Critical Reflection
The Effective Communication module was a great learning experience for me. I learned many things throughout these 13 weeks in class, and can firmly say that I have definitely improved after taking this module.
The design summary and analysis was the first major assignment of this module that I struggled with. Due to the lack of understanding, I was not confident in what I was writing, had lots of trouble paraphrasing, and also forming proper sentences due to my lack of vocabulary. This resulted in slow progress for the assignment as I would take a longer time to complete as compared to my peers. However, the peer evaluation done in class has benefitted me tremendously as I was able to correct my mistakes through constructive feedback given by my classmates and professor. By evaluating the work done by my peers, I was also able to learn by comparing the difference between our writings.
The technical report was a group project in which we had to come out with an idea to improve on current mechanical designs. My team, E-Works has decided to focus on introducing an ergonomic laundry basket design to IKEA and started research with this idea. The team struggled with the research process as it is challenging to find and use reliable sources, as many of it comes with ambiguity. To counter these issues, we narrowed down the key points and did more in-depth research to get the ideal information. The second part of the project was to present our ideas with the class, which I was not particularly confident in. So, to prepare for the actual presentation, we practiced speaking by doing numerous mock presentations within the group. The presentation went well, but there are things could be done better. What I have learned from this presentation is that firstly, we should always prepare for the unexpected as things do not always go as planned. Secondly, try not to memorize the information but taking note of the key points instead, and lastly is to prepare questions for the audience as this keeps the presentation to be more engaging.
Overall, this module has been very beneficial to me as I was able to improve my writing skills and become a more confident speaker which were goals that I set at the start of this module. I also learned many important aspects of communication along the way which will prove to be an asset in the future.
Dear Benjamin,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for this highly detailed, methodical reflection. You have two clear focal points, and you explore each in some detail as you provide lots of specific illustrations in reaction to the work you've done during the term.
I'm impressed by the point you make about learning from your peers that you mention in this sentence: "By evaluating the work done by my peers, I was also able to learn by comparing the difference between our writings." This must have been the case as you submitted quite a good final draft of the summary/analysis.
In this final post I am also impressed by the way you break down the work done by you and your team for the research and the oral presentation. I appreciate your own self critique, and I fully expect that goinbg forward you will do much better. I'm happy the way your team came together to craft a very fine tech report, which I look forward to reading in its entirety.
I also appreciate the enthusiasm for learning that you have expressed not just in this reflection but throughout the module.
Best wishes as you continue your learning journey!
Brad
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