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1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Yes, but not to its full extent. My objectives were to understand and master the Chinese language. However, it is impossible for me to speak a foreign language fluently in the span of one month. I am happy that I am able to make basic conversations of daily living in Chinese but only to a certain extent as my vocabulary is limited.

My second objective was to be able to appreciate culture diversity. I am far from exploring everything the Chinese language has yet to offer for me. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the outcome of my EP project. The small accomplishments I have were just another stepping stone for me to truly master the Chinese language.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

I love how I can study the course anytime and anywhere whenever I felt like it. I can watch the recorded lessons as many times as I wish and pause it to take notes. I was able to study in the comfort of my own time. The lessons given by the instructor were also easy to follow along and understand. I liked how she taught the right way of pronunciation allowing me to learn with more ease.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)

The most challenging part about this project was being able to speak fluently in Chinese with the right pronunciation. The cons of this online course was it was a one way communication and I cannot ask questions to the instructor whenever I got confused. Hence, there was no one around me to correct me whenever I got the pronunciation wrong.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

All in all, I think everything has worked out well. I manage to complete all the tasks that were given to me just in time before the deadline. Everything has gone according to plan.

5. What can be improved in this project?

In the future, if I ever have the chance to continue learning Chinese, I would choose to join a class where there is two-way communication with an instructor. That way I can further improve my pronunciation and brush up my Chinese skills even better.

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Theepan Sellamuthu A/L Pulivendhan, A166731

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Yes, it was fulfilled. I managed to learn the basic words and phrases to speak mandarin lessons.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

I enjoyed learning a new language which boosted my communication skills and confidence. I enjoyed learning the classes from my teacher, Ms Chook. I believe a subject will become fun if our teacher is good and Ms Chook proved it. I really enjoyed her teaching and hope to learn more from her.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)

I found it difficult initially to speak and differentiate the different types of pronounciations in the chinese language.

For example.

1. （door) mén，(bored) mèn

2. (down) xià，(prawn) xiā

3. (water) shuǐ，(sleep) shuì

4. (blue) lán，(lazy) lǎn

5. (one) yī， (shirt) yī

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

Everything worked well and the classes went smoothly.

5. What can be improved in this project?

I feel the project could have been extended for some of us who were doing remedial exam as it was abit stressful to do both.

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1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?
I would say partially.
My first objective was to be able to converse basic conversations in Japanese. I personally do not think I am able to do so fluently as my vocabulary is limited and I had no one to practice with and correct me when I'm wrong.

My second objective is to be able to read and write hiragana and katakana which I am able to do! With a lot of practices and quizzes to memorize, I managed to write and read hiragana and katakana, however it may take some time.

My third objective was to be able to watch Japanese videos without subtitles or minimal use of subtitles. Unfortunately I was not able to do so. I was quite ambitious to think I was able to pull this off in a month. I did manage to pick up some words and understand a little when watching videos but still no where near being able to watch them without subtitles.

My final objective was be able to form sentences in Japanese. I think I am capable of making some simple sentences but complex sentences is where I draw the line. Making complex sentences in Japanese is very difficult, even more so because of the lack of vocabulary I have. Watching the videos in the course and translating it was very hard near the end of the course because lots of complex sentences were used and it took me awhile to understand them. Maybe one day I will be able to make more complex sentences, but for now I shall settle with simpler ones.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?
I enjoyed being able to learn Japanese at the comfort of my own home, set at my own pace. I wouldn't say I am a fast learner, so being able to take my time with this was really nice. Would I be able to pick up the language faster if I were to have a physical tutor to guide me? Maybe, but I wouldn't want to go through my holidays stressing out about this. I picked this course so I could enjoy the process, so I did!

