Critical Reflection

As a university student, projects involving report writings and presentations are very common, making Effective Communication an essential module. In the class I’m assigned to, I have managed to learn many things from not only my instructor but from my peers as well.

First, we were taught to create a blog, where we would post our assignments online and comment on each other’s work. Initially, I felt very doubtful of how the process would be like. After all, half of the class see each other only in this module and other lectures, so it felt awkward commenting on other people’s mistake. But this process turns out to be very helpful as I managed to learn what my mistakes were and how I can improve on it. I could also take a look at other people’s blog and learn the proper way to structure a sentence and more.

Through all the blog post I’ve have done, I have learned to be more critical of myself. Trying to make sure to read through a few more before posting to prevent as little mistakes, such as sentence structure, verb tenses, and grammatical errors, as possible.  

As mentioned in my previous post on Oral Reflection, I still feel that my oral skills have a lot to improve on and I believe as time progress, with more presentation opportunity, I would slowly but surely improve.

All in all, I don’t see myself with any strengths, as I believe I can still improve in both writing and oral skill, with what I have learnt through more practice. To further develop, I feel I can read more articles, listen to more news and learn from them to further enhance myself. 

Analytical Reflection - Oral Reflection

I’ve always thought delivering a presentation would be a piece of cake. But after the presentation to the class, I realized it is not as easy as it seems.

In the past, I always rely on slides filled with all the words I want to say. But after learning what are the do’s and don’ts for a good presentation from the links provided to us and the information gain from other classmates, I realized I have to change my way of presenting. Trying to memories is the largest hurdle I have yet to overcome, especially knowing I have a bad memory.

During the team’s practice prior to the presentation, as I listen to the team’s first presenter, I forgot everything that I tried to remember for my own slides. When the actual presentation came, the same problem happened as I listen to the team’s first presenter while looking at the audience. With an empty mind, everything just went downhill. I lost confidence in myself, frozen on the spot, unsure of how to explain, hence dare not to speak louder in fear of explaining the slides wrongly. I kept trying to catch a glimpse of the slides, resulting in the overdependence on the slides and insufficient eye contact.

During the preparation of the powerpoint slides, I was lucky to have the other 2 members, to guide me on how to make the slides more efficient and impactful, how to make use of images instead of text to capture the audience attention and make them listen to what you have to say. 

Lastly, I feel a vast improvement is required of me to match with the expectation I hope to achieve. To do that, I have to find ways to memorizing my points easier and practice how to present more often to prevent cold feet in the future. 

Commented on Azrie's, Lin Feng's, and Rafiana's posts. 

Reader Response - Draft 4 (Revised)

In the news release, “Trains on the North-South and East-West Lines Safe for Service”, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addressed the problems that it has faced and actions taken to resolve the issues in regards to the North-South and East-West lines trains. One of the problems mentioned was that battery housing flew open due to pressure. Secondly, cracks were also found on the draughtscreen of five trains. Operations of train services were not affected as these problems were rectified immediately. Lastly, hairline cracks were found on the surface of the car body bolster but as the cracks were impossible to repair, affected trains that were under warranty were sent back for replacement. To complete the rectification programme by 2019, LTA expressed that two trains would be send back at a time for servicing. Nevertheless, the completion date of the rectification programme is dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which are undergoing re-signalling. Even though LTA has presented alot of relevant information, there are still certain information regarding the need for repair and the contracts awarded in LTA’s article not been fully explain which made the news release incomplete.

The first reason that makes the news release incomplete was that LTA didn’t address the issue about why the situation wasn't disclosed earlier, considering this was the information that public want to be answered. The news was first publicized through a Hong Kong investigation news website, FactWire (2016), who captured multiple photos of affected trains being transported out of a train depot and at Jurong Port. The leak of the news caused an uproar as to why the information wasn’t made known to the public initially and only after the news been leaked. Lim (2016) reported, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said “if there was a safety issue, LTA would have gone public”, which leaves the question whether LTA has been hiding anything else from us. After that incident, LTA announced that multiple trains in both Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) line were found with cracks. The case for the 19 affected trains on BPLRT line was released just 2 days after the initial news release. The cracks were found by the maker of the train, Bombardier, during their routine check in 2015, and currently majority of the trains are fixed, through welding methods in Singapore (Tan, 2016). SPLRT trains were the most recent case, 2 months after the first press release. The defects were found during the countrywide inspection from the July incident. Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Japan, the trains were returned to operation on vary schedules; of 11 trains, six were back for operation while the remaining were expected to return by middle October (Tan, 2016).

