As lecturer, I have experience teaching courses at Foundation (Pre-U), Diploma and Degree level for the School of Communication. I have also taught a subject for diploma level students from the School of Hospitality and Tourism. The following are details of subjects that I have taught:


Course: Introduction to Computer Graphics (KTT 236) - 4 units
(Diploma in Communication)

This subject was given to me as my first teaching assignment. Aside from teaching students graphic design principles and concepts, the subject focuses on teaching students two design softwares: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The students for this subject have no experience in handling both softwares.

Upon reviewing the course outlines left behind by the previous lecturer, I felt that the subject should be made even more challenging to explore the true creative potential of our students. I revised the outlines and added many extra modules for my lessons, which allowed me to teach them extra tools, features, tips and tricks that they could use in their design. Every week new tools will be introduced, followed by in-class exercises which need to be submitted the following week. I also increased the difficulty of assignments and exams, compared to the previous semesters, as I feel that the practical exams are just as important as the theory exams and should be challenging enough to motivate students to work harder.

For assignments, students are required to show progress from the conceptual stage to the execution stage. This being their first time working on such design projects, I provide consistent feedback and advises to further improve their artwork, without limiting their creative freedom.

Aside from ensuring my students are technically competent, I also emphasize on other aspects as well, such as the presentation and tidiness of the work, the adherence of design principles in their artwork - everything that a real client or employer would expect. I wanted the class to be a simulation of the real-world.


Number of classes taught : 2
- January 2007 (2 sections. Number of students: 42)
- July 2007 (2 sections. Number of students: 38)



Course: Computer Studies (COMG 111) - 2 units
(Diploma/Higher Diploma in Hospitality/Tourism/Culinary Arts)

I was asked to teach at the School of Hospitality and Tourism for a semester. This was a large group, but was split into three sections in accordance to the students' course - Tourism, Culinary Arts and Hospitality. The subject is a basic introduction to the world of computers. The course outline, lesson plan, assignment guidelines were already provided to me by the School of Hospitality and Tourism. The subject focuses on teaching students the Microsoft Office package, which includes: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Frontpage.

This is a very practical subject and students were given plenty of hands-on exercise to get comfortable with the softwares. The mid-semester exam consist of a practical exam. There were no final exams - students were evaluated based on their final project, completed using Microsoft Frontpage, Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Powerpoint.


Number of classes taught : 1
- March 2007 (3 sections. Number of students: 75)



Course: News Design for Print and Web (COMM 2038) - 4 units
(Degree in Communication - Media Management/Journalism)

This course is designed to enable students to understand the principles of graphic space, balance and proportion in the design of print and online publications; to enable students to use page layout and image editing software to extend a design concept to a visual form; to introduce students to principles and practice of use of news-related techniques including headline and caption writing, text editing and image use.

I co-taught this subject with my colleague. She focused on topics such as writing headlines, working with words and newspaper design during the lecture sessions. My area was more into the design and practical aspects of producing web sites and print materials. I presented lessons about web design concepts (web layout, resolution, HTML, CSS etc) and also taught in all tutorial lessons.

Within a short span of a semester, I had to ensure students are competent enough to handle 3 softwares - Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Dreamweaver. The classes were very practical, where students have hands-on exercise in the computer lab in every tutorial class.While some students had pre-requisite knowledge on the softwares, others did not. Hence, I had to ensure that students work with challenging in-class exercises, while paying attention to the new learners, making sure that they are able to catch up with the class.

While the notes, tutorials and assignments were provided by our counterparts from the University of South Australia (UniSA), I have replaced some of the notes and tutorials with my own to fit the needs of my students better. Extra in-class exercises were also provided to ensure students get ample practice to familiarize themselves with the interface of the softwares.

As many students find difficulty understanding Photoshop and Dreamweaver, I created several video tutorials which gave them a clear walkthrough on the softwares interface and detailed on-screen demonstration on how to perform tasks within the software. Though these were already presented in class, the video tutorials will allow them to revise at a later date whenever they are in doubt.


Number of classes taught : 2
- February 2007 (1 section. Number of students: 38)
- July 2007 (2 sections. Number of students: 35)



Course: Introduction to Information Technologies (FCOMM 122) - 4 units
(Foundation in Communication)

The Foundation in Communication is a new programme in the school. This subject has a very good balance of the theory and practical aspects of technology. For the theory side of it, 11 chapters from textbooks were presented during lecture sessions, covering areas such as networking, e-commerce, system software, hardware, ergonomics etc. The practical part of the subject requires student to learn Microsoft Office, Microsoft Powerpoint and Microsoft Excel. This is done during the tutorial sessions. Aside from the three softwares, I have also added short sessions for Microsoft Publisher, Visio and Frontpage to increase their software capabilities.

Lecture sessions are normally followed with short discussions and revisions with students. Tutorial sessions would end with a weekly in-class exercise to provide ample practice on the software.

Number of classes taught : 3
- February 2007 (1 section. Number of students: 35)
- July 2007 (1 section. Number of students: 30)
- November 2007 (1 section. Number of students: 20)

For self-reflections of all the subjects taught, please click here.
To access student evaluation reports for the above subjects, please click here.