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)
The most challenging for me is that the course I picked was free, but for me to submit the quiz at the end of the week requires me to pay. So, because of that, I am unsure if my answers were correct. However there were quizzes in between the videos in the course for each week that are graded so I depend on those to see my progress. I feel like if I had a friend to practice my Japanese with, it would've made things a bit easier. I do have a friend that studied in Japan and is quite fluent in Japanese, but due to her busy schedule I wasn't able to contact her for guidance.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)
Being able to take this online course worked well for me. I can rewind and pause the videos as much as I want, and take as much time as I needed to go through the content. Even if I did not upgrade the course to the paid one to get my end-of-week quiz graded, I still was able to learn from this course for free, see my progress from the quizzes slotted in between videos. There are so many resources at an abundance for me to use for free on the internet!

What can be improved in this project?
Having someone that can guide me and correct me if I'm wrong would be nice. If I had someone to practice with, the learning process would be a bit smoother. Time and patience are needed to learn a new language. With 1 month given, surely it wasn't possible to accomplish a lot. But with the progress so far, I am content - and with time and patience, one day I'll be able to speak Japanese.　がんばります！

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My Fourth Week of Cameras, Exposure and Photography 

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My Fourth Week of Cameras, Exposure and Photography 

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1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Initially, my objectives for this project are:

| a) Improve my camera handling skills for future video projects including being a photographer for UKM events b) Making proper compositions with my DSLR to make educational and promotional videos for UKM c) Become a part-time photographer for events to earn some side income without affecting my studies

So far, I believe that at least 2 of my objectives are covered because most of the lessons taught by this course has aided me in achieving them. However, for the last objective, there might be some difficulties as for me, this is a long-term goal and would require future planning to achieve. However, I will not give up until I achieve my final goal which is to earn some side income without affecting my studies via photography and videography part time.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

In general, I really like this course because of the way it is taught to the students. Most online courses would require you to listen and understand a lecture followed by a quiz to grade your overall performance. The lack of hands-on for most online courses really deterred me. However, for this course, there are much more hands-on assignments which require me to take some photographs every week to apply the knowledge taught to me in class. To make the grading fair, marks will be taken from both attendance, quizzes, and assignments in the form of photos. Thus, I really enjoy the teaching method of this course.

Furthermore, I have not attended any proper training or course regarding photography, even though my interests for this have been around since my secondary school. Having the opportunity to learn and explore my interests further has been nothing short of amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it. Therefore, I really enjoy this course wholeheartedly and the skills I obtained is definitely useful for my future as well as my hobby.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)

Personally, I believe this project would have been perfect if the pandemic did not strike Malaysia at such a time. As mentioned above, the course requires the students to take photographs every week as a symbol of their understanding of the lectures. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, I was forced to take photographs within my housing estate with strict SOP. Thus, I had no choice but to take some photographs taken from the past as a submission. However, I did try my best to take some photographs of my own and filter them for submission. Overall, if the pandemic did not strike Malaysia at this time, I would be able to take different photographs every week to justify my understanding of the weekly teachings.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

In my humblest opinion, I believe that the overall project was very well thought out and spaced well. In each week, a different overall theme is taught by the lecturers with quizzes slot in between lectures. This makes the learning process fun and exciting with better information retention. To top it off, at the end of the week, for the lack of a better word, a grand quiz which covers all the lectures for the week which will also carry marks for the overall grade. Finally, I believe the addition of an assignment every week which requires a photo taking session keeps learning fresh and exciting. It would have been boring if it were just lectures and quizzes. However, to keep the assignments important, marks will be taken in for the overall grade. All in all, I personally believe that this course is very well thought out for the students to learn photography in a beginner level.

5. What can be improved in this project?

For this project, I believe that there are two things that can be improved. Firstly, there was a buffer period to review my peers’ assignments. I completed my photo submission early and in order to obtain my grade, I must review 3 different assignments from my peers. However, there was a lack of submission by my peers leaving me stagnant for about 1 week before new submissions were given. This is rather poor as I was only given specific amount of time for my EP and further delay might cause some difficulties in achieving other deadlines. Thus, in my opinion, I should be able to review assignments from past peers that have obtained their grade to prevent a buffer period for my final grade.

