I REFER to the letter "How can S'pore unis compete by hiring educators driven by money?" by Ms Ng Chiao Luan (my paper, July 11).

Ms Ng, who is a student majoring in statistics and applied probability at the National University of Singapore, highlighted her experience with a visiting professor who had taught her.

The visiting professor, who is a firm believer in self-discovery and independent learning, endeavours to encourage learning through class participation.

During his classes, students are encouraged to first present their solutions, followed by participation in a class discussion and, subsequently, the professor's explanation of how he derived his solution.

According to a subject evaluation conducted at the end of the last semester, the students accorded him a high score for teaching.

Based on feedback from his students, the visiting professor was clear in his explanations and very approachable for consultations.

Several students had even nominated him for the university's Best Teaching Award.

We would also like to add that visiting professors are scholars of high standing and are appointed based on strong references.

These visiting professors bring with them extensive experience and fresh perspectives.

These help to broaden students' exposure and add diversity to the overall education experience.

In addition, students who wish to seek advice with regard to their module or programme of study also benefit from the availability of various channels of help, which includes that of assigned mentors.

We empathise with Ms Ng and will be contacting her to explore how the department can assist her in the matter she brought up.

Professor Anthony Kuk Head
Department of Statistics and Applied Probability
Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore


For more my paper stories click here.