ES1541 review (NUS)

DISCLAIMER: firstly, i am not a professional writer, so if there are mistakes in my language, move on. secondly, the review is mostly based on opinions, so i would advise you to google for more reviews to get a diverse take on the modules you are interested in. thirdly, module details change every semester, so do not expect every assessment will stick. last but not the least, i will not talk about grades. hope this is useful for you, cheers.

ES1541: Exploring Science Communication Trough Popular Science

what do you learn?

in this module, you mainly learn to write an academic text. yes, academic text, not an essay. there are differences between the two, though the expected content is similar. just the writing style and citations are really different from those essays and composition you have been writing in the past few years of your education life. you will be exposed to reading academic journals and scientific texts. this is a compulsory module for science students of NUS.

how are you being graded?

you are graded purely from continual assessments (CAs) and not through any exams. yes, no midterms and no finals. the CAs, however, include 3 presentations (two group and one individual), your academic text (two drafts before final draft), reflections, peer review, synthesis writing and class participation.

my take on this module?

this module is really taxing. just looking at the number of CAs you might have guessed it as well. the CAs are spread out rather evenly across the entire semester. this module in a way forces you to explore all aspects of science and the scenes behind scientific concepts and what not. so, in a way, this module can be a good break from your major. the emphasis on classroom sharing makes this module slightly more interesting and engaging compared to other science modules. for those shy people, you will be given countless chances to learn to speak up.

advices?

like i mentioned, the CAs are crazy in numbers so make sure never do things at the very last minute. the first 6 weeks of the semester will require one to engage with many readings, so pace yourself. like i said, never a good idea to leave things to the last minute. the reflections writing don’t hold much weightage, so don’t sweat too much over it nor spend too much time on them. on the contrary, spend more time for your final draft of your academic text and your individual presentation. the latter relies on your academic text but don’t worry, if your text somehow isn’t good, it doesn’t really affect your individual presentation because the presentation focuses more on your delivery and not content. rehearse at home out loud in preparation for the presentation, it really really really helps a lot in terms of confidence and pace of your delivery. in fact, it is good to do so for the group presentation as well. time factor is key as well because i know of some tutors who will mark those who pays little attention to the time limit down rather heavily. last but not least, enjoy the module, enjoy the company and time with your classmates.

click here to see the modules i have read and their respective reviews. do feel free to contact me via Telegram @alvinngjh for any questions or what not.