The 3 o’clock deadline was looming. It’s 12.15 pm. Two judges walked into the meeting room, sat down, considered and re-considered their marks. Discussed a few issues. Then, they fell into silence. Deep in thoughts… Judging a competition is not easy. Many factors to think about, even after a participant gave a 5-minute pitch and showing some evidence of innovations, the question of “Am I being fair?” is perhaps at the top of a judge’s mind.
Judging forms came in. Fingers nimbly punching in the numbers, marks being totalled up, papers quickly arranged – into the correct sequence of booths. “Okay Dr… 31, 34”, said a senior staff sitting next to me. I looked for the booth number 31 and entered 34 into the marks column in Numbers. That’s from the first judge. Awaiting for marks from the second judge…
This is a glimpse behind-the-scene of the judging session during Innovations in Teaching and Learning Competition 2018 (ITLC2018) where I served as Head Judge. Truth be told that I was quite happy coordinating the scenes for judges, hidden away in the ‘oasis’. Away from the hustle bustle of ITLC at Permatang Pelajar in USM.
The clock is ticking…
It’s nearing 1 pm. As more and more judges trickled in, the judging staff quickly fell into a sense of familiarity and routine. Marks being counted, totalled up. The chanting of the important number pairs continued. It was only interrupted when we realised that there was a couple of mismatches between the booth numbering and titles. A quick check on the physical booths and with the judges sorted out that issue.
One fifteen pm. Marks needed to be finalised. The clock was ticking… yet there’s no sight of the last three judges. I already asked my staff to go for lunch while I awaited for the remaining judges.
My mind went back to my students at the event. Two groups of my 3rd year undergraduate students entered the competition – one on the reversal of teacher-student role using videos (Amir, Edward & Darren) and the other on infographics as assessment (Maizatul & Syuhada). I visited their booths–they arranged it well and seemed able to answer queries from the visitors. I soon realised I’d better leave them to run the show 😉
As a chemist, I was particularly interested in ‘AtomicFrenzy’, invented by 2 young lecturers from School of Chemical Sciences. It’s about learning and memorisation of chemical elements through mnemonics with the aid of colourful cards and images along with quizzes as a part of the learning process. An interesting take on learning inorganic chemistry. I wanted to learn more, but had to move on to the adjacent booth. Mi-chelle Leong transformed her class by using Gagné 9 Events of Instruction in reading English. An interesting entry from KDU Penang, very engaging educator.
A memorable learning experience
Buzzing with high energy, the Permatang Pelajar had a pretty good turnout. Participants talking, pitching, laughing; some ‘stalked’ for anyone in the crowd – waiting to ‘catch’ the attention of someone who’s willing to listen to their pitches. It’s good to practise and get some feedback about their innovations. Especially when our dearest VC, Datuk Professor Dr. Asma Ismail spent a good time (heard it’s more than 5 minutes) ‘grilling’ my students, Edward and Amir. Perhaps the pharmacy lab coats attracted scientists-at-heart. I learned from my students that they ‘survived’ the grilling 😉 Part of their learning experience in USM, something they will never forget! Thank you Datuk =)
As an introvert, all the different energy and vibes could make me tired. I knew I had to limit my time there to conserve my energy. I quietly sneaked away from the Permatang Pelajar and went back to the “oasis” i.e. the judges meeting room near the Kapits.
Decision, decision, decision…
At the end, we received judging forms from all judges, then finalised the marks. Armed with a good coffee*, around 2.30 pm, the panel of judges re-convened to discuss and select the winners. Judging process, participation, criteria, facilities and other related matters were discussed since this is the first time such event was organised. Selecting the Best of the Best wasn’t an easy process; after some deliberation, a consensus was reached, that is, no awards this year. Soon after the decision, we posted stickers for Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. Finally, it’s a wrap!
I am grateful to the panel of judges, PPSF and CDAE staff who helped making ITLC2018 a success. And also to participants who are willing to share their teaching and learning innovations with the public. It’s something I would find tiring. That’s why I was delighted when my students wanted to join the competition. And… the best news, they won silver and bronze at ITLC2018. What a pleasant surprise! Awesome 🙂
As an introvert educator, I enjoy working behind the scene and probably spend a briefest time possible in a busy, hectic place. A cafe provides a calm and nice ambiance that lets creative juices flow naturally. A good place for introverts, where I’d be happy to listen and share ideas there while enjoying a good coffee. Serving as Head Judge works well for me 😉
Additionally, I’m sharing below some takeaways that could be useful for you on conducting a judging session.
Takeaways from the judging session
- Put together a committed and experienced team
I paid great attention in getting the right people for the judging team–judges and staff. Some judges and staff were ‘booked’ 3-4 months earlier because I knew how they work, thus have faith they were a good fit for this role. Several were suggested and selected almost on the spot; a couple due to last-minute pull-outs (see below). But still the decision was made after looking at their profiles. I kept my judging team quite small to about 15 people all together at one time. It’s a manageable number for an introvert, provided it’s for a short period of time - Prepare all paperwork early
Guidelines, judging rubrics and registration sheet were prepared several days before the competition. Out of these, assigning judges to entries took the longest. It was because I had to study the judges’ expertise and experiences to match to the entries. Judges and competition entries from the same school couldn’t be matched together; another critical consideration in assigning judges.
Then, a few days before ITLC2018, a couple of judges pulled out. Re-assignment was needed. Luckily, several educators were willing to take some time off their busy schedules to serve as judges. Overall, assigning judges to entries took me a good 6-7 hours in total. Preparing most things earlier really helps minimising any drama, and towards an optimal workflow amongst different parties. Do have a Plan B too, just in case… - Have a Masterlist
Everything goes in and out of the Masterlist. Though the original list was in a Google Spreadsheet, I created a Masterlist using Apple’s Numbers. I find it really intuitive to work with. Several features are handy. Quick Filter is one of them. See below.
- For instance, the moment when the Chairperson called me and asked for the list of award winners. My reply to her was, Gimme 5 minutes. I walked back to my car, opened up my laptop and right-clicked at ‘Quick Filter’. In 2 seconds, it gave me all the Gold Award winners. Screen captured that bit and Whatsapped it to the Chairperson. She got it in time. Job done 🙂
- Another nifty little feature in Apple’s Numbers is Add Category – watch a short video here. I use Skitch as screen capture tool, my top 5 go-to-app. It comes with Evernote.
- Use Whatsapp effectively
I put everything I need for this event on my Whatsapp. Then, when a person-in-charge asks for a document, I simply forward it. At times, I feel this social messenger works seamlessly better than emails, Google Drive or Dropbox. Delivering information just in time. No drama.
If you have another productivity tool or approach that works for you, do share it in the comments box below. Till then…
*Thanks to Dr Chan Siok Yee, who belanja me – I got my “flatwhite kaw” from the Kapits.
