Personal and Academic Growth in Higher Education: A Reflective Journal

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This reflective journal details a student's higher education journey.

SELF REFLECTION

Table of Contents
ASSESSMENT TITLE........................................................................................................................ 3
AIM................................................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 3
BODY.............................................................................................................................................. 3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 9
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................10
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Table of Figures
Figure 1: SMART Model................................................................................................................. 6
Figure 2: Gibbs Reflective Cycle......................................................................................................6
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ASSESSMENT TITLE
A report on my growth and progress in increasing the knowledge and skills for higher education
AIM
To conduct a demonstration of the development of higher education skills and competencies
INTRODUCTION
The reason behind making this report is to conduct a demonstration of comparison between
the knowledge and skills gained in the school with the skills and knowledge acquired in higher
education. This report is a self-reflective document which will have 7 learning outcomes. In this
report, the difference between the learning environment of the school and higher education
will be analyzed.
BODY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEARNING IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND HIGHER
EDUCATION
There is a huge difference between the learning in the school as compared to the learning in
higher education. Here, the term higher education is used for learning in college. The School is
the place a person learns about the basics of life and the preference is given to the academics
while in college the academics are not the priority but the lessons of life are learnt in college.
The main difference between learning in school and higher education is on the basis of the
comfort of self-determining living. As I started from school and moved forwards the college
studies the learning process changed. I noticed that in school I was being motivated by the
teachers. On the other hand in college, I had to motivate myself as no one in the higher
education was there to motivate me. As a result of which I used this model in my higher
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education for the improvement of my educational skills. There are six cognitive skills which
helped me in my thinking process and enhancing my thinking ability.
ENGAGEMENT WITH CRITICAL READING AND THINKING
The ability of an individual to examine the proof or the opinions presented by someone in
his/her research is termed as the critical reading. The purpose of the critical reading is to
identify the boundaries of the study and its scheming (McPeck, 2016). The critical reading is
carried out for the gathering of the information and the concepts related to the topic while the
critical thinking is carried out for the evaluation of the information. At the time of school days, I
used to carry out critical reading while in college I used to carry out critical thinking. In other
words, it can be said that in school I gained the knowledge by reading the books and in college,
I used my knowledge to critically analyze my ideas.
The case of VW Emissions
The case study of Volkswagen showed that the organization has violated the environmental law
by exceeding the limit of air pollution. The researchers have found out that the organization has
developed a diesel engine for the sake of controlling its emission which caused a huge amount
of air pollution (Volkswagen, 2019). Now with reference to the analysis, it can be said that at
the time of school, this matter was not fully understood by me as school time is the period
during which a child cannot think and analyze by itself. In comparison to that, I came to know in
detail about the matter when I grew up and started by higher education. In higher education, I
critically analyzed the matter and came onto conclusion of what has happened. The findings in
the higher studies were such that the engineers of the Volkswagen alerted the organization
about the danger of the actions. Along with that the partner of the Volkswagen, Bosch also
warned the organization regarding this issue as a result of which the organization had to bear
the fine of around $18 billion. The conclusion is that the organization must not have violated
the clean air act as it caused financial loss to the organization. Along with that, there are some
additional findings such as the organization must run their business as per the standards which
are set by the government.
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THE ABILITY TO LOCATE, COLLECT AND RECORD APPROPRIATE INFORMATION USING
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Volkswagen team task
When a group of individuals comes together in an association to attain a common objective is
termed as a team and the process is termed as teamwork. It is important that all the team
members have transparency to the goal as it will help the team members in understanding their
role in the goal achievement work (Hon and Chan, 2013). An effective team is the one in which
the members of the team has a clear knowledge of their roles. The team becomes ineffective
the team members do not have a common goal but each member has their separate goal. This
kind of team becomes directionless. As far as the Volkswagen is concerned the organization