Additionally, the news release is incomplete as the information regarding the new contract rewarded was not mentioned as well as the reasons for awarding both contracts to KSF. In light of the situation happening, Lim (2016) revealed KSF won another contract from LTA; in addition to the contract 151A KSF was awarded in 2009, just because LTA felt the problem was handled decisively. It was noted one of the criteria within the contract when selecting who to award to was the quality of the train (Lim,2016).  Interviewed by Lim and Siong (2016), a senior lecturer at SIM university, Dr. Park, explained that 7 years for repairs is too long unless there is any risk yet to be solved. This reasoning was further supported by Former Hong Kong Railway Corporation acting chief executive officer, who claimed the quality of the trains was under question due to the high frequency of issues (China Manufacturer for MTR secretly recalls 35 SMRT subway trains after cracks found, 2016). Interviews were reported with multiple former and retired SMRT staffs so as to present more detail on the situation. One claimed the need for replacement shown how grave the situation is. Another staff added on that one cannot expect much for the quality considering the cheap value of the trains (Factwire, 2016). Also taking into consideration how fast the LRT trains were being fixed as mentioned above, and being able to repair through wielding in Singapore, one might consider if LTA had acted too hastily with another contract.

In conclusion, while LTA’s article covered the 3 main concerns, it is considered incomplete due to the fact they left out several other information, including why the details about the faults weren't revealed by LTA earlier. The web page also failed to explain the quality of the trains and the reasons for the frequent recurrence of issues.

References:

FactWire. (2016). China Manufacturer for MTR secretly recalls 35 SMRT subway trains after cracks found.

Retrieved September 25, 2016 from https://www.factwire.news/en/MTR-securetly-recall.html 

Land Transport Authority. (2016). 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). Going public on train cracks could have caused undue panic: Khaw. CNA News.

Retrieved September 25, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/going-public-on-train/2950576.html

Lim, K and Siong, O. (2016). Defects on SMRT trains 'not safety-critical', to be repaired by manufacturer: LTA. CNA News. Retrieved September 25, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/defects-on-smrt-trains/2931802.html

Tan, C. (2016). US-made LRT trains also had cracks. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/us-made-lrt-trains-also-had-cracks

Tan, C. (2016). Hairline cracks found on 11 Sengkang-Punggol LRT trains. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/hairline-cracks-found-on-11-sengkang-punggol-lrt-trains

Technical Report - Executive Summary

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.

Technical Report - Emails

Letter of Transmittal

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 Facilities & Estate 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 Altered Company

Problem Statement + Purpose Statement

Problem statement

Water conservation is difficult in schools whereby there are many students and staff that uses the washroom, water cooler, cleaning and much more on a daily basis. The problem is that students and staff do not think water conservation is important for reasons such as they are not paying the bills and Singapore will always have enough water for all. With the upcoming new campus in Punggol, there will be more buildings that will be able to house more students and staff. This would in turn require more washrooms and water points leading to a higher water consumption. If students and staff do not change their actions and mindset about the importance of water conservation, it will incur higher water wastage and higher water bills.

Purpose Statement  

The purpose of this proposal is to instill a concept in SITizens about water conservation and help to reduce water consumption in SIT compounds. By doing this, the school will be able to save cost and also show that they are doing their part as there is limited water supply in Singapore.

