Future Library. A design project by DXPD for SP library. April 2014 - August 2014
The cover page is the documentation of how the library space has used and experienced by the users. This photo documentation is conducted from 19 to 21 May 2014. The photos below are organised by the various locations within the library and at various timings. These compilation of photos provide understanding and insights of how the library is utilised.
Level 3 Study Area
1219 hours
19/05/2014
1704 hours
19/05/2014 1211 hours
20/05/2014
1559 hours
20/05/2014 1106 hours
21/05/2014
1358 hours
19/05/2014
1911 hours
19/05/2014 1307 hours
20/05/2014
1951 hours
20/05/2014 1249 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : There are less group discussions at this area, most of them study alone here.
Level 3 E-Ipod
1211 hours
19/05/2014
1703 hours
19/05/2014 1212 hours
20/05/2014
1559 hours
20/05/2014 1105 hours
21/05/2014
1359 hours
19/05/2014
1911 hours
19/05/2014 1307 hours
20/05/2014
1951 hours
20/05/2014 1248 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : The lighting determines the activity e.g. white light is preferred for studying.
Level 4 Magazine Area
1220 hours
19/05/2014
1711 hours
19/05/2014 1214 hours
20/05/2014
1610 hours
20/05/2014 1113 hours
21/05/2014
1403 hours
19/05/2014
1921 hours
19/05/2014 1310 hours
20/05/2014
1956 hours
20/05/2014 1251 hours
21/05/2014
1646 hours
20/05/2014 1114 hours
21/05/2014
20/05/2014 1252 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Students will move the movable furniture to their preferred position.
Level 4 Davinci Deck
1221 hours
19/05/2014
1712 hours
19/05/2014 1214 hours
20/05/2014
1404 hours
19/05/2014
1925 hours
19/05/2014 1311 hours
20/05/2014
1957 hours
Observation : Unless specified, students will use the space in their own way.
Level 4A PC Zone
1225 hours
19/05/2014
1708 hours
19/05/2014 1217 hours
20/05/2014
1605 hours
20/05/2014 1110 hours
21/05/2014
1409 hours
19/05/2014
1915 hours
19/05/2014 1322 hours
20/05/2014
1945 hours
20/05/2014 1246 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Students use the iMacs for leisure rather than work.
Introduction
Youth Report is a study of current youth’s cultures and lifestyles. The project is to uncover youth trends today so as to forecast what youths (Age range 17-25) would desire tomorrow. From MTV to Youtube, from Tower Records to Sound Hound, the evolution of technology has clearly changed the way youths engage with what’s trending. However youths’ digs and behaviours seems pretty consistent, always herding towards their preferred social groupings and subcultures. The other constant is that these social groupings are trendy and ever changing, delivered to them by evolving mediums.
1
Content Page Introduction
1
Youth Report Communication and Interaction
4
By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Bte Termizi and Nurfadlin Fazirah Bte Abdul Manaf
Music Experience
6
By Nicholas Boay
Youth Influence
8
By Liyana Bte Md Yunos and Yeo Shu Ming
Online Shopping
10
By Bryan Leow and Edith Ng
Learning Essays Grades and Stress
17
By Liyana Bte Md Yunos
Making O Level Choices
18
By Yeo Shu Ming
Singapore’s Education System
20
By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Binte Termizi
Exploration
22
By Edith Ng
Observational Learning
23
By Ong Zi Kai
Learning Through Questioning
24
By Elvin Lum
Learning Through Storytelling
25
By Siew Lee
Learning Through Adaptation
26
By Bryan Leow
Library Research 2
28
Concepts
SP Library Future Career App By Yeo Shu MIng
Magazine Rack By Edith Ng
Eliser Mobile App By Bryan Leow
Eliser DVDs Website
38 40 42 44
By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Bte Termizi
Read and Reward
46
By Nur Hazwani Bte Mohd Nasir
Interactive Partition By Elvin Lum
48
3
Communication & Interaction By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Bte Termizi and Nurfadlin Fazirah Bte Abdul Manaf
There is no denying that youth these days have their eyes glued to the screen of their smart phones. Everywhere you may go, you would always see at least one teen fiddling with their iPhone 5 or their Samsung S4 but a question comes into mind, what are they actually doing behind that small screen? Why are they so fixated with spending so much time on their phones? What is the big fuss? Smart phones open doors for communication and interaction between youths with the vast selections of apps available on their devices like instant messaging apps, game apps, and social media apps. With so much you can do with smart phones, is there any wonder why youths are so attached to them? Social Medias are the platform for youth expression, providing said youths with various means to express themselves. Each social media has almost all the same functions but catered to a different use or experience, for example, Tumblr, is built around common interest. You would mostly follow blogs that blog about K-Pop or one that supports feminism or if you are interested in art, you could find the blog of an artist you admire and follow them. It is all about indirectly interacting with people from different parts of the world with the same interest. Liking someone’s post means that you are
4
able to relate or agree with their statement, reblogging it means you want to share that person’s opinion or have it on your blog because you also relate or agree, replying to the post would be a more direct approach. Physical interaction is not the only mean of interaction though it is the most direct. Twitter gives off the idea of quick and real time information, due to the constant updates in their timelines which allow users to come across new feeds as fast as a few seconds. With the word limit of 140 words, users learn to keep what they tweet straight to the point, making the action of repetitive tweeting a normal thing as compared to long posts on Tumblr. This whole idea of thought expression Twitter makes youths more open about what they tweet, giving their peers a peek into how they are feeling that day or what they went through without directly asking. Youths Enjoy Bite-sized Information Information is also spread widely within a short period of time through the function of retweeting, favouriting and quoting. It is like seeing a tweet an article, you don’t have to read if if you don’t want to, simply by scrolling past. It is how short a tweet is that makes youths not mind reading through, seeing it only consumes little time
and is within the range of their attention spans. Once they feel like they would like to read more, they click the link that redirects them to the full story. All that can happen in just a few secondsreading the tweet and sharing it by retweeting. Getting information about celebrities and idols are to easy when you are on twitter because almost all of them would have one too. Youths enjoy short entertainment as much as information, taking the popularity of Vines into account. Vines are basically looping videos that have a time span of six seconds. It could be anything from capturing the moment where you scare someone to just relaying out your thoughts, doing stupid things like smacking your friend in the face for the sake of ‘ doing it for the vine’. Vine is widely used for a more humour-filled approach, basically the funnier your vines are, the more popular or even famous you get. Youths Like Their Privacy Facebook used to be the ‘in’ thing, if you didn’t have one, you were considered uncool or not up to date with what everyone was doing. It was such a big thing, a popular thing that it caught the attention of parents and the older generation. More than 11 million teens left Facebook since 2011, why is
that? because they have fled to other platforms like twitter where parents don’t roam. Youths want to be able to express and post whatever they want without their parents reading about it and knowing what they are up to. Maybe it’s because they feel that they wouldn’t understand or they want some freedom- a break from being nagged at and judged by relatives or the such. Youths can relate more to youths, that goes without saying and maybe due to that, they are more comfortable expressing with people who are able to understand them, get how it’s like being a youth living in 2014.
Out of 75 youths aged 17-25 Most commonly used Social Media Instagram
27%
22%
15%
Youtube
14%
Tumblr
12%
Skype
9%
Most commonly done activities Watch videos
27%
Post photos/videos
21%
Post status
18%
Chat Share news Comment
17% 11% 5%
Purpose of using the Social Media To kill time
35%
To interact
22%
Latest news/trends About friends Personal life
20% 14% 9%
5
Youth Music Culture By Nicholas Boay
Youth going to ‘live’ music concerts for music experience.
Rise of music streaming sites The birth of music streaming site had made the experience of music streaming improve tremendously, aspects such as the discovery of music and accessibility of music had been improved, it has also replace traditional CD players, and the cost of purchasing music had been made really affordable. With endless streaming time, this allow youth to summon music anytime and anywhere, music experience for youth had defintely changed significantly in these recent years. Bridge That Bring Most Music Together The music industry have millions of great music that are yet to be discover
6
by majority of youth, due to various factors such as the lack of advertising and overseas promotion. Many musicians are only popular in their country. In addition, many musicians lack finances, and find themselves difficult for their music to reach the majority of people. However, since the birth of many music streaming sites such as Spotify and Soundcloud, its user experience mainly emphasizes on discovering new music, it assisted youth in discovering many great music as compared to traditional medium such as radio or even Youtube (Although Youtube does promote new music, however it is not as effective as Spotify or Soundcloud). In the Dee Jay industry, many
popular Deejays such as Dj Fleg, Vinai ,etc, gain popularity due to their promotion of music on Spotify, Soundcloud or Youtube. Rise Of New Genre Due to the ever competitive music industry, many musicians also constantly create new music to appeal to the masses, while using Soundcloud and Youtube as their main promotion platforms, their music eventually reaches out quickly to the public easily due to the rising trend of streaming music in today music culture to experience music. In addition, most music in Soundcloud are very experimental, as it is an open sharing platform for both professional and amatuer musician to post their music
online, which resulted in the birth of new genre of music such as Trap, Chaos, etc, this provide a huge variety of music that cater to different consumer music taste. Access To All Kinds Of Music Youth now also have access to even amateur musicians such as homemade music covers that are uploaded on youtube, streaming music does not just limit to commercial and non commercial artist, even youths who simply make music out of passion.
