Last semester, I took Data Communications, Data Streaming along with Audio & Video Production Techniques. Let's talk about Data Communications and Data Streaming first.

These 2 modules are related and they were taught by the same guy. As you can probably already figure out from this post entry's title, yeah, he was bad. To say the least. It's amazing how bad he was, that sometimes I thought he wasn't even talking in English. Maybe some perverted form that he made up himself. During lessons, he happily scattered phrases like "in a way, such that" something "is able to be happen", along with mangled words like "assesstera" (et cetera).

I wrote an e-mail to the HoP. Only sent it not too long ago (even though these classes and exams ended last year) 'cause I wanted to add on to my e-mail with specific examples, but in the end, I really couldn't be bothered anymore. Anybody sense that my motivation to feedback to UniSIM is waning? Mehhh.

Anyway, this is what my e-mail read like :

Dear Associate Professor XXX XXX XXX,

I am writing on behalf of some of my classmates, to feedback regarding the MTD303 (Data Communications) and MTD304 (Data Streaming) modules that we undertook last semester. I believe that the dissatisfactions of the students with regards to these classes merit an e-mail, along with last semester's already completed eCE.

The dissatisfactions are as follows :

1. Mr. XX XXX XXXX had proven to be a very ineffective lecturer, who did not engage the students well, if at all, and a very careless lecturer, who frequently mixed up important information within the lessons.
   
   He frequently wrote and said the wrong figures in class, and thus passed on the wrong information to the students. Those of us who were more attentive would catch these mistakes and discuss amongst ourselves on whether Mr. XX XXX XXXX made a mistake, or if we were misunderstanding the lesson. This happened so frequently that if we were to interrupt him everytime it occurred, the lesson might never be able to be completed. There were many times where he'd say a number, for example 10,450, and write down 1,450.
   
   I fear that some of our classmates who might not have noticed would have taken his figures at face value and be taught the wrong things.
   
   
2. This carelessness translates to the course study units as well. Apart from the numerous grammatical and typographical mistakes that I have unfortunately and begrudgingly grown accustomed to in most of the modules I've taken in UniSIM, the study units also contain various factual errors.
   
   There were also several instances of copying-and-pasting from the set textbook, but out of context. These paragraphs omit out vital information, but still references them by name, thus causing confusion. In fact, if a student was to read the study unit on its own, that student would think the text was complete nonsense.
   
   
3. We also think that the study units' content organisation is very chaotic. Information from one module is repeated in the other module and is redundant.
   
   There are information that were added on to the study units that were not from the set textbook, and I, for one, was not confident of the information that were added on by Mr. XX XXX XXXX, which made me research the topics online. Those information that were added, but not from the set textbook, should state from where they are from so that students can find out more and also refer to, since the paragraphs might be cited out of context like many others.
   
   I would highly recommend that the study units be fully revised and updated by someone else. As with most of UniSIM's other modules' study units, some spellchecking and proofreading would definitely help to ensure the sanity of future students as well.
   
   
4. Another issue my classmates and I faced during the lessons was Mr. XX XXX XXXX's speech. He phrased his sentences and added unnecessary words to those sentences to the point where nothing made sense anymore.
   
   For example, he would say, "So, of course, you get xyz but in such a way that, there being able to add a feature to it."
   
   Half the time, we couldn't understand what he was teaching, not because the topic at hand was difficult, but we just couldn't comprehend what he was trying to say. This occurred in every other sentence that he spoke, and it got really frustrating, infuriating even, very fast.
   
   This issue might seem trivial, but there was one point where a couple of my classmates didn't understand what he was trying to teach, and when they asked me to clarify, I wasn't sure of the answer, so I told them to ask Mr. XX XXX XXXX. They refused and one of them told me, "It's not like he's going to make sense". His speech incomprehensibility not only affects the students' understanding of the material taught, it also affects the students' willingness to approach him for clarification.

I would like to conclude by pointing out that I do not gain anything by giving feedback on modules that I have completed. I would just like to see UniSIM's standards raised and with this e-mail, I hope that I have helped, even if just a little bit.

Best regards,

Zulkifly

And here is his very short and concise reply.

Thank you, Zulkifly, for highlighting this. We are already looking into this matter. I'll appreciate your patience and understanding.

Continue to take note of where he has been slipshod in his presentation, and keep me posted, thanks.

Best wishes and regards,
AP XXX XXX XXXX

I don't think he even really read my e-mail properly. Or even my e-mail's title, which was "Last semester's MTD303 & MTD304 feedback". If he did, he'd know that I took these modules LAST semester! Does he expect me to go take the lecturer's modules even when I'm not in them just so I can "keep (him) posted"? FFS, do your freaking job. Gah!

In the Electronic Course Evaluation (eCE), which every student has to complete after every semester - a survey on the lecturers, I had typed, amongst other things :

"I don't know how XX XXX XXXX was chosen to be a tutor in the first place. Does UniSIM even have any proper procedure to find out if a person is qualified and can teach? It seems like every semester I am disappointed in the quality of so-called "lecturers" UniSIM provides. For this reason, I always advise my friends to not even consider UniSIM as a valid learning institution.

XX XXX XXXX has a vocabulary of his own which does not conform to the rest of the world. He adds unnecessary words to sentences which would almost make sense, and transforms them all to incoherent nonsense."

I keep saying that I can't be bothered with UniSIM's substandard lecturers anymore, but I always end up giving too much of a shit. :x In any case, this particular lecturer's crappy impart of knowledge didn't affect me too much. Here are my last semester's results. :)

I'm a little sad that my Cumulative GPA dropped 0.1 point though. :( Hahaha. Went from 4.53 last semester to 4.52. Oh well!

That's it for now. I'll blog about Audio & Video Production Techniques' End-of-Course Assessment (ECA) in my next entry, with pictures and a video and everything! Hahahhaa. :D