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Student Feedback

Transport and Logistics

Graduate Program

2010

  • My company is considering entering a new venture that will require new logistics skills. As such last year I decided to do a Masters of Commerce majoring in logistics studies. While some of the general commerce courses I have done in my life as a student haven’t been relevant to my work, I thought I would let you know how impressed I have been with the two ITLS courses I have already completed and the one I have just started. I have found the lecturing to be superb and incredibly relevant to the work that I do and have also found the course work to be appropriately designed for practitioners in logistics rather than academics. I have already recommended the course to several people inside and outside of the university.
    Jonathan Barouch,CEO, Fastflowers Group
2009

  • I would like to thank you for the experience and knowledge that I have gained through your course and for providing us students with interesting and thought provoking courses. Logistics Systems which was a very challenging and at the same time thought provoking subject. I also took Maritime Logistics as well as Project Management and I am happy to say that these subjects were very enjoyable. Dr Ng's efforts in particular for Maritime Logistics were the best I have seen throughout my university education to date. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Hong Kong in December and to see the port that was mentioned so often during her lectures. Overall my studies at ITLS have helped me to get into my current job as a transport analyst for Shell Australia in Melbourne. I hope to stay in touch with everyone at ITLS, and I would like to thank you again for sharing your knowledge and experience with students.
    Constantin Vogt-Jordan MCom Syd

  • For the past 2 years I have undertaken a Masters of Logistics Management part time at ITLS at the University of Sydney. Studying part time at ITLS has allowed me to juggle full time work and study and given me the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge I have gained. In 2009 I was fortunate enough to take part in the Post Graduation Work Experience Program which gives students the opportunity to undertake an internship with logistics related companies whom have an affiliation with the ITLS. During the program I spent some time at Booz and Company, a management consulting company, working on transport and logistics related projects. During my time at ITLS I took a variety of classes from Supply Chain Management, to Organisational Logistics, to classes that focussed on specific areas of logistics such as Maritime and Retail Logistics. On the whole I was very impressed with the standard of teaching and found the course materials to be both up to date and also providing a good mix between theory and practice. All the lecturers in the faculty have significant expertise in their respective fields and bring a wealth of knowledge to the classes that they teach. In my final semester in 2009 I undertook a subject called Organisational Logistics, which in my mind was able to cram a lot of the management theories and tools taught in MBA courses into one semester. The lecturer Peter Lok, who has extensive experience in management consulting both domestically and internationally, and has taught a number of MBA courses in the past, was able to compliment the teaching material with many of his own personal experiences which made the class both very informative and interesting. Of particular interest to me personally was Peter's experiences working with Chinese companies and the similarities and differences between the management styles of Chinese and Western companies. Having previously studied Mandarin in my undergraduate degree and spent a year studying in China I was keen to enquire about job opportunities for foreigners in China. Peter was nice enough to put me in contact with some of his business contacts in China, Jim Wang CEO of Baodao Optical Group, a personal friend of Peter's, and after some information exchanges, and a personal recommendation from Peter, I was fortunate enough to get a position as CEO's Assistant with Baodao Optical which is one of the largest optical manufacturers in China, working on their large scale logistics re engineering project. This is an extraordinary opportunity for myself, a great achievement for ITLS, and sets a precedent for a foreigner (just graduated) to obtain such a position in China. In addition Chinese government labour regulations stipulate that work visas for foreigners can only be issued to those with special skills. I am confident going forwards that the knowledge and networks developed while studying at ITLS will be of great benefit to myself in my new position in China and am keen to maintain links with the ITLS through out my career. I would therefore like to thank the teachers and tutors from ITLS for all their effort over the past two years and look forward to my new career in the logistics industry in China.
    Ashley Crawford MLM Syd

