Sunday, December 8, 2013

[Review] LSM4211 Toxicology

Took this module this sem (2013/2014) and I have to say that this module is really just pure memory work. In this module you get to learn about toxicology... as the name of the module suggests. And there are a lot of xenobiotics to learn about, their mechanisms and how they cause toxicity in us. The profs I had were Shen Han Ming, Ong Choon Nam, Shabbir Moochhala as well as Ho Han Kiat. Got to say that out of all profs, Dr. Ho was the best. He was very enthusiastic and he made everything much more interesting. A/P Shabbir's lecture on the other hand, usually only lasts an hour, so he tends to be rushing throughout the whole lecture, speaking very quickly. However, there is webcast so you don't have to go for lectures if you need to do your experiments.

There is no CA but there are 4 group assignments. You don't get to choose your group members..they are just assigned automatically and alphabetically. There are usually 4/5 people in a group and the assignments are divided into a few portions so the group members can just divide the work among themselves. In fact, I have not even met any of my group members once. We just communicated via Whatsapp. Sometimes, you just feel like not everyone does their work properly or even does their work at all. That, I guess is the thing you have to think about when you take a module with a group project. There are no peer evaluations for this module, so even if someone doesn't do their job properly, I guess everyone will still receive the same marks. Anyway, they do not reveal your scores for the assignments. They add up to 40% of your final grade, though.

The final exam consists of 60% of your grades, close book (as usual). There were 50 MCQs and 5 compulsory essay questions (you don't get to pick!), which you have to complete in 2 hours. I guess I was not as prepared as I thought I was.

If you want to take this module, just memorise everything and regurgitate during the exams. The content is quite heavy. Just be prepared to MEMORISE many things.

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