Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
Established in 1992, the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) is the only full-fledged communication school in Singapore and is a world-class centre of excellence with an international faculty, state-of-the-art research laboratories, and global institutional affiliations.
I am currently a full-time undergraduate pursuing a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies at Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. The courses offered provided me with greater exposure to the media industry and increased my knowledge of the theories behind certain decisions and actions observed. The many hands-on activities on professional equipment also trained me in the relevant skills required in the industry. The following are the course modules I have taken over the course of study and some memorable projects I had participated in.
Course Modules
CS0201 FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Taking this course made me realise that communication is not as simple as what I normally see at face value. There are many theories behind each way of communication that could make it achieve different aims and objectives. Communication is also deeply linked to the self, and I got to understand more about humans as an entity and how we do intrapersonal, interpersonal and extrapersonal communication. The classes also touched on other aspects such as perception, impression, persuasion and broader topics like gender, culture, advertising, mass communications, together with their relationship to communication and the relevant theories behind them.
Personality Creation Project
This project aims to assess our knowledge of the OCEAN and HEXACO personality traits model. We have to craft a character possessing two of the personality traits and film a series of TikTok videos depicting the life of this character. This is my first hands-on project in WKWSCI. Everyone in the group participated in the brainstorming, scripting and filming processes. I helped out with the editing while others completed the creative brief.
This series of videos can also be found in the playlist here.
Urban Redevelopment Project
This project mainly assesses our understanding of the various communication concepts and theories taught by attempting to integrate them into design elements to fit into an empty plot of land in the central business district area. In my opinion, this is an extremely interesting project as it allows us to think out of the box and explore a whole new world of possibilities. The following are the facilities that we have come up with after discussions as a group.
CS0204 BASIC MEDIA WRITING
This course created an opportunity for me to explore journalism, which I had never imagined myself to be. Going around searching for interviews, crafting interview questions, conducting interviews, finalising story angle and finally writing the article have never been more interesting. Learning the key techniques to writing a good news story has also trained me to become a better writer holistically, answering the questions of readers and addressing their concerns.
Video Story Assignment
There were other tasks like news writing and feature story writing assignments assessing our understanding of journalism before this, but this was the first feature story assignment where we had to film our interviewees. After securing an interview with Chef Charles Leow, who decided to return from the United Kingdom to search for his roots in the Hakka culture, we decided to work on the relation of food to preserving culture.
I feel that this is one of the most exciting and fulfilling assignments I have had. The initial stages of the project were challenging, as we had difficulty securing interviewees due to our identity being only students. We had to change our topic and focus a few times before confirming this final topic. I felt very proud of myself when I completed the last edits for this video. Not only have I picked up the skills needed to produce a video news story, but I have also learnt a lot from our interviewees on Hakka food and their culture.
This video can also be found here.
CS0209 MEDIA LAW, ETHICS & POLICY
This course was one of the most challenging courses I have taken. It was not easy to digest all the concepts and statutes of different legislatures as more topics are covered progressively. Despite this, my knowledge of the laws relating to the media has notably increased, and I am more confident of being able to protect myself from any legal situation that could arise if I join the media industry one day. The learning of legal proceedings, intellectual property laws, defamation laws, POFMA and many more were surely beneficial to me.
CS2005 SPEECH & ARGUMENTATION
As an extreme introvert, this course challenged me to step out of my comfort zone by delivering two engaging speeches to my classmates. Although I felt nervous about many aspects of the presentations, such as the content quality and staying within the time limit, I was able to complete both speeches successfully. Through guidance from my professor and by learning from TED Talk speakers, I improved both my body language and the overall structure of my presentations, and would surely be a better speaker than before.
CS2400 FOUNDATIONS OF INFORMATION ANALYTICS
Although this course mainly focuses on numbers and calculations, it has greatly improved my understanding of the various formulas used to analyse data that we may collect from different projects in the future.
