Critical Reflection on my Effective Communication journey [Learning Portfolio]

Throughout my entire journey in this module, effective communication, I felt like I have learnt so much.  I have learnt how to analyse and write a proper reader response, write a technical report, deliver a presentation properly and having a better command in English in general. 

When learning how to analyse and write a proper reader response, I realized I have not been analyzing such information detailed enough to make full use of the resource during my polytechnic days when I had to do lots of research. An example would be the research phase of my major project. After learning the skill sets for these, I know I will be able to make full use of them for future projects in my course of study in university.  

Technical report writing was something I have never learned before. Although I was in the engineering school for my polytechnic study, I have never done anything similar. However, also in engineering school again for my course of study in university, there is already a project for a module that requires writing a technical report. The things I learnt on writing a technical report are immediately applied for that project. I will also be sure to make use of the information I learnt here to apply them for future report writing.

During the course, I had the chance to deliver a presentation in front of my class. Our group was then voted to present in front of our course mates in a lecture theater. It was my first time presenting for such a large crowd. However, all thanks to the skills I have learnt I could confidently present my point in front of the crowd and largely reducing my nervousness when presenting. I am thankful for this chance as I was able to improve my presentation by presenting it a second time for the showcase.

These listed above has also helped me to improve my command of English in general. I would like to thank our instructor, Brad, who have put in much effort to give us individual feedback on what we should improve on as well as my peers whom also gave me genuine feedback and support along the way. Through the feedback, I was able to know clearer on what I have done well and what I should improve on. All in all, my best takeaway for this module was instilling confidence in me when using English in general because of all the new things I have learnt.

Commented on Rafiana's blog

Analytical Reflection [Learning Portfolio]

On Monday, November 14, 2016, my group and I gave a presentation about a problem we identified and our proposed solution. The last time I had to do a proper presentation was more than 10months ago, thus, I was very nervous before this presentation. My part for the presentation was the opening and ending of the presentation which is a new thing for me. I had to make sure I can gain everyone’s attention at the beginning and ensure that my ending was impactful enough. Due to my nervousness, I was afraid I would not be able to convey my ideas and the information well enough for the audience to understand.

After the presentation, I was glad that I had worried for nothing. I was glad that I managed to say the things that I had planned on saying. Despite having some small hiccups here and there such as speaking too quickly due to nervousness and using some fillers, I was satisfied with how I did. Of course, there will always be room for improvements. For any other future presentations, I will be sure to practice even more to prevent myself from speaking too fast, using fillers and to sound more convincing.

All in all, I am glad that I managed to do decently well and could try taking a different role in a presentation then I usually did. Although my performance for this presentation met my expectations, I feel that there is still room for improvements. I could have done even better with more practice and preparation.

Technical Report - Executive Summary [Learning Portfolio]

Recently, news of Linggui Reservoir in Johor, Malaysia suffering from severe loss of water mainly due to high levels of evaporation and low levels of rainfall have surfaced. As 60% of water needs can be extracted from that reservoir, it is important for Singapore to reduce unnecessary water wastage. In this proposal, a background on Singapore’s water needs and sources, the purpose of highlighting the problem in SIT will be discussed. Methods of analysis including surveys and research in regards to water conservation will be analysed and evaluated to present the mentality of the users and the pros and cons of the current implementations. The final proposed solution will then be determined by taking into consideration the cost, needs of the user and its feasibility. 

Technical Report - Emails & Letter [Learning Portfolio]

Transmittal letter

Mr Brad Blackstone
Senior Lecturer

Singapore Institute of Technology
SIT@ Dover
10 Dover Drive
Singapore 138868

Dear Mr. Blackstone

Proposal for reducing water usage for Future SIT campus in Punggol

This letter is to inform you of our acknowledgement and response to your letter of authorization. We present to you, as attached, our proposal to help address the lack of water saving technology for taps in SIT and to create awareness about the lack of water conservation among SIT’s students and staff.

Recently, there has been news of the Linggui Reservoir in Johor, Malaysia suffering from severe loss of water mainly due to high levels of evaporation and low levels of rainfall. The reservoir allows Singapore to extract up to 60% of Singapore’s water needs. Although there is no worry over Singapore’s water security with the help of the desalination and NEWater plants, it is important for Singaporeans to do more to reduce unnecessary water wastage.

With a view to reduce those water wastage in SIT’s future Campus in Punggol which is going to be the size of 2 times of all current campuses, our team is proposing a solution to install a water saving nozzle on all water taps in toilets. As the nozzle can be installed on any new or existing taps, our solution will work in a way to reduce the water wastage. Through this solution, we hope to help SIT play an important part in reducing unnecessary water wastage and at the same time SIT can reduce costly water bills resulted from those wastage.

