A Phenomenal Fallacy: The First Reflection

By Paul Andrew Bourne, B.Sc. (Hons); Dip. Edu.


Prior to my enrolment in the graduate level programme, I envisage a degree at the master's level that subsumed proficiency, competence and mastery of content in addition to the highest level of flexibility of language usage second only to the doctorial programme. However, to date, the programmes are all clamouring for time to effectively meet their mandate. The "technical writing" course, SY69C, is one of the countless post-graduate discipline that lacks cohesiveness and in the same breadth does not measure to the appropriateness that such a vital skill ought to. SY69C is on "technical writing" and not on time management. This programme should ensure that graduates from the prestigious University of the West Indies, post-graduates class, continuously peruse various literary works while analyzing them for in-depth understanding and mastery of the tools of language. Language at the graduate level is an art, science of linguistic, and semantics. The level of work is mastery of literary styles and not simply about writing as were the case at the undergraduate level; the essence at this juncture in the life of a student is not in dialoguing and/or a formatted lecturing technique but of proficiency in use of the English language.

The course contents, SY69C, should not reflect any similarity with that of the undergraduate level language course except on the linguistic proficiency of the works; instead, it should be on proposal critique, journal reviews, extensive reviews of past and contemporary prose, language logic, writing formulation and reservoir of poetry analyses. The programme should not emphasize examination although we are within a taught master's course instead the discipline ought to have stress the value of higher level of writing. Instead, the focus seems to resemble an advanced version of the undergraduate course FD10A with a dosage of research writing.

Today, the "technical writing" class of 2005 is in a classroom that is slated to house some twenty-five (25) students. The active class size is over fifty. I want someone for just a moment to visualize a classroom with two (2) huge desks to the centre of the room with some fifteen (15) chairs slated there. Around this centre, forms the full complement of the writing provision and another substantially space that is reserved for rubbles. Furthermore, the remaining space holds some twenty (20) students on chair that are not designed for writing and/or is suitable for a proper learning environment. Despite the adults' discipline and focus, approximately ten (10) students are on the outside. Oftentimes those individuals are discussing unrelated issues while the lecturer marches on to the tune of the course outline. Yet this is not the key problem with the learning situation in question. The truth of the matter is that for the course to be effective the lecturer-student ratio needed to be more manageable.

The distinguished Dr. Paul Martin is indeed a scholar of the highest order and he tries desperately to utilize various teaching-learning techniques to facilitate learning at the post-graduate level. Discussions are lively, useful and focused. Nonetheless, he is constraint by the limited physical space, lack of material or teaching resource and the woefully inadequate time for the programme (six and-or seven weeks). Frankly speaking, one could deem the lack of preparation and insight surrounding this course by the Department as an insult to the lecturer. Our time and certainly that of the lecturer would have been maximized had the Department made a greater input in the construction of the course bearing in mind the specific language needs of the student at the relevant level. The course would have even been more useful had it been executed at the beginning of the programme, rather at the very end.

One can only hope that some effort is made to reconstruct this course as a lecturer can only help students to a limited extent if the structure of a course is poor, worsened by other problems. There is a clear need for a ?'Technical Writing' course at this level; and it is hoped that the same lecturer will be asked to convene. Nonetheless, it should be with the full support of the Department.