[NUS Module Review] ALS1010 & ALS1020: Learning to Learn Better & Learning to Choose Better

 

(INTRODUCTION)

Quite simply, if you're reading this, you must be trying to find a really slack module or trying to find a SU-able module or even both. Either ways, welcome to the ALS1010 and ALS1020 module review. For those who wants to some short and sweet answers about these modules; they are 2 MC each, can be used for UEs and you can pretty much slack off in the modules. But as usual, for those who prefer a much more in-depth analysis about these modules, do read more to find out!

(LECTURERS)

The main lecturers and facilitators for these 2 modules are Dr Fun Fung Man and Professor Robert Kamei. Occasionally Dr Magdeline Ng will pop by (is she a lecturer? a librarian? idk lol), but otherwise, those 2 mainly runs the show. Since they're SU-able modules, I really didn't pay much attention to both lecturers, but I have been taught by Dr Fun back in CM3261: Environmental Chemistry and he is seriously way too passionate in whatever he does. And this is probably the first thing you would notice about him too; just like an overly enthusiastic kid in camp. Then, of course, there is Prof Kamei. Again, he is another overly enthusiastic lecturer but the only difference between him and Dr Fun is that Prof Kamei is older and slightly less enthusiastic. Sometimes I really wonder why lecturers are enthusiastic in teaching such content, but when it come to the core module teaching, some of them don't sound like they wanted to be there. 

(EXPANSION OF TOPICS COVERED)

The topics covered include:

• Holistic Learning Framework - ALS1010
• Metacognitive Strategies - ALS1010
• Goal Setting - ALS1010
• Self-Regulation and Motivation - ALS1010
• Perfecting Practices - ALS1010
• Memory Techniques for Learning - ALS1010
• Repetition - ALS1010
• Interleaving and Making Connections - ALS1010
• Attention and Focus Training - ALS1010
• Grit and Resilience - ALS1010
• Fast, Slow Thinking and Cognitive Biases - ALS1020
• Estimate Numbers and Probabilities - ALS1020
• What to Buy - ALS1020
• Fake News - ALS1020
• Medical Decisions - ALS1020
• Choosing the Right Person - ALS1020
• Choosing the Best You - ALS1020

I guess there ain't a need to go through them all and what they actually teach you as I feel that all of them are self-explanatory. In a nutshell, they either teach you how to learn better or choose better. Sounds a bit elementary (quite actually), but hey, take this module and decide for yourself whether these are elementary topics or not yeah!

(PASSING THE ASSESSMENT)

The grading for the assessments in this module are as follows:

• Zoom Attendance, Participation and Forum - 30% (ALS 1010)
• Surveys - 20% (ALS 1010)
• Learning Plan - 30% (ALS 1010)
• Course Reflection Slide - 20% (ALS 1010)
• Class Participation + Forum - 40% (ALS 1020)
• Survey Participation - 20% (ALS 1020)
• Poster/Video Group Project - 40% (ALS 1020)

Essentially the forum is a platform where 95% of students wayang. Sometimes I read the forums and I'm like, some students can really go Mediacorp with the fluff some of them are really writing lol. But you do you la hor haha. As long as you just write something down, you are good to go. Surveys are just a way for them to get information for their own study in exchange for some marks so of course you would do it right? For learning plan, I personally do not follow a learning plan and hence, I needed to fluff that one too. I think the worse one of these are the poster/video project. It's quite funny because every group confirm will have this one or two people that will be so xiao on and just treat this project like a FYP lol. So if you're one of them, then you can bet your teammates will thank you for your contributions and if you are not one of them, well you can just cheer the xiao on one lol. Lastly, the course reflection slides are just like any other forum. So do as you please. 

(SCHEDULE)

Both modules are similar in terms of its schedule. There will be a 2 hour lecture starting from week 2 to week 5, and then from week 8 to week 11. Within the 2 hour lecture, there will be some group discussion with your group mates, but nothing more than that. 

(EXPERIENCE AND FINAL GRADING)

I'm gonna be honest here and say that I took this module just to clear my UEs. Don't think there is anything wrong with doing so and I'm sure that half of you reading this, if not more, would probably be doing the same. And I've heard from a couple of friends of mine saying negative things about this module for a few years now; about how this module is simply a waste of time or a module just to slack. So I decided that maybe this is gonna be my time to try out this module. After all, I have UEs to clear and given that I'm not really having a slack semester due to 2 core modules; 1 Geography UE and FYP, this would be the 2 perfect modules for me to take. And after taking this module, I could somewhat understand the sentiments of what my friends were feeling.

I think both modules lack any "captivating" factor for students. Both lecturers, to be fair, did their very best to make everything look and sound good. Given that the lessons were conducted through zoom, it was understandably taxing to really capture possibly 300/400 students' divided attention. And for that, I truly commend them. But sadly to say, it didn't made me particularly interested in the contents taught, hence lacking the "captivating" factor. As much as they tried to make it as relatable as possible, the delivery was far from it. It felt more pitched towards an older generation, which is sad because it had lots of potential to grow. And this is certainly the best I could describe the module to you. This is certainly a module that would call a spade, a spade and nothing more than that. 

Overall, ALS1020 offered slightly more than ALS1010, but without much to truly distinguish them asides from the content. Different lecturers teaching these modules would be a good suggestion, but because both were taught by the exact same team, it just made everything sound the same. The group work session was a good insight, because we get to experience people from almost all faculties in the group. And trust me when I say that you could really see distinct personalities from each faculties. Those in Business and Arts tend to talk more than those of Science. Another insight I gained was the fact that most people were clearly slacking during the breakout group session, which wasn't too surprising considering most people are just there to wayang wayang and then afk. Oh, did I mentioned even more wayang in the forum section? Sad news, but it's so true. 

In the end, it was 8 weeks of content that you could possibly complete in 2 hours. But it was "fun" while it lasted. :)

(CONCLUSION AND TIPS)

This is a good UE to take if you truly have a lot of other modules to focus on or if you would really like to learn more about life, you know, if you love to make bad decisions or need help in learning smarter. Sadly, this would've probably benefitted me more if I were to take it as a Year 1, but unfortunately or fortunately... *fill in the rest :)*

Ratings out of 5⭐:

• Should you take this module - If you're free, too free or need to clear UE
• Degree of Difficulty - ⭐
• Effort Required - ⭐
• Timetable Impact - ⭐

**For more queries, kindly comment down below. Thanks**