty Student Counter, but the Workbin feature has allowed us to set a deadline outside of office hours. This, in turn, allows us to strike a better balance between the compulsory course work requirements in the first year. For example, we can set a Saturday deadline for our written assignments, which frees up Sunday for students to do other things, including studying for other courses. We can also set a deadline in the evening, which inhibits the submission of poor quality work done in the wee hours of the morning.

We also use the Assessment tool as a database for hundreds of questions on legal research. We use the database to generate tests that require students to apply their knowledge of library research skills.

Assistant Professor Lim Lei Theng, Deputy Director in charge of the second year Legal Writing Programme and also an impressive IT user, fashioned a Survey on student workload when the Law Faculty looked into the issue during the last academic year, and administered it to a portion of the student body [via IVLE]. The results were quite informative and were used by the Faculty Curriculum Committee as the basis for recommendations.

In my graduate class, I post class teaching notes for students who want to view a copy. Students give detailed presentations in this class, and they upload their presentation materials on IVLE, which other students then use as a study guide.

Has IVLE changed your teaching style? If yes, how so?

Our teaching style has always been experiential, so IVLE hasn't changed our style, but it has allowed to be interactive in the way we desire. Every one of our Legal Writing Instructors has their own IVLE website. Documents such as syllabi are posted on IVLE, as well as instructions for exercises, and students upload documents created in our exercises to IVLE as well. We also maintain "instructor only" websites where instructors can access documents supporting class exercises, research projects, etc.

How do your students take to IVLE?

Students easily master the steps required to access IVLE.

Besides IVLE, what how else do you use technology in teaching and learning?

We utilize video a fair amount in LAWR classes to help students improve presentation skills. We start working on introductory concepts of professional demeanor in Semester 1, where we tape students doing either a client interview or a research presentation. Then we use these tapes as a basis for improvement in Semester 2, when the students do a moot court argument. We also use student tapes for as a basis for staff instruction and development.

What is the scope for using technology in teaching Law modules?

The scope is quite broad. In previous years we have used Conversant Media, a programme that allowed instructors and students to insert feedback comments on videotapes of student presentation and argument, and we're very interested in other applications as well. The Singapore courts are encouraging attorneys to use technology in innovative ways to present arguments and make court proceedings more efficient, so instructors are using technology and encouraging students to do the same.

Dr Lim Kwang Hui is an Assistant Professor in the Business Policy Department of the NUS Business School. Dr Lim is a receipient of the Annual Teaching Excellence Awards 2003/2004. He uses IVLE, the Plagiarism Detection Service and other technologies to enhance teaching and learning in the NUS Business School.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work in NUS.
My area of work is the management of innovation and entrepreneurship. I teach an undergraduate course on managing innovation for the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre Technopreneurship program, as well as two MBA courses. As for my research, it is on the strategies used by firms to manage their knowledge and intellectual property.

When and how did you get to know about IVLE?
I learnt about IVLE almost as soon as I joined NUS. I believe one of my colleagues told me about it.

What do you like most about IVLE? Which features do you use?
The best thing about IVLE is its simple interface. Behind the scenes, the software takes care of many complex tasks but this is well-hidden away from the end user; a few simple mouse-clicks gets them what they want. Among the features that I use are the eReserves, forum, multimedia videos, surveys and workbins. All of these are very useful when I teach a class.

I also use the Project Tool which is amazing for assigning students randomly into groups and then managing these group projects. It also allows students to conduct peer reviews of each other. About the only features I do not use are the chat room and gradebook.

Has IVLE changed your teaching style? If so, how has it changed your teaching style?
Definitely. For one thing, I no longer use a textbook, relying on the IVLE eReserves instead to distribute articles for the students to read. This way, I no longer have to worry about how many copies of textbooks to order each semester, plus I get to use the best readings in each area. No textbook is fantastic from cover to cover, so by carefully selecting articles and cases, I can put together a package that is of better quality for the students. Another important tool is the IVLE Forum. It allows me to offload a lot of subsidiary discussions out of the classroom, so that I can concentrate on making the in-class experience much more interactive and fun.

Another aspect of the Forum that is wonderful is that it allows students to discuss and debate topics with each other, including students who are shy in class. But, for the Forum to work, it is very important that I spend the first session of each semester laying the groundwork so that students are not afraid to make mistakes and to speak their mind. Once that is in place, you will be amazed how articulate and thoughtful our students can be.

What is the response of your students towards IVLE?
You have to ask them. At least from the feedback that I've received, they seem quite positive about it.