Finally, there was some minor spelling errors and audio problem during the recorded lecture. This is a very minimal problem to begin with but for those with students where English is not their first language might have some difficulties understanding the lecture. Thus, a proper review of the lectures by the administration would solve this problem.

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My Fourth Week of Cameras, Exposure and Photography

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My Fourth Week of Cameras, Exposure and Photography

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Top photo : Proof of completion of the course! Bottom photo : Part of the notes that I have written while learning from the course

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Chang Wai Leng (GA03998), 31/8/21

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?
Yes and I am grateful for that.

The first objective is to learn a foreign language which is Korean.
Through this course, I have managed to learn Korean and although I am still not very fluent but I am glad that I have gained knowledge on some Korean words and what to say in a conversation. In every week, I have strengthened my vocabulary as there are many new words to be learned in each lesson.

The second objective is to acquire skills like reading, writing, listening and speaking in Korean language.
In the first week, I have learned how to read and write the Korean characters and the principles behind how the vowels and consonants that make up each character were invented. In the following weeks, I managed to acquire the skills of listening and speaking in the Korean language as the learning materials guided me on multiple conversations in different scenarios.

The third objective is to be able to communicate in Korean in a daily conversation. This objective was achieved as now I know how to initiate a conversation with someone by asking them a question and how to respond to these questions. The conversations that I have learned throughout this course mainly revolve around greetings and introducing in the 2nd week, talking about family members and counting the Korean numbers in the 3rd week, learning about how to ask what day it is, the time and date, the sino-korean number system and other useful daily conversations like asking where is someone going, what and where do they eat and what time do they carry out an activity apart from learning how to answer these questions in the 4th week.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?
The thing I enjoyed the most while doing this project is being able to learn the Korean language, more so when I can learn it on Coursera at my own pace and comfort at anytime and anywhere I want as long as I have an internet connection. As the lectures are pre-recorded, I can replay them for as many times as I want in case if I didn’t understand anything I learned earlier. There are also quizzes after each lesson, so I can check my understanding on the topic.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)
I think the most challenging part about this project is getting the pronunciation of the Korean words right and memorising different vocabularies, especially those that sound almost similar but have different meanings. Selecting the items to be included in the video and filming it are also challenging as I can only pick a handful of them when there are quite many materials that I have come across in these 4 weeks.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)
In my opinion, overall the project has worked well for me. I am now equipped with knowledge on a long list of vocabularies and how to initiate basic daily conversations in Korean. I managed to complete the course and tasks given before the due date too.

5. What can be improved in this project?
It would be nice if I could get my pronunciation checked by a teacher as this will help me improve and learn better. Apart from that, I wish to learn more on other topics and vocabularies that aren’t included in this course in the future, so I can master the language better.

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Mandarin guidebook for medical students by me 

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Mandarin guidebook for medical students by me 

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Mandarin guidebook for medical students by me 

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Week 4 Mandarin Communication Intensive Class

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Week 4 Mandarin Communication Intensive Class

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Nur Nadirah Mahmood (A168444)
30/8/2021

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?
My objectives are to learn to communicate in mandarin and use it in daily life, be able to converse with Chinese friends, patients and produce a book to guide on basic mandarin skills for medical students. All of the objectives are fulfilled, but I'm not satisfied because I am still not fluent enough to talk in Mandarin comfortably. It is impossible for me to master Mandarin as it needs to take more than 6 months of learning and HSK certificate. Despite my dissatisfaction, I do think that the objectives are fulfilled because I can have a conversation on a specific topic. As for the last objective, I did manage to produce a book full of notes from my classes, and vocabulary to use in a clinical setting.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?
I enjoyed the online classes and programs organized by Kunkwan the most. I have learned from 3 different laoshi and all of them have different teaching methods, fun, and are very helpful. I also participate in a program (like a special extra class) called "A Date With Laoshi". In this program, we did a recap of the things we had learned, and an interactive session with laoshi where we practice having a dialogue like an interview. Laoshi taught us to talk a fluent Mandarin. I love how Kunkwan have many programs to ensure the strong momentum of each student to keep learning Mandarin.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)
I think the most challenging part is to practice pronunciation with correct tones in a conversation. Laoshi acknowledge my ability to pronounce words correctly, however when in a conversation where there are many words used, my pronunciation didn't come out with correct and precise tones. Laoshi encourages me to keep practicing talking in Mandarin.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)
In my opinion, the project went well. I am especially proud of my project output (List of vocabs in clinical setting)