The team would like to thank you for taking your time to read our proposal. We hope that you will consider our proposed solution for SIT and us to close the gap in the lack of water conservation and taking a part in helping Singapore to save water.

Yours sincerely,
Clarabelle Chui
Team Leader

On behalf of Team Misty Trio

Email to request for interview

Email to interview estates management:

To: dawn.ho@singaporetech.edu.sg 

Subject: Request for Advice - Water Conservation

Dear Ms Ho,

I am Clarabelle Chui (16SSB012D), a first year student studying in SIT Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (SIE) (Building Services). I’m currently attending Effective Communication class under Brad Blackstone. The purpose of writing this email is to seek advice from you in regards to the issue we have on hand after a discussion with Mr. Blackstone. In a team of three, we were tasked with a project to identify a problem and propose a solution to solve it. The problem that our group decided to tackle is the lack of water conservation among the users in the school. 

From our understanding, the students and staff in the school tend to think water conservation is not important and would take the water we have for granted. One major issue is the use of the water taps in the toilet. Even though the taps are automated to conserve water, users tend to abuse this system to allow continuous water flow. This defeats the purpose of the automated water tap sensor system. 

To solve this problem, we are planning to suggest the use of a more standardized system for taps which include the use of the Altered: Nozzle in the campus.  An Altered: Nozzle is a simple device that can be fitted to the existing tap nozzles so that water can be turned into mist. This can conserve water up to 98%.

Our group would like to consult you and obtain more information in regards to water consumption so as to have a better understanding before we prepare our proposal. The main questions that we require clarifications are as follow: 

Is the school implementing any water conservation ideas/methods? If so what is/are they?

How much is the water usage and amount paid every month for the past 1 year?

The reason for using different types of tap. Eg. Lever, push and sensor for tap.

The type of tap selected for the new campus in Punggol.

How big would the new campus be?

We would appreciate if you could share your knowledge with us regarding the above questions. Alternatively, if needed, kindly assist us to direct these questions to the relevant people.

Thank you. 

Best Regards, 

Clarabelle Chui

Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering

(Building Services) 

Email to The Altered:Company for more information

Technical Report - Executive Summary [Learning Portfolio]

Executive Summary

Recently, news of Linggui Reservoir in Johor, Malaysia suffering from severe loss of water mainly due to high levels of evaporation and low levels of rainfall have surfaced. As 60% of water needs can be extracted from that reservoir, it is important for Singapore to reduce unnecessary water wastage. In this proposal, a background on Singapore’s water needs and sources, the purpose of highlighting the problem in SIT will be discussed. Methods of analysis including surveys and research in regards to water conservation will be analysed and evaluated to present the mentality of the users and the pros and cons of the current implementations. The final proposed solution will then be determined by taking into consideration the cost, needs of the user and its feasibility.

READER RESPONSE FINAL EDIT [LEARNING PORTFOLIO]

In the news release, “Trains on the North-South and East-West Lines Safe for Service”, Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addresses the problems it faces in regards to the trains that was recently in the media’s spotlight.  It first mentions about the actions taken to resolve the problems and how trains were subjected to tests to ensure their safeness and integrity. The article discusses one episode in which one train's "battery housing" flew open due to pressure. It also mentions that the cracks that were found on the “draught screen” of five of the new trains, were due to faults during the installation process. However, there were no effects on these trains’ operations as these problems were rectified immediately. LTA states that ‘hairline cracks’ that were also found on the car-body shell were caused during the production period. As it was impossible to repair the cracks, affected trains under warranty were sent back for replacement of parts at no cost. With a view to complete the rectification programme, LTA expresses that two trains would be sent for servicing at a time. Nonetheless, this would be dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which are undergoing re-signalling. As this issue has caught the attention of the public and media, there are several public concerns not addressed by the news release making this LTA news release incomplete.

The first possible concern for the public is the delay in reporting, which might lead the public to think that the authorities are trying to hide any problems with the trains from them. Lim (2016) says that the public only found about this issue after a Hong Kong- based news media (Factwire news) reported about the trains being sent back to China for repair, in secret. In the same article, the transport minister was quoted saying that the reason that the trains being sent back was not publicised was to not cause any unneeded panic for the public. However, the public would rather hear it from the authorities themselves rather than through the first report from Factwire news which said otherwise. Also, the transport minister was also quoted saying that the issue did not go public as it was not a safety problem, otherwise, the authority would have done so immediately. However, in my opinion, despite the problems not being safety issues, the public would have wanted to know about the situation as they are taxpayers and if train operations were affected, it would greatly affect their daily means of transportation.

