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Academic Year 2022-2023 |
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Module code and title: |
Orientation for Success in Higher Education. |
Module leader: |
Sonny Obanore |
Assignment No. and type: |
Essay - 1500 words 50%
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Assessment weighting: |
50% |
Submission time and date: |
Before 14:00 pm on Tuesday 19/04/2022. |
Target feedback time and date: |
3 weeks from the date of final submission |
Part 1
The main aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of a reflective approach to learning and the importance of formative feedback to improve and inform summative assessed work. Reflective learning allows the learner to recall all the lived experiences and helps the individual to develop analytical skills, and critical thinking skills and also helps to develop improvements in future actions due to the analysis of the experience (Pendrey, 2022). Reflective learning can also be defined as the exploration of various experiences to bring more awareness regarding the actions of the learner (Díaz-Iso et al., 2019). This kind of reflective learning helps to build stronger connections between the learner and the learning experiences. The model of reflection that will be used in this essay is called Gibb’s reflective model, it helps a learner to think systematically and clearly about the learning experiences (Adeani et al., 2020). It helps the learner to make sense of a complicated situation and develops problem-solving skills. A detailed discussion regarding feedback and feedforward processes will be done in this essay along with necessary recommendations.
Discussion
Gibb’s reflective cycle is followed by the learner to think more systematically and clearly, it also helps to develop critical and analytical thinking skills (Sekarwinahyu et al., 2019). Here, I have done Gibb's reflective cycle to get a better understanding of the experience that I had during this module. Gibb's reflective cycle has six stages and they are as follows,
According to description step, the overall experience can be elaborated (Ahmed, 2020). I have completed a module where I have learnt about various skill development processes and the significance of developing those skills. The main skills that I have developed while learning this module are time management skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills and note-taking skills. These skills will help me to achieve my personal goals and academic goals. With respect to feelings I was not very confident and sure regarding the fact that whether I will be able to do good in the semester or not during the initial days of the module.
However, after completing the module I have gained the confidence of scoring good marks in the module. At first, I was very nervous and confused because I was not skilled enough or I was lacking knowledge in several fields. After completing the module, I have developed the necessary skills and the most needed skill among those were note-taking skills. Listening to the lectures can be summarised through the help of this skills (?pek, 2018). My note-taking skill was extremely weak and poor note-taking skills hinder the processes of effective learning in the class (Joyce and Boyle, 2020). Now, I feel more confident and my knowledge gaps are almost met by the end of this module.
According to evaluation stage, there were several good things and a few negative things about the experience (Dhaliwal et al., 2018). The good things or positive aspects of this module are, that it has made me confident and more knowledgeable. It has helped me to develop effective communication skills both written and verbal. My note-taking skills have also been enhanced and I can easily point out keywords and take down notes while lectures. The other two skills that I have developed during this process are time management skills and critical thinking abilities. Time management skills will help me to finish my tasks before the deadline and critical thinking skills will help me to solve problems easily. The negative point of this module is that it was very lengthy and went monotonous at certain times.
With respect to analysis section, it has been analysed that I have learnt various things and gained a lot of knowledge regarding several important things. Other than these I have developed skills like critical thinking skills, note-taking skills, communication skills and time management skills. Interaction can be elevated through the help of communication skills (Hussain Al-Qahtani, 2019). It can be concluded that I have become more confident, skilful and knowledgeable after completion of this module and it will help me to achieve my personal goals and academic goals sooner. I have learned hardworking and constructive usage of time.
Considering the action plan, the goals are to improve time management, note-taking, communication, critical thinking skills. I will be successfully submit all the tasks before the deadline and made my own deadlines for specific tasks and tried to accomplish them. Time management skill can help to finish tasks (Kara et al., 2019). I can take down important notes while ongoing lectures. I will be needed to note down all the important keywords and increased my speed while doing so. This will help to take down important notes while lectures for future reference (Sakurai, 2018). I can effectively and clearly communicate with people and listen actively and carefully before communicating. This facilitates to communicate effectively with clear points (Rao, 2019). I can solve problems quickly and easily and concentrate more on lectures and resources and took time to think. It will be responsible to solve problems easily and think in-depth. All of these can take almost 6 months to achieve these skills.
Feedback is the transmission of corrective or evaluative information about an event or an action to the controlling or original source (Mahoney et al., 2019). Feedback can also be defined as a person's reaction towards a product or someone's performance, which is required for the improvement purposes of that individual or product. Feedback helps a learner to point out his mistakes and inaccuracy so that he can improve them from next time onwards. Feedback makes the students more efficient and productive; the chances of mistakes get reduced with the help of teachers’ feedback. Positive feedback helps students to gain more confidence and encourages them to work hard (Marchisio et al., 2018). Negative feedbacks help students to improve from their previous mistakes and never repeat them again. The feedback mechanism is basically learning assistance that the learner gets from the tutor for his developmental purposes.
Feedforward is the opposite of the feedback procedure, here the negative and positive reviews or feedback are replaced with future-oriented solutions or long-term and short-term achievement goals. It is often a group activity where the group members provide constructive and effective suggestions to set long-term achievable goals for the group members. Feedforward is often known as a reverse feedback mechanism (Wisniewski et al., 2020). It helps to regenerate talent, expands possibilities of success, it is an extremely impactful procedure to make students, more efficient and it also helps to refine group dynamics. The feedforward mechanism is very particular and it does not deal with excessive information, it is also time-saving. It expands possibilities of knowledge expansion and skill development. The solutions or long term goals are beneficial for the learner's further academic and personal development.