5. What can be improved in this project?
This project can be improved if I reach out to my Chinese friends and practice talking in Mandarin with them . I think that can be managed, when I meet them even though EP will be ended by then. I do want to continue learning Mandarin after this EP. :)

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Nadhilah Zulkifli (A168421)
31st of July 2021

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Yes. I am able to read and write Hiragana and Katakana fluently for my first objective. Plus, I tried to read まんが (manga=comics) in Japanese. There are many words that I could not understand but at least, I have no difficulties to read it.

Secondly, I am able to understand the grammar used in anime and manga. I was very excited when I could understand how it is used. If there is any grammar that is outside of syllabus, I will ask my せんせい (sensei=teacher) or I will search on the Internet. This way, I will be more prepared for next learning materials.

Lastly, I am more confident to speak in Japanese and applied it with my friends. I also planned to make Japanese friends on Discord so that we could exchange more information about our cultures.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

I enjoyed all of my journey. I did not have any bad experience since my teacher and friends are helpful, cheerful and supportive. We also help each other when there is any of us showed slow progressions so that we could thrive together.

Plus, my せんせい like to do some quizzes among groups so it create a competitive nature among us. It is very chaotic during the process but still enjoyable since we do not want to lose.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do).

I did not experience some challenges except for Internet connections. I prefer to learn online compare to face-to-face since the physical class is too far from my place.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

I think that all of it worked well. If I could not attend any class, I can request for recording so that I would not be left out. Plus, at the end of the course, there is an exam for us to test about our understandings of all course materials. We were also given feedback so that we could focus more on that particular aspect to improve.

5. What can be improved in this project?

I felt that online or face-to-face learning give students more choices since physical class quite tiring. If the class is far, we need to spend more money and time but with online class, we could save a lot. We do not have to spend money on transport, toll or food. Besides, we do not have to think about what attire to wear during classes since others could not see it.

Unless course like medical, electrical et cetera that required practical and face-to-face lesson, language class can be done fully online, without jeopardize the quality. It requires me to fully surrounded with Japanese language in order to master it at a short time. You can also master the grammar if you always read journal, newspaper or non-fictions writing in that particular language.

I have mentioned before that if I missed a class, I can request for a recording but it will be expired in 7 days. Plus, we are prohibited to download that recording. How I wish I could download and save it for future references but I understand why they did it that way. It is to protect their copyright.

Otherwise, I think that overall is okay. They always ask us to give feedback at the end of lesson so that they could improve.

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Nurul Syakirah Binti Ajirul
A168126
29th August 2021

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Overall, all the three objectives are fulfilled in general.
My first objective is to be able to understand and read simple texts in Japanese using hiragana, katakana and Kanji characters. This objectives is fulfilled but not as a whole, and this is due to the facts that my course syllabus is only limited to learning hiragana and katakana characters meanwhile the Kanji characters is not included in the learning materials. This is probably because Kanji characters is more complex and requires deep understanding on the other two characters (hiragana and katakana) characters first.

My second objective, to be able to understand spoken Japanese language and apply it in daily life is fulfilled. During my leisure time, I usually spend it watching Japanese dramas/anime. From what I realised, I start to be more aware on their spoken language and try to relate it with the Japanese  grammar that I have learnt during the class. This makes me so excited to learn more on the language in future.