More Than Just Audio Experience Experiencing The Culture As A Extended Music Experience The youths of today does not just listen to their Mp3 or simply audio experience anymore, they want watch music videos, visit entertainment portal sites, goes to clubs, as a form to enhance their music experience as well. Taking Kpop and EDM as case studies, youths who are a fan of kpop immerse their lifestyle around the consumption and exposure of kpop related material, such as purchasing of kpop fashion, music, posters, while also keeping updated about their idols and kpop related news by visiting forums, delicated websites and blogs. While youths who are a fan of EDM music, usually visit clubs and soak themselves within the environment of the club, and rock with the music beat at the dance floor,
while simultaneously listen to the music from the blasting speakers. Kpop experience Kpop Dedicated Website Youths visit Kpop dedicated website and entertainment portal to get to the latest gossips and scandals about idols, the movement and promotions of the next concert, CD album, etc. Forum The forum also serve as a platform for youth to hold fan meeting, to discuss their favourite Idol, etc. Discussing about Kpop with like - minded people allow youths to have a greater sense of belonging within the culture, while at the same time, able to keep thenselves updated to the latest movement of their kpop idols better, and lastly, to better organise movement to support their idol. Blog There are three distinct types of kpop blogs, confession blog, directory/listing blog, and general kpop blogs. Blog allow youths to read personal comments writen by bloggers and comment topics regarding about their kpop idol. Blogshop Allow youths to keep themself updated about kpop fashion as well as saving time to source it from shops and buy from the variety of choices provided within the website Social media Kpop artistes uses social media such as facebook and
twitter, to keep fans updated and promote about their latest movements, such as music concerts, fan gathering, CD promotion, etc. As most youths use social media, this is the easiest method for youths to source out information about their idols with the shortest amount of time. EDM experience Lighting The visual expression of the light in the club are very eye catching and it creates a very chaotic yet artistic environment for youths to enhance the clubbing experience. Sound Quality Loud and heavy bass that push through the air for youth to dance to the beat The effects and transition of music also affects the entire music experience for youth as well. Crowd Youth desire to club in an environment that is often crowded as this determine the energy level in the club. Themore people in the club, the higher energy and stimulating the environment is for youth to let themselves loose. Deejay Lastly, idolising of deejays are also part of youths music experience. Youths are willing to pay just to watch their favourite Dee Jay perform in the club. An example is Hardwell performing a gig in Zouk that cost about 120 dollars per entry, youths are are willing to pay to watch to his performance.
7
‘Self Expression’ As Part Of Music Experience Learning Dance In today youth culture, youth also want to experience music by being part of the music sensation. Such as Kpop, many youth learn kpop dance by teaching themselves or learning from dance schools in Singapore. Many of these youth can been seen at Scape area, learning and practicing the dance steps from the chereography of the music video. Dance Covers Dance covers by kpop fan group such as St.319, have been doing kpop dance covers, where they would imitate the actual chereography and dance formation, then dancing into their own version or of the similar version, while uploading to youtube. They would also wear appropriate attire for the songs and find a suitable location to shoot their music video. In addition, youth would also often showcase the dance cover in unique ways to express their own creativity. Music Covers Expressing oneself through music is extremely common within the current youth music culture. In Youtube, youth are playing all sorts of instrument, from the DJ turntables to the violin, to express their own creativity and their love for the song. Being part of this music culture and performing music covers is one of the popular method for youth to express their own creativity. The songs
8
most of the time consist of their own personal style and would differ slightly from the original song. Examples such as performing in acoustic, instrumental, rock and roll, funk, etc are all variations of how youth would covers different ways of the same song. Doing Live Recording and Music Editing Sometimes, youth would go through the lenght to do music cover with proper audio recording, then editing
it using computer software, of course included if they have the knowledge to edit music. In addition, there are also many amateur music covers on youtube itself. This shows how youth want to be part of the music experience and showcase their talent other than just listening and watching music videos.
Youth soaking themselves into the music experience in club.
The first ever Kpop dance competition in Singapore.
Youth Influences By Liyana Bte Md Yunos and Yeo Shu Ming
Youths are indeed very susceptible to both the positive and negative influences that society holds. With the increasing accessibility to the Internet all over the world, more and more youths are exposed to the different media as well as social media that glorifies certain behaviours. Such behaviours includes violence along with the abuse of illegal substances like drugs. Influence is everywhere. In fact, it is the effects of the many influences in our lives that defines the different paths we take in the future. There are positive influences and negative ones as well. Yet, as society becomes more advanced, such lines are often blurred and it is up to us to decide which is good and bad. During the teenage years, one is exposed to the world, with many events taking place at the physical and psychological level. Their vulnerability to these changes can affect them drastically, whether for better or worse, it is entirely up to the individual to decide. Slowly, the future becomes more daunting than the past and youths are forced to think about what they want to be in the future. There are many different types of influences that exist in the world today. Some of the influences that affect youths nowadays are traditional media, which includes TV, magazines and books, social
media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) as well as peer pressure.
the most. ‘What people think’ is the most influential factor in the choices one makes.
Hence, this report will focus on two case studies - Peer Pressure and Korean Pop (as an example of media influence) - to better understand how youths are influenced in the many ways and how it affects some of their behaviour.
Youths value the opinions given by their peers regardless whether it is a huge or small issue.
Peer Pressure Peer pressure is the most common influence in schools and it brings both positive and negative effects. However, it is usually the negative effects that are more apparent than the positive ones. Being in a time where society is judgmental and based their opinions on looks, the decision to be different and not follow popular opinions takes a lot of moral courage. While it means having the opportunity to break away from the typical stereotypes, it is the fear of the backlash that would occur when one chooses that path, which causes them to pause and rethink their thoughts. Teenagers in schools are greatly influenced by their circle of friends, or even their classmates. Their thinking, decision-making, behaviour, taste of food, fashion and even music are all affected by the opinions of the people around them. Even though these people are not even directly related to the teenager, their thoughts and opinions matters
One important difference between positive and negative peer pressure is that while the former pushes us to do something good or restrains us from picking up the bad habits, the latter pulls us away from the good or pushes us to do the bad things. Teenagers do this all the time, for the sake of peers, just because the crowd thinks it is the coolest thing to do. Negative Effects A negative outcome of peer pressure is where the decisions we make, affected by our peers, could turn out to be terribly wrong. For example, peers compelling you into making a choice to do something that you knew you would not enjoy but you follow along anyway, simply because it is your peer group suggesting. We may end up being unhappy, especially if one had picked a career that he did not want in the first place but took it anyway because his friend said so. Such influence, if not controlled, cause, the identity of the individual to be lost. As the more the individual follows their peers, they slowly begin to lose their own taste. They feel compelled to follow their peers, from their fashion,
9
music and even the food they eat. They began to believe that their peers are always right and these individuals have no control over what they really want anymore. Originality is lost and one can even forget the way he lived his life. Positive Effects By picking selectively, peer pressure can push one towards something positive. By looking at others’ ways of thinking, a teenager would feel encouraged to change theirs. For example, being surrounded by people who are studious and hard-working in their schoolwork can motivate the teenager to work hard as well and even change one’s mind-set. Positive peer pressure also exposes the youth to the world, by observing how their peers perceive situations, how they react in different circumstances as well as what they think about the things in life. The variety of human behaviour in their peer group lets youths reflect on their behaviours and know where they stand. Peer pressure can lead you to make the right choices in life.
Korean Pop
As of today, Korean music and culture have been all the rage amongst youths. Rarely could a day go by without anyone walking past a shop or sit in a Korean Restaurant blasting out Korean Pop songs or showing Korean Music Videos. Faces of famous Korean stars are constantly plastered on some shop displays, promoting the brand’s product. Fashion trends made popular by Korean Pop
10
stars became hot topic here in Singapore, with youths dressing up in shirts that profess their love for a certain group as well as accessories. Popular Korean dramas were exported to multiple countries and took up airtime on local TV, which were usually held by Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas. This in turn, caused widespread interest in the drama as well as Korea itself. The proliferation of K-pop music videos on YouTube also contributed to growth of K-pop, turning some videos into a global phenomenon with Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry and Girls’ Generation’s Gee, as well as the most recent one, PSY’s Gangnam Style. Unlike American artistes, who are only marketed as singers, actors or hosts, Korean idols are all around entertainers, performers, dancers and variety show stars. They are marketed in all ways possible, to spread the popularity of their respective groups. K-pop is also very strategic in its ways to appeal to a broader audience outside of the country, recruiting members from other countries as well as releasing songs in different languages. The incorporation of English into K-pop songs also gave it a universal appeal, with catchy little hooks that engages the listeners. Choreography is also release specific and stylized for individual bands, with different concepts for each promotional cycle, allowing for pervasive multi-media expansions. When not kept in check, too much of a good thing can
end up becoming a negative influence on youths, both on their finances as well as their way to thinking. Fan Culture As fans become more tech-savvy and armed with the many social networks, they are able to spread information and share comments regarding their favourite groups quickly and conveniently. Rapid development of communication and transportation technologies now enables fans to reach out to each other across time and space, leading to the formation of much larger, transnational fan communities. Idols also used social media like Twitter and Instagram to communicate directly with their fans, which keeps fans abreast of their latest activities. Youths strive to be as perfect as the image that had been depicted by the media through the consumptions of different goods. As youths spend more and more time keeping themselves informed of their idol’s updates, they sometimes may disregard other priorities that can affect their interpersonal relations with others. For example, in the way they speak as well as the way they spend their money on merchandises, causing much distress to their parents, especially when they are spending their parent’s money. Fashion / Endorsements Korean fashion also became very popular among youths, whom some are considered the trendsetters of the generation. Korean idols
are usually scrutinized by the media for their airport fashion i.e. what the idols wore while on their way to another country. It gives an impression to fans who wishes to emulate their idols as well, usually buying the bags of the same brand or the caps as well. Band t-shirts are widely popular as well, with an example being the ‘Wolf 88’ shirt, which was made famous by the idol group EXO. Endorsements are well-known as well, with brands such as Etude House, a Korean make-up brand, recruiting the likes of Idol groups, SHINee and f(x), to promote their products. Samsonite Red has also acquired actor, Kim Soohyun, who starred in the one of the best dramas this year, You Who Came From The Stars, to promote their latest line of bags. Fans are willing to fork out money to buy whatever merchandise that is related to their favourite groups, be it concerts merchandise, or make-up endorsement products.