In summative assessments, feedback is important because it provides me with a better understanding of the subject and gives clear guidance on the ways to implement to improve the process of learning. Feedback has powerful impacts on motor skills and cognitive skills that brings about behavioural outcomes (Wisniewski et al., 2020). It also helps me to understand my status in meeting the goals of learning. Feedback helps in the self-assessment regarding the progress of our learning and the gaps that are required to fulfil. The feedback focuses on my current performance while feedforward provides me with the guidance to do better the next time. It helps me to identify the mistakes in my performance, allowing me to improve in my fields. Along with that, it increases enthusiasm for learning and self-awareness resulting in increased confidence and personal growth. Feedback and feedforward combine to ensure the developmental impact of the assessment on the learners. Feedforward often helps in the regeneration of talent and expands the chances of success among the students. It helps in building the efficiency of the students thus giving them the confidence to perform better the next time.
Feedback on summative and formative assessments can sometimes be disruptive and can demote our abilities to perform. In many cases, there are chances of poor performance due to providing feedback. Often, we fail to read the feedback because of its untimely arrival or for some other reason and this causes us to miss the deadline of the feedback submission. The feedback that involves approaches to self-regulation and met cognitive approaches have negative impacts on some learners and may not help them to identify their gaps. In the case of automated feedback, they are often scattered (Deeva et al., 2021). The disadvantage of feedforward is that it is very much time-bound as it will be meaningful if sent within the time. In case the feedforward is not up to the mark, it works negatively on the students and may lead them to give poorer performances. In many cases, there is a requirement to measure the disturbance variable online but that may not be feasible often.
The main aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of a reflective approach to learning and the importance of formative feedback to improve and inform summative assessed work. Reflective learning allows the learner to recall all the lived experiences and helps the individual to develop analytical skills, and critical thinking skills and also helps to develop improvements in future actions due to the analysis of the experience. Reflective learning can also be defined as the exploration of various experiences to bring more awareness regarding the actions of the learner. This kind of reflective learning help to build stronger connections between the learner and the learning experiences. The model of reflection that will be used in this essay is called Gibb's reflective model, it helps a learner to think systematically and clearly about the learning experiences. It helps the learner to make sense of a complicated situation and develops problem-solving skills. A detailed discussion regarding feedback and feedforward processes will be done in this essay along with a necessary recommendation.
Reference list
Adeani, I.S., Febriani, R.B. and Syafryadin, S., (2020) Using gibbs’reflective cycle in making reflections of literary analysis. Indonesian EFL Journal, 6(2), pp.139-148.
Ahmed, A.M., (2020) From reluctance to addiction: The impact of reflective journals on Qatari undergraduate students’ learning. Reflective Practice, 21(2), pp.251-270.
Deeva, G., Bogdanova, D., Serral, E., Snoeck, M. and De Weerdt, J., (2021) A review of automated feedback systems for learners: Classification framework, challenges and opportunities. Computers & Education, 162, p.104094.
Dhaliwal, U., Singh, S. and Singh, N., (2018) Reflective student narratives: honing professionalism and empathy. Indian J Med Ethics, 3(1), pp.9-15.
Díaz-Iso, A., Eizaguirre, A. and García-Olalla, A., (2019) Extracurricular activities in higher education and the promotion of reflective learning for sustainability. Sustainability, 11(17), p.4521.
Hussain Al-Qahtani, M., (2019) Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of virtual classes and the effectiveness of virtual classes in enhancing communication skills. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue: The Dynamics of EFL in Saudi Arabia.
?pek, H., (2018) Perceptions of ELT Students on Their Listening and Note Taking Skills. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 5(1), pp.206-217.
Joyce, R.L. and Boyle, J.R., (2020) Improving note-taking skills for students with disabilities through a smartpen intervention. Journal of Special Education Technology, 35(4), pp.225-235.
Kara, M., Erdogdu, F., Kokoç, M. and Cagiltay, K., (2019) Challenges faced by adult learners in online distance education: A literature review. Open Praxis, 11(1), pp.5-22.
Mahoney, P., Macfarlane, S. and Ajjawi, R., (2019) A qualitative synthesis of video feedback in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 24(2), pp.157-179.
Marchisio, M., Barana, A., Fioravera, M., Rabellino, S. and Conte, A., (2018) A model of formative automatic assessment and interactive feedback for STEM. In 2018 IEEE 42nd Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) (Vol. 1, pp. 1016-1025). IEEE.
Pendrey, A., (2022) The Little Book of Reflective Practice: A Practical Guide to the Early Years. Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Rao, P.S., (2019) The importance of speaking skills in English classrooms. Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal (ACIELJ), 2(2), pp.6-18.
Sakurai, S., (2018) Promoting skills and strategies of lecture listening and note-taking in L2. Fukuoka University Journal of Humanities, 49(4), pp.1019-1046.
Sekarwinahyu, M., Rustaman, N.Y., Widodo, A. and Riandi, R., (2019) Development of problem based learning for online tutorial program in plant development