My third objective is to gain more knowledge on Japan and its unique culture. Throughout the learning session, videos are provided for me to learn a little bit of the Japanese culture and history especially in the history of Japanese writing. This objective is fulfilled however I believe that in order to fully achieve this objective, it requires me to explore more on the cultures by myself and therefore, more time is needed. However, I am excited to explore more on their unique culture.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

The most enjoyable part is learning the language itself. I have always want to learn Japanese as my third language however being a medical student, I have to focus more on the medical subjects. Therefore, I enjoyed learning the Japanese language in terms of grammar and writing as part of my Elective posting.

Furthermore, I cannot help but to love how this online course is conducted. The teachers are all Japanese language speaker therefore I could understand the spoken characters/dialogue easily and better. Then, apart from the videos provided, learning materials for reading and writing part are also provided to further enhance my skill.

3. What have you found challenging about this project ?

The most challenging part is lack of real life exposure to enhance my skills. Personally, I believe that learning language in a face-to-face setting would be much better as there would be more opportunities to learn and enhance my skills especially in terms of vocabulary and dialogue part. However, I believe that learning online is also a good approach of learning as it serves different benefits for example, during online course, I can study at my own pace and the schedule is flexible.

4. What has really worked?

Personally, I think most of the things had worked very well and there is not much difficulty that I had to face. Since the schedule provided for this course is flexible, I am really comfortable with it and I believe things worked very well because of this reason. The flexible schedule makes it easier for me to learn on my own pace as I could watch, pause and repeat the videos as much as I want. Then, there is also quizzes provided for me to answer and this help to strengthen my understanding on the subject before proceeding to the next learning materials.

5. What can be improved in this project.
As I have stated, I believe that learning a new language requires two way communication between teacher and students in order to gain the most benefit during the class. However I realised that pandemic has restricted us from doing what we can  normally do, therefore learning online should be the best option for the time being.
Next, I realised that my understanding on Japanese language is still on basic level, therefore there is some restrictions in terms of writing and speaking. Therefore what I can improve is by joining longer and advanced class which can help me to get my skills recognised by having real exams.

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It's the last week of Elective Posting !

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Hashimah Binti Ibrahim, GA04001, 27/8/21

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?
Yes, but not to the full extent. By doing this project which is learning Chinese, I manage to know some Chinese words and speak Chinese a little bit but not very fluent.

My first objective for this project is to learn and master the Chinese language (Mandarin). However, it is impossible for me to master this language in a month. Thus, I may need to continue learning Chinese even after completing this elective posting.

My second and third objectives for this project are almost the same. To overcome  communications barriers between me and Chinese & to easily communicate with Chinese patients in the wards. Honestly, I think I have not yet achieved these 2 objectives because I can barely speak Chinese. I only know how to speak Chinese for certain topics.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?
I really like the way of the lăoshī (teacher) teaches. Although the lessons were conducted online and through recorded videos, I was able to follow all the instructions and learning with ease. Most importantly, the lăoshī’s Chinese pronunciation was very clear and made it easier for me to follow her teachings. On top of that, I also like the flexible schedule of the class as I can join the lessons whenever I want.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)
For the course, the most challenging part was to get the correct Chinese pronunciation. In Chinese, the proper pronunciation is important because incorrect pronunciation can lead to other meaning. Hence, lots of practice are needed to learn Chinese.
Other challenges about this project were I had to create a video presentation that required editing skills and a reflective writing that took a long time for me to complete. Gratefully, I managed to finish all of these in the time given.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)
Personally, I think overall of the project went well and I managed to complete all the work in the allotted time despite some difficulties in making the video presentation and writing the reflective writing.

5. What can be improved in this project?
Maybe it is better if I follow a class that has a two-way communication as I can ask the teacher to listen to my Chinese pronunciation and give me some feedback on it.

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1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Yes.

