Reflection on Academic and Professional Skills

Portfolio Tasks 1
PORTFOLIO TASKS
Student’s Name
Course
Professor’s Name
University
(City) State
Date

Portfolio Tasks 2
Portfolio Tasks
Task 1: Skills required at the HE level
According to the Oxford Royal Academy (2018), a student at the HE level requires some
essential academic and practical skills in order to thrive well in the learning environment.
Predominantly, these skills comprise of good written English skills, essay writing skills, reading
skills, note-taking, research skills, independent learning, and presentation skills (University of
Nebraska, 2018). It is important for a student to have a strong grasp of the English language in
order to express oneself articulately in a number of spoken and written contexts. As such, a
student is required to write essays, examinations and dissertations in English.
At the moment, I do not possess the perfect written English skill, but I purpose to
improve on the same. Mainly, this is because academia is concerned about being able to argue a
point and to do that, one must possess the appropriate language skills and vocabulary that is
suitable at the HE level (Watanabe, 2016). Therefore, to improve on this skill, I will do more
practice in English and learn vocabularies in the language to help me gain a grasp of the skill. In
turn, this will help me to improve my written English skills.
In addition, a student should be able to write good essays which also require good written
English skills as well as other qualities such as persuasiveness and clarity of thinking. Currently,
my essay writing skills are a bit low for the HE requirements and, for this reason I am working
towards improving the skill (University of Leicester, 2018). To improve my writing skills, I will
write regularly on different topics and subject areas in order to grasp the skill and develop quality
and confidence.

Portfolio Tasks 3
Another vital skill is reading, which requires a student to be able to read a large volume
of academic material throughout their university life. At the moment, I believe that my reading
skills are perfect as I can read at a standard speed rate. Note-taking is also an essential skill at the
HE level. This skill is very important during lectures as one must be able to note down the most
important points from the professor in class. Furthermore, the skill comes in handy when
conducting independent research in the library as one must be able to summarize a vast amount
of information. Notably, my note taking skills are good as I have had a chance to improve on it
in class during lectures. I am also able to summarize a large amount of information into small but
very informative formats.
Independent learning and research skills are also critical at the HE level. For now, my
research skills require a little bit more polishing and there is room for improvement. Therefore,
to improve on this skill, I will consult with other students who have good research skills as well
as use credible academic resources when doing my class assignments. Additionally, I will
endeavor to consult as many academic sources as possible while doing my studies. Lastly,
presentation skills are important and each student must be able to create an impressive
presentation in power point and present the same in class. According to the feedback obtained,
my presentation skills are okay, but requires more polishing.
Task 2: Reflection on research and writing skills
As noted earlier, research and writing skills are very critical in a student’s academic
journey at the Higher Education level. Mainly, one can attribute this to the fact that academia
involves to a large extent writing essays, reports and dissertations which require the student to
have a good grasp of writing and research skills (Escorcia, 2014). According to the feedback

Portfolio Tasks 4
obtained from my professor, my writing and research capabilities are okay but could use a little
bit more practice and improvement. Thus, I will take into consideration all the comments and
feedback obtained and correct on the highlighted areas.
To begin with, I have learnt the importance of having a good introduction of an essay.
Having a good start in the essay helps the writer to capture the attention of the reader and grow
their interest in reading one’s work. The level of attention given by a reader to one’s work is
directly proportional to how captivating the introduction of the paper is in their opinion (Klems,
2011). Additionally, I have discovered that a good introduction provides the reader with a good
background of the issues being discussed in the essay or report and describes the purposes and
aims of writing the essay. It also provides a brief explanation of the technical terms used in the
paper, with the view of helping the audience understand the information contained in the report
better. Thus, I will endeavor to incorporate all these elements when preparing the introduction
section of my essays and research report.
In addition, I have found out the importance of using credible sources when conducting
academic research. These credible sources include academic text books, journal articles, and
websites by professional bodies and professional publications. By and large, I will strive to use
these sources when writing my essays and reports in the classroom. Using such sources will go a
long way in improving and enhancing the reliability and credibility of my academic work and, in
turn will significantly improve my performance in class. In addition, it will help in improving the
quality of my academic papers which then will have a positive impact on the overall grade
awarded to me by my professors.