[TOS] Introducing myself - Mr. Lim Kin Chew

[Kin Chew Lim]

Hi Everybody,

I am Mr. Lim Kin Chew.  I work as a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in the SIM University.

The SIM University (http://www.unisim.edu.sg) is a private university in Singapore which was set up in April 2005.

I have two portfolios.  The first one is as the Head of Programme for the Executive Graduate Diploma and Executive Master Programme on Open Source Software Management.  This is a 84-week long part-time programme which aims to provide both application and system management skills to the working adults.  We started this academic in January 2009.  We have a collaboration with the Red Hat, Inc.

I started using Linux and Open Source way back in the early 1990s when the first kernel version was introduced.  Subsequently, I kept upgrading my Linux distros.  In my present employment, I have used Open Source Software to develop application systems like the Curriculum Plan System and e-Learning stuff.

I am particularly interested in using Open Source Software to teaching and learning purposes.  Currently, I am working on delivering an e-course on Human Physiology to 55 students.  I plan to deliver this e-course in three different formats:  via the Internet, via LiveUSB and via a virtual machine on a thumb drive.  The infrastructure is the same - Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP, Ilias.

In particular, I want to find out how students can learn better using different devices like the LiveUSB and virtual machine.  In addition, I am also incorporating different sequencing paths from the SCORM 2004 3rd Edition specification.  I do hope to get some research results by June 2010, especially on how best they study and whether they learn better when they can choose their learning paths.

POSSE has given me many ideas on how I can improve my teaching style.  I do believe I can develop an online programme on Open Source Software using the various techniques, tools and approaches I learnt during the POSSE Workshop.  Tools like the IRC, Blogs and Wikis are definitely very useful.  But above all, I want to learn how to be more open and contribute more to the open source world.

I will be conducting some simple workshops like making a liveUSB, using the Sugar on the Stick, using Ruby on Rails to develop rapid web applications next year.  I believe in using and showcasing simple and workable projects to excite and entice my students to use open source software.

I will also be conducting a 3-day workshop for members of the Asia Open Source Software community.  We plan to hold it from 3 - 5 March 2009.  We will probably have participants from Malaysia and Thailand.

I also intend to blog more of my Open Source Software experiences.

Regards

Kin Chew