11
Online Shopping By Bryan Leow and Edith Ng
Top Digital Trend Among YoutHS Online Shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. Online Shopping has been the top digital trend among youths so far. Some of the reasons why youths like to shop online includes having a wide variety and range of items, better deals, and no waiting in long queue. Despite the benefits and convenience, it is more widely used as a means of distraction, a way for youths to kill time, rather than a means of purchasing. INFLUENCE ON YOUTHS As the digital world of youths expand year after year, we get to see a rise in online shopping activity than ever before, as youths are seemingly more absorbed in spending time online, scrolling through items after items. The influence to shopping online is very strong these days because of rise of technology, where technosavvy consumers like youths are accustom to use it as a shopping tool. The rise of visual webs like Pinterest and Tumblr becomes repositories for shopping ideas, fashion tips and even wishlists - which became, in essence, user generated catalogs. Also, social media Impacts youth’s purchase decisions. It acts as a medium for businesses to share and promote their products. Because of these powerful tools that promotes Online Shopping, its influence
12
became very strong and is able to spread out to the youths quickly, making it into a digital trend. REPORT INTENTIONS By studying youths’ behaviour through surveys; 1. Name 1 to 3 online shopping site(s) that you visit the most 2. What is the ONE thing that you think makes a certain online shopping site the top choice to visit? 3. How many times do you visit an online shopping site per week? 4. What qualities do you find in online shopping? 5. How do you get to know most of the online shopping sites? and recording youths (4 girls, 4 boys) online shop, this report shall uncover youths’ Online Shopping behaviour as we sought to understand what is it about online Shopping that youths really like.
Online Shopping Statistics
Based on results from a survey conducted on 61 students aged 22 and below, this infographics will tell you about what online shopping mean to Singaporeans Youths.
The top favourite Online Shopping Sites
Visit Per Week
Qoo10 Zalora Carousell Steam 15% 7% 7% 27% 27% of the survey takers DO NOT have any favourite online shop Frequency of Visit of Online Shopping Sites Most youths shop less than 2 times per week or only when they need to, suggesting that
online shopping is not a habit, rather something youths do to kill time or entertain themselves. “Only shop when I need to�
Others
The attractive qualities of Online Shopping
The less important qualities of online shopping includes: quality of items, web interface and navigation, items up-to-date, popularity of website, ability to sell items, ability to share, and interesting website features
Youths are very aware of the prices and reliability which suggests that
youths will buy something if given the chance. How youths get to know of the Online Shopping Sites
Youths want
guidance from choices and opinion given by closed ones or majority.
13
Youth Online Shopping Behaviour
This infographics explain the findings on the behaviour of youths when shopping online based on observing recorded online shopping footages of 8 different youths. Youths like to be
persistently browse through large amount of visual information.
Youths like to seek
First things youths click
guidance What Youths are attracted to
Search
Categories to make
Search bars to filter the items
................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. .................................
................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. .................................
shopping a lot easier and provide pre-defined choices for them
................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. .................................
Categories Roulette
Lucky Draws and Game Coupons
Reviews from other buyers to assure customers of their reliability
Bestsellers
Sales and promotion to attract buyers
Item Info Reviews ................. ................. ................. ................. .................
New!
Persistent scrolling and browsing through loads of information
Youths normally purchase
Youths purchase
1 to 2 items
Fashion Items clothes,
shoes,
bags
incredibly short attention span. Youths have an
per month Youths shop for an average of
11 minutes per session.
.....
.....
......
......
.....
.....
......
x
item 2
x
item 3
5. Open many tabs of interested items
14
1 minute 20 seconds
Item Info Reviews ................. ................. ................. ................. .................
1. Scrolling and browsing through many items item 1
Youths spend an average of
per item they clicked on
Steps youths usually take when shopping online ......
Youths usually
shop for themselves
2. Finding cheap items
3. Quick view of product details .............. .............
x
6. Viewing product images
7. Reading more about the item via descriptions and pictures
Open link in new tab
4. Opening new tabs to view products .................................. ........ .................................. .................................. .................................. ................
8. Reading item reviews
Insights
Online Shopping is NOT a habit to Youths, but something that youths do to
kill time entertain themselves. or
Youths will
purchase
something only when they find it
affordable
and reliable. Youths have an incredibly
Youths seek certain
Youths want
guidance
from choices and opinion given by
closed ones or majority.
short attention span.
guidance when shopping online and like to persistently
receive large amount of visual information. 15
Essays on ‘Learning Today’
The following is a collection of articles written from our own perspective on learning. It started off with a mind map branching out on the various meaning of learning to us. We learnt new things every day through different kind of ways. In our articles, we individually discussed on how learning started since we were youngstarting from home to school and to our personal everyday life experiences. School served as a compulsory medium for learning since young. We discovered different methods of acquiring new knowledge that would be vital to us. Most importantly, we discovered ourselves through exploration and the skills that we gained had help to broaden our minds.
16
Grades and Stress
By Liyana Bte Md Yunos
Grades have been a vital part of every teenager’s life ever since they were young. Most parents would place much emphasis on the importance of having good grades in school, especially in Asian countries, where the grades you get defines the future you will have. Here, the nature of our education systems had created much competition among students, causing some students to turn that quest for perfect grades into an obsession. In South Korea, the education system had been much admired by the West, with some 80% of its high-school students going on to further education . Yet, much criticism had been aimed at the system for its apparent overemphasis on grades and the intensive studying students go through each day, just to ensure that they would be able to enter a top university in order to get a good job. Most students go through 12-16 hours of studying a day and even some went for ‘self-study’ sessions after their compulsory school lessons. Hagwons, institutions that specialise in teaching certain subjects, are essentials for every South Korean student. With such a high level of national interest in education, most children and teenagers feel very pressured at an early age. This system reaped many rewards though; South Korea constantly tops the league tables for mathematics and reading and is ranked among the top 3 in science. The huge investment in education had also resulted in an economy that achieved miraculous growth within half a decade. With brands like Samsung, LG and Hyundai being known worldwide, it is no wonder South Korea is an economic
powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with. This fixation on education though, also resulted in many ugly truths, one of which is the high suicide rates among youths, as well as South Korean youths being ranked the least happy, according to a 2011 survey . The pressure to do extremely well in school is so high that news of students committing suicide, are well-publicised in the news everyday, to the point where the Internet normalises it and makes some believe that it a perfectly normal way of dealing with hardships . They spend most of their days studying and this leaves little room for creative or personal growth. With the college entrance exams holding the utmost importance of deciding their future, there was no room for any mistakes. Here in Singapore, we could see bits of the Korean education system among ours, albeit less intense. Slowly, as costs of living increase, the pressure of entering a university and getting that degree to secure a stable job grew ever more significant. Yet in 2012, cases of suicides have reached an all-time high, with 467, a 23% increase from the previous year. Reasons for their cause were mostly stressful life events and interpersonal relationship issue, especially so for youths.
to suicide, we tend to not take people seriously when they say “I feel like dying”. In this society, expressing such thoughts would only label you as “that emo kid”. As youths, we are afraid of telling anyone what is really troubling us and we keep the pain inside, unsure of whom we can trust, and whom would really understand us. As this feeling builds up, and as we slowly began to run out of options, suicide suddenly becomes the only choice remaining. With the stigma that still surrounds mental health, what I would suggest the library could do would be to hold workshops where students could pick up skills to manage stress and build their resilience. Along the way, they could also hold talks that creates awareness of the stress affecting us. Holding an exhibition on the Level 2 Entrance Foyer would also help to reach out to students with an effective outstanding slogan to reach out to them. Counselling services in school are not well-known and thus, more publicity could be done to let students know that help is just around the corner and that they are not alone.
Yet, why do people commit suicide? I had friends who had considered committing suicide as an option to get away from the stress of studying. However, I doubt most of them would carry out that idea, especially in the off-handed manner they mentioned suicide. Unfortunately, with this nonchalance when it comes
17
Making O’Level Choices By Yeo Shu Ming
Students have 432 choices of courses to choose from after ‘O’-Levels
There is an estimated number of 432 choices that they can choose from when they graduate from secondary school depending on their certificate, and these choices are still increasing as the different schools are coming up with new diplomas or courses to provide more choices to students. But, how are they able to make the right choice in their education? Students are given approximately a week after they receive their O’ level results to make a decision on which school and course to go to. But, how are they able to recognise their own interest regarding their future career paths within that one week they are given? Sometimes parents will influence the child into possible career choices because that particular career has a better future or that particular career has a higher starting pay compared to others. It’s not always about the interest of the student;
18
their parents play a part in helping them make the decisions too. There are certain factors that actually affect their decision making. Important factors such as the reputation of the school, the student’s interest, proximity of the school and grades of the student all affects their decisions. No parent would want to send their child to a school that has a bad reputation as it might lead to bad influence for the child. Not all schools will be able to satisfy the student’s interest in certain fields as not all schools provide the same things. Students will not want to travel for two hours to and fro on a daily basis as it will be very tiring and time consuming. The grades of the student plays a very big part in what kind of decisions can be made, certain courses or schools require a certain grade to enter. All these factors can help them list out the possible choices of school.
