The newly-elected WOU on-campus learning (OCL) student body seems to be starting off on the right foot with the good turnout and positive feedback to their first activity, a round of station games held at the main campus today.
BEING DIVIDED INTO GROUPS BEFORE START OF GAMES.
About 75 students from Years 1 to 3 participated in this event that offered an avenue for students to interact freely while having fun. It was also a team building exercise as they had to work in groups to compete and outdo their rivals in the station games.
WOU lecturer-in-charge of OCL games and recreation, Kevin Tan Pooi Soo, said that the games served as ice-breakers to “remove any awkwardness or barriers that sometimes exist in formal class settings. As they got involved in the games, they began to feel comfortable with each other and this offers a good foundation upon which to build and develop their relationship.”
WORKING AS A TEAM FOR THE TREASURE HUNT.
A total of five station games were held, making the main campus abuzz with activity. The OCL students were divided into 10 groups, and two groups challenged each other at every station game. The exciting games lined up were charade, blowing ping pong balls, stacking hexagon-shaped nuts into a tower while blind-folded, three-legged racing with partners facing opposite to one another, and a treasure hunt.
In the ping pong game, two competitors faced off to blow the ball through a middle pathway created by two egg cartons and towards the opponent’s edge of the table.
PUFFING AND BLOWING THE PING PONG BALL.
According to OCL Student Council Vice President Tay Chin Wen, every game planned for this ice-breaking activity was done with a purpose in mind. “In a few, the students needed to work together and this encouraged teamwork, while the others promoted patience, a spirit of adventure, and coming out of their comfort zone,” she elaborated.
“As the Student Council’s first activity, we decided on the ice-breaking games to allow the students to get to know their university mates from different classes. This will let them become familiar with each other so that they are not shy to greet and become friends when they see one another around campus,” she said, adding that each participant had to introduce themselves during the games.
PARTICIPANTS BLINDFOLDED LISTEN TO TEAM MEMBERS’ INSTRUCTION ON BUILDING THE TOWER OF NUTS.
Besides having fun and getting acquainted, the top three teams were rewarded with food hampers of different values.
Overall the event was a success as the students gave positive reviews to the organising committee. The Student Council hopes to organise at least one ice-breaking game activity every year to continually encourage students to break out of their cliques, mingle and develop their social skills.
A GAME OF CHARADES.