Analysis Tools for Transport and Logistics Matthew Beck

  • At the last Faculty Student Reference Group meeting students were asked to comment on what is working well within the Faculty. You and you work were singled out by a number of students, whose comments included: Matthew was very helpful espcially with intensive units. I am delighted to be able to pass on such glowing praise. Congratulations.
    Michele Scoufis, Director, Office of Learning and Teaching in Economics and Business
  • The lecturer and tutor are very friendly and very nice. They are always quick to respond to our enquiries and help with questions. Matthew is definitely one of the best lecturers I have had.
  • Good combination of lectures and lab work. Multimedia files are a good learning tool and labs and lectures are engaging.
  • [the best aspects of this unit and study are]...interpretation of materials, feedback from quizzes, discussion boards, assignments, organisation of the entire unit, commitment of the lecturer and the usefulness of the things learnt.
  • The teaching in this unit really pushed me to learn.
  • The course is very informative and our lecturer's explanation is logical and clearly arranged, making understanding much, much easier. Matt is a fantastic lecturer, the explanation about this course is just beyond my wildest expectations.
  • The lecturer and tutor are very good. Multiple choice in each tutorial urged us to learn what we were taught in lectures.

Intelligent Transport and Logistics Systems Christopher Skinner

  • The lecturer explained things by picture, chart and simple words... extremely good for understanding.
  • The lecturer always shows video or website to... help us to better understand.
  • I have a very good team and they inspire me a lot, also this course developed my self-study skills.
  • The assessments are close to the lecture material.
  • Each assignment needed a lot of research which improved my research skills.
  • [We] completed an assignment after each lecture... very helpful to us to better understand the lecture, and improve our... skills, including research and team work.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management Alan Win

  • I would like to nominate Mr Alan Win for an Outstanding Teaching Award. The reason I wish to nominate Alan for this award is for how approachable he is and for providing us with the best lectures ever. He makes the class so much fun, one example I can give is that he came to class as a sales manager for our group project and he dressed up as a woman which was really entertaining at the same time he provided information in such a way that we were all able to concentrate a lot, all classes that I attended of his were just like those, very entertaining at the same time highly informative. The efforts that he has put into making the class so interactive and entertaining is absolutely amazing. He is very open to students opinions and very approachable as well. He is always there to solve students' problem, he never hesitates to help students. He sets aside his priorities to provide assistance to students. That's how good he is! I personally think he is the lecturer who is eligible for an Outstanding Teaching Award because he is simply outstanding.
  • Responsible teaching with a sense of humour.
  • Great teaching.
  • Great course!  Well structured, very good presentation!

Logistics Systems Dr John Rose

  • Clear expectations were set at the beginning of semester and learning outcomes were continually reinforced through assessment and class.
  • All lecturers and tutor are superb. I appreciate the way that they taught us, motivated us to think out of the box.
  • Very clear, John Rose has done excellent job for this subject. I very appreciate it.
  • Very practical and useful
  • I found the practical aspects of ERP Systems supported theory well, moderately interactive. I also found that having multiple lecturers for different modules specialities particular helpful.
  • I have learnt a lot from this subject, very practical for my future career.
  • Good pace and positive lectures.
  • Excellent mix of assessments; an interactive group assignment was a good experience whilst multiple individual paved assignments supported module outcomes.
  • Good tools that will actually be used in the real world.
  • Extremely receptive lecturers, very responsive to student needs, organising meetings for student representatives was a good idea.
  • Overall I do appreciate this unit of study. I am happy to suggest other student to study this unit.
  • This course is useful, it's very related to the real world.
  • Each assignment helps us better understand the contents of lectures.
  • Demand forecasting and inventory management are very useful.

Maritime Logistics Dr Ada Suk-Fung Ng

  • I have worked in logistics and maritime logistics in an indirect capacity for a number of years, but I felt that your class provided me with a new way of thinking about the subject. There were a lot of people in the class that seemed to think 'maritime logistics is just a boat moving containers around the world', I was one of them I think. I now understand that there is much more to it, and your lectures and the information you provided me with helped significantly change that view.
  • With the submission of the last assignment, Maritime Logistics in this semester comes to the end. I understand you are trying to help me as much as possible, talking in your office, answering the questions in class... I am really grateful for your concern.
  • I would, at this time, like to convey to you my sincere thanks and best wishes. I firmly and honestly believe that having such a supportive and helpful lecturer, one with whom we as students could talk to and interact with informally and receive advice from, was indispensable to me, at least.
  • The port tour is extremely good and this course has broadened my knowledge about logistics.
  • The port visit was very useful. It was perhaps the best opportunity to get a 'hand-ons' experience with a very technical and complex subject matter.
  • Students can be involved in the class discussion
  • The lecturer initiates feedback and encourages engagement in the lecture.
  • Strong engagement for group activities and class participation was extremely effective.

