Year 1 Semester 2 (AY 2008/09)

CS3240 - Human-Computer Interaction
Credits: 4
Grade: A
Comment: Taught by IS lecturer Jack Jiang. His exams are closed-book. Note that in NUS, open-book often implies that the module is difficult. I did a lot of memory work for that module, and the effort paid off. You also require good Flash Action-scripting skills and good team-mates for the project, which I did not lack for both aspects then. Having a good graphic designer in the team is important as well.

CS3248 - Design of Interactive Media
Credits: 4
Grade: A-
Comment: That was Prof. Zhao Shengdong's debut lecture in NUS. We became guinea pigs of sorts for the module which was changed to focus on Human-Computer Interaction. Project-based module, so you need good team-mates for the project. There are also individual assignments, one of them being a class presentation and another being programming-based. If the overall effort put in and results of the project work are good, the professor may give most of us a good or decent grade...

NM2101 - Theories of Communication and New Media
Credits: 4
Grade: B
Comment: Haha. I don't really hate the lecturer (Mr. Gui Kai Chong), but I think he could teach better. Comparatively light module and good for you if you are good at reading long articles and writing essays (Such is the module's style). Even better if you can also talk well during tutorials. After all, it is about COMMUNICATION.

CS1231 - Discrete Structures
Credits: 4
Grade: A
Comment: Apparently, it won't be a difficult module if taught by the Maths department but might be if taught by Computing department. I must say that it is the EASIEST module I have ever taken. The midterm was a joke (Difficulty level comparable to High School Elementary maths) but I thought it was a trap to make us suffer in the final exam... Turned out that it was me who was thinking too much.

MA1505 - Mathematics I
Credits: 4
Grade: A-
Comment: I know of someone who failed this module three times. It will be a horror for those who hates Mathematics, especially those who hates Calculus, since this is what the module is about. Even though I am good in Calculus, I am simply unable to anticipate what kind of questions he can ask. Simply put, only a true Maths genius can get A+ for the module, not half-assed amateurs like me.

Overall Results:
MCs taken: 55 + 20 = 75
CAP: 4.23
Stayed as COM2

Notes/Trivia:

• Will probably be my best semester
• Semester GPA of 4.5 pushed my CAP from 3.95 to 4.23 (2nd Upper Honors)
• Good, relatively cooperative team mates for CS3240 and CS3248, especially the latter because despite late design overhaul, our task coordination was good enough to allow us to finish in time.