Exposing the different choices to the students allow them to make decisions better. It gives them a sense of what is going on in the individual schools if they are exposed to them, it can even trigger their interest in the respective schools or diplomas. There are ways that can help them get exposed to the different environment of the school such as career counselling, talks and open house. Career counselling allows student to map out possible future paths and interests, thus allowing the teachers to help them steer their direction towards it. Talks and open house allows them to talk to people from the different field to share their experience with the students and they can inspire them to the different careers. The Library will be a great place for resources for making these choices. The Library provides a wide variety of books for students to understand more about the different schools and
Recognising their own interest may be hard in Secondary Schools. Photo from : http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/changes-be-made-primary-secondary-school-admission-processes
diplomas. The library can help in looking for resources for students in their respective interest and help them understand more about the different schools. The library can also provide counselling services to help students to recognise their interests and help them list out the possible diplomas that allows the student to pursue their interests. They can also provide a space in the library where all the books regarding the different careers can be placed; it will be more convenient for students to look for all the books they need to understand more about the different careers. Activities that provides interaction between students and the students in the different diplomas can also help them understand more about what they are going to learn more in the different diplomas, as students that are currently studying in the different diplomas have firsthand experience.
in making better decisions throughout a person’s course of life. Important choices to be made in education can affect their course of life, their future possible paths and how they are able to expand their career. Through recognising the different factors and exposures, students might be able to make a better decision on what they can do and what they want to do with their life. The library can help provide more resources for students to understand more about the different choices they can make.
In life, it’s all about the exposures. Exposure to different situations and environments will help them
19
Singapore’s Education System By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Bte Termizi
Standard classroom environment in Singapore’s education system
Singapore’s education system involves fixed subjects for students to learn in school. This system emphasiseson academic performance in grading students for their future pursuits. Students need to learn a fixed set of subjects according to this system. It is executed to prepare the next generation of Singaporeans for the future.
Similar to primary school, secondary school aims to expose students to many subjects to develop a broader outlook. There are Primary school education three streams in secondary aims to build every student’s school education – Express, confidence and desire to learn, Normal Academic and and expose them to different Normal Technical. It is normal aspects of learning in both for students to question academic and non-academic about the relevancy of the areas. Different compulsory subjects to them. They seem subjects in the curriculum form too constructive and hinder Ministry of Education (MOE) good grounding of content their aspiration to learn aims to help students to across different areas. The about what actually interest discover their own talent and three main compulsory learning them. It is to reach out to make the best of these talents areas focus on knowledge their understanding that this to realise their potential. They skills which develop students’ system provides wide range of aim to develop a passion for thinking, process and skills. subjects to shape their mind learning in students that last The subjects allow students with the basic knowledge of through life. Also, to develop to understand how the world the world. It exposes their skills, characters and values works and learn that they are minds to more knowledge amidst learning the basic widely applicable. In primary and constructs the way they knowledge of the world. school education, Physical think. This is where they learn Education (PE) and Cohow to learn. They discover Pre-school education aims to Curriculum Activities (CCA) their learning skills. They learn develop students’ characteristic are introduced. They aim to how to imply and intersect through learning. It emphasises instill social and emotional the knowledge into other on building up self-confidence, competencies and building subjects. It may be not in the exposing them to exploration, characters. Through wide range knowledge wise, but how regulate emotions, learning on of activities, students are able they apply the thinking skills. how to express and socialize. to explore and discover their It is about the synthesizing Compulsory subjects are interests and talent. of the information into other executed since pre-school subjects.
20
education. They are the main learning areas that contribute to a holistic development for students.
The Singapore Education Journey
Having a system where every student learns the same subjects emphasized on fairness. The only thing that differentiates them is their grades. Grades are the markings of how well they have learned and reflect on how hardworking they are. The competitiveness increases as the education level gets higher. The reason students learn in a competitive environment is because they just want to have the best grades for themselves. Academic grades are considered as objective measures of the students’ ability and effort, irrespective of their social background. Negatively, some students may state that poor grades result from lack of interest or weak understanding. On the other side, it does not necessarily mean that those who are able to do well in every subject means they are Interested in everything. Linking back to grades, they aim to do well in every subject to get a better overall result for future pursuit. Grades determine the place of their goals for schools, courses or job scopes. Those who do better, gets the better options.
Besides fixed subjects in the curriculum, CCA further nurture sounds values and good habits in students. Secondary education prepares student for their next stage of education. It allows every student to realise and discover oneself. With Institute of Technical Education, Polytechnics, Junior Colleges and Universities offers wider range of combination, students are able to choose what they are passionate for and pursue their interest in tertiary education.
problems in life. At the end of the day, it is about shaping up student to become useful individuals contributing country and society.
Working towards the aim, the system is about developing values through learning since their first step into education. It is about values and characters development in the stages of education. It is about gaining and equipped with knowledge underpinned by values. Learning many subjects makes a well round person. Knowledge enhances one as a person, which in turn contributes to society and a whole. Subjects were chosen to expose students to different areas and help them discover their capabilities and interest. Different subjects establish thinking pathways for many
21
Exploration By Edith Ng Exploration starts in the presence of curiosity. Curiosity exists in us, creating openness for learning actively. Exploration begins when something interests us or is simply just strange. Our senses are alert to changes around and we have this strong urge to find out about things we genuinely yearn to know. There are many reasons for exploration. Firstly, we can be encouraged to pursue learning even when there is no interest at first. Learning should not be viewed as a drudgery but should be made meaningful e.g science can be taught beyond facts and definitions by relating its usage to everyday life. Secondly, different forms of encouragement from respectable figures, mentors or idols can also instill interest in various areas e.g sport stars may motivate their fans to pick up the same sport. Thirdly, it is peer pressure that we start exploring. Most of us never like lagging behind in terms of trends and achievements. Therefore we learn for the sake of upkeeping with friends. Next, the desire for expanding our knowledge/skills is another good reason for exploration. The competitiveness of education has already been convincing us that we need constant improvement for deeper success. We see this in workplaces where there is a regular need for upgrading. Lastly, exploration when being self-initiated stirs us to take action for self-satisfaction and success. There are two main approaches to exploration. The first one is recognising a problem, searching for relevant information and developing a solution to
22
discover facts and new truths. Take for example, in the context of the library, students may not be aware that they are not utilising the facilities properly and there is a need to arrest the problem. The next approach is experiential learning. It is the process of making meaning from direct experience i.e learning by doing. In driving a car, the learner physically experience the car and he/she has the opportunity to consider what is working or failing. Subsequently, he/she will become a better driver. Exploration often results in many advantages. With exploration, every day’s learning can be transformed into interesting experiences such as interlocking corrugated board can be made tough to withstand weight. It also brings about problem solving and creative skills. Exploration makes us question to figure out things better and develops a sense of independence and lifelong learning skills too. The great take away from learning is discovering and acquiring new skills and knowledge. Moreover, it allows us to seek information which satisfies our innate curiosity. If there is no exploration, nothing will be acquired and experimented with. Design education shows the qualities and process of exploration. Design is all about exploring and creating new ways that will spark interest in people. There is a free play that helps promote or prompt curiosity. Design education structures the learning differently allowing us to express ourselves creatively. Mathematics, in contrast, is straight forward. If school adopts a different approach to learning mathematics
e.g more engaging learning environment like field trip activities, education can become more exciting. Learning in school has always been mundane and we can clearly relate this context to what is happening in our library. To most, library is a place only to read, study and to borrow books. We cannot change the meaning of what library is defined as but we can definitely change how learning can be in the library. From my research, I found out that most youths prefer things structured i.e things are organised for easy access. They also value opinions or reviews. Effectively, the library can capitalise on the popular digital technology by implementing the use of Ebooks. To attract students to explore, the library application, which will only be used in the library, can be redesigned to look like an online shop. Online shopping allows the students to explore as there are always many items to scroll through. The items are not in sight unless people scroll down the web page. It creates an element of surprise which usually keeps youth captivated and interested to keep exploring through. The application can be designed with a structure for easy and fun navigation around. The books in the application should definitely be categorised by the different courses for the students to explore more conveniently. Therefore, exploration is good as it satisfies natural human curiosity and promotes individual interest.
Observational Learning By Ong Zi Kai Observational learning is learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others, this is the most basic and innate form of learning. Albert Bandura, a psychologist who specialises in the field of social learning theories believes that humans are active information processor. This simply means that humans’ draws relationship between behaviors and consequences. Observational learning could not occur unless cognitive process was at work. So although toddlers lack the mental capabilities to thoroughly process information, there is a mental action of acquiring knowledge through their senses. Toddlers do not understand why they do a certain actions but they know that if they do it they will be rewarded and they will do it again for the reward even though they don’t understand why they are being rewarded. In 1961, Bandura conducted the Bobo doll experiment where a model beats a Bobo doll in front of children and later when the children is given a Bobo doll and other toys to play with they choose to beat the Bobo doll. This act of aggression by the model was picked up by the children even though they do not know why the model is beating the Bobo doll but they still do it anyway cause to them that must be the right way to react to the doll because an adult was doing it. Similarly children act according to how the adults in their household act everyday. If their parents were to get frustrated and use violence whenever a problem arises, chances are when the child grows up he will use aggression under the same circumstances. This is because they observe and learn that
this is the way to deal with the situation. Children are more likely to utilize observational learning subconsciously as it is the most innate form of learning but observational learning is not only limited to children, it is carried out throughout our whole life. Observational learning encompasses imitation as the individual might learn to deal with certain situation by reenacting another’s action. But if another fails to deal with a certain situation, the individual still can apply observational learning by processing the details, understanding what went wrong and come up with a solution. Other form of observational learning includes stimulus enhancement where individuals become interested in an object from watching others interact which might lead to object manipulation resulting in learning by trialand-error and goal emulation where individuals are enticed by the end results of the observed behavior and attempt the same outcome with a different method which might also result in learning by trial-and-error. Stimulus enhancement is most commonly observed in animals from canine to primates. Custance, Whiten, & Fredman, (1998) used “artificial fruit” to simulate the shell of fruit that must be removed by monkeys to gain access to the edible portion inside. In fact, demonstrators opened a latched clear plastic box in one of two distinctive ways. Observer monkeys showed a significant tendency to open the box by the same means as they observed it demonstrated. When trialand-error occurs, the cognitive process part of observational learning plays an important role as the individual must
be able process what is observe through the senses and recreate the situation in his mind using imagination and device a solution for it then he must take this imagination and turn it into a reality. Observation learning does have its limitation, as it only allows for people to learn from actions. Some parts of education such as mathematics cannot be learned just from observation, as it requires a lot of mental work. Observational learning is not often focused on in the educational system due to the fact that it is considered an innate part of our life and does not required teaching. But in truth, observational learning should be one of the focal point in our educational system due to the fact that it can allow for students to think on their feet by honing their skills in cognitive processing. Workshops could be held in the school campus that can allow students to pick up skills such as crafts or culinary art with hands on demo from a professional instructor, this will allow student to observe a professional live and observe the techniques. By have a live demonstration in front of them while at the same time doing the activities, student can emulate the instructor and they themselves can pick up or improve that skillset. In this way they can observe the key points from the instructor and adjust accordingly. Also school campuses should have a video archive for students to learn from as the ability to pause and replay the video allow for students to be able to pick up on key points by reviewing the video. This can be part of the library as the library can dedicate space specifically for viewing and borrowing videos.