Organisational Logistics Associate Professor Peter Lok

  • The content is rich. The teacher is passionate.
  • This unit introduced organisational management theory and practices to me, which is really helpful to form a clear picture of how to understand and apply the theories into practise.
  • The teaching style of the professor is very good.
  • The teaching method inspired me to learn a lot and also gave me insight into how to use materials such as business journals and articles to support my study.
  • We found it very useful in our workplace.
  • Peter is a very interesting lecturer and he encouraged class participation.
  • We were always required to provide evidence which forced us to do research. Group presentation also helped our communication skills.
  • Explained and opened up discussions to 'real life' situations.
  • We got lots opportunities to discuss the cases and present to the audience.
  • The lecturer encouraged class participation and motivated everyone to speak up.
  • Lecturer explained things brilliantly.
  • The lecturer was extremely good at explaining things by using a lot of interesting examples.
  • The lecturer has passion in the class and gives interesting examples.
  • The lecturer gave us a lot of examples and explained the theories very clearly.
  • I cannot help but send an email to thank you for the whole semester. You are the one of lecturers who I found most impressive. From the first lecture of this semester I have noticed that what you discussed was crucial knowledge in the modern marketplace. What attracted me was that you presented the whole and complete business model far beyond the so-called Organisational Logistics. I liked that you were talking about DELL, Canon, Innovation, Talents....... As a rational person, after the semester, most of my study materials I would throw away. But I will not do the same thing with the PowerPoint slides, which highlight precious, useful, profound and interesting issues. I am highly proud of myself that I have a chance to be your student. I hope that more and more teachers, tutors, or lecturers should be like you, who master what the needs of students are, and what ways you influence others to make the progress of the entire society.

Project Management in Supply Chains Dr Ada Suk-Fung Ng

  • I would like to nominate Dr Ada Suk-Fung Ng for the Excellence in Tutoring Award. The reason I want to nominate her for this award is the excellent way that she teaches in class and going into detail every aspect of the tutorials, she has gone that extra mile to make students understand what the subject is all about and I have to appreciate the efforts that she has taken in doing so. She relates everything taught in class to current affairs which helps in advancing our knowledge not just about the paper but every aspect involved in it. She is a very approachable person and anyone could just go up to her and talk to her about anything and not feel uncomfortable about. In one sentence, she is very professional lecturer and also knows how to make tutorials highly interactive and entertaining. I would like to thank her for all the efforts that she has taken to improve my knowledge about the paper.
  • She made us do many case discussions and class presentations, which helped us improve our understanding of concepts.
  • Good teacher.
  • The teacher is nice, she answers our questions with patience.
  • Lecturer was very kind and willing to help, really assisting us to learn.
  • The whole class worked a lot together and were able to discuss and communicate our opinions.
  • Ada was exceptionally helpful, and always happy to help, very quick responses to blackboard questions.
  • I would like to thank you for giving me such a valuable experience studying in your class. I will always be grateful and cherish it in my life.

Public Transport Policy and Planning Professor Corinne Mulley

  • Public transport will become increasingly important. There is a need for many disciplines to understand the issues.
  • The unit provided a very hands on approach to learning. The atmosphere was friendly but also challenging. The intellectual vigour of the process was integral.
  • The teaching staff is very knowledgeable on the subject matter
  • This was an excellent course and I found it one of the more challenging courses that I have done due to the assessment but it was worth it.
  • Good course outline document.
  • Strong emphasis on groupwork and team engagement, lots of different perspectives provided.
  • The assessment requirements were well documented from the beginning and we were exposed to marking well in advance of the assessment.
  • Issues were articulated clearly and decisively and discipline imposed on the thought structure behind questions etc.
  • Excellent lecturer with good experience.
  • The course was well structured and interesting.
  • Very interesting to have guest speakers in the lectures.
  • Right content, well taught.
  • The assessment was flexible enough to allow you to focus on a particular area of interest which keeps you motivated.
  • The best aspect was the small group mode of learning for familiarity and enjoyable learning and the sharing of experiences and skills.
  • Well planned assessments.
  • Very impressive lecturer and good use of guest lecturers.
  • Good discussion on topics.
  • Field trip was relevant to the studies into the aspects of accessibility, connectivity and land use.
  • Field trip was very helpful in showing the various aspects of public transport in practice.

