Learning is a journey. During the second year of my studies, I was really fortunate to go on a study trip to San Francisco, California. Over there, I underwent a Master Class on Compelling User Experience conducted by Mr. Ty Carriere. During the trip, I had the chance to visit the Tech Giants of Silicon Valley like Google, Yahoo and Autodesk. This is where they showcased their latest technology. Especially in Silicon Valley, I caught a glimpse of the technology that is changing the ways we live our lives in a way I never thought was possible. The experience was simply eye-opening!!
Next up, I visited Tippett Studio, the visual effects company. They were known for using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create the dinosaurs we see in Jurassic Park. I got goosebumps when I gazed at the array of intricate sculptures of dinosaurs, dragons and monsters. I remember playing with dinosaur toys and watching Jurassic Park over and over again in my childhood. It was probably every boy’s fantasy to see an agglomeration of their childhood ‘play-toys’ at such a scale. Blimey! For a moment I felt like I was reliving my boyhood dream.
During the trip I got to visit SONY Pictures Animation, Warner Brothers Studio in Hollywood. They were amazing places and I learnt a whole lot about how motion picture and animated films. I was exposed to the whole production pipeline as well as the techniques involved in bringing the film to life. I had never been to a set or a soundstage before. The moment I walked into the set of Supergirl at Warner Brothers Studio, my mind was blown away.
Chaperones For The Study Trip
Dr. Oon and Ms. Dai were our chaperones for the trip. Ms. Dai who happens to my lecturer was extremely caring throughout the trip. She took care of our safety and overall well-being during the trip. The class was often reminded to drink more water, consume enough food, apply lip balm and etc. The trip had became much more enjoyable and fun with her motherly presence. In addition, the trip also happened to coincide with my birthday. Knowing that, Ms.Dai and Dr.Oon held a birthday celebration for me and Meng Poh.
Overall, I was able to experience everything that the media and tech industry has to offer in this study trip. I certainly did not regret having undertook a diploma in Multimedia & Animation at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
UI Workshops/Talks
In the final year of my studies, I worked on a project that is aimed at a community in Singapore. They needed help in aiding hearing children with deaf parents.
My group and I developed a product in the form of an interactive mobile application and illustrated pop-up book. Its aim is to narrow the heart-wrenching divide between a hearing child and his/her parents by encouraging reading and signing together. Initially, we had zero idea on how to do this project. We did not even know who our intended target audience was. We merely assumed the deaf would be our target audience.
Luckily for my team, our lecturer Mr Malcolm Yam, chanced upon a “Designing UI for People with Disability” seminar. He encouraged us to attend the seminar with him. My group and I learnt a whole deal about designing user interfaces for people with disability. Also, at the same seminar we had the opportunity to connect with Lisa Wang, a Linguistic Professor, who is documenting the Singapore Sign Language as well as a champion of the deaf community.
We were then able to learn more and be more empathetic towards the needs of the deaf community. This was a key milestone in the preliminary phase of the project – understanding the problem. The Singapore Sign Language and its community is largely undocumented and delving into that community. We found both the qualitative and quantitative data that we required.
UXSG Conference
A few months later, Mr Yam informed me about an User Experience (UX) Conference that was held in Singapore, UXSG. At first, I signed up for it as a volunteer, albeit a little reluctant. Reason being that I thought being an extra helper would end up like most event volunteers with nothing much to do.
The photo above is from my first UXSG conference meeting with my fellow volunteers. Leading me and my team are Ruth and Michael who work at a UX consultancy in Singapore. They were very approachable and friendly. I really enjoyed working alongside them to make the conference a success.
It was the best conference I have ever volunteered in. I got to listen to the keynotes which spans across an array of topics loosely related with UX such as “Applying Behavioural Insights to Public Policy” and “Emotionally Connecting to the next 50 years”. It was interesting to see how UX design is implemented in areas such as public policy , social work, etc.
Also, the people that I have conversed to and worked with at the conference showed me how to live and work with the right attitude. Even after the conference has ended, I’m still growing by keeping the learnings close to heart. Additionally, there were also post-conference activities for speakers and volunteers a day after the conference! How cool is that?
Keeping In Contact Even After Conference
Afterwards, I got to create music with drums and all kinds of fancy instruments. I also got to visit a Kelong just off the coast of Changi, between Changi and Pulau Ubin, where I got to have dinner while enjoying the beautiful sunset and periodical fluctuations of the tide. It was probably the best volunteering experience I had throughout my learning journey.
