Staff Sharing by Jenny and Jin Yi

Module – Programming Business Applications (PBA) shared by Jenny Lam

PBA, a first-year BIT module aims to provide students with an overview of modular and event-driven programming concepts. It is based on capturing and responding interactively to user input on Windows form; C#.NET is the programming language used.

Jenny believes that students seem to learn best when their curiosity is aroused and they see the linkage between the module materials and their lives.

Jenny shared on one of the topics taught in the module - Data Validation, which involves a program that operates on clean, correct and useful data. It checks for correctness or meaningfulness of data that are input into the system.

In Data Validation, one useful linkage and application to students’ lives is their NRIC number, where the letter appended behind the 7-digit number serves as a ‘check’ on the validity and correctness of the numbers. Using an algorithm, this letter is calculated using the sum of the product of the first seven digits, and their respective weights and taking MODULUS ELEVEN (11).

NRIC
9 8 0 0 5 4 7

Weight
2 7 6 5 4 3 2

Product
18 56 0 0 20 12 14

Adding the products together would obtain 120 which in turn taking modulus eleven (i.e. divided by 11) would yield a remainder of 10. Deducting the remainder of 10 from 11 would give a check digit of 1.

The conversion table converts the check digit into the corresponding alphabet:

Check digit
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Alphabet
A B C D E F G H I Z J

Therefore, the NRIC number of 9800547 should end with a letter ‘A’. This example never fails to excite the students and spur them on to want to learn more about PBA.

In addition, Jenny also demonstrated how she uses simple programming language with the help of interesting pictures in Visual Studio to excite students.



Module – Corporate Finance & Advisory Services (CFAS) shared by Choo-Chao Jin Yi

CFAS, a third-year BFS module aims to equip students with a good working knowledge and understanding of the principles of corporate finance and the types of advisory services.

Jin Yi believes that learning should be fun and students learn best through games. Thus the highlight of the module is the project which requires students to design GAMES, be it a Board Game, an Electronic Game, a 3m x 3m Floor Game, etc. that encapsulate their understanding of CFAS, as well as integrate other BFS modules and concepts in Business Law, Financial Markets & Services, Investments, etc.

These games typically require students to apply the various corporate finance principles that they have learnt and could involve areas such as Initial Public Offer (IPO), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Rights Issue, etc. In addition, students are required to reflect on their designs through the Mel discussion forum in areas of usefulness as well as entrepreneurial application.

Jin Yi shared that the tremendous effort put into these projects have paid off handsomely, as some of these games have drawn accolades from industry when submitted for competitions. Some CFAS Board Games have been shortlisted for presentation at the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Award competition and have served to be an inspiration for both staff and students. A recent 3m x 3m floor game titled “World of Finance” was eloquently explained and presented by Jerry Chua (a current third-year BFS student), in person, to the hugely intrigued audience who attended the sharing session. This game was inspired by games featured at the MoneySENSE Roadshow on campus, facilitated by the second and third year BFS students.