Aiden* is a diligent and motivated young man who had just graduated from a local polytechnic. However, it was not easy for him during his early years when he transitioned from secondary to post-secondary education.

In 2022, Aiden was referred to the Dyslexia Association of Singapore’s iStudySmart (iSS) programme by his Special Educational Needs (SEN) Counsellor) because he was having trouble adjusting to the academic life in the polytechnic. While he did not have a diagnosed learning difference,** he experienced many difficulties especially when managing his projects.

“Before I joined iStudySmart, I [had] to deal with a lot of different projects. It was my first time dealing with projects so it [was] quite messy when I needed to submit my work. There was no standard process, so I will be everywhere trying to do everything. Most of the time, I don’t finish my work on time [so] my mark[s] will get capped.”

As Aiden was aware of his learning challenges, he worked very hard during the six-month duration of the iSS programme. He was motivated to turn his learning experience around in his polytechnic. He acquired useful skills and techniques through the Time Management and Prioritisation as well as Planning and Organisation modules covered in iSS and applied them to his school and life.

“Before joining iStudySmart, when I’m doing my project, I will be everywhere, I wouldn’t know how to manage my personal life, so I will mix them with my work. After joining, I [was] able to find a balance between the both of them through the Eisenhower [Decision-Making Principle]. It helped me a lot in [prioritising] which projects are more [urgent in terms of the deadlines] or have higher marks so I will try to prioritise those first.”

Aiden also became more organised after being introduced to Trello on the programme. He is now able to manage the information gathered for his projects more efficiently. “I found Trello quite useful to use. I can also put links and notes so it helps me organise my different projects.”

After receiving support on the iStudySmart programme, Aiden is able to overcome some of his learning challenges and cope better on his course. He shared that “a lot of people from the polytechnic say[s] how well you manage your time, will be how well you do and enjoy your time in polytechnic”.  He feels strongly that iSS has helped him greatly in managing his time better.

He also believes that it is important for students embarking or going through their tertiary education to have an awareness of themselves which includes their strengths as well as the areas they would like to work on. That way, when enrolled in programmes like iStudySmart, they will have a deeper appreciation of the support received, an idea of what they should improve on, be focused and learn a lot more.