23
Learning Through Questioning By Elvin Lum
Questioning is a basic way of learning when we are unsure about anything. It triggers our curiosity and this keeps us growing every day. Brilliant people never stop asking question because they know that this is the best way to gain deeper insight. Isaac Newton asked, ‘Why does an apple fall from a tree?’ and, ‘Why does the moon not fall into the Earth?’ By asking these kinds of fundamental questions they were able to start the process that lead to their tremendous breakthroughs. The great philosophers spend their whole lives asking deep questions about the meaning of life, morality, truth and so on. We do not have to be quite but we should nonetheless ask question about the situation we face. In order to gain more knowledge from the answer, there are things we need to notice when we ask a question. When we ask questions, we need to avoid asking a yes or no question because will most often get incomplete information. Instead, ask an open-ended question would compel a person to volunteer more information so that we can learn more from it. By using an open-ended question, we would able to get insights and additional information we might not have known existed. Questions with “would,” “should,” “is,” “are,” and “do you think” all lead to yes or no. Questions with “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “how,” or “why” lead to people giving some thought to their answers and provide much more information. Often they are not technically a question, but a statement which implicitly asks for a response. For example, instead of asking “Does reading help to improve language skill?” We can ask
24
“What are the ways we can do to improve our language?” This helps us to receive more information than just knowing whether our question is true or false. Open-ended questions may result in long, tedious answers. If we want to keep them brief or relevant, be specific when asking the question If the first question doesn’t provide enough information or we are interested to know more, always consider using follow-up questions. Unless we are looking strictly for the facts, there is some sort of assumption in the answer the person gives you. Ask them a follow up question such as, “What makes you say that?” or “Why do you think that?” would lead us to the real facts. Follow up questions give us insight and let us make our own opinions about things. Sometimes, when we are struggling to get the person to open up with broad openended questions, we can try to narrow down the questions first and then make them broader after getting them into the conversation. Show interest and encourage the other person to speak by smiling and nodding during conversation. If there isn’t a natural follow-up question, and the other person is still speaking, interject statements such as “Tell me more” or “Sounds interesting” to encourage the other person. This may make the conversation smoother and the information we get will be fruitful. Make an effort to listen to the answer we asked for. Start getting comfortable with asking a question, waiting for response, listening to the response and then waiting some more. Many times the person we are questioning
has more information and will bring it out when we wait for it. We have to be comfortable with that silent period before the dam breaks. People feel a need to fill the holes in the conversation and often they will then bring out the critical bit of information we seek. We must make sure to listen when the person is answering our questions. Asking the right questions is pointless if we don’t listen. Sometimes we are guilty of formulating the next question without paying attention to the answer to the first. We would miss great opportunities for follow-up questions if we did that. Learning continues with endless question because thinking is not only driven by answer but also question. To think through or rethink anything, one must ask questions that stimulate our thought. Good question will provide good answer so that we will able to learn better. Instead of telling someone something, ask them a question. Intelligent questions stimulate, provoke, inform and inspire. Ask smartly, learn faster.
Learning through Storytelling By Chua Siew Lee
Storytelling is a narration through words, images, drama, music, dance, comedy, and other forms of expression. It is a powerful communication tool to entertain, relate information, express view, share experience and connect with others. A well-crafted story transcends the audiences from the current environment into an interesting learning environment. When such ideology is deployed in the context of learning, the students are transported into an interesting and exciting reality that is conducive for learning. This motivates the student to work towards the goal. BBC created a 4-part documentary, which narrates the story of math. The documentary brings its audience on a journey through time and space to show the story of math. In the documentary, Professor Marcus Du Sautory talks about the creation and manipulation of math in ancient civilization such as Egypt. The subject is dry and boring, but through storytelling and computer generated graphic, he brings the story to life and transcended the audience into an interesting learning environment through narrations and computer graphics used. For example, I learnt that Egyptian invented a way to calculate right angle triangle and it helped them to build pyramid, the stories are told through computer graphics and narration which engage the audience and teaches the history and math at the same time. Lessons can also be taught through storybooks. Sophie’s World is a book by Jostein Gaarder, which explains philosophy through a story. The story is written in a creative and narrative method to captivate the audiences, connecting them to the lesson emotionally
instead of teaching a multitude programming techniques. The of small facts in textbook style. storybook uses illustration and animals which appeal to The story started with an kids. In addition, the books are ordinary 14 year-old girl simple to read, which help to Sophie Amundsen receiving make complex programming an anonymous letter asking into simple concept. This her “Who are you?” Through make it enjoyable for the kids the letter, she starts to to learn. In the digital age, question her existence from teaching through storytelling a philosophical perspective is easily executed through and eventually introduced to the Internet with videos. The philosophy by a middle-aged videos are on YouTube and philosopher, Alberto Knox. Google. Many videos are He went on to teach Sophie uploaded into Internet to on the history of philosophy. teach the lesson in a narrative Mixed within the philosophical method. An example of lessons in Sophie’s World, is an educational video is an a story which engages the ABC Songs for children on audience. As Alberto takes YouTube.In the video, the Sophie on a journey through alphabets are animated to the history of philosophy, from sing and dance music. Each ancient Greece, overthe Roman of the alphabets is made into empire, the Middle ages, the a character and introduces renaissance, the enlightenment, the words which they are the big revolutions and up to associated with. This is video today, they realize that they are generated over 41 million only fictions of a story writer’s, views on YouTube, as it is able Albert Knag, imagination and to capture the attention of its start conceiving a plan for audience. Even though the escaping into reality. Through video is 45minutes long and the story, the knowledge and the content are repetitive, the theories of philosophy are video engages its audience translated into interesting through songs and animations. narrations in the form of words. In summary, storytelling The techniques of teaching transcend the audience through story also apply into an interesting learning to kids. HelloRuby2 is a environment through creative storytelling book that is narration and computer created to make the learning graphics. Lessons can be of programming easy and taught through interesting appealing to children. The stories such as Sophie’s World story revolves around a little to make boring subjects girl Ruby and her journey interesting. They captivate into her little world when her the audience and leaded dad is traveling. She makes them to learn more. The same new friends in the story and methodology in creating an learning about the basic of interesting story for learning programming through the also applies to kids. Through journey. The story goes beyond storybooks and videos, which bits and bytes and teaches are vastly available on the the relationship between internet, storytelling engages the binary codes, if/else kids the same way. Lastly statements and arrays to kids. storytelling is powerful in Ruby solved troubles through delivering a single message. these techniques and make It can be used to attract the new friends in the story. Ruby audience to learn more with a illustrated the logic of different single compelling message.