Strategic Transport Modelling Dr John Rose

  • He presents the subject perfectly. We never got tired in class!
  • A lot of hands on exercises helped me immensely to understand the course more.
  • The encouragement from our lecturer and his readiness to assist us proved invaluable.
  • The lecturer used many real life examples in the class which were really motivating.
  • The lecturer is full of passion and very active.
  • John is a good lecturer.
  • John Rose has a lot of knowledge of the subject with the ability to answer all questions with confidence.
  • John was highly motivated and passionate.

Survey Design and Management Professor Peter Stopher

  • The lecturer has a strong background in the field and a teaching/educational focus.
  • A very useful course, not only to my degree but also for future.
  • The lecturer was tolerant and answered all my questions even if it meant to go back on certain topics.
  • The lecturer had extensive knowledge and obvious passion for the subject matter.

Sustainable Transport and Logistics Systems Associate Professor Stephen Greaves

  • Very helpful with the respect to social understanding of sustainability and the real life issues.
  • Participated heaps in class.
  • Very good subject; I am happy to learn so much.
  • Interactivity, gives exposure from many aspects, gives opportunity to learn from other classmates.
  • Keen interest, lecturer participation in discussion boards, good email response.

Traffic Systems Management and Control Dr Peter Hidas

  • Discussions very open during class
  • I believe the lecturer managed it so well. He brought the dynamics of the unit to the fore through his extensive knowledge of the subject.
  • Structure of assessment was beneficial to my learning.
  • Peter is a good lecturer and the way in which the assignments were structured greatly benefited my learning.
  • It's very good, I am satisfied with both the content of the course and the lecturer.
  • I learn much traffic knowledge from this course. The lecturer tries to use simple way to explain the theory. It is very good way of teaching. Besides, in assignment, the lecturer encourage students to read some material they are interested in and write report; in assignment four, students are encouraged to do traffic survey. It is a very interesting assignment.
  • Comprehensive feedback on assessments during class.
  • Discussions in Blackboard are very useful and the lecturer responds very quickly.
  • Very responsive to queries and feedback.
  • The teacher went through everything, explaining in detail.
  • The teaching was very engaging and interesting. 

Transport and Logistics Management Professor David Hensher

  • I believe that the teaching in this unit was of an exceptionally high quality.
  • Very good teaching, best in faculty/course I have undertaken at USYD.
  • It was clear to me that the staff in this unit of study were responsive to student feedback
  • All of the lecturers of this unit are the most charming persons I met in this university.
  • Quality of explanation, good to be taught by real experts of reputation.
  • The teaching team is really good. Thanks for the good year of learning!
  • Quiz and teamwork project, working together with others would provide different opinions for other disciplines and inspire me to study.
  • The quiz helps understanding of topic. The group task helped me to understand the structure knowledge discussed in lectures.
  • Exceptional teaching and very well presented course.

Transport Modes and Systems Dr Sean Puckett

  • The lecturer's encouragement for learning and involvement with discussions was excellent.
  • Sean is really good. [This] subject... gives you a clear idea of all the different possibilities.
  • Sean is always helpful and responds quickly to my questions. I am very appreciative of the efforts he made during my study.
  • [This unit] made me familiar with real-world presentation procedure and made me confident to [make presentations] in the future.
  • Sean is very honest and patient.
  • The first assessment was a great way to get started for the semester and learn about the requirements in general (citations, references, etc).

Transport Policy Professor Peter Stopher and Professor John Stanley

  • Well taught by Peter and John. Interesting perspectives on the material.
  • Teaching staff were approachable and respectful even when our views on a subject were different. Led to some insightful discussion.
  • Very relevant to my degree. The range of assessments is quite fun (viva, debate) -- different from other subjects.
  • Great teachers.
  • I did enjoy and learn. It is well-structured.
  • I found the course challenging and stimulating. The lecturers had a sound knowledge and passion for the subject.
  • The learning activities such as viva and the debate are very helpful to get in-depth understanding as we are encouraged to express our ideas and use what we have learnt in class.