OMF New York
In the 3rd year of my studies, I received the Overseas Merit Fellowship (OMF) award. I went to Syracuse University in New York to attend a 19 day liberal art programme. Syracuse is the top university for public policy in all of the United States.
Over there I studied about the American Political system, American Society and Public Affairs & Policy. I was really excited at the prospects of studying at a University in the United States and it got me all fired up. It was a really different studying experience as compared all of my learning experience.
Even though it was a short introduction programme to American liberal arts, I felt that the class was rather demanding and challenges me intellectually. Everyday in the programme, I was learning something new about the United States through the intensive lectures and site visits. At the end of the day, we would have a debrief where we would draw parallels about what we studied on that particular day between America and Singapore. Mr Boon and Ms Jennifer, my chaperones for the trip, helped spark really meaningful and intellectual discussions while facilitating these sessions.
Overall, this trip helped me to develop my world view and identity as well as allowing me to see deeper into the world and societies at large in an objective manner. It has also planted a seed in me to always challenge and question conventions during my learning journey.
Modules in Interactive Art and Technology were really interesting and diverse.
Learn the full spectrum of the different media forms.
Strive for perfection and excellence in my work.
YMAC
During my journey in the polytechnic, I participated in intraschool and inter-school events. In 2016, I was part of the Organising Committee for the Youth Model ASEAN Conference (YMAC). During that time, I worked with many students from other local polytechnics in Singapore. Our goal was to plan and organise the entire conference.
The role given to me was to design and maintain the overall experience for more than 200 local and overseas delegates. I learnt a whole lot about the the many cultures in South East Asia from the many delegates at the conference.
I also brought the delegates around Singapore to share with them our local food, delicacies and our unique Singaporean culture. The entire experience was one-of-akind. No doubt, this has added meaning to my learning journey.
NPSU
Other than that, I have participated in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Students’ Union (NPSU). Being totally unfamiliar with the school environment and culture, I attended the Freshmen Orientation Camp (FOC). The camp gave me an opportunity to make many friends. Furthermore, the group leaders were really caring and thoughtful throughout and even after the camp.
They provided me lots of support and counsel that aided me to ease into school life quickly. I was glad that an organisation like NPSU existed to help improve the welfare and interests of students. Thus, I felt a need to give back to this community.
Subsequently, I joined the NPSU’s Public Interest Subcommittee AY2014/15 in my first year. We planned events and activities for the entire school population like NPSU’s Carnival “The Showdown”. There were lots of preparation to be done and liaison with external vendors to facilitate the events.
During the last lap of my journey in polytechnic, an interview to be a group leader for FOC came. I was chosen and was incredibly excited about the idea of having fun and helping to integrate a group of freshmen during FOC through fun and games. This has reminded me of the amount of time and effort my own group leaders had put in during my time as a freshie. Thus, I felt a sense of purpose in what I am doing.
Even after the camp, there were weekly dinners during the first few weeks of school where I would meet with my FOC subgroup over dinner and share with one another about our daily school life. I would provide counsel to my freshies about the various CCAs available in school or the freshmen events. Generally, anything related to the school and their studies.
MMA (now IMGD)
The modules in Interactive Art and Technology were really interesting and diverse. It allowed me to learn the full spectrum of the different media forms like print, digital video and audio. I learnt a lot of technical skills and a keen sense of appreciation for aesthetics. The many group and individual projects allowed me to learn much more in depth and to experiment with tools outside the curriculum. I really like the heuristic and off-hand approach that the course adopted to facilitate learning. On top of that, my lecturers like Mr. Malcolm Yam and Ms.Dai provided us with lots of reference materials. They also supported us when we needed help with our school project. Their kind advice and feedback allowed me to strive for perfection and excellence in my work.
I learnt a lot of things within and outside of class. This is all thanks to their advocacy to seek learning beyond the classroom. One of my most memorable moments in the course was when I worked on a Digital Effects module with my fellow group members. We had a really wacky idea to promote a television brand. We even went to the extent of dressing up our actor with props to make him look like Sadako. As you could tell from the image below, we had lots of fun during the production and the shoot.
In conclusion
Terrence Goh of Class 2017 MultiMedia & Animation Diploma (Interactive & Art Technology) wrote this learning journey.
Terrence is now in the army serving the nation. He is the co-founder of Yosei Labs and Eezee.com.sg
Other school reviews / learning journey by students: How to build a giant, Flashback in Time, My School Life.