My first objective was to explore and learn the fundamentals of graphic design. I am glad that this course provides the fundamental principles and general design tricks in condensed and very clear form. My knowledge has improved significantly. So far, I have learnt glossary of design terms and the importance of composition and balance to obtain a professional-looking poster. In addition, I have learnt about the power of negative space in a poster design and how to choose typeface wisely. Furthermore, I learnt the importance of the principle of ‘contrast’ by mixing contrast in terms of scales, colours or texts.

My second objective was to learn common visual design tricks. Other than learning design principles, I learnt how to deploy some common visual design ‘tricks’ and strategy to capture audience attention. Other than that, my instructor has shown me some comparisons on the tricks with design examples from art history, film and current media. I learnt that it's important to have the skills of critical looking and analysis.

My third objective was to learn to use appropriate tools to create professional looking Powerpoints, reports, resumes and presentations. In order to make a professional presentation, I usually use the principle of grid where I align objects or graphic elements with the help of horizontal and vertical axes to line things up. This principle will help me arrange graphic elements and typeface so that it will not be scattered and messy. Other than that, I think I will use the principles of minimalist design which are usually used by big companies such as Google corporation. In my opinion, minimalism works closely with the principle of negative space by letting white space do most of our composition and keeping things as simple and attractive.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

Throughout this project, I enjoyed learning about typography. This principle blows my mind because I never thought about actually every typeface has its own message and is very impactful in capturing audience attention. In addition, I enjoyed learning and comparing the tricks with design examples from art history, film and current media. By comparing these design examples, I learnt how to look at things critically and increase my skills on visual comprehension. I am able to identify, analyse and evaluate how designers use certain principles in a poster.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)

In my opinion, the challenging part of this project is when I have to implement and experiment with graphic design principles that I have learned onto a white canvas of poster. In addition, every week I have to learn a few new principles. At first, it is quite challenging because I have to remember and understand the basic glossary and basic principle of graphic design. However, with notes and worksheet practices, I am able to overcome the challenge and familiarize myself with design principles. Other than that, I am not able to get access to most of the quizzes because I only use the free version of this course. Hence, I am not able to test my knowledge and understanding at the end of each lesson.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

I am glad that this course provides the fundamental principles and general design tricks in condensed and very clear form. My knowledge has improved significantly. Since this course is uploaded online, I am able to take this course whenever I have free time and am able to revise or revisit video lessons provided in the course when needed. I am glad that I can finish this course at the time that has been allocated and submitted all necessary worksheets before the deadline. I never thought to sign up for this graphic design course because of my timid knowledge on graphic design. I am so happy and grateful that I am able to find this simple course on the Coursera platform.

5. What can be improved in this project?

Since I used a free version of this course, I couldn't access most of the quizzes and was unable to obtain a certificate as a souvenir for my hard work. In addition, I was unable to get feedback from participants in the same course and give my feedback to the participants. Although I have been pretty satisfied with the free version of this course, I think it is much better to use a paid version. This is because the paid version gives me the opportunity to get feedback on my worksheet and improve my individual performance.

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¡Felicidades!

1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?

Perhaps not to the greatest extent but yes, I have surely exceeded my own expectations with the objectives that I first had in mind. Having completed the full Spanish learning course, I am now able to practically apply the language in day-to-day listening, speaking, and writing. Throughout all the video lessons, I managed to synthesise my own notes and make records of what was taught. Aside from these, I had also taken an additional initiative to polish my speaking skills via Duolingo (a language learning platform with friends). All in all, I am confident to attest that I now have a firm base to stand on in order to take my Spanish language skills higher up a notch.

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?

Strangely, I have enjoyed answering the quizzes the most throughout this project. For sure, the video lessons and other written assignments were interesting and had their own uniqueness, but I couldn't help but look forward to answering the mini tests after each lesson. By answering the questions, I was able to gauge my level of understanding towards the previously discussed topics. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I answered all the questions right but undeniably, I did feel blue when I had a few of the questions wrong. Ultimately, it served as a huge motivation to myself and it gives me joy knowing that I am learning something new everyday.