operates in a perplexing surrounding and ensure that all the members of the team members
adhere to the policies of the organization.
I also am a team member of my group and follow some set of actions for achieving the goals
and objectives. I have set my goal as the completion of my degree in four years and for that, I
need to manage the time for my studies. For this purpose, I appealed to the lien manager of
Volkswagen to provide me with a level of flexibility in order to enable me to achieve my target.
There are various ways through which I can motivate myself in attaining my goal and objectives
such as the SMART model:
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Figure 1: SMART Model
Source: [The balance small business, 2019]
I have made sure that my goals and objective to be smart as it makes the goals and objective
measurable due to which the goals can be achieved in a decided time period. In addition to this,
it is also necessary for me to focus on the Gibbs reflective cycle.
Figure 2: Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Source: [Canadian Paramedicine News, 2019]
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In the case of higher education, it is necessary for the person to have sound reading and
research skills and the knowledge of reading can be developed through subjective reading.
Reading can be developed by engaging the self in reading in an analytical and critical way. Also
on a university level, it is essential that reading and understanding skills are strengthened as in
college there is very little time for the preparation of exam. For that purpose, I have
implemented the technique of thorough reading and reading the same content repeatedly
which helped in understanding the topics in a better way.
EVALUATION
On the grounds of college and work I evaluated my skills depending on the following basis
which is mentioned below:
Self-management
Since I am providing my services in Volkswagen as the operations manager, I have taken total
responsibility of managing my own work which will help in managing myself and the works of
others also. For the management of the work, I find out the way to manage my time. The
analysis is carried out by me for the sectors which are consuming my time most. Along with that
I also have a track of my daily activities from I can calculate the activities which are giving me
most in profit.
Managing your Learning
For managing myself in learning I have emphasized the focus on the learning process such as
learning from mistakes and learning from the experience of self and the guidance of the
seniors. I also have read the books on learning and managing self which helped greatly in
enhancing my learning skills.
Problem-solving skills
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Problem-solving was one of the difficult tasks for me, at the time of schooling and college days.
After I finished my higher education I learnt many things from the college experience which
helped in solving my problems effectively. This is made possible by facing the opposite
situations and trying to solve the problems.
Communication skills
This skills are one of the compulsory skills that a person needs in his/her life either it is
professional life or personal life. These skills can help me in establishing successful coordination
with the siblings and with the coworkers.
SELF REFLECTION
From the report, it has been cleared that the education in school life is totally different from the
education in higher studies. From the evaluation of self, I have come to the conclusion that I
need to make my skills more effective and useful for the purpose of getting on a developed
level. In addition to this from the case study of the Volkswagen, it is cleared to me how
important it is to stick to the policies of the government and what impacts it can have on the
organization. In relation to this, it is important for me that I have the knowledge of the terms
and conditions of government before initiating any work in business context. For the
improvement of my skills, I am going to follow the principle of continuous professional
development (CPD). These steps surely will lead me towards the success in personal and
professional life.
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CONCLUSION
The difference between learning in school and higher education is explained in detail with
different examples in this report. According to the report, it can be ensured that reflective
learning plays an important role in professional as well as personal life of an individual. The
skills and capabilities are needed to be enhanced in order to be successful in school academics,
college and in work life. The case of Volkswagen is discussed in the report in which the study of
the Volkswagen scandal tells about the importance of sticking to the policies and rules. For the
implementation of necessary changes, the Gibbs reflective cycle can be used for the solving of
problems.
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REFERENCES
Canadian Paramedicine News, 2019. An introduction to reflective practice for paramedics and
student paramedics. (Online) Available at: https://canadianparamedicine.ca/an-introduction-to-
reflective-practice-for-paramedics-and-student-paramedics/ (Accessed on 17th January 2019)
The balance small business, 2019. SMART Goal Examples. (Online) Available at:
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/smart-goal-examples-2951827 (Accessed on 17th January
2019)
Volkswagen, 2019. About us. (Online) Available at: https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/ (Accessed
on 17th January 2019)
Hon, A.H. and Chan, W.W., 2013. Team creative performance: The roles of empowering
leadership, creative-related motivation, and task interdependence. Cornell Hospitality
Quarterly, 54(2), pp.199-210.
McPeck, J.E., 2016. Critical thinking and education. Routledge.
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