25
Learning Through Adaptation
By Bryan Leow
When change happens, it throws people into uncharted waters, pushing them out of their comfort zone, creating stress, and diminishing their ability to work steadily. This makes people feel unfamiliar with what is happening and triggers an instinctive reaction from a primitive organ in the brain called the “Amygdala” to warn of dangers in unknown situations, instilling fear and anxiety in the person. Due to the importance of the Amygdala’s warning function, we are hardwired to trust it more than anything else, sometimes to very a radical extent; despite its inaccuracy in the modern world we live in where there is little physical danger. The chemical reaction in the brain results in a natural “Fight or Flight” response will then cause one to either respond positively by tackling the change immediately, or respond negatively by avoiding the change and being stagnant in their comfort zone. This biological trait is present in all of us, and it does not only happen to individuals, but to something as large as organisations as well. In the modern world, technology is advancing at a much quicker pace than it used to. To stay competitive, it is important for companies to learn and catch up with new technology and development, responding to such changes and adapt to thrive. Those who failed to catch up find themselves slowly dying out. A very good example of such a case is the success of Fujifilm and the fall of Kodak. Both film production companies rivaled very competitively in the 1960s. As technology advance and film becomes less used in the 1980s, both companies realised that photography
26
would be going digital, and knew that digital photography will be unprofitable, and they have to do something in order to survive. Kodak was complacent about their marketing capability and their brand despite its strength in research, manufacturing approach, and their good relations with the community; believing that they could go the easy way by simply relying on their brand to outsource or buy its way into new industries. This means that Kodak’s main framework did not change at all, causing them to be less flexible and must rely on their partners’ knowledge in order to survive. Fujifilm, on the other hand, realised the need to develop in-house expertise and diversified their businesses more successfully. They made a pre-emptive move of reconstructing their business model, spending billions and slashing costs and jobs, which was an investment to a longer-term vision that paid off despite the loss of profit at first. Fujifilm also expanded through applying its technologies in new areas. By knowing how film is similar to skin in terms of the chemical composition, they used their long experiences with their film-preserving chemicals and technology and applied them into cosmetics, leading to the launch of a new line of cosmetics called Astalift which developed more effective skin-preserving and skincare products that became widely popular. As a result of their actions, Fujifilm was able to survive on their own, effectively adapted to the collapse of industry that they used to work in, allowing them to continue thriving, while Kodak suffered a decline of shares due to the lack of
ability to keep up. How Fujifilm became successful in adapting was that they took the correct measures and learnt to survive the change; and we can analyse their successes and learn from them. It all boils down to accepting the change and taking immediate actions by stepping out of the comfort zone in a very realistic manner. In order to understand and accept the change, one has to gather facts about the change. However, it is not as easy as it sound, as one has to bypass the reaction of the very brain organ mentioned earlier that can stall us from adapting: the Amygdala. To counter the Amygdala’s effects, one has to learn to use logic to convince the Amygdala that there is nothing about the change to fear and manage it. To do so, one should ignore and stop their current thoughts and calm down. Then, start asking rational questions like “What is happening? What do I need to do? What am I trying to control? What is beyond my control? What can I do about this situation?”5 These questions help one to understand the change and the risks and impacts that the change will bring about, allowing one to evaluate the situation they are in. This allows people to gain control of the situation easily, forming a better perspective to apply solutions effectively. One should also evaluate on whether their current skills can help them, whether they have a skill or knowledge gap that may hinder their ability to adapt to the change, or whether they need additional training.6 These steps should be done habitually so that one is able to constantly understand the change. By doing this, one is able to
get a clearer view of what is going on and can make better judgement to adapt, rather than letting the Amygdala do the job, which can cause chaos. By taking this step-by-step approach to finding the cause and the solution, one learns to evaluate the situation, how to tackle it in a rational and effective manner, and how to think objectively. As this becomes a habit, one can be better at managing the Amygdala, which helps one to learn how to become better at managing their life in the future. After understanding and accepting the change, the next step is to take action to adapt. Depending on the situation, one can take different types of actions. However, many people may find it hard to actually begin adapting due to them being in rather new situation. This is where one needs to step out of their comfort zone a little, into a zone called “Optimal Anxiety”, where our stress levels are slightly higher than normal. This is where one starts to challenge themselves within an environment of moderate stress and anxiety, which increases their adaptability greatly as they are not being thrown into the deep too quickly but are adapting near their comfort zone, allowing them to slowly but effectively adapt. The tricky part to enter optimal anxiety is to create a mild level of anxiety, which is high enough to keep one feeling anxious, but low enough to not cause unwanted stress. One can start by setting some goals that can generate that level of anxiety to push themselves. The goal must be specific. One should know what exactly they want to achieve at the end of the activity
by answering questions like “What do I want to achieve? How do I do it? Why do I need to do it?” It must be emphasised that the answers from these questions must be achievable and realistic, and not too far beyond one’s current capabilities, or else it will defeat the purpose of the goal. The goal should also have a clear time frame with deadlines so as to create pressure to finish the goal. One can start by adjusting the goal to be something one is more familiar and comfortable with, then slowly increasing the intensity as they progress. Once the goals are set, one has to simply start on their goal immediately. As the goals are clearly set, one should have no problem following it, and as they progress on, they will slowly gain the momentum to continue. As one gets more used to goal-setting and channelling their anxiety, one will find it a progressively easier task, improving their ability to enter Optimal Anxiety. The Optimal Anxiety zone will then be pushed further out as the old zone becomes part of one’s comfort zone, allowing them to be more adapted to higher level of stress in the future. With an ever-expanding comfort zone and an everpushing optimal zone, one gets to constantly adapt, learn more and achieve greater things in life.
27
LIBRARY RESEARCH
Library Research is a study of etiquettes and behaviour of students in SP library. We conducted a research at the library to understand how students interact with the library. Interviews, observations and surveys were conducted through a period of 8 weeks. The findings are not only just based on the books, magazines and facilities available, but also the ease of access to the library resources. During these 8 weeks, we discover the areas of positivity and negativity that can be changed and improved on. From the research, insights were then extracted out to conclude our design direction.
28
Library Observations Images taken at 25 different locations in the Main Lending Library Venues: Main Lending Library Colours, level 1, level 2, level 3, level 3A, level 4A, Da Vinci level Times: 10am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm Dates: Monday to Wednesday, 19th to 21st May 2014
MAGAZINE AREA
Students do not use the magazine area for reading, but rather for sleeping or resting.
BAGS
Students like to establish their own space by placing their bags on the table, and tend to prefer the accessiblity of their bags over etiquette.
REARRANGING FURNITURE
Students will move and arrange any furnitures to their liking as long as they can be moved.
FOOTWEAR
The environment at the Da Vinci level make students feel that the space is clean and homely, thus making them feel comfortable to take off their footwear.
SLEEPING
Students who are seated on cushioned seats are more likely to fall asleep. 29
Programmes and Activities Case Study: Author Sharing Venue : Colours Social Space @ Main Library Date: Thursday, 22nd May 2014 Time: 12 - 1pm Introduction The purpose of this exercise is to observe how a programme would usually be conducted by the library. Areas that were looked into were the attendees to the programme, the environment, the response to the talk as well as the observations that we have made. It is with this understanding of the program that we are able to come up with insights on how such events could be better improved, providing a positive experience for all that is involved. About the Programme Casey Chan, a designer with a decade of experience and the author of Three Little Pigs Lah, was invited by the Library to conduct a sharing session on his book which was part of his studio practice. The programme was promoted through the ELISER website, in the Happening page, under the Latest Talks tab. Posters were also set up near the librarian counters. Emails were also sent to all students to notify them of the event through either personal email, or their iChat.
Figure 1: Promotional poster used
Sample size: 20
Survey Have you attended any events organised by the library?
Were you informed of the events that were happening in the library?
No 75%
Yes 93.75%
Yes 25%
No 6.25%
How were you informed of the events that were happening in the library?
Personal Email 12% Peers 12%
Posters 29%
Factors that you would consider before attending an event Freebies 68.25%
iChat 47%
30
TIme 6.25% Interest 25.5%
Observations The talk was held during lunch hour and every table was occupied in Colours. An estimate of 60 students were present before the talk began. Some were busy doing their respective projects while most were using their laptops, with half of them doing their own work instead. Interested students were told to RSVP by going to the link provided by the Library prior to the day of the talk. However, from what we observe, only two students turned up. Figure 2: State of Colours at 12:03pm
Response As the place was crowded, noise level was high. The speaker’s voice, even with the help of the microphone, was barely audible from the back of the space. Out of the 60 people present, only five, excluding the people directly in front of the screen, were really listening to the talk. Figure 3: Students listening to the talk
At the end of the talk (12:53PM), students and staff are told that they could buy Mr. Chan’s book at a special price of $10, down $6 from the original retail price. They could also get their books autographed by Mr. Chan himself
Overall From what we have observed, we do not think the talk is considered a success. We feel Colours is not a suitable place to hold a talk, even though we can understand that the Library’s intentions were possibly to reach out to more students. Unfortunately, in wanting to gain more students, the Library have also neglected the feelings of the speaker that was invited to the talk.
Figure 4: Casey Chan speaking of his book
Insights
#1
Location of where these events are held are important to provide the appropriate environment that is comfortable for the people attending along with the speaker as well.
#2
Students are aware of these events, but there is nothing to attract them to the events unless there are free stuff that will be given out.
31
Magazines Section
sample size: 30
Students we interviewed Year 1 46%
Year 2 20%
Year 34%
Types of magazine they read Science 57% Music 26% Design 10% Self motivation 7%
People who know about the magazines in SP Library
Why do students do not read magazines in SP Not interested 40%
Yes 60%
Prefer Online 30%
No 40%
No Time 20% Inconvenient 10%
sample size: 30
Comics Section Students we interviewed Year 1 46%
Year 2 20%
Year 34%
Students who know about the comics section Yes 73%
Types of comics students read
Why do students not read comics in SP
Others 16 Not interested 60% Manga 9 Missing volumes 23% Marvel 3 DC 2
32
Not up-to-date 17%
Books and Ebooks
sample size: 100
Courses of surveyed individuals: as compared to SP student population
31% CLS
3% 0% 4% 17% SB CASS ABE SD
31% 6% 1% 4% 3% EEE MAE SMA DMIT PFP
14% CLS
18% 4% 9% SB CASS ABE
100
5% SD
20% 14% 6% 10%` EEE MAE SMA DMIT 15878
Percentage of students who borrowed SP Library books before
58%
of students DO NOT know that they can borrow Ebooks
Reasons 41% for School Work 28% for Interest 23% for Entertainment 5% for Recommended 3% for Popularity
22% Rarely visit the library 19% Don’t find the need to borrow books 15% No time to borrow books 14% No interest in borrowing books 13% Don’t read books 10% Lazy to borrow 7% Don’t know how
Use Eliser 23%
90%
of the students NEVER borrowed an Ebook the SP Library E-book
Do students prefer E-books or Books?
Book 61%
their book
Ebook 39%
56% feels better 16% better for eyes 11% 7 easier to read 8% more detailed 4% portable 4% wider variety 1% not distracting 43% convenient 30% easy to access 20% portable 7% good to read on
Ask librarian 21% Self-browsing 50%
Ask friends 6%
Have you used Eliser to find a book?
