PurpleTrain Student Profile

" I study to acquire more skills and knowledge…. the joy for me, however, is learning itself ," Jackie Ng, student in Higher Diploma in Business Administration.

Mr Jackie Ng is one of the pioneer batch of students in the Higher Diploma in Business Administration programme on PurpleTrain. He started his studies with us this year and expects to graduate by the middle of next year.

Jackie currently runs his own business - a trading company importing and exporting crushing and mining equipment & related spares. He enjoys reading, particularly fiction from Michael Crichton.

We recently spoke to him about his experience studying online.

Q. Why did you decide on an online course versus a conventional classroom course?

A. I run my own business, my customers are my bosses. Sometimes I have to work late or meet up with customers or my principals in the evening. Besides that, I have other personal commitments on weekday nights. Therefore, I cannot be locked into the fixed schedule that comes with the traditional classroom way of learning. An online course offered the ideal solution for me. You can study anytime and anywhere.

I do admit that it requires more discipline but it also offers me a lot of flexibility. Furthermore, I believe that at this level of learning, much of the acquisition of knowledge can be done without physically attending lectures.

Q. How long have you been studying online ?

A. I only started this year with PurpleTrain. I had heard that "distance learning" such as this was taking place overseas for some time already. When PurpleTrain was launched, I was sure that this would be the solution to my present circumstances.

Q. How do you utilise the features on the PurpleTrain website?

A. I try to log in at least once a day to see if there are new messages and assignments.

I study very independently on my own, but I find the course content very well written, the concepts are clear and information up to-date. The students' profile also provide information about each student and it is useful for us to get to know each other better. We share, clarify and interact electronically when necessary.

Q. What aspects of e-learning appeal to you ?

A. Learning at my own time, place and pace suits me just fine. I have found the anywhere, anyplace concept to be very useful to me as I am very independent. The motivation is that I have to complete my studies by the exam date, and if I pass the recognition of my efforts in the form of a diploma.

Q. How has the course helped you in your career ?

A. I took the Business Administration course to help me in my own business. Most of the subjects, particularly in areas such as marketing and accounting impart knowledge that I find useful in the course of running of my new business, which was registered this year.

I want to pick up more knowledge so that I can apply my newly acquired skills and knowledge to further develop my business.

But for me, the main fulfillment comes from learning itself.

Q. Are there any frustrations that you have encountered with e-learning ?

A. There are some frustrations such as when there is difficulty accessing the website. However, I expect that the hiccups will be ironed out eventually as the system matures. Meanwhile, I just have to help myself more.

Q. Are there additional features that could be added that would help you in your studies?

A. The information on the website could be updated more frequently. Information such as past year's exam questions and important news pertaining to the business world would be useful. I would also like to have more assignments and more feedback on our progress would be very helpful.

Assignments and tutorials, if prepared beforehand, can be automatically posted to the students on a regular basis through the website. The feedback from the facilitators on the completed assignments will help the students tremendously in their studies.

Q. Do you have any advice that may help students thinking of starting an e-learning course ?

A. My advice would be to think differently. E-learning is a different paradigm in learning. Many people think that the only way to learn is by going to the classroom. Yes, the lecturer imparts content to you but so does an e-learning site. Ultimately, it is still up to you to study on your own. I think that e-learning will grow very fast and it will eventually become the way to learn for many people especially when we are such busy people.

Jackie, thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to answer our questions. We wish you the best of luck and loads of fun in your quest for knowledge.

About PurpleTrain

PurpleTrain.com is an e-learning portal offering a one-stop service for business and IT education programmes, corporate training courses and education-related services.

By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective online training solution. About 200 online courses are available, from degree, diploma, certificate to corporate IT training programmes. Our online learning community now stands at over 23,000 users.

PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

For more information on PurpleTrain.com, contact :
Adeline Cheong
Marketing & PR Manager
Tel : (65) 568 0810
E-mail : acheong@purpletrain.com

<<< back

All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Certain of the statements in this press release are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ from those described or contemplated.

Copyright © 2002. All Rights Reserved. PurpleTrain.com Pte Ltd.