Enthusiastic visitors at NTU Open House 2019
It was a busy Saturday for Year 4 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student Yap Hong Wei on 2 March 2019. Together with more than 30 of his course mates, they played ambassadors for the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Open House 2019. With the School’s faculty and administrative staff, they provided details on the MBBS degree programme through course counselling, talks, tours, poster displays and hands-on activities.
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An estimated 14,000 visitors comprising mostly A-Level students and their parents thronged the spacious NTU Yunnan Campus for the annual event.
LKCMedicine made its presence felt with a booth at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) and at the Experimental Medicine Building (EMB) where various outreach activities were spaced out over three floors. Staffed by staff and students, they answered visitors’ questions on student life, campus, admission criteria, scholarships and financial aid, besides providing details about the MBBS programme and its strong links with Imperial College London. Scholarly Projects posters by Year 4 students were also on display for visitors to have a better understanding of their learning journey.
At the EMB Learning Studio, the visitors attended talks that gave an overview of the innovative MBBS curriculum. These full-house talks were presented by LKCMedicine Assistant Dean for Admissions Associate Professor Kwek Tong Kiat and Associate Professor Wong Teck Yee, Assistant Dean for Year 4 & Family Medicine. These talks were complemented by presentations by LKCMedicine students Lee Cheok Hon, Gabrielle Koh, Gabriel Tan, Brjan Kaiji Betzler, Grace Chua and Yeo Wei Ren, who generously shared their experience of the engaging learning environment and outside-classroom activities. The talks ended with a lively Q&A with the Assistant Deans fielding questions from an enthusiastic audience.
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“Through my sharing, I hope that those who are considering the MBBS programme will know that life in LKCMedicine is not all about studying. The School is very supportive of us initiating activities that will develop our character and leadership skills too,” said Cheok Hon who is looking forward to graduating this year.
Visitors were also given tours of the EMB. They explored the Collaboration Space and the teaching laboratory which intrigued them with interactive demonstrations on science practicals. Many got a feel of the plastinated specimens used in anatomy teaching, after which they tried the ageing simulation suit that enabled them to feel what it was like to be an elderly person with mobility restrictions, joint stiffness and loss of strength. There was also no lack of participation from visitors who were keen to find out more about mitosis – a cell division process in the human body – and the embryonic development of chicks, at these interactive tour stops. Those who were game enough to answer quizzes went home with LKCMedicine souvenirs such as pens, thumbdrives and mouse.
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Also on showcase at the Open House was the School’s hallmark Team-Based Learning (TBL) pedagogy. Demo sessions were facilitated by faculty and students giving participants the opportunity to take part in an actual pre-class TBL assignment activity using iPads at the EMB Seminar Room. Said Assistant Director and TBL Facilitator Emmanuel Tan, “These sessions gave the visitors a good feel of what exactly is TBL, an innovative pedagogy that is well-received by our students.”
A prospective student from Hwa Chong Junior College Eric Jin was won over after attending the talk and tour. “Overall it was quite an informative session. I had some prior knowledge of the MBBS programme but chatting with the students gave me a good understanding of what they went through. Good to know there’s a vibrant student life in LKCMedicine. I will certainly apply for a place!” he enthused.
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Hong Wei, who was helping out at the Open House for the fourth consecutive year, said, “I’m really happy to be here to give the potential students a personal touch of what the learning journey at LKCMedicine is about.” His enthusiasm is confirmed with his commitment to help out at Open House 2020!
With the enthusiastic response from the visitors, it is without doubt that they would want to pursue their tertiary education at NTU - the world’s best young university for five consecutive years (2014 to 2018) as well as the top Asian university. It is also ranked No. 1 in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Top 50 Under 50 league for universities that are 50 years old or younger, and stands at 12th position globally in the 2018 QS World University Rankings.
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