Reflection on Academic Skills and University Requirements - First Year

This reflective paper details a student's first-year university experience, focusing on the development of academic skills and the requirements for being a successful student. The student utilizes Gibb's reflective cycle to analyze their learning journey, addressing challenges such as adapting to a technology-driven learning environment. The reflection covers the student's initial difficulties, their process of adapting to the university portal, and the strategies they employed to overcome these hurdles. The paper also includes an analysis of the necessary qualities for effective university students, such as motivation, integrity, and dedication. Finally, the student outlines SMART goals to ensure continued academic skill development and success, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. The paper concludes by highlighting the significance of academic skills and the core qualities needed for a rewarding university experience, supported by references to relevant academic literature.

REFLECTION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Reflection on the development of academic skills.................................................................1
Reflection on requirements for being an effective university student....................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION
This paper includes the reflective account of a student's journey throughout the first year
of university. It includes Gibb's reflection model in order to gain an insight into the situation and
to provide reflective statements regarding development of one's academic skills and requirements
for being a good student.
Reflection on the development of academic skills
In this reflective assignment, I am going to provide an insight into development of my
academic skills during the tenure of my first year at University. Gibb's reflective cycle is used to
gain an in-depth knowledge of the journey throughout the year and to talk about academic skill
development during this tenure (Pereira and Costa, 2017).
Description: During my first lecture at university, I was basically an individual craving
for deriving the most out of the knowledge imparted by my tutors within the classes. The
educational framework within the university was largely dependent upon use of technology as all
the college assignments and other lecture notes were available only on university portal.
Feeling: I was a person who is not much tech-friendly and this is the main reason that I
always found difficulty in studying and revising the course material during first semester.
Evaluation: Being an enthusiastic and zealous student possessing high confidence in my
capabilities and academic skills, I used to pen down my notes for the initial 4 months of my first
year. In the meanwhile, I used to observe the manner in which other students as well as my peers
handled the course module and accessed the notes.
Analysis: By utilising my analytical and observatory skills, I soon learnt the way in
which university portal was to be accessed. This assisted in quickly downloading the notes and
revising the course material for weekly class test and semester examinations (Ghanizadeh, 2017).
Conclusion: From the above situation, it could be concluded that due to my sheer
dedication, integrity and motivated approach towards studies, I was able to overcome the
problems faced by me within first 4 months.
Action Plan: To ensure that I do not face such difficulties in future context and to track
my academic skill development, I have made SMART goals which are as follows:- Specific: I will complete the revision of my class notes.
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 Measurable: The revision will be done a daily basis by accessing the notes available on
university portal Achievable: To give 2 hours every day to revision of lecture course material Result focussed: To achieve more than 75% marks in weekly class assignments.
 Time Bound: To be able to complete the whole course revision thrice within a time span
of six months.
Reflection on requirements for being an effective university student
As per my opinion, a good university student need to possess increased levels of
motivation, integrity, punctuality, dedication and hard-working skills in order to ensure that there
is development of one's academic career. Also, the vision of an individual studying at university
must be aligned with the completion as well as revision of course material in order to gain high
knowledge required for future prospect (Gee, 2017).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it has been concluded that academic skills are the foundation
on the basis of which the whole tenure of college life is spent by a student. Also, it is analysed
that punctuality, sincerity and honesty are the key qualities for an individual to become a good
university student.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ghanizadeh, A., 2017. The interplay between reflective thinking, critical thinking, self-
monitoring, and academic achievement in higher education. Higher Education. 74(1).
pp.101-114.
Pereira, O. P. and Costa, C. A. A. T., 2017. The importance of soft skills in the university
academic curriculum: The perceptions of the students in the new society of
knowledge. International Journal of Business and Social Research. 7(3). pp.25-34.
Gee, N., 2017. A study of student completion strategies in a Likert-type course evaluation
survey. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 41(3). pp.340-350.
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