CS2025 IMAGE & SOUND PRODUCTION
This has been my favourite course in WKWSCI so far. The hands-on experience with professional equipment and software made it one of the most effective ways to learn quickly. Most sessions were conducted in a TV studio, where we were able to experiment with different set-ups and techniques. The course covered a wide range of topics, including camera operation, lighting, audio, and directing. We applied what we learnt through three major assignments: an advertisement, a studio production, and a documentary.
Beyond technical skills, the course was particularly valuable for developing soft skills—especially teamwork. Every role on set matters, and this experience helped me understand the importance of focusing on one’s own responsibilities. On a real film set, others may not have the time or capacity to manage your tasks, so being accountable for your role is essential. In addition, the projects were assigned back-to-back, requiring us to manage our time effectively and maintain a consistent standard of work while liaising with interviewees effectively.
Advertisement Project
This advertisement was created around the assigned theme of “ABUSE.” Among the various forms this concept can take, we chose to focus on workplace abuse—portraying an office worker overwhelmed by relentless demands, working day and night to keep up with an endless stream of tasks.
Over the course of several days, we refined the script and experimented with different lighting and sound techniques during filming. In post-production, we enhanced the piece with a range of visual effects.
This video can also be found here.
Studio Production
This experience was very different from the productions I had worked on previously, where we typically brought equipment to set up on location. Instead, I had the opportunity to work with professional studio gear, including control room panels and studio cameras, which were much larger and required a completely new approach to operate. It also introduced me to multi-camera production, as we learned to deliver a program from the control room—coordinating in real time, communicating clearly with the floor team, and managing instructions given to the presenter and guest.
This video can also be found here.
Documentary Project
When we learnt that we had less than three weeks to produce a documentary, everything moved at an incredible pace. We poured our hearts into the project, making those weeks both intense and rewarding. Our professor challenged us to interview only family members, which initially made the process difficult, as many were reluctant to be filmed or interviewed. It took considerable effort to secure a willing participant, and from there, we spent time understanding her life story before narrowing down the focus of our documentary.
We chose to center the film on a pivotal period in her life: after being educated in the Chinese system and working as a Chemistry teacher in a Chinese-medium school, she was required by policy to transition to teaching in English. We highlighted the challenges and struggles she faced during this shift, while also celebrating her resilience and growth. To deepen the narrative, we reached out to her former classmates and students, incorporating their perspectives to make the documentary more engaging and meaningful.
Beyond storytelling, the production process came with its own set of challenges. Coordinating with locations and securing permissions required careful communication with multiple parties. Post-production was equally demanding, especially with a minimum runtime of 10 minutes, and it required many elements such as music, audio, and b-roll, while also having to translate some captions from Chinese to English. Through our professor’s feedback, I learned the importance of allowing a documentary to “breathe”—giving moments space so the message can resonate with the audience.
Overall, this was a highly meaningful assignment. It gave us a glimpse into the fast-paced nature of real-world production, where multiple aspects must be managed simultaneously under tight deadlines. Despite the challenges and areas for improvement, I’m proud that we were able to bring the project together successfully.
This video can also be found here.
CS0102 MAKING SENSE OF BIG DATA
This course focuses on the rise of big data and how it can be transformed into meaningful, actionable information, helping me develop a deeper understanding of key concepts such as cloud computing and machine learning.
Video Project
As part of the course, we were required to produce a video focusing on a specific industry and explain how big data is utilised within it, applying the concepts we had learnt.
My team chose to focus on the music streaming industry, examining platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. We explored how these services leverage big data to recommend music, personalise user experiences, and generate curated playlists. These features demonstrate how data-driven algorithms shape listening habits and enhance user engagement, as illustrated in our video.
This video can also be found here.
The Memories
Here are some records of my journey in Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.
Freshmen Orientation Programme
Video Project
Each orientation group have to produce two final videos for the finale. I was allocated to the group with the theme "drama". We decided to take inspiration from the series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and introduced our own WeeKims of WKWSCI. I helped out with the filming and initial stages of editing before passing the OK-CUTS over to the main editor.
This video can also be found here.