36% Yes
No 64%
95%
of those who used Eliser says that Eliser is efficient
Devices student read Ebooks on
48% Tablet big screen easy to read
30% Computer big screen easy to read
22% Phone convenient handy
33
Book Arrangement that Attracts People
People get more attracted to take a look at the book when title is more visible (Books cover facing them) Book titles are very important. They serve as first impression that will capture someone’s attention.
Books stacked on top of each others attracts people because it seem like there are overflowing of books which make them seem more popular. Warm lightings help people interact with the space better, conducive environment for people to want to read (Gives people a homely feeling).
34
Resource Finding Interview Bookmarks
Do you know what are the bookmarks for?
Has some ideas 45%
Yes 20%
Do you find the bookmarks informative?
To an extent 35%
No 35%
No 40%
Insights
Would you use bookmarks?
Maybe 25%
Yes 25%
Yes 25%
Most students have no idea what the bookmarks are for. Some do understand what they are for but would only use them once. Most students were also given these bookmarks but never understood what they were for, hence never used them.
No 50%
35
Spaces
sample size: 66
Courses of surveyed individuals:
as compared to SP student population
32% CLS
8% 4% 4% SB CASS ABE
9% SD
21% EEE
3% 17% 2% MAE SMA DMIT
14% CLS
18% 4% 9% SB CASS ABE
42% 32% 26% Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Activities
6% 50% 22% 14% 8% Study Play Borrow Printing Sleep Work Slack Read Projects
Visit to the Library
28% 2-4x /wk
27% 1x /wk
25% 13% 5% 2% Wk Incon- First Once days sistent time month
Liked Areas
9% 10% 18% 16% 13% 10% 9% 9% 4% Lvl 4A Lvl 2A Lvl 3 Colours Lvl 4 Movie Hot Lvl 3A Lvl 2 PC DaVinci or shot Game & Rental Printing
36
20% 14% 6% 10% EEE MAE SMA DMIT
15878
66 Year
5% SD
2% Court yard
CONCEPTS
Concepts are our design ideas that ought to solve or improve the SP library. After analyzing our research, we derived various insights and reinterpret them according to our own opinions. Not only the library research but for some of us, our essays became the basis for our concepts as well. Prototypes and test runs were carried out to ensure that they suit the purposes of the library users and students. The objective of our concepts is to bring a new and improved experience for them with the recent trends amongst youths.
37
SP Library Future Career App By Yeo Shu Ming
RESEARCH Secondary school students often do not know about what they are interested in for their future career paths. On the day secondary school students receive their O’ Level results, they are not only receiving the certificate. They are also given time as little as 5 days to make a choice out of the 432 choices that are given in the JAE booklet. They would also have to consider the different factors when they are choosing the different schools as it will affect they future career choices. Factors such as their parent’s opinions, the salary of their future career, the reputation as well as their own interest as well as the education that will lead them to their desired career. All these choices, factors and limited time results in problems such as students not being able to choose what they really want and what they are placed into may not be what they develop interest for. Based on a survey done on the SP library, more than half of the SP students have not borrowed resources from the library at all. Through using the library resources to help introduce the different careers and their information to students to help them better understand.
38
Description By using the Library as a Resource Centre to create an application to help students understand about the different careers and the prospects of the different courses. The lecturers are also involved in helping the library update the relevant resources for the different courses through recommending books to the library. Through using the lecturer’s knowledge about the courses as well as their career paths, to update the application and recommend books to students to help them better understand about the different careers. There are two different interfaces for this application, the lecturer’s interface and the student’s interface.The lecturers will be filling in the information of the different careers on a form that can be found on the ELISER website. Through this form, they can write a short summary of the career, the skills and qualifications required, the related companies, and the books recommended. The library catalog will help the lecturers identify the different books as the books are already sorted into the different categories. The student’s interface is based on the SP app that can be found in the Apple App Store as well as the Google Play Store. Students will have to type in their area of interest to proceed to the page where all the information is located and they are then able to explore the different resources and careers.
39
Magazine Rack By Edith Ng
RESEARCH Through a survey done in the library, the percentage of students who borrowed SP library books before was only 33% out of a sample size of 100 students. And the main reason why these students borrowed the books was because their lecturers told them to do so. Also, after several observations over 3 days in the library, many photos we gathered showed students using areas meant for reading for resting. It brought to our attention that students were not reading enough books. Therefore, to arrest this problem, i decided to focus on the magazine area at level 2 of the library to go about my project. The reasons why were firstly, throughout the different time and day, the users in the library tend to hang around that area. Secondly, magazines are fast source of information, little words yet very informative. Thirdly, through my observation at Kinokuniya bookshop, I recognised that people get attracted when books covers were facing them. And because magazines are attractive and illustrious, my decision for the design direction was to promote magazine reading among the youths. I got my inspiration for my design from my youth report on digital trend, most popular being online shopping. First, when a youth visit an online shopping site, the first thing is to scroll through the page. Next, they will enter the category they like and search through the items. A new tab will be opened when they select the desired item. Likewise, in magazine selection, I hope that youths would follow the same process. My next inspiration was from instagram, another popular digital trend. I borrowed the idea of how instagram lay their images, the focus on one picture at a time and also the comment section that they got.
Image: The image at the left shows the whole structure of the magazine rack. Each individual rack is to be used for a particular category of reading. The other image at the top right is a zoomed in version of one frame. Each frame comprises of a rectangle piece with the centre cut out to form a protruding stand. At the bottom right shows the picture of how people can write comments on the glass panel pasted on the rest of the stand.
40
Main Image: This image shows how the racks are being used in the context of the library.
Description The magazine rack is modular in system, with the frames stacked on top and joined at the side by clips. Each framed is designed to make the magazine look photoframed yet in 3 Dimensions. Also, the special part of the frame is the cut out of the board behind to make the magazine stand. This allows the frame to still be a whole piece as there is no additional materials used. The frames are all slanted in different angles to give users the feeling that he/she is only focusing on one frame, like how instagram always emphasises on focusing on one picture. Also, two little torch will be hung on top of each frame, providing an experience similar to a gallery walk. Users can leave a short and preferably sweet message using the chalk marker provided on the plastic board mounted on the magazine stand. The message is erasable so they can either choose to retain the previous message written or customise with something else. The magazine racks placed in the library will be categorised according to the theme e.g Business, Science. Fashion...And the headings will be placed on top of the racks.
41
Eliser Mobile App By Bryan Leow Ee Kwang
RESEARCH Youths are very mobile-oriented nowadays as technology rises. This can be seen from youths using their mobile phones almost everywhere. Research was done to find out what youths are always doing on their mobile phones, and I found that the most popular activities youths do are to go to social networking sites and to shop online. I decided to focus on Online Shopping since it is something that is less studied. After conducting a survey about online shopping on 61 youths aged between 18 to 22, and shadowing 8 Singapore Polytechnic students to observe their online shopping habits, I gathered some insights that explains why youths are so interested in online shopping. The main attraction that online shops offer to youths is that it allows youths to constantly browse and scroll through numerous items. This satisfies youths a lot as it allows youths to kill time, and at the same time entertaining them by allowing them to browse through what they are interested in. There are also a few main things that youths look for in an online shop. Firstly, youths like to browse through fixed categories, as it offers youths a selection of items that are already grouped, making it convenient to shop. Secondly, youths like to read reviews, and tend to value affirmation more than prices of items as they only put their trust in products that received high ratings.Thirdly, youths value the opinions of people they are closed with, or any authorithy figure, and will most probably listen to their recommendations of items.From another survey conducted in the Main Lending Library on 100 students to find out the students’ usage of library books and ebooks, I discovered that 67% of the students do not borrow books at all, and 64% of the students do not know Eliser, the school’s library website despite its convenience and benefits. Knowing the potential of the library portal, I am keen to promote Eliser and redesign the library’s mobile app using the insights collected to make it attractive to students.
42
Description The Eliser mobile app is redesigned with the intention to look like an online shop so as to make it more attractive to students. Other than the new layout, I also designed new functions to make students want to use the app more. This is done by bringing lecturers into the picture, where lecturers can now recommend library resources to students. Lecturers can then highlight and write notes on library resources and upload them to the app so students can download them to read, making learning easier and faster. The front page is designed to look like a book shelf with some featured books in categories so students knows that it is a library catalog when they first see it. Students can immediately browse through the front page like an online shop without the need to log in, and can also use the search function to search for books. At the bottom, there is a pull-up panel that allow students to access more functions. After sliding the panel and logging in, students can view lecturer recommended resources grouped according to modules, view reserved books, loans, notifications, history, and be able to access services like renewing books, returning books, and booking rooms. So how does the system work? Firstly, lecturers can borrow a book that they find interesting to share. Eliser can recognise lecturers’ accounts when they borrow a book, which gives them the privilege to annotate on the library resource. Lecturers can highlight key learning points and write notes to help students learn better. Then, the lecturer can upload their annotations, which can be downloaded by students. The lecturer can also send notifications to the classes to notify them of the shared book or annotations, where the students can then borrow them to read. Overall, this provides a win-win situation to all three parties, as the library resources can be well utilised by students thanks to the lecturer, while students can learn better. 43
Eliser DVDs Website By Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Binte Termizi
RESEARCH DVDs section is one of the most popular places in the library that SP students go to during their free time. With a large number of DVDs and genre available, it certainly is a choice of medium for students to relax and enjoy. The DVDs serve as both educational and entertainment purposes. From our library research, we found out that despite the DVDs section being one of the well-utilised sections, there are still some areas that need to be improved on. The issue is that it takes a long time for students to browse through the DVDs due to the disorganised arrangement of the DVDs. SP ELISER is the platform for students to have an easy access to the library. Having that, it is a great start to work on the SP ELISER DVD website to create an efficient and easy browsing and borrowing of DVDs, Furthermore, youths are technologically inclined. Thus, an online platform will create a fast accessibility experience for the students. Further researching and understanding about youths, we found out that social media platform such as Instagram and Twitter are the most popular amongst youth. It is due to the bite-sized information where the scrolling gesture allows youths to obtain a lot of information within faster. Also, online shopping has been a popular trend amongst youth due to its efficiency and attractiveness. Understanding the values these social media platforms have, those essences are implied into designing the new SP ELISER DVD website. Understanding the values these social media platforms have, those essences are implied into designing the new SP ELISER DVD website.
