Sunday, August 05, 2007
About German Diploma and Singaporean Master Students
Last month I visited the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to meet this German Researcher there. He told me this little observation that I would like to share at this point.
We were talking about Diploma thesis and at some point he said that they were more willing to accept German students to write a Diploma Thesis than local students to write their Master thesis. When I asked about the reasons he said that they have to invest less time for Diploma students, as they were usually more independent in their work.
So when they would reach a point where the next step is not 100% clear, the German students would be more independent to explore and investigate for themselves, while the Singaporean students would always come to ask the Professor what to do and how to do it.
I can not really judge on this, as I have not been supervising any students in my career so far. And of course the usual biases have to taken into account (those students who undertake all the afford to go to Singapore are probably quite independent characters in the first place, etc.).
Still I was delighted to see our Diploma in such a good light, as the German education system is taking so much criticism at times.
We were talking about Diploma thesis and at some point he said that they were more willing to accept German students to write a Diploma Thesis than local students to write their Master thesis. When I asked about the reasons he said that they have to invest less time for Diploma students, as they were usually more independent in their work.
So when they would reach a point where the next step is not 100% clear, the German students would be more independent to explore and investigate for themselves, while the Singaporean students would always come to ask the Professor what to do and how to do it.
I can not really judge on this, as I have not been supervising any students in my career so far. And of course the usual biases have to taken into account (those students who undertake all the afford to go to Singapore are probably quite independent characters in the first place, etc.).
Still I was delighted to see our Diploma in such a good light, as the German education system is taking so much criticism at times.
# posted by Daniel @ 4:22 PM 
Comments:
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singaporeans students are very well known to be "spoon fed" by the professors .
its a very long arugment
will tell it to u another day :) but thats' why i love overseas students. they are good
esp you :) you think more than me.. :) that's for sure :) u questio alot. i've
its a very long arugment
will tell it to u another day :) but thats' why i love overseas students. they are good
esp you :) you think more than me.. :) that's for sure :) u questio alot. i've
This of course raises the question whether a university that doesn't care so much about it's students automatically produces better or rather more independent students?
Of course this conclusion is not fully valid, but in this university I sometime really wonder if the reason why we are so good (or supposed to be) is that you are son on your own.
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Of course this conclusion is not fully valid, but in this university I sometime really wonder if the reason why we are so good (or supposed to be) is that you are son on your own.
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