Ask Our Lecturer! A/Prof Gabriel Kor on the Merits of a BSc (Project and Facilities Management) Degree
“Our job as a teacher is to equip students with the relevant knowledge and skills so they are empowered to pursue excellence in their careers.”
A/Prof Gabriel Kor, Associate Professor
Department of the Built Environment, NUS
What can students learn from the BSc (Project and Facilities Management) [BSc (PFM)] programme?
The NUS BSc (PFM) programme provides students with a broad and firm foundation, preparing them for careers in project management, infrastructure and facilities management, and cost management, or hard sciences grounded in the built environment. The latter include 3-D printing, material science, sustainability technology and indoor environmental quality. Quite a few BSc (PFM) graduates go on to further their studies – e.g. those interested in acquiring enhanced project management skills to tackle complex projects may pursue a graduate qualification in project management. As for those with a professional interest in building defects and diagnostics, they may obtain a qualification in building surveying, etc.
How do you ensure students benefit from your teaching?
I teach some of the law modules, which are part of the BSc (PFM) programme. Formally, I would gauge my students’ understanding through their mid-term assessments and tutorial presentations. I would follow up with regular consultation sessions to clarify any queries students may have. I make it a point to actively solicit feedback from my students.
I also connect with my former students so as to hear their feedback on what impact my teaching has had on their work life. This is important to make sure my teaching is coherent and relevant to industry. I work at enhancing my teaching by leveraging my industry experiences – before joining NUS, I had worked as a quantity surveyor, lawyer and legal counsel. I do make a conscious effort to be a relatable teacher, sharing with them life lessons and mistakes I myself had made when I was their age – indeed clinching the School Teaching Excellence Award twice was an affirmation from my students.
How do you keep your expertise up-to-date?
For me to do a good job as a teacher, I try to keep myself updated as much as possible with legal developments through reading and networking with practitioners in the legal field, as well as the built environment industry. This is especially so for law. The Legislature and the Executive make new laws and the Judiciary hands down new judgments regularly – these will impact my teaching so it is important that I am in the know and able to stay relevant for my students.
How do you prepare students for an enhanced career when they graduate?
Our job as a teacher at the university is to equip students with the relevant knowledge and skills so that they are empowered to pursue excellence in their chosen careers when they graduate, and to cultivate the right attitude in their working life. I also encourage my students to obtain a formal NUS postgraduate qualification – for a life of education is a life of employability. Students can pursue a postgraduate qualification immediately after their undergraduate studies, or after accumulating several years of work experience.
How is the BSc (PFM) programme of NUS different from a similar programme offered by other universities?
The NUS BSc (PFM) programme is unique to Asia. It is the only full-time and interdisciplinary programme that combines elements of building science, technology, management and law, to nurture professionals and leaders for the sustainable built environment. The full-time teaching staff of the BSc (PFM) programme include experienced project managers, infrastructure and facility managers, quantity surveyors, engineers, material and sustainability scientists, indoor environmental quality practitioners, building pathologists, as well as lawyers. This integration of teaching expertise focused on the built environment is unique to this corner of the world.