Page 22 - 022021 PULSE@FASS e-Bulletin

Issue no. 2 | 2021

A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

BY SITI SARAH JASMINE BINTI AZLI
3RD YEAR B.A. INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

comments were talked and
shared every time at the end
of the session. Interestingly,
each session I need to come
up with my own creation of
short stories or poems
centering around the
concept of time. It was a fun
ride in discovering many
different sides and approaches to writing about time
where it can be the past, future, present or even alternate
The courses were organized by the Institute of Continuing Education
(ICE) – Cambridge University provides participants their own account
timeline that touches on the set of different time or
to access the online learning platform.
environment, where I wrote on the possible events
happening in a different timeline than the existing one.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of student life -
between attending the last week of lectures and
It was a rewarding experience for me as a participant due
preparing for final exams - I participated in the Virtual
to the extensive educational information, collection of
learning programme, from the 25th of January to 29th of
works and notes that helped develop my comprehension
January 2021 out of the two session offered by the
on time as a main focus in fiction writing, as well as
Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) in Cambridge
increased my confidence in writing, exploring new
University.
perspectives and ideas. This programme also offered a
chance to interact with participants that have different
There was a selection of over 50 courses offered, and
backgrounds, ages and education levels, while building
“Adventure in Fiction: Time” caught my interest. I wanted
connections with participants that live in different parts of
to brush up my writing skills. Furthermore, I thought it
the world.
would add merit to my credentials. It was an insightful
and valuable online course, exploring the sense of writing
The overall experience joining the programme actually
using “Time” as the main focus or concept. Moreover, the
exceeded my expectations and was very educational. The
flexibility and welcoming learning environment made the
students of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM
course enjoyable, as the instructor created a comfortable
are highly encouraged to join such programmes to
space for participants to interact and share their written
improve their skills. Students can widen their experiences
work.
by exposing or involving themselves in the international
programme instead of just staying in their comfort zone.
The programme was worth the time, for it served as an
opportunity on being taught by an instructor from a well
distinguished university in the world, and broadened my
learning experience. The differences of the conduct on
education system and level from Cambridge University
offers a breath of fresh air from the usual way of
participating in the virtual learning conduct back in
Universiti Malaya. Participants were given our own
personal student account on the Cambridge site for us to
gain access to the learning materials and to view the
video lectures.

A discussion platform was provided at the end of each session to
The course interaction was all conducted within the forum
further talk over the topic learned or participants can share their
provided, where questions, discussions, thoughts and
writing creations to platform, accepting comments or thoughts on
the style of writings.

22 | Pulse @ FASS