Some  of  the  best  leaders  are  those  who  lead  by example.  They  have  clear  visions  and  purpose, inspiring the people they work with as they strive towards a common goal.  As the head of a military school  in  Singapore,  Mr  David  Lee  saw  the  strength  in the commitment and quality of his comrades. The desire to  provide  them  with  the  best  professional  training  and education programme  convinced  him  to  first  equip  and update  himself  with  the  latest  professional  knowledge in  learning  science  and  organisational  development before  inculcating  a  culture  of  self-improvement  and collaborative learning at his workplace.

With this as his motivation, Mr  Lee  enrolled  in  the  Master  of  Arts  in Professional Education (Training and Development) at the National  Institute  of  Education,  Nanyang  Technological University,  Singapore  (NIE  NTU,  Singapore)  and prepared himself to set an example for his subordinates by first learning to learn.

The Master of Arts in Professional Education (Training and  Development)  (MAPE) prepares  professional educators with a distinct set of skills to drive mentoring and coaching, innovative training, assessment and design practices by fostering an understanding of central issues in  learning  and  development,  education  and  training, and  educational  leadership  in  the  various  professional contexts.

Quoting  Brian  Herbert, “The  capacity  to  learn  is a  gift;  the  ability  to  learn  is  a  skill;  the  willingness  to learn is a choice.” The learning journey at NIE has given Mr  Lee  new  insights  and  broadened  his  perspectives  on adult learning and organisational development. The deep professionalism and passion shown by the NIE professors and  lecturers  also  greatly  inspired  him. Influenced  by their unwavering professionalism and dedication, he too aspired to transfer his own skills and knowledge in adult education  and  training  development  to  curate,  design and  implement  the  best  possible  training  and  education programme  to  be  rolled  out  at  his  workplace. 

With support  from his  professors,  he  was  able  to  connect  the theories to real-life applications. “MAPE has equipped me with professional knowledge and given me greater clarity and confidence in strengthening the instructional design and delivery of courses,” Mr Lee said. “It has also opened my perspectives and given me new insights on how I can help to imbue the right learning environment to support the learners at my workplace so that they can truly benefit from the training and education programmes.”

Having  spent  two  years  as  a  postgraduate  student  at NIE, Mr Lee felt that the other intangible part of joining MAPE as a student was the opportunity to get to know a group of like-minded students whom he could constantly draw  inspiration  from. “The  friendship  and  fellowship forged with my classmates is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Mr Lee fondly quipped.

If  you  are  looking  for  a  university  to  sharpen  your knowledge and hone new skills, Mr Lee has this to say, “If you are deeply interested and passionate about helping people around you to grow, there is no better place than NIE  to  nurture  you  professionally.  Besides  offering  a rigorous education, the curriculum allows students to be grounded in theory and strong in practice.”

Interested in exploring a graduate education at NIE? Application for August 2023 intake will take place from 1 November 2022 to 13 January 2023. Visit nie.edu.sg/ aug2023 for more information.

The  National  Institute  of  Education  (NIE)  is  an autonomous  institute  under  the  Nanyang  Technological University,  Singapore  (NTU,  Singapore).  It  has  been consistently  ranked  among  the  top  20  education institutions  in  the  world  and  the  top-3  in  Asia  by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking.