Academy Events 2023
Academy Events
1. Certificate in Teaching and Learning for Polytechnic Educators (CTLPE) Graduation Ceremony 2023
Date: 7 Jun 2023
Time: 2pm-4pm
Venue: Republic Polytechnic (RP)
On a rainy afternoon of 7th June 2023 at Republic Polytechnic, over a hundred polytechnic lecturers celebrated their successful completion of the Certificate in Teaching & Learning for Polytechnic Educators (CTLPE) at a graduation ceremony with their mentors, colleagues, and other well-wishers.
The Graduation Ceremony was conducted in a face-to-face manner, marking a significant milestone as it represented the inaugural instance of such an occasion since the CTLPE inception in 2019. The primary objective of this ceremony was to provide a symbolic culmination of the academic journey for the graduating cohort of CTLPE students by providing them a memorable experience. In addition, the event aimed to develop a strong sense of camaraderie and interconnectedness among the graduates from five polytechnics, thereby fostering a lasting sense of community within the CTLPE program.
In her opening address, Ms. Loh Chuu Yi, Deputy Principal from Nanyang Polytechnic, and Co-chair of the Joint-Polytechnic Committee to Enhance Teaching & Learning (JP-CETL) warmly congratulated the graduands on the completion of CTLPE and the start of their new careers as polytechnic educators. She also encouraged them to continue reflecting and putting into practice what they had learnt into their teaching.
Graduands Mr. Ameer-Alrasyeed Ramdan from Temasek Polytechnic (CTLPE Intake 6) and Mr. Aloysius Wee from Republic Polytechnic (CTLPE Intake 7) both reflected on their teaching journey in passionate sharings. Mr. Ramdan felt that their roles as lecturers goes far beyond disseminating information; they are architects of inspiration, builders of dreams, and sculptors of the future. He appreciated how CTLPE had ignited his curiosity to explore more strategies to enhance the motivation of design students.
Mr. Wee marveled at how rewarding he has found teaching to be after more than a decade in hospitality and in the culinary world. One thing that has struck him was that all students, regardless of age or generation, need acknowledgment or recognition of their efforts; this has guided him as he engages with students. Both wished their fellow graduands hearty congratulations and encouraged their classmates to press on their journey as educators.
The emphasis on learning was heightened through the inclusion of a panel discussion featuring Associate Professor Mark Chong from Singapore Management University and Ms. Iman Tang from Temasek Polytechnic, both recipients of multiple teaching awards. This insightful conversation on the topic of “How to better engage students in this post covid era” was moderated by Mr. Mark Nivan from Singapore Polytechnic.
Associate Professor Mark Chong shared how it was important to him to constantly try new things and challenge students, illustrating it with a recent instance where he challenged his students to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their academic work. Despite the unfamiliarity of AI to both the students and him, the endeavour proved to be a resounding success. AP Mark’s teaching philosophy includes actively engaging students by initiating conversations to understand their concerns and situations; this is important especially for students who initially show a greater resistance to active participation.
For Ms. Iman Tang, her satisfaction in teaching comes from helping students to reach their academic goals; this resonates for her particularly with adult learners who may have made sacrifices to attend lessons and complete their courses. She also reminded the graduands that it was important to continue learning new things themselves, and to remember what it is like when encountering novel subjects or situations, so that we may empathise with students who find themselves in similar circumstances.
The CTLPE graduates expressed appreciation for the panellists’ genuine and candid discussion concerning the challenges encountered in teaching and raised their own questions covering a wide range of topics such as strategies for fostering punctuality among students and seeking advice on effectively managing burnout as educators.
Dr Rajnish Gupta, Head of the Joint-Polytechnic Academy for Educators (JP-AcE), continued the focus on learning in his closing remarks. He told CTLPE graduates that the learning does not end with the end of CTLPE and urged them to maintain active communication and provide mutual assistance to their peers across various polytechnics, with the overarching objective of fostering a unified spirit among the polytechnic community. Dr Gupta also thanked the several groups of people involved in CTLPE across the polytechnics, as it really does take a village to nurture new polytechnic lecturers.
The event concluded with networking refreshments and festive photographs to commemorate the special occasion. Well done indeed, one and all!
CTLPE Graduation Ceremony 2023 - Intake 6 Graduation Video
CTLPE Graduation Ceremony 2023 - Intake 7 Graduation Video