C&E FAQ

1. Why is there a suffix to the courses for year-long service-learning?

A suffix (‘X’ or ‘Y’) is used here to differentiate the course by semester. For example, GEN2060X is offered in Semester 1 of the Academic Year and runs till the end of Special Term 2 of that Academic Year, whereas GEN2060Y is offered in Semester 2 of the Academic Year and runs till the end of Semester 1 of the following Academic Year. Thus, if you are interested to enrol in GEN2060 Reconnect SeniorsSG in Semester 1, choose GEN2060X; If interested to enrol in Semester 2, choose GEN2060Y.

2. Can I still join a C&E service-learning course if I do not meet one or more of the specific requirements?

To be effective volunteers, ideally one should have a shared identity and cultural context with the service recipients, reflected in language accessibility or cultural understanding. One also needs to meet additional requirements that may be imposed by the overseeing ministry or national-level agency. However, if you are very keen despite not meeting one or more specific requirements, please email or speak with the Course Lead.

Presently, the answer is ‘no’. C&E is more than volunteering; it includes structured academic learning through the service or project work that invites students to think deeper about societal issues while taking constructive actions. The latter is not yet available for self-sourced volunteering work. Only work that is integrated within such an academic framework can qualify to be an academic course and accredited to the C&E pillar. Nevertheless, we continue to encourage you to give back to society in all forms of work that excite you. This should not be limited to the C&E pillar.

4. I am going for a Student Exchange/Summer Programme/Winter Programme/Study Abroad Programme. Can I fulfil the C&E pillar by reading a course from the overseas/partner university?

According to General Education requirements, students admitted from AY2021/2022 onwards are allowed to fulfil GE pillar requirements by reading courses from overseas/partner universities. This applies to the C&E pillar as well.

5. Why is the expected effort for service work and field/project work pegged at 60-80h?

We consider this the minimum for students to experience the situation in the social service or community landscape, make positive impact, and develop sufficient awareness for personal growth, including establishing individual moral compasses and refining personal effectiveness skills. This corresponds to an equivalent of about 7-10 days of volunteer work.

In many cases, students reading C&E courses have to travel to external sites for volunteer service or community project work. This may mean incurring expenses in the conduct of your volunteering or project work. The University has made funds available to help defray travel costs, and support your C&E work in general. Click here for details.

7. What should I do if I get into disagreements or other issues with my community partner, other stakeholders, or the persons whom I am supporting?

In the event that disagreements or other issues happen, please step out of the situation and call your C&E tutor or professor immediately for advice.

8. I have other questions, who can I ask?

If you have any other queries, comments, or suggestions for improvement, please email the C&E team at AskCnE@nus.edu.sg.

9. How do I find out if a C&E course is available for selection in the current round?

C&E courses to fulfil General Education requirements are available for bidding in the usual process in “Select Courses” Round 2 of CourseReg. Please check if the course is offered in coming semester via NUSMods.

10. For service-learning courses, the service will be completed only at the end of the following semester, or one year, after enrolling. How will this affect my course bidding in the next semester?

An ‘IP’ (in-progress) grade will be assigned to courses that extend beyond the current examination results release date or beyond one semester. The actual grade will be assigned upon course completion. This procedure is the same as internships and final-year project work, for example.

All service-learning courses are spread out over up to one year. This provides a better-sustained engagement with and support of the community. The workload is less intense, so these courses count 2 Units in the semester in which you enrol and another 2 Units in the following semester. Thus, you can always register for them on top of your usual planned workload of 20 Units or so, without breaching workload cap. This is sufficient to accommodate a year-long C&E course without ‘sacrificing’ any Major or other regular course.

11. Since service-learning courses stretch across the Special Term, do I have to pay Special Term fees?

No, you do not have to pay Special Term fees for any of the service-learning courses.

12. Can I get out of a C&E course that I cannot handle anymore?

For regular one-semester C&E courses, the usual rules apply. You can add/drop/swap courses during the “Select Courses” rounds. To drop a course, you select the course to drop, click the drop button, and confirm the drop. You can then register for another course if you wish. Thereafter, if you drop the course between the first day of Week 3 of the instructional period and the last day of the recess week, a ‘W’ (Withdrawn) grade will be recorded in the transcript. Withdrawals after this period will result in an ‘F’ grade.

For year-long C&E courses, you will have to submit an appeal to drop the course during Weeks 1 and 2 of the instructional period via Appeals/Inquiries at CourseReg. If you have to drop the course any time after this period, you are required to write to your Course Lead. We recognise there may in certain cases be external issues beyond your control that make your continued voluntary work untenable. You will then have to re-enrol in the same or different C&E course to fulfil the requirements of the pillar.

Nevertheless, students are strongly encouraged to carefully consider the course offerings available and register for a course they can commit to during this “Select Courses” period. It would be disruptive to the community partner and beneficiaries if you withdraw after the programme has started.

13. For service-learning courses, will training sessions by partner organisations be counted towards the service hours?

Yes. Time spent during any additional training required by agencies or community partners will be counted towards the service hours.

14. Must I fulfil all the agreed service hours?

Yes. If you have committed to provide certain services, you have an obligation to the university, agency/community partner, and beneficiaries to fulfil your commitment to avoid disruptions to the partner and well-being of the beneficiary. In certain special circumstances, such as illness, we can understand if you are not able to fulfil one or two sessions if the service does not provide make-up options.

15. What should I do if I have to be on short-term medical leave?

You may continue with the C&E course when you return from your medical leave, depending on the nature of the course and work requirements. Please check with your C&E tutor or professor for advice. If you are placed on a Leave of Absence (LoA), you will generally be required to re-register for the same or a different C&E course after you return from LoA.

16. Can I read a C&E service-learning course while concurrently taking on a local Internship/Industrial Attachment (IA) Programme?

Yes, service-learning courses do not generally limit your freedom to do other things, as long as you are in Singapore and can discharge your responsibilities to your service recipients. You are free to take on local Internships/IAs provided you are based in Singapore (not offshore), and you also have your Company’s approval for engaging in service-work activities/befriending during daytime on some weekdays. Depending on your service recipients and community partner, you may carry out your service-work during some evenings and weekends. If you have to carry out service-work during daytime (3-4 hours a week) on weekdays, please seek your Company’s approval. If your Company says no, we should follow the decision/rules of the employer. Since service-learning courses are year-long, students cannot start later than 7th semester. Thus, if you are planning to join the C&E service-learning course concurrently with your IA, you will need to find a company that is amenable.

17. I am planning to do a Student Exchange/Summer/Study Abroad Programme next year. Can I register for the year-long service-learning course, take a one-semester break for my overseas programme, and come back in the following semester to complete the course?

In general, students are expected to commit to the agreed service work. Long absences may disrupt the well-being of service recipients and the plans of community partners. However, for GEN2061X/GEN2061Y, where the work comprises door-to-door visits for seniors, such disruptions may be less severe. Thus, it is possible to enrol in this course, take a semester-long break and return to complete the rest of the activities in the following semester. However, if you know for sure that you are going overseas for the semester, it would be best to enrol in C&E courses in the semester after you return. In this way, you can also keep within the same peer group for both your work and tutorials. Nevertheless, you can always go off for Winter Programmes or other short breaks in the vacations. If you are only going to be away during the Special Terms due to short exchanges, you can also choose to enrol in GEN2062X/GEN2062Y, where service work takes place during the regular semesters.

18. Why do befriending courses i.e. GEN2060/GEN2070 stretch beyond one semester? Can I finish or disrupt after one semester?

GEN2060 and GEN2070 are befriending service-learning courses. Befriending is a special emotional supportive relationship in which the volunteer provides companionship, support and care on a regular basis to help the befriendee(s) find strength, alleviate loneliness and/or enhance positive outlook to life. This requires the building of trust and rapport, which takes more than a few home visits. Once that relationship is built, we hope you can provide continuous support to the befriendee(s) until the next batch takes over.

Thus, you cannot finish within one semester, even if you have fulfilled your minimum service obligation by then. If you disrupt after one semester, you will be considered to not have fulfilled service obligation, and would have to read that course again, or another Communities & Engagement course to fulfil the Communities & Engagement Pillar.

19. I am planning to go for overseas SEP/programmes, but that may overlap with a part of the befriending period. Can I still enrol in befriending courses, i.e. GEN2060/GEN2070?

Yes, you can. Please consider the following cases:
(a) Away during the semester. If you plan to go away in Semester 1, you can enrol in GEN2060X/70X but not GEN2060Y/70Y for the Academic Year before. Conversely, if you plan to go away in Semester 2, you can enrol in GEN2060Y/70Y but not GEN2060X/70X for the Academic Year before.
(b) Away during the summer or December semester breaks, for up to one month continuously. If you plan to go away for up to one month continuously, you can still enrol in befriending courses that Academic Year. If you plan to go away for a total of two months, but plan to be in Singapore in-between, you can still enrol in befriending courses for that Academic Year and visit your befriendee(s) during the time you are back.
(c) Away for more than one month continuously. If you plan to be away for more than one month continuously, whether in the summer break or during the semester, you should not enrol in befriending courses for that Academic Year. You would ‘lose’ a significant amount of service work that would incur a service penalty. In case of doubt, please discuss with the GEN2060/GEN2070 team.

20. When do I receive my grades for befriending service-learning courses, i.e. GEN2060, GEN2070? Can I discontinue befriending after that?

GEN2060X/GEN2070X are offered in Semester 1 of the Academic Year and run till the end of Special Term 2 of that Academic Year, with grades awarded in August. GEN2060Y/GEN2070Y are offered in Semester 2 of the Academic Year and run till the end of Semester 1 of the following Academic Year, with grades awarded in December. This occurs two months before the end of your befriending period. We award you the grades early, based on your record and performance, so that you can graduate on time or progress with other courses. There will be no penalty if you terminate your befriending service after that. For example, if you have graduated or taken LoA, or proceeded to SEP or overseas internship, we do not expect you to be able to fulfil the last two months of soft commitment. However, please let your befriendee(s) know why you have to stop early, and arrange for a smooth exit. In the usual case, most of you should have developed good connections by then with your befriendee(s). We hope you will thus continue to serve out the balance of the befriending period. We trust you will do the right thing for your circumstances. In our experience, most students enjoy the interactions and will continue to engage the befriendee(s) until handover to their juniors. Some have even continued to visit their befriendee(s) beyond the course.

21. I am only left with my C&E service-learning course to complete during the summer break after my 8th semester. Can I start work already?

Yes, you can. You can always work as long as it does not interfere with your completion of the course(s) you are reading. However, please note that grades are awarded at the end of Special Term 2, which means your degree will be conferred in end-Aug, and you will join the Commencement ceremony in the following year. Click here for details.

22. Are C&E courses graded?

Yes, they are graded according to rigorous standards established by the overseeing academic unit. It will holistically take into account your academic learning, work commitment, attitude and quality, and reflections and service portfolio. NUSSU leaders have also suggested that it would be advantageous to have the courses graded.

23. How does NUS evaluate students’ performance in service-learning courses?

NUS has devised a balanced, comprehensive scorecard to do so. The scorecard covers the following aspects: engagement with learning materials, quality of reflections, field supervisor evaluation, and student’s fulfilment of the minimum service obligation.

Engagement with learning materials. Students are evaluated for completion of in-video assignments and contribution to class discussions. The aim is to encourage building of your confidence and articulation of thoughts.

Quality of reflections. Students are evaluated on submissions for the mid-service reflection paper and final service portfolio. You will be given prompts and guidance on how to do this. The evaluation focuses on evidence of learning and critical thinking, contextualized to the service performed. We are not looking for ‘politically correct’ nor contrived responses, but insightful reflections that evidence clarity of thought, engagement with the subject, and reflexive learning.

Field supervisor evaluation. At or near the end of the service work, the field supervisor would be asked to evaluate students on five metrics: (i) punctuality, (ii) dependability, (iii) teamwork/collaboration, (iv) respect, and (v) communications. In our experience, most supervisors will appreciate and give high scores to our students for their excellent commitment and initiative.

Fulfilment of service obligation. If the student fails to meet the minimum service requirement, which in the case of befriending work comprises both regularity of engagement and total direct service hours, the student may be subject to a service penalty imposed on the supervisor evaluation and final portfolio evaluation. However, the student will not be penalized if the failure is due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control, e.g. in the case of GEN2070, when there is insufficient number of seniors assigned, or seniors declining the befriending programme after it started, or seniors falling ill and preferring not to have visitors, or seniors not keeping appointment (‘no show’), etc.

24. Should the service-learning courses not be CS/CU?

NUS service-learning courses are about learning – empathetic communications, negotiation and conflict resolution, empowerment to make a difference, the will to act for the common good, seeing other perspectives, and reflexive learning – as much as the volunteer work itself. This learning is an academic activity overseen by the NUS Department of Social Work. It deserves to be graded, which can make a positive contribution to your GPA. Nevertheless, you are free to S/U the course if you wish, based on prevailing S/U policies. Making the course CS/CU has severe, unintended negative consequences. Besides depriving students an opportunity to demonstrate excellence, it generates pressure for students to only meet the minimum passing threshold, which severely disrupts the social service support ecosystem, causing more harm than benefits to service recipients.