We gather that you use the Plagiarism Detection Service. How useful is this service to you and your students?
The Turnitin service that you refer to is extremely useful. I use it in every class I teach. It is important that students complete their own assignments, otherwise they will not really learn from the class. Also, if I allow some students to get away with plagiarism, this will be unfair to the others. The Turnitin software is very powerful, and I have caught a number of students for plagiarism using it. Unfortunately, the software has a poor user interface and unless this improves, many professors will be deterred from using it. By the way, I have put together a FAQ on plagiarism. It includes actual emails from students as well as my responses. I put this FAQ together because I believe students learn better through examples than if I gave them a long list of rules.

You are conversant with technology, dealing with technology in your academic papers. You also enjoy digital photography and computers. Besides IVLE and the Plagiarism Detection Service, how else have you applied technology in teaching and learning?
I am a believer that one should use technology where appropriate, not blindly. The technology I use include: videoclips, webcasts Powerpoint and Macromedia Breeze. But none of this should get in the way of the in-class experience. I also take lots of digital photographs of my students which get distributed on IVLE (this allows them to quickly form bonds with their classmates).

For MBA and PhD students, I conduct a number of computer laboratory sessions during which they run simulation models of R&D competition and investment. At the end of every semester, I create a life-long mailing list for my students using yahoogroups, and this allows them to keep in touch with each other and with me long after their class has ended. This also becomes a valuable resource in their lifelong learning experience because I occasionally send them updates, suggestions on books and articles to read, as well as relevant seminar announcements. Apart from this, I am the Principal Investigator for the NUS Patent Database project. This is a large database of patents that is being used for research, but we also actively use it for training Ph.D and Masters students, as well as for short executive programs. I am quite pleased with the impact of this project, which is starting to be used by others in Europe, Australia and USA.

Dr Panagiotis Kalnis is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing. He teaches various Computer Science modules including CS1102 Data Structures and Algorithms and currently, IT2002 Database Technology & Management. Asst Prof Kalnis, who hails from Greece, has been teaching in NUS since 2002.

How did you come to work in Singapore?
I wanted to work on databases. At that time, there happened to be a Greek professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) who was working on the same subject that I was interested in. I was not aware of anything in Asia; my plan was to go to the United States. But he gave me this option and it turned out to be a good option. So, after finishing my PhD in HK, I had already met some people in Singapore – we were doing some papers together – and then I just applied here and there happened to be an open position.

What are you currently teaching?
IT 2002 Database Technology & Management. This is for non-Computer Science undergraduates, a 2nd year elective module. There are not as many projects, and I am not as stringent as with the Computer Science students for this module. I have only 13 students right now. This course typically has no more than 20 to 30 students. I have taught CS1102 Data Structures and Algorithms previously.

What do you like most about IVLE? Which features do you use?
The thing that I like most about IVLE is the workbin. I put all my slides, my homework and my solutions there. I have several folders and I distribute all the work there. I also send a lot of announcements through IVLE. But I do not trust that the students will go and see the announcements. So, whenever I post an announcement, I also send a mass e-mail to the list of my students.

I also use the gradebook a lot. It’s a very nice feature because I can put the comments and the students know why they were given a certain grade. Now I’m also going to use the survey feature. I’m actually working on a project for the university and I need some feedback from the students. It’s the first time that I’m using the survey tool. And of course, I use the forum.

Tell us more about your use of the IVLE Forums.
Last semester was a good semester for the forum because I had a lot of students (taking CS1102 Data Structures and Algorithms). There were more than a hundred students. For obvious reasons, there was not enough time to see all of them in my office. They had a lot of similar questions. So, I asked them to send their queries to the forum because I usually get a lot of personal emails. When I received a personal email, of course I replied personally to the student but since I asked them to post the questions on the forum, I was replying, in effect, to everyone.

The other feature of the course that compelled students to be active in the forums was that it had a lot of homework and projects. Effectively, each week we had a small project that the students could finish in two to three hours. But all of the projects counted toward their final grade so the students were very worried if they could not do something. I encouraged them, if they encountered problems, to ask for hints from other students.

Are the students forthcoming with the hints? Do they actually help each other out?
Sometimes, yes. Sometimes they were giving wrong answers, but this was helpful also because I could see what the students could not understand. So, I could give them more exercises or more hints about where they went wrong. In general it was very helpful.

What do you think can be improved with the forums?
One problem I had last semester was that the students did not know or care about topic headings despite a big announcement on the front page. They were posting in the wrong place and I had to search everything to find similar questions. I am not sure how this can be improved but if there is some way to make students to post in the correct topic, that would be good. Maybe the topics can be displayed somewhere in the front page of the module's forum.