Self-Development and Responsibility: Skills and Action Plan Report

This report, focusing on self-development and responsibility, delves into essential skills crucial for academic and professional success. It examines the importance of e-learning modules in enhancing learning through various skills such as communication, problem-solving, and time management. The report highlights the development of presentation and academic writing skills, emphasizing the significance of referencing and numeracy. It also covers personal and professional development needs, action planning, Belbin team roles, CV writing, and employability skills, including interpersonal skills and interview preparation. The report provides practical examples and reflects on the learner's experience, illustrating the application of these skills in both academic and professional contexts. It underscores the importance of these skills in enhancing employability and achieving both personal and professional goals.

Preparing for Success
Self Development and
Responsibility

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Importance of module......................................................................................................................1
Documents.......................................................................................................................................2
Presentation skills........................................................................................................................2
Academic writing skills...............................................................................................................3
References....................................................................................................................................3
Reading Exercises........................................................................................................................4
Numeracy Exercise......................................................................................................................5
Development Needs (Personal and Professional)........................................................................6
Action Plan for own development...............................................................................................7
Belbin Team Roles and Stages of Group Development..............................................................7
CV Writing..................................................................................................................................9
Employability Skills (Interpersonal skills)..................................................................................9
Commonly asked Interview Questions and Responses.............................................................10
Table Making Skills...................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Portfolio management is mainly aimed at preparing the learners for undergraduate study, where
course equips them to engage more in studies. It helps in building awareness among students and
enables them to understand core values and academic culture expectations (Martinez, Vega and
Marquez, 2019). The present report explores the key effectiveness of mini project workshop,
towards development of learners’ employability. For this purpose, some essential skills and
knowledge gained by students through workshop are demonstrated. A reflective account of a
learner’s experienced is also described, to explore what skills have been learnt yet.
MAIN BODY
Importance of module
In academic life of an individual, e-learning module plays an important role. It diversifies
the teaching process, by combining with digital technologies that aid to enhance quality of
education through a number of ways (Afanasyev and et. al., 2019). It includes increasing
motivation in learners and engage them in course study, by facilitating various skills such as
communication, problem solving, time management and more. So, utilising the e-learning
module aid a learner in distinguishing as well as analysing the link between personal and
professional growth. E-learning module combines with traditional teaching methods, provides a
number of benefits as shown below –
Scalability: Modules helps in developing and communicating the new training, concepts,
policies and ideas, to learning a topic more quickly as well as retaining the same for longer
period (Gibbons, Rhinehart and Hardin, 2019).
Consistency: Through modules, educators can also communicate message to targeted audience
in a consistent way that helps them in ensuring that all students receive same kind of training
with learning mode.
Effectiveness: Module demonstrates the content in easy language with systematic structure, that
results in engaging students more with course and helping them to score masterly level (Freeze
and et. al., 2019). It also aid in enhancing learning ability and implementing the new process, for
retaining information for longer period of time.
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Evidence based assessment: E-learning module facilitates the holistic integration of assessment
factors individually, for accomplishment of learning outcomes. It provides assessments to
students, through which they can analyse areas of improvement, to achieve academic goals.
Along with this, classroom activities also helped me in developing my employability
skills. Because number of academic projects have given in group work, which would entire
team-members to share knowledge with each other, for completing the same. During academics,
I have less knowledge about management and leadership abilities, which seem to be most
essential for an individual to possess, in order to gain high position at workplace. For this
purpose, enrolment in group activities aid me to learn how a leader can influence subordinate to
follow his/her instruction, so that objectives can be met on deadline. In this sense, support of
seniors and working under guidance of them, aid me to learn such abilities. In addition to this,
working in team help me to analyse importance of interpersonal and communication skills as
well. These skills aid a person in making effective relationship with subordinates and upper
management team, as well as getting support of them in improving own performance as well.
Furthermore, e-learning module persuade me to develop presentation skills, which is
most essential one to develop and maintain professional image at workplace. For this purpose,
through module and getting enrolment in classroom activities, I have gained knowledge about
improvement in body language, communication and listening skills, including the way to grab
attention of surrounding people, by behaving in professional manner. With module and gain
support of lecturers, another main skills that I have developed for getting better employability,
are explained as below –
Documents
Presentation skills
These skills show the capabilities of an individual to present themselves in front of targeted
audience and demonstrate the project deliverables to them. Having presentation skill, a learner
can easily influence interest of others about what has been achieved under a project, with
potential outcomes. Therefore, through module and e-learning programs, I have analysed
fundamental skills which are essential to become presentable (Martinez, Vega and Marquez,
2019). It includes way of presenting, body language, listening and communication skills, etc.
Along with this, during lectures, tutors have provided some tips to grab attention of audience,