44
Description The home page of the SP ELISER website is as shown on the next page, where the main attention is the animated slides of the new titles of DVDs available. Going into the DVD page itself, the genres available and featured DVDs titles are arranged in the display order inspired from Instagram. The featured DVDs are those unpopular titles which are both educational and entertaining. The display is such to promote these unpopular DVDs title to the students. When a genre is clicked, it goes on to the genre page where the titles are arranged in alphabetical order. Instead of words, the images of the DVDs’ cover are used. This is implied from the essence of Instagram and online shopping where youths scroll through images and will click on the images that attract them. When a DVD title image is chosen, it goes on to the title page and there, an automatic trailer will be played. Just like how online shopping works, the details on the title are in the white box. The details such as summary, availability, code number and borrowing functions are featured in the white box. One of the functions that are crucial to the whole of browsing and borrowing experience is the ‘pick-up this title- service. This allows students to obtain their DVDs faster where by clicking this, they can choose from which library do they want to pick the DVDs up. The next step is just to go to the library counter, give their identification card and there, they will have the DVD. With the improvised DVD website and emphasizing on the new feature of pick-up service, it gives a fast and efficient browsing and borrowing experience for the students.
45
Read and Reward By Nur Hazwani
RESEARCH The magazine section at Level 2 in SP library is one of the areas to work on. Based on the observartions conducted by the library team, students are not seen with magazines are that section most of the time, and the only group of users reading the magazines are the staff. Especially during break, students could be seen resting (sleeping) on the lounge chairs or using their electronic devices. The space meant for reading has turned into a resting area and it is not being utilised properly. According to a survey conducted (sample size: 30) consisting on 46% from Year 1, 20% from Year 2 and 34% from Year 3, 40% of them do not know about the magazine section in SP library. This is considered quite a huge number. Most of them also do not read the magazines in SP as they have no interest in them while some of them prefer the convenience of online magazines. Some of the surveyors who said that they do not have interest do not actually bother to browse the magazine section in the first place. A handful said that they feel that magazines in hard copy are inconvenient. The insights derived from the research was that some students do not find the magazines in SP appealing enough and they do not use the magazine section for its intended use. The library takes in 50 new books/magazines everyday. With so many resources provided but so little readership, how can we promote magazine reading among youths?
46
Description A youth research about youths’ popular social networking sites was conducted and the two most popular sites are Twitter and Instagram. What makes youths hooked onto these sites? Firstly, social networking sites are forms of fast information. For twitter, youths could receive the news they want easily by browsing the current trends or visit the relevant profiles in a short time. They also do not mind reading many small chunks of information compared to a large information at one go as it is more difficult to digest the information. Taking inspiration from Twitter, I decided to do an experimentation on the magazines by summarizing a part of the magazine into a short sentence that would capture students’ attention. The experiment was then implemented into a mobile app. This mobile app is inspired by Twitter’s interface. Students can read the gist or the key points of the magazines through the app and without actually having the hassle to browse through the magazines. When a certain magazine has captured their attention, they then can proceed to visit the library to borrow it, Another function of the app is to see or post reviews of the magazines. Similar to Twitter, the reviews can be seen on the home page of the app. Users can also browse through reviews of the magazines via categories such as popular magazines or according to relevance by school, This app hopes to make reading magazines experience easier for the students and get other students connected to influence them to read magazines as well, 47
Interactive Partition By Elvin Lum Yee Jun
RESEARCH From our observation of youths behaviour in the SP Library, we found out the youths tend to have certain kinds of habit while using the spaces in the library. From the picture shown below, the student place her belongings on the table beside her instead of leaving it on the floor or putting it behind her. The student has taken up two table spaces, creating a barrier so that others will not be able to sit next to her, as she tries to prevent others from disturbing her. From the observation, I found that everyone need their personal space, especially when focusing on their work. When other students are looking for seats, they will find a seat where both sides are empty because there will be more space for them to use and they feel more comfortable when distanced from others. If a row of table is seated with a stranger, they just simply go away and study at an empty table instead. An interview is conducted on 10 students to find out the reason behind this. We discovered that this behaviour is due to the students feeling uncomfortable to ask the others to remove their belongings, and they rather find another space outside library to study. The interviewed students mentioned that they will not sit at a row with a stranger even when there are available spaces, unless they are studying during the exam period as everywhere else will be occupied and they have no choice, as the students also feel very uncomfortable to sit beside a stranger. This issue causes an underusage of available spaces, leading to wastage. In regards to all of the observation and insights our team had researched on, I strongly feel that SP library needs a dedicated space for student to study, especially student who wants to study alone in the library.
48
Description The idea is inspired by the layout of desks in an office. The tables are arranged in a staggered order, whereby the tables are not joined to each other at their sides. This makes the division of spaces between each table more equal for each user. Partitions are added on both sides of the tables, along side with the new arrangement to completely block away the user from the others so that they can focus on their works without any disturbance. The partitions are made of plywood due to its sturdy structure, covered by felt with sponge fillings for a soft outer skin. This serves the function of pinboard for the users to pin up their notes on their sides. With this, the users are able to refer to their notes while studying in the library. This solves the problem of insufficient space, while also blocking other people out of the user’s sight. Different from the general pinboard which made of cork, this pinboard partition which covers with felt and sponge fillings creates a haptic experience for the users. It is user-friendly and soft to touch. Besides, the soft material also helps in noise reduction. Other than that it is very durable and will not get dirty easily. The partition cover is able to remove and change. The partition is designed to slot into the protruding sides of the table. After slotting in, the partition is able to fix to the table. The dimension joints of partition and table sides is designed accurate to fit together tightly. This design creates a serious manner and atmosphere for students to study without any contact with strangers beside them.. It can be a dedicated personal space for students who want to study alone in the library. 49
This publication is developed by students from Diploma in Experience and Product Design. In Diploma in Experience and Product Design (DXPD), we aim to ignite the spark of genius in each student, producing Experience and Product Designers that will create ‘moments’ of engagement between users and objects. Products and services that goes beyond form and function but also delivers an experience that engages, enlightens and creates enjoyment. That’s where a product finds its meaning. Diploma in Experience and Product Design is part of the SP Design School. School of Design Singapore Polytechnic 500 Dover Road Singapore 139651 http://www.spdesignschool.com
Project Lead Winston Chai
Course Chair Diploma in Experience and Product Design Publication Team Ong Zikai Elvin Lum Yee Jun Liyana Bte Md Yunos Bryan Leow Ee Kwang Cover Photographer Elvin Lum Yee jun Publication Writer Siti Nur’ Asyiqin Bte Termizi Liyana Bte Md Yunos Contributors Nicholas Boay Yeo Shu Ming Chua Siew Lee Edith Ng Nurfadlin Fazirah Bte Abdul Manaf Muhd Faqih Bin Razali
Level 1 Colour Social Space
1144 hours
19/05/2014
1732 hours
19/05/2014 1150 hours
20/05/2014
1538 hours
20/05/2014 1058 hours
21/05/2014
1338 hours
19/05/2014
1859 hours
19/05/2014 1341 hours
20/05/2014
1930 hours
20/05/2014 1234 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Some students do not have fixed classrooms therefore this place is ideal for them to use it.
Level 1 Open Space
1150 hours
19/05/2014
1725 hours
19/05/2014 1201 hours
20/05/2014
1545 hours
20/05/2014 1055 hours
21/05/2014
1341 hours
19/05/2014
1902 hours
19/05/2014 1335 hours
20/05/2014
1934 hours
20/05/2014 1237 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : The large empty space is under-utilised by students as most of them come here to sleep on the sofa.
Level 1 Kinect Area
1152 hours
19/05/2014
1726 hours
19/05/2014 1201 hours
20/05/2014
1544 hours
20/05/2014 1100 hours
21/05/2014
1343 hours
19/05/2014
1901 hours
19/05/2014 1336 hours
20/05/2014
1935 hours
20/05/2014 1236 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : This area is always crowded with guys playing their favourite game, FIFA (a soccer game).
Level 1 Media Zone
1152 hours
19/05/2014
1725 hours
19/05/2014 1200 hours
20/05/2014
1543 hours
20/05/2014 1059 hours
21/05/2014
1342 hours
19/05/2014
1900 hours
19/05/2014 1336 hours
20/05/2014
1935 hours
20/05/2014 1235 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Partitions help to create space for students to carry out different activities.
Level 2 Magazine Area
1158 hours
19/05/2014
1657 hours
19/05/2014 1203 hours
20/05/2014
1851 hours
20/05/2014 1048 hours
21/05/2014
1348 hours
19/05/2014
1905 hours
19/05/2014 1258 hours
20/05/2014
1940 hours
20/05/2014 1239 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Students do not use the magazine area for its intended usage, instead they sit on cushioned seats and most likely fall asleep.
Level 2 Window Side
1159 hours
19/05/2014
1659 hours
19/05/2014 1204 hours
20/05/2014
1553 hours
20/05/2014 1049 hours
21/05/2014
1350 hours
19/05/2014
1906 hours
19/05/2014 1259 hours
20/05/2014
1941 hours
20/05/2014 1240 hours
21/05/2014
Observation : Windows provide natural lighting which students tend to gravitate towards.