Edvantage - How to curb trading of electives at NTU

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How to curb trading of electives at NTU

Ms Wong Zhi Ying | my paper | Tue Aug 31 2010

"I strongly believe that trading cash for electives should not be allowed as it deprives students of a fair chance of obtaining them," says Ms Wong.

I REFER to the report, "NTU electives traded for cash" (my paper, Aug 25).

I find it disheartening to hear of cases where students abuse the system by selling to their peers academic electives that they have successfully registered for.

Some students pay as much as $200 for popular modules, like those in psychology and astronomy.

Precise timing is crucial in facilitating these illegal transactions, with a seller dropping an elective and a buyer snapping it up the moment it becomes available.

Delays in adding the elective may result in it being picked up by another student.

One way that the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) could curb such transactions is by introducing a buffer period between the time that a student drops an elective, and when it re-appears in the system for students to book it again.

By not disclosing the exact length of the buffer period, buyers would not be able to immediately grab the desired elective the moment a seller drops it.

Another preventive measure that NTU could consider is to impose a cap on the number of electives that a student can register for, thus preventing undergraduates from registering for additional modules for the sole purpose of selling them to others.

As a second-year undergraduate at another local university, I understand the frustration that students face when they fail to obtain their choice electives during the official registration period, and are then forced to pick modules that might result in a poor timetable.

However, I strongly believe that trading cash for electives should not be allowed as it deprives students of a fair chance of obtaining them, with undergraduates who cannot afford to pay to secure their choice modules especially disadvantaged.

There will always be electives of varying difficulty and appeal, and it will be hard to curb the demand for modules that are more popular. But I believe this is a reflection of the realities of life, as we might not always get what we want.

Instead of trying to seek an easy way out, I would advise my fellow undergraduates to be open to other alternatives and make the best of them.

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