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that are attractive and creative slides, speaker notes, appropriate content and relevant
information, make eye contact during demonstration and more. Therefore, I will work more on
improving my presentation skills so that in future, I can better present myself in front of
company’s stakeholders to gain their approval on a project execution.
Examples:
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Academic writing skills
This skill is highly important to write the assignments in professional manner, so that high
grades can be achieved by learners during academics (Gibbons, Rhinehart and Hardin, 2019).
For this purpose, module programs provided by university entails me entire rules and conditions,
which are necessary for assignment writing. Along with this, tutors also support me to develop
academic writing skills, in order to get good scores, by giving some tips. This includes reading
whole assessment first, then make proper planning, outlining the task requirements, work on tone
and language etc. so that project can be made in readable manner.
Examples:
References
To complete assessments and various projects, during academics, I have analysed the importance
of references owing to the plagiarism concept. References lay down the difference between the
original and copied work. As universities are mostly concerned on plagiarism therefore, they
have made strict rules for students where if work of any one of them match with others (within
and outside environment) then learners will not get qualified scores (Martinez, Vega and
Marquez, 2019). In this regard, through module, I have learned about how to present and write
views of others in own assessment in such a manner, that it will look completely different from
original one, but with relevancy and accuracy of information. References give credit to the
opinions and views of other people.
Examples:
General Motors Steps Up Pace Of Its Tech Innovation. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/oracle/2016/04/28/general-motors-steps-up-pace-of-its-
tech-innovation/#undefined>.
SWOT Analysis of General Motors. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-general-motors/>.
Reading Exercises
In order to complete each and every course in an effective manner, it is essential for learners to
have sound reading skills (Braender and Kapp, 2019). It enables students to understand
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importance of carrying out reading exercises, through which they can engage themselves more in
grabbing knowledge about a particular subject or topic. For this purpose, through module, I have
learnt how to develop this skill and complete every assessment within set duration. It helps me in
completing entire course systematically and save time for reviewing the same as well, so that
higher scores can be gained (Greer, 2020). In terms of professional development, having strong
reading skills will give an opportunity in future to accomplish organisational tasks by gaining
proper understanding of the plans laid down beforehand.
Examples:
Numeracy Exercise
This skill can be defined as the ability of an individual to deal with numbers so as to derive
meaningful conclusion out of a given set of numerical data. This skill is quite handy in academic
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as well as professional life to gain knowledge of the quantitative aspects related to any college
assignment or business.
Example:
Development Needs (Personal and Professional)
It is important for an individual to identify the set of needs which are required by them in
personal as well as professional context. This helps an individual during a project completion,
which has been either completed in group or at individual level (Freeze and et. al., 2019).
Through module, I have analysed that to demonstrate learning experience, where mistakes have
been done as well as areas need to make improvement, such skills and knowledge need to be
developed. It refers to most essential practice that aid learners to timely evaluate how much
knowledge they have gained and what is left further. For managing own study practice along
with setting learning practices, a learner needs to explore own capabilities and weak areas. In this
regard, I used to regularly evaluate my strengths and weaknesses in appropriate manner. This
would enable to create a development plan for developing professional and personal skills, to
gain higher scores during academics or to achieve organisational goals in future context of time
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(Cottrell, 2019). Along with this, managing own skills also aid me to grab better position in an
organisation in future.
Example:
Development Needs
 Presentation Skills
 Time Management Skills
 Communication
Action Plan for own development
The development of skills and knowledge is essential for each and every person as they are what
tend to distinguish a person from others. Thus, possessing set of sound skills, knowledge and
creative abilities, I can effectively execute a task or activity as per the plan made for conducting
a project, either in group or at individual level, with clear goals and objectives. Thus, it becomes
important for me to identify my skills and knowledge gap and undertake measures through which
these can be effectively resolved. This can be done by way of developing an action plan. This
will help me in future to show my creativity in carrying out tasks and activities in a unique and
positive manner, with creation of open-minded environment at workplace. This would help me in
giving high contribution and desired performance within a firm in future, which results in better
career development also.
Example:
Skills Action Time
Communication Practice written and oral communication, seeking guidance
from the tutor, seeking aid from academic management
3
months
Time
Management
Take time management classes, seeking guidance from my
supervisor and peers, seeking support from my tutor
45 days
Problem
Solving
Improving my communication skills to resolve the problems
arising, seeking help from my tutor
60 days
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Belbin Team Roles and Stages of Group Development
Team working skill is considered as the most essential one for group formation. It helps learners
to gain cooperation of others especially when they engage in group-project, to accomplish each
and every activity of assessment on time. During academics, I have gained opportunity to do a
number of projects in group, where tutors have told about how to explore own roles and
responsibilities by applying Belbin’s theory (Cottrell, 2019). This theory also helps in measuring
contribution of each worker in completion of a group project. In this regard, having team
working abilities aid me to shape my profession as per organisational demand, which mainly
force to work in collaboration for achieving corporate goals. Besides this, Tuckman Team
Development Model provides assistance in creation of an effective team with members having
sound coordination, sync and understanding of team goals as well as objectives.
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CV Writing
This skill refers to be the most important one that enables a person to present their skills, abilities
and qualifications in an appealing manner. CV writing often comes handy for a person in
academic as well as professional context.
Example:
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