The second possible concern is the authority awarding a new contract to the same group of suppliers.  In a news release, LTA (2014) announced that the contract for 91 new trains would be awarded to “Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd/CSR Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd/Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Consortium.” In another news release, Tan (2016) states that the first hairline crack was found in 2013 and the first train was sent back after the contract was awarded. This meant that despite being aware of the defects, the authority still trusted the suppliers and awarded them with the new contract. In a third news release, Lim (2016) quoted LTA saying that the new contract was awarded to those suppliers mentioned as they had taken the initiative to be accountable for the issue and the offer also had the best “price, quality and life cycle cost”. However, no explanation was given to explain how the quality was the best among the rest since this issue was giving the train’s quality a bad reputation. In turn, the public might think that having the best cost is the biggest factor in this decision instead.

In conclusion, while the article did clearly mention what the problems were and the plans to go about solving them, LTA should have given more details regarding their decisions about the delay in reporting and contracting with the same group of suppliers. This would have helped to dispel any public concerns.

References
Singapore Land Transport Authority. (2014, May 28). Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd/Csr Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd/Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Consortium Awarded Prestigious Contract Worth $749 Million. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=f0b205a6-69ab-49b0-b94d-65384ee5e5c0

Singapore Land Transport Authority. (2016, July 06). Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1

Lim, K. (2016, July 12). Going public on train cracks could have caused undue panic: Khaw. Channel News Asia. Retrieved September 24, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/going-public-on-train/2950576.html

Tan, C. (2016, July 06). Hairline cracks in 26 MRT trains made in China. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 24, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/hairline-cracks-in-26-mrt-trains-made-in-china

READER RESPONSE DRAFTS 3 [FINAL DRAFTS]

In the news release, “Trains on the North-South and East-West Lines Safe for Service”, Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addresses the problems it faces in regards to the trains.  It first mentions about the actions taken to resolve the problems and how trains were subjected to tests to ensure their safeness and integrity. The article discusses one episode in which the train's "battery housing" flew open due to pressure. It also mentions the cracks that were found on the “draught screen” of 5 of the trains, are due to faults during the installation process. However, there were no effects on train’s operations as these problems were rectified immediately. LTA states that ‘hairline cracks’ that were also found on the car-body shell were caused during the production period. As it was impossible to repair the cracks, affected trains under warranty were sent back for replacement of parts at no cost. With a view to complete the rectification programme, LTA expresses that two trains would be sent for servicing at a time. Nonetheless, this would be dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which are undergoing re-signalling. As this issue has caught the attention of the public and media, there are several public concerns not addressed by the news release making the article incomplete.

The first possible concern for the public is the delay in reporting, which might lead the public to think that the authorities are trying to hide any problems with the trains from them. Lim (2016) says that the public only found about this issue after a Hong Kong based news media reported about the trains being sent back to China for repair, in secret. Despite the claims not being the entire truth, the public would not have known since the first report from a third party said otherwise. The transport minister is quoted saying that the issue did not go public as it was not a safety problem, else, they would have done so immediately. However, in my opinion, despite the problems not being safety issues, the public would have wanted to know about the situation as they are taxpayers and if train operations were affected, it would greatly affect their daily means of transportation.

The second possible concern is the authority awarding a new contract to the same group of suppliers.  In a news release, LTA (2014) announces that the contract for 91 new trains would be awarded to “Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd/CSR Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd/Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Consortium.” In another news release, Tan (2016) states that the first hairline crack was found in 2013 and the first train was sent back after the contract was awarded. This mean that despite being aware of the defects, the authority still trusts the suppliers and awarded them the contract. In a third news release, Lim (2016) quoted LTA saying that the contract was awarded to them as they had taken the initiative to be accountable for the issue and the offer also had the best “price, quality and life cycle cost”. However, no explanation was given to explain how the quality was the best among the rest since this issue is giving the train’s quality a bad reputation. In turn, the public might think that having the best cost is actually the biggest factor in this decision instead.

In conclusion, while the article did clearly mention about what the problems were and the plans to go about solving them, LTA should have given more details regarding their decisions about the delay in reporting and contracting with the same group of suppliers. This would have helped to dispel any public concerns.

References
Singapore Land Transport Authority. (2014, May 28) Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd/Csr Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd/Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Consortium Awarded Prestigious Contract Worth $749 Million. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=f0b205a6-69ab-49b0-b94d-65384ee5e5c0

Singapore Land Transport Authority. (2016, July 06) Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1

Lim, K. (2016, July 12). Going public on train cracks could have caused undue panic: Khaw. Channel News Asia. Retrieved September 24, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/going-public-on-train/2950576.html

Tan, C. (2016, July 06). Hairline cracks in 26 MRT trains made in China. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 24, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/hairline-cracks-in-26-mrt-trains-made-in-china