I enrolled 2 subjects, account for 6 credits, this semester (total number of credit required for the course is 30 credits). Each subject has an interim assignment and a final paper. Therefore 4 items to hand in and I have completed 1/4 last night with the group presentation. Although the workload is shared among the team-mates, the time and effort are no less than an individual paper. I was told that the first lesson is very important as it usually determines which group you will be belonging to. I am glad overall, my team members this time are cooperative, helpful and supportive. The tutor is lenient to us; it might due to the fact that we are the first group to give presentation. She would expected more analytical and critical approach to deal with the current issues, compared to our descriptive approach this time. I have doubt about using a descriptive approach in postgraduate level.
But as I am here to enjoy the process and not for the GPA, I compromise the majority’s view.

However I was a bit confused with the teaching in another subject. The reading list has not direct relations with the class we attended. The class activity is very much like secondary school with a worksheet to work on in groups followed by an oral report. The tutor does not provide guidance to link the teaching/ discussion in class with the reading material. For example, the reading for the first lesson is “complexity theory”; the class hardly cover any thing in this theory. In the forth lesson, the tutor asked if we have any difficulty in understanding the readings. A students raised the question about how he could relate the theory into current practice/ issue. The tutor told us that complexity theory is very complex. And if he can explain to us, complexity theory will no longer be a complexity theory. What a tautology!

Studying is always personal and subjective. I would suggest to take a progressive approach in study and expect the least from the bundle.