As Singapore’s most established and comprehensive university, NUS delivers transformative global education that empowers our students to explore and realize their full potential. Because our goal is to ensure that our students will flourish and thrive, we have created an extensive range of programmes that enable them to discover their strengths and talents. Our interdisciplinary programmes cut across traditional academic boundaries so that our students’ learning experiences transcend the established confines of their particular fields. Beyond transformative and rigorous education, we provide a nurturing environment and create opportunities for our students to grow, enabling them to reach their full potential and preparing them for a lifetime of careers.
Rising Up Global Ranks In Academic Year (AY) 2013/2014
NUS maintained its standing as a world-class university and continued to be rated highly in prestigious international rankings of universities. In the latest 2014 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings: Asia released in May, NUS emerged as Asia’s top university. Since the rankings were first compiled in 2009, the University has rapidly progressed up its charts. Our ranking has risen from a 10th placing to second in 2013 and an unprecedented first in 2014. We chalked up strong performances across most indicators including employer reputation and academic reputation. Across all the disciplines measured, we also emerged among Asia’s top three universities. Separately, in the QS World University Rankings 2014, NUS was among the world’s 10 best universities for 11 subjects. These subjects include engineering and technology, arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and management. NUS also moved one spot up to the 21st position in the World Reputation Rankings 2014 published by Times Higher Education (THE). In the THE Asia University Rankings 2014, we were ranked second, retaining our position as one of Asia’s top two universities. Our postgraduate programmes remained at the forefront of global rankings too. The NUS Business School’s Master of Business Administration (NUS MBA) programme scaled four rungs to the 32nd spot in the Financial Times’ annual Global MBA Rankings 2014. This makes it the top MBA programme by a Singaporean business school. In terms of international mobility, which measures the international demand of its graduates, the NUS MBA programme was ranked 10th.
Enhancing Education through Technology
Given the rich pedagogical potential of technology, we have built up our technology-enhanced learning capabilities. The internal Blended Learning Online Courses or iBLOCs initiative is the latest in NUS’ effort to optimize teaching and learning through blended learning platforms, manifested in both Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)-style teaching and higher intensity face-to-face interactive sessions. Launched in the second semester of AY2013/2014, online courses were integrated with redesigned face-to-face learning in a flipped classroom format. Eight iBLOCs comprising foundation and bridging modules were offered to Returning Full-time National Servicemen (NSmen), who had earlier gained admission to the University, to earn academic credits before matriculation as undergraduate students. Students had a minimum of three months to work independently at their own time, with peers and with tutors in a range of online activities, and devoted the second three-month period to more intense classroom interaction and some amount of online activities.
This structure aims to accommodate the schedule of NSmen and at the same time, allow students to take their time to build a solid foundation by learning at a more leisurely pace. Students are able to complete the course in six months rather than within the normal 15-week school semester, thus easing their transition into university education. In addition, two iBLOCs for General Education modules were designed for current NUS students and launched in January 2014. Following NUS’ partnership with Coursera in 2013 to provide an avenue for the innovative development of MOOCs in the first quarter of 2014, we launched three MOOCs for the global audience. The three courses were Unpredictable? Randomness, Chance and Free Will by the Department of Physics, Write Like Mozart: An Introduction to Classical Music Composition by Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and Reason and Persuasion: Thinking through Three Dialogues by Plato by the Department of Philosophy. The MOOCs which ran from six to eight weeks were well received, each garnering more than 35,000 registrants initially. Since then, they have achieved a retention rate of 10–20 per cent, consistent with the experiences of partner Coursera institutions. The Centre for English Language Communication also successfully launched a non-credit MOOC on English writing for the NUS community. The University seeks to encourage and equip more faculty members to explore different dimensions of technology-enabled learning. In line with this goal, we established the Learning Innovation Fund– Technology in 2012. This fund supports an annual call for proposals from all faculties and schools as well as targeted programme redesign of courses with large class sizes, and NUS start-ups with novel educational products. As of 31 July 2014, 24 projects in the areas of 2D visualisation, 3D virtual environment mobile computing, gesture computing and web computing have received funding approval.
