Read about Mr. Raja Imran’s journey as a lecturer which led him to win the Taylor’s RISE Educator Award: Taylorian Edition 2021 and the hearts of his students.
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08 Apr 2022
6 Min Read
Ailyn Low (Editor)
Read about Mr. Raja Imran’s journey as a lecturer which led him to win the Taylor’s RISE Educator Award: Taylorian Edition 2021 and the hearts of his students.
Anyone can be a teacher, but not everyone can influence you to strive for excellence and make a difference in the world around you. ~ Curtis White
There are many things that make a lecturer great whether it’s going even further than the extra mile to help their students or creating fun and new ways of learning for a student. For Mr. Raja Imran Bin Raja Azhar, Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator for Taylor’s College Diploma in Interior Design, it’s definitely the way he encourages honest communication and builds that relationship with his students.
At a glance, you may think that Mr. Raja Imran has been teaching for years due to the rapport built with his students. Yet, he started off his academic career after being approached for a part-time position back in 2018.
“When I was considering the offer and contemplating if leaving the industry after 4 to 5 years was for me, my friends encouraged me to give it a try. Though concerns were definitely there, especially with being in the industry and dealing with those already in the field, I felt a spark after communicating with the students. Although I enjoyed my time in the industry, that’s when I felt that teaching was really my calling.”
Fast forward to 2019, he joined the academic life as a full-time lecturer and became a Programme Coordinator for Diploma in Interior Design a mere six months later. Yet, even as he climbs up in ranks and achievements, Raja Imran has stayed true to the qualities of what makes him a greatly beloved lecturer — communicating and relating with his students.
“When I first joined, I shadowed a lecturer to observe prior to teaching on my own. During that period, I resonated a lot with my students. This really affected my teaching methods where I improved myself based on my shortcomings and observations that I had in order to have a more easygoing and seamless approach.”
Being relatively new to teaching, Raja Imran used his friendly demeanour, excellent communicative skills, and also an ever-ready listening ear to connect with every single one of his students through his teaching methods.
“I was in their shoes. So I often approach my teaching methods and tackle situations in ways where I don’t foster fear in the students and treat them like young designers. I feel that this helps them after they graduate as well as also to gain their trust and bond.”
His student, Cheah Hew Yan, who’s now in her 2nd year in Diploma in Interior Design, even goes as far as to equate him to a father.
“He’s just like our father, who always cares about and helps us when we’ve problems. I can never forget the moment when he helped us during our final presentation. We were all so nervous and anxious, yet he didn’t give us any pressure but instead calmed us down by being his fun self.”
She added, “I’m lucky that I was in his class since the beginning of the programme because, without Mr. Raja Imran’s guidance, I might not have been here! During semester 4, I almost wanted to defer my study. Mr. Raja Imran gave me a heart-to-heart talk and even shared his life experience during his study days which gave me a clear perspective on how I can proceed with my future.”
Not even the toughest person could have withstood the effects of the pandemic.
With just two years of teaching under his belt, Mr. Raja Imran had to rethink and restrategise everything he had put together.
Though he describes the quick adjustment of existing materials to fit the online learning method as chaotic on his end, he was even more worried as to whether or not the students were able to update. “While the senior students were ok with some of the software to use, I was especially concerned for those who had just joined because they know nothing,” he explains.
On top of that, the pandemic also took a toll on how he communicated with his students. Mr. Raja Imran jokes that he often feels like his laptop adores him because he interacts with it the most. Not being able to read the body language of the students become extra difficult, especially in cases where the students aren’t as responsive.
“Human communication and meeting face to face has that magic to it, a bigger impact on the dynamics and the way you feel the person’s personality and aura. Having online classes definitely affected that bond and connection with some of the students in some capacity when it’s online. There were definitely some restrictions depending on the batch of students.”
That said, despite the setbacks online learning presented in the communication department, he didn’t hold back on his efforts and dedication to always being a friendly and patient friend and lecturer to his students.
Soh Huay Xin, who’s currently in her final semester, shared her experience entering design school in March 2020 — during the wake of the pandemic.
“Ever since the pandemic began it’s been difficult to experience campus life but he made it interesting, fun, and adventurous online. Site visits and physical classes were just as fun."
"Mr. Imran’s ways of teaching are unbelievably exceptional and he motivates his students to do better every day. He’d take the time to guide and attend to his students whenever they’re in need of help despite his busy schedule."
The impact Mr. Raja Imran had on Soh Huay Xin was so great that it even led her to nominate him for the 2021 RISE Educator of the Year: Taylorian Edition, to which he subsequently won.
She explained, “I nominated Mr. Imran because I believed that he’s a source of inspiration and an excellent role model to me and other students. He is and always has been an exceptional, well-respected professional mentor whom I look up to a lot. He was the first lecturer who taught and welcomed me to the design school during the first semester and also shared his design experience with me. With that, my passion for design grew even greater.”
The award definitely serves as a testament to the kind of lecturer that Raja Imran aimed to be at the start of his career — one that advocates honesty in communication and is someone more than a lecturer.
“The nomination helped established that the relationships I built with the students were good. Winning the award was a completely separate thing altogether and was touching to see the students go to great lengths to get the votes. I was definitely more motivated to do better and move forward for the students after getting the award. It’s truly something that can give educators the momentum and confidence because it shows the student’s trust in you.”
Even in his win, Mr. Raja Imran shares that there’s no greater achievement to gain than seeing his students improve over time as he spends extra time and effort to ensure that they’re not left behind.
“From barely passing to getting As, that’s really the most rewarding to me because I know that I’d successfully transform the student from not knowing or caring about anything, to being able to change their ways and grow academically and personally, no matter how small or insignificant they think it may be.”