Value Chain Management Professor David Walters

  • I think [this unit] is the most important subject in logistics management and I learnt a lot about value delivery along the supply chain. It is basic to understand the meaning of logistics.
  • I learnt a lot about customer value and its importance.
  • This unit contains much useful information and knowledge about logistics and the tutor is very knowledgeable.
  • The lessons were presented in detail, easy to understand.
  • I appreciate the tutorials that students can contribute what they learned and researched to share with the lecturer.
  • Knowledge of the lecturer, exciting updates.
  • The tutorial is very helpful. The lecturer is responsible and good at explaining.
  • Tutorials are very useful tool to learn and teach. In my case I could learn value chain study in detail.
  • Provides relevant examples.
  • The content is good.

Orientation

Students who attend the ITLS Orientation for the graduate program in transport and logistics have made the following comments on what they found most useful about the day:

  • Welcome from Professor Hensher was very good and contained relevant and interesting content.
  • The friendly welcome of Professor Hensher and the fact itself that your Discipline offers an orientation.
  • The possibility to ask questions, the friendly welcome of Professor Hensher and the nice and friendly staff.
  • Meeting academic staff and classmates.
  • Listening to the faculty and getting so much of knowledge on the first day which proves very useful later on.
  • Being given the resources to take charge of own development.
  • Meeting with actual businesses and hearing what is important, everybody gave a realistic view of the road after graduation.
  • The information of working opportunities in Australia.
  • The questions and answer session.
  • Grateful for the general overview and a bit of a clue about peers and peers' backgrounds and aspirations.
  • The brief introduction of each course.
  • The whole day was very good and useful.
  • Very helpful and informative, great value.
  • Gives a lot of information about the library, blackboard and study related issues in concise manner.
  • I appreciated the mix of speakers and Faculty. It helped to give me a full bodied concept of the Institute and the resources available to students. I also though the step-by-step approach to the website was incredibly helpful, as most students would not think to mine the Institute website for a quarter of the information it has.
  • Lots of important information.
  • Knowing how to use the web effectively.
  • How to learn and manage myself through the course.
  • Preparing and formatting assignments.

Certificate of Transport Management

  • Knowledgeable people, fast-paced, clear and direct presentations. Have learnt a lot.
  • All topics were worth attending.
  • David's presentation was very interesting - can't wait to get back to the office and check my accounts!
  • Network design was very interesting.
  • Marketing - very good presentation, very informative.
  • Overall, the relevance to operational needs was good. This was helpful for hands-on role. 
  • Industrial relations was relevant and well presented from an overall industry view.
  • Well presented and will learn a lot more when reading the notes.
  • The course was great - got a lot out of it.

Choice Analysis

  • Instructors are knowledgeable, patient and able to answer any questions from the class.
  • Everything was excellent.
  • The best thing? Articulation between estimate techniques and design experiments.
  • State of the art practice. Instructors share the latest techniques and ideas from the literature.
  • Excellent practical introduction to modelling and survey design. Very good instructors.
  • Clarity of information being conveyed, very practical, lecturers are very good and experienced.
  • Depth of knowledge of presenters who are leaders in their field in theory and practice, and their familiarity with and enthusiasm for content.
  • A balanced mixture of lectures and practical classes.
  • Excellent course. Should be compulsory for anyone claiming to be a researcher.
  • Ability of the instructors to deliver complex concepts in a clear manner and ability to share cutting edge research.
  • Excellent coverage of a large amount of extremely difficult and complex material.
  • Lots of state-of-the-art and practical information, high quality of teachers.
  • Hi David, A wee note of thanks to you and your team for making my journey into DCM an enjoyable one. You have a really good process, the presenters know their stuff, this is really state of the art in postgrad/executive education. I found the content, scope and pace demanding, (which you want, the course would be a waste of time otherwise) but the structure and approach of the presenters nicely provided the remedy for this. Again, many thanks for a challenging and enjoyable week.
    Dr Chris Batstone, Senior Resource and Environmental Economist, The Cawthron Institute