Reader Response - Draft 3

In the news release, “Trains on the North-South and East-West Lines Safe for Service”, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addressed the problems that it has faced and actions taken to resolve the issues in regards to the North-South and East-West lines trains. One of the problems mentioned was that battery housing flew open due to pressure. Secondly, cracks were also found on the draughtscreen of five trains. Operations of train services were not affected as these problems were rectified immediately. Lastly, hairline cracks were found on the surface of the car body bolster but as the cracks were impossible to repair, affected trains that were under warranty were sent back for replacement. To complete the rectification programme by 2019, LTA expressed they would send two trains at a time for servicing. Nevertheless, it’s dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which are undergoing re-signalling. However, the lack of information given regarding the hairline cracks and the contracts awarded in LTA’s article made it incomplete.

The first reason that makes the news release incomplete was that LTA didn’t address the issue about why the situation wasn't disclosed earlier, considering this was the information that public want to be answered. The news was first publicized through a Hong Kong investigation news website, FactWire (2016), who captured multiple photos of affected trains being transported out of a train depot and at Jurong Port. The leak of the news caused an uproar as to why the information wasn’t made known to the public initially and only after the news been leaked. Lim (2016) reported, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said “if there was a safety issue, LTA would have gone public”, which leaves the question whether LTA is hiding anything else from us. Though after that incident, LTA announced that multiple trains in both Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) line were found with cracks. The case for the 19 affected trains on BPLRT line was released just 2 days after the initial news release. The cracks were found by the maker of the train, Bombardier, during their routine check in 2015, and currently majority of the trains are fixed, through welding methods in Singapore (Tan, 2016). SPLRT trains were the most recent case, 2 months after the first press release. The defects were found during the countrywide inspection from the July incident. Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Japan, the trains were returned to operation on vary schedules; of 11 trains, six were back for operation while the remaining were expected to return by middle October (Tan, 2016).

Additionally, the news release is incomplete as the information regarding the new contract rewarded was not mentioned as well as the reasons for awarding both contracts to KSF. In light of the situation happening, Lim (2016) revealed KSF won another contract from LTA; in addition to the contract 151A KSF was awarded in 2009, just because LTA felt the problem was handled decisively. It was noted one of the criteria within the contract when selecting who to award to was the quality of the train (Lim,2016).  Interviewed by Lim and Siong (2016), a senior lecturer at SIM university, Dr. Park, explained that 7 years for repairs is too long unless there is any risk yet to be solved. This reasoning was further supported by Former Hong Kong Railway Corporation acting chief executive officer, who claims the quality of the trains was under question due to the high frequency of issues (Factwire, 2016). Multiple former or retired SMRT staffs were also interviewed to understand more about the situation. One claims the need to for replacement shows how grave the situation is. Another staff added on that one can't expect much for the quality considering the cheap value of the trains (Factwire, 2016). Also taking into consideration how fast the LRT trains were being fixed as mentioned above, and being able to repair through wielding in Singapore, one might consider if LTA had acted too hastily with another contract.

In conclusion, while LTA’s article covered the 3 main concerns, it is considered incomplete due to the fact they left out several other information, including why the details about the faults weren't revealed by LTA earlier. The web page also failed to explain the quality of the trains, considering the fact that they awarded the contract to them, yet hairline cracks became appeared more frequently than before. 

References:

FactWire. (2016). China Manufacturer for MTR secretly recalls 35 SMRT subway trains after cracks found.

Retrieved September 25, 2016 from https://www.factwire.news/en/MTR-securetly-recall.html 

Land Transport Authority. (2016). 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). Going public on train cracks could have caused undue panic: Khaw. CNA News.

Retrieved September 25, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/going-public-on-train/2950576.html

Lim, K and Siong, O. (2016). Defects on SMRT trains 'not safety-critical', to be repaired by manufacturer: LTA. CNA News. Retrieved September 25, 2016 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/defects-on-smrt-trains/2931802.html

Tan, C. (2016). US-made LRT trains also had cracks. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/us-made-lrt-trains-also-had-cracks

Tan, C. (2016). Hairline cracks found on 11 Sengkang-Punggol LRT trains. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/hairline-cracks-found-on-11-sengkang-punggol-lrt-trains