Let’s see my schedule & what classes I’m in.

If you think this looks a little ambitious: yes, it is a little bit, but I only have class every other Friday and Wednesday is pretty light. Also, I’m not doing the insane RPI club/organization stuff I usually am involved in, so I’ll have time to travel and focus on that 2.0/5.0 ;-)

CZ2005 — Operating Systems

A standard requisite course for the Computer Science major. 2 lectures, a tutorial, and a lab a week. One of the major difference between RPI and NTU is the length of lecture. RPI generally has 1:50 minute lectures while NTU is generally 1 hour. Big difference. Classes here seem to go by so quickly! It hasn’t been long enough to tell if that’s going to make a difference in learning/attention span.

OS at NTU uses the famous “Dinosaur” book. It’s called that for obvious http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fAaJDGv-L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg reasons. The Dinosaur book was the same one that I used in ECSE 2660 Computer Architecture, Networks, and Operating Systems (an intro computer engineering course at RPI), so I’ve got the digital copy already (y).

This course is 15% lab report, 15% oral exam (wow, wtf), and 70% final exam. Seems like the oral exam is just explaining your code in the laboratory setting, but 70% for the final? Lol.

CSC206 — Database Systems

Same format as OS (two lec, one tut, one lab). I had the lecture for DBS on Monday. It was my first lecture at NTU (tutorials don’t meet till week 2) and it was really great. The first lecture didn’t carry too much content, but our Singaporean Indian professor covered a lot of the motivation for studying databases, which has already got me tingling for my 2015 summer @ MongoDB. 30% project, 20% 3 quizzes, 50% final.

EE2002 — Analog Electronics

This class feels like an RPI class. It’s a standard post DiffEQ, post circuit analysis semiconductor/analog electronics course (OpAmps, Diodes, BJTs, MOSFETs, etc.), but the way it’s taught reminds me so much of RPI. I had a two hour lecture in the class today (10 minute break in the middle). Our professor cracked a few corny/amusing jokes and did all of his teaching by drawing/solving problems on a paper visible from a projector screen, exactly how Dr. Jeffrey Braunstein (RPI circuits professor) runs his show.

Unfortunately, NTU blocks zero time between classes and EE2002 was my first class in South Spine (beautiful, will show a picture in an upcoming post), so I was a tad late and had to sit in the back. :’(

50% final, 30% quiz, 20% lab report.

CSC409 — Cryptography & Network Security

To my disappointment today, I had to miss this lecture because I was required to go the Intl. Student Center to set up my Student Pass that allows me to travel in/out of Singapore during the semester. I email my professor and will be able to watch the lecture video online and I’ve already perused the lecture slides. NTU happens to use Blackboard Learn+ to view course content (same as RPI — cool).

My professor was super helpful with me missing class today, but an interesting side story occurred. NTU is in the process of remodeling the CS course curriculum and CSC409 is soon to be replaced with CZ4024, which covers slightly less content for 1 fewer credit (attends the same lectures and tutorials). Both courses can be taken now; the only difference is CSC409 does one extra project during weeks 12–13. Big deal. But, my professor advised me (as an exchange student) to drop to CZ4024 if my “own university is OK with the fewer credits.” I’m not changing anything for now. We foreign exchangers have developed a poor reputation. Surprise surprise.

20% quiz, 20% project 1, 10% project 2, 50% final.

DA9006 — Augmenting Singaporean

Perhaps my most interesting class of the day. Held in the ADM (Art+Design+Media) building. Remember that beautiful grass building?

Well, anyways. In essence, the class revolves around exploring Augmented Reality and AR in Singapore particularly. The class had FOUR people in it today. The course instructor, Tamiko Thiel is incredibly accomplished: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamiko_Thiel and http://tamikothiel.com/. At this point, the course may or may not happen given that the enrollment (enrolment) is so low.

In today’s class (3 hrs), we discussed AR, the societal impact of it, our individual backgrounds/software experience/programming experience, and we played around a little with mobile AR tools Aurasma and Layar. It was fun, but the most meaningful part of the course was the description of the final project in the class — tied directly to Singapore and Singaporean history. Professor Thiel is in touch with a woman that is a responsible curator in the historical education/restoration of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, a unseen & closed relic from British Colonialism. As part of the course, we will be assisting the Tanjong Pagar folks with setting up some Augmented Reality layers used in the exploration of the site. Basically someone would walk up to an interesting place in the station with a mobile device and look through the mobile camera at what would be an augmented virtual reality explaining the history of the area. This is going to be awesome!

Grade: lab exercises, final project

The last common thread I’ve noticed across the couple classes I’ve taken so far is a general lack of respect student toward professor in the classroom. It’s not terribly offensive, but Singaporean students generally sit towards the back of the room and chit-chat A LOT. They do not shut up. In analog electronics today, my professor just stopped the lecture and waited for people to calm down. My other exchange student friends have noticed the same thing. People talk in my classes at RPI, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing like this. Sometimes it’s hard to heard the professor talking because people are too damn loud at NTU. And they’re not talking about course material — they’re just gossiping. Professors though, still all fantastic.