3. What have you found challenging about this project?

Personally, speaking the language was the most difficult part. Since it was a one way teaching where I only learnt from all the video lectures, the luxury was not mine to have a teacher to listen to my pronunciation and correct me when necessary. Initially, I had to record myself when I was speaking and compared it to what my teachers were saying. To my ears, it sounded fine but I always had the feeling that it was probably not up to the standards. Following a friend’s recommendation, I then tried out the language learning platform (Duolingo). Thankfully, it has the feature which allows me to record myself speaking, followed by a verification if I have spoken the language correctly.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)

From my point of view, everything turned out nicely as I was able to complete the course in time. I had enjoyed my learning process despite it being a long one (109 hours of videos to watch with more than two hundred additional written materials). I was able to discipline myself in following the routines, accomplishing my daily goals and I am proud of myself for that. Simply put, I have been really productive for the past one month and my time was indeed well spent.

5. What can be improved in this project?

Given the pandemic state that we are in, I believe that the virtual platform UDEMY has actually given me more than what is required. However, I reckon that learning a language is best when it is conducted live and physically, with teachers and other fellow students. It will also be great if I can participate in real examinations (not just quizzes) and get recognition that I have mastered the language.

As a closing remark:
The allocated time for Elective Posting may have ended but the journey is still ongoing. I will look forward to the moment when I can finally use the language like a native Spanish person.

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Me in a process to make the video shorter haha

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1. Were the objectives of the project fulfilled?
Yes.

My first objective is to explore Chinese language and culture. From this course I knew that Mandarin words are dependent on tones and this was where I found it quite challenging. Throughout this course I was introduced to the many wonderful cultures of Chinese people. For example, I knew that dumpling is Chinese food and Chinese fancy red colour. I was also introduced to the different weather throughout the year in different places in China.

My second objective is to be able to make basic conversation of daily living in Mandarin. I learned to introduce myself by saying my name, nationality, introducing my family, telling my daily activities, my favourite food, drinks, fruits, colours, and sports besides sharing my hobbies. I can count from one to ten up to thousands, I know what to say when ordering food and shopping, how to ask for and show directions as well as how to describe the weather.

My last objective is to be able to examine Chinese patients with confidence. In week 6 of the lesson, I learned about the weather and I was taught some words of disease symptoms in Chinese such as tóuténg (headache) and fāshāo (fever).

2. What have you enjoyed or liked the most about the project?
I love that the course offered a flexible schedule since it was conducted online through a recorded video lesson. I was free to study whenever I prefer, I could repeat the lesson for how many times I wished. I could eat in my pyjamas while studying, have a rest and did something else in between the classes or multitask like listening to music while studying just as how comfortable I felt without disrupting my focus. Besides, I could always pause the video to take notes and repeat the quizzes until I understand what I did wrong and got a perfect score.

3. What have you found challenging about this project? (any part of the project you found hard to do)
One of the distressing experiences throughout this course was that it was not a live course or in the form of a video call. Thus, there was no actual teacher to listen to my pronunciation and to correct me whenever I said anything wrong. I cannot ask questions directly too. Besides, although this course is free, I have to pay for the certificate of completion which cost me 49 US dollars, and of course, I did not pay for it. This was another distressing part of the course. Another challenging bits about this project is to write the reflective writing. 2000 words is too much me and I found it easier to do the video hahaha.

4. What has really worked? (any part in the project that you thought worked well)
I think everything had worked well. I managed to complete all the tasks before the deadline. The learning session is one-way but I sought for guidance from my Chinese friends. The easiest part was to do the shareable notes and that may be the part that worked so well. I had to cut the videos multiple times to not exceed 8 minutes I found this the hardest since I have a lot to share. I also managed to write the reflective writing until around 2000 words although I struggled at first. All in all, everything has worked as planned.

5. What can be improved in this project?
I think overall everything had been good enough. I just thought that I should join a longer class and with a teacher so that I can get the most from learning Mandarin. I surely will one day when I had my own money to pay for the fees.