Extending Industry Exposure and Engagement
NUS has embarked on a multi-year, multi-pronged initiative to deliver to our students an industry-relevant education that evolves in tandem with economic and societal needs. In AY2013/2014, we complemented our ongoing efforts in facilitating career preparation and development by extending industry exposure to more undergraduates while creating more meaningful opportunities for industry engagement. Two major programmes, the inaugural Innovation Generation (iGen) Programme and Industry Partnership Programme (IPP) were launched in February 2014. The iGen Programme, in line with the University’s goal to instill our graduates with an innovative frame of mind, equips them with cutting-edge skills and experience required in an ever-changing knowledge economy. Under the Programme, more than 20 internships were offered in collaboration with Accenture, MasterCard, Citibank, and other major companies. Students were selected from various disciplines and assigned to work on innovation projects that spanned across different business functions. They first had to undergo a series of assessment workshops to determine their affinity for innovation-related group work. Before embarking on their respective assignments, the iGen interns then took part in a series of preparatory workshops which laid the foundation in innovation concepts such as design thinking for business innovation, creative visualization, systems thinking and pitching skills. Through the IPP, the NUS Career Centre works with industry partners to co-create industry-related content and industry-specific learning opportunities or jobs. This initiative is an expansion of existing collaborations such as the School of Computing’s IT101 series. During the workshops, Computing students worked in groups to formulate solutions to real-life work challenges, which were then presented to industry experts for advice and critique. This helped students gain an in-depth understanding of the fast-changing IT industry and the demands of IT job roles. The IPP will extend such cooperation to other faculties and industries.
Enriching Campus Living Experience
The University regards a rich and memorable residential experience as an integral part of a student’s campus life. We recognize that students living on campus benefit from immersing themselves in the campus community. It also enhances character development, encourages self-awareness and enriches their educational experience. As part of our long-term plan to expand and enhance the residential learning opportunities particularly for freshmen, NUS continually reviews the student housing landscape to reinforce the existing supportive environment where meaningful living learning communities can flourish. Positive student feedback on the success of residential college learning at University Town has prompted plans for its expansion. In March 2014, Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) was launched to replace the existing Ridge View Residences. RVRC is targeted at freshmen from the Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Science faculties, as well as the Computing, and Design and Environment schools. The programme emphasizes close engagement with industry, an interdisciplinary curricular approach and the development of a value-centric community through experiential learning.
Following a Visioning Exercise with the six Halls of Residence in November 2012, some Halls began offering credit-bearing modules and other structured learning programmes. In Semester 2 of AY2013/2014, Eusoff Hall piloted a module integrated with a community component. In addition to classroom learning, participating students also embarked on a service-learning trip to Cambodia. Meanwhile, Sheares Hall launched an internship programme as well as a mentorship programme that pave the way for personal and professional development. A similar Visioning Exercise was conducted a year later in November 2013 to reconceptualise the living-learning framework at Prince George’s Park Residences, Kuok Foundation House, and University Town Residence.
Realizing Significant Milestones and Achievements
The NUS family of faculties and schools continued to soar to new heights in the year of review. The Faculty of Engineering inked two groundbreaking agreements in November 2013. One was between NUS and the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the other between NUS and Keppel Corporation. With the signing of the agreements, the Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory comes under the NRF’s Corporate Lab @ University scheme. The initiative will enhance academia-industry synergy as well as cultivate and nurture future engineer leaders for the marine and offshore industry. Based at the Faculty, the S$75 million laboratory will focus on Future Systems, Future Yards and Future Resources and will groom engineering students, giving them hands-on experience and exposure to the offshore industry. Some 30 PhD and Masters students will be trained at the laboratory within five years. In February 2014, the School of Computing signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft Singapore to launch the Microsoft College Startup Accelerator. A first of its kind, the two-year collaboration aims to encourage aspiring student technopreneurs to develop innovative start-ups for the local software economy, and accelerate the process through start-up ideation and enablement programmes from Microsoft. The half-yearly Accelerator programme features three phases: ideation, business case and product development, and final pitch. By exposing students to the real-world start-up experience, the tie-up reflects the School’s commitment to entrepreneurship as a core activity that complements teaching and research, nurturing future entrepreneurs and leaders. In March 2014, the Faculty of Law launched “Start Now Law”, a first of its kind online portal for pro bono projects. An initiative of the Faculty’s Pro Bono Office, it will be a springboard for the upcoming Mandatory Pro Bono Scheme, where law students will need to fulfill 20 mandatory hours of pro bono work prior to graduation. Voluntary Welfare Organizations and other pro bono host institutions will also be able to leverage the ‘Start Now Law’ portal to provide pro bono opportunities for our law students. Such a platform inculcates the spirit of volunteerism among students by contributing their learning back to the community.
Exploring Global Frontiers
NUS serves up an extensive menu of international programmes for our students, with the Student Exchange Programme (SEP) continuing to be our largest overseas programme. Through SEP, our students benefit from the invaluable experience of spending one or two semesters at an overseas partner university while earning credits towards their NUS degree.
