re the quizzes up on lumiNUS yet? I can’t seem to find them

Are numerous attempts allowed for each weekly quiz?

Will we be able to see the quiz marks upon completion each time so we can retry for full marks?

What’s the difference between MCQ and MRQ?

Is there a time limit for the quizzes?

How long and elaborate should our MRQ [probably referring to the SAQs] responses in the quizzes/exam be?

The first quiz begins in Week 3 on the Monday following the Webinar “W02 Well-being”. It will show up in Luminus>Module>Overview>2 then, and be open for a whole week. There isn’t a time limit each time you try it, only a final deadline. You can attempt as many times as you like but we will only take the last submission (do remember to actually submit). The correct answers and scores won’t be shown until the quiz has closed (the following Monday) and I have published the full quiz explanations, usually soon after.

An MCQ only has one selectable answer. An MRQ (Multiple Response Question) allows you to select as many options as you want. I intend to create some MRQs with between 1-4 correct options (none will have 0 correct options). You can get the mark for that question only if you select all of the correct options.

An SAQ (Short Answer Question) basically requires you to write a mini essay. I’ve not decided on the exact word limit yet but it will likely be in the 100-200 words range. For comparison, the first paragraph above (“The first quiz begins in Week 3…”) has 92 words. So the answers are expected to be relatively succinct. The plan is to make them a bit like what you are asked to do for the group discussion summaries–so it’s more about your responses. Except that this time, you really shouldn’t be exhibiting serious misunderstandings.

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Does philosophy involve a lot of English? I saw the readings for week 1 and anost mistook it for an English class.

All the readings are in English, so you need to be competent in the language to understand them. For the most part, they aren’t written in an extremely sophisticated style nor are we worried about discussing more subtle nuances for the purposes of this class. But we are counting on you to be able to grasp basic content. And we are here to help you notice crucial distinctions in ideas. 

Remember that you are now taking a class in an English speaking university within the Humanities division of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. More generally, you absolutely need to be competent in language to be able to get the most out of an university education. This same point holds if the classes were taught in Swahili or Russian or Babylonian–just swap the language.

If you feel that you aren’t there, then let me encourage you–we can all improve through shameless practice. I did not grow up in an English speaking home environment myself. So keep working! And keep in mind that doing philosophy isn’t really about being good with an upper class sounding use of language. Philosophy can do in Singlish one! The point here is just about being able grasp (enough of) what the readings are saying, and being able to follow the Webinars and Tutorials. And of course, expressing oneself in a clear and intelligible way to your audience.

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