postgradasia-Student-MMU-ChowWoeiChen-2018

Chow Woei Chen

Master of Knowledge Management with Multimedia

Chow studied Bachelor of Multimedia (Hons.) (Interface Design) and is currently pursuing Master of Knowledge Management with Multimedia at Multimedia University (MMU).

Share with us the story of your postgraduate journey.

Interest in the course itself is my primary reason to pursue master studies rather than career advancement and future employability. I felt that studying would give me several transferable skills. At first, I was not sure if I was ready for postgraduate studies, at the end, I just committed to my decision and made the jump. I can tell that the outcomes are better than my expectations. Studying a master is not only to obtain new knowledge but also to develop my other skills. One can build and sharpen his/her leadership skills by undergoing the project management task as structured in the course. I’ve gained a lot of insights and experience sharing with fellow lecturers and classmates with their working experience.

How did you choose this course and institution?

The course name utterly grabbed my attention and interest the moment I saw it on the MMU postgraduate site. After looking at its prospectus and doing research online, I got a better understanding on the course and I took into my consideration of the course modules. Considering that the course length and eligibility of the course is in accordance with my qualifications, I made my decision. During the time I spent in MMU for my bachelor’s degree, I truly enjoyed the university life and learning experience. This is the reason why I chose MMU as the institution to pursue my master. I like the learning atmosphere there, the lecturers are good and helpful, diverse environment allows me to learn from peers with various backgrounds.

What research are you currently pursuing?

I am currently working on a research about knowledge sharing through social media. I chose this topic as I’m highly interested in the influence of social media on knowledge sharing. Most of the research in this area are highly considered organizational and business contexts, not much attention are dedicated to the perception of students. It would be great if my research can provide some insights for future development of social media-based learning platform that can support students’ knowledge sharing activities. I’m glad that my supervisors and lecturers have been very helpful and always provide support and assistance to me whenever I face difficulties in my research.

If you could change anything about your postgraduate journey, what would you do differently?

If I had to tell one, I would say I wish I could manage my time effectively, so that I could make use of them properly. Young graduates tend to have poor time management skill and often failed to manage their time effectively and efficiently. Master by coursework has a tighter schedule and time frame compared to master by research as you need to attend classes, prepare for exams and probably attend some seminars and talks to obtain extracurricular knowledge. I would suggest one to manage their time wiser, train him/herself to be independent while carrying out long-term projects and learn to work in a team.

Postgraduate studies and your career

To be honest, I never thought of employability, I’ve never been worried about that, I’d prefer to do something I enjoy for one year and a half.  Lectures and experience sharing in the practical sense from Knowledge Management class will be very beneficial for both fresh graduates and experienced workers. From personal knowledge management to organisational learning, all these subjects can build one’s managerial skills and leadership qualities. While for the postgraduate pursue timing, it is really up to one’s intention, both have their irreplaceable advantages. Frankly speaking, it depends on the subject studying in and own preference.

What is your favourite part about your postgraduate degree?

I think that the collaboration with NGOs to carry out community projects to help the needy is truly meaningful to be able to contribute to the societies. It is a fantastic way to give students opportunities to communicate with people of all ages, practice time management and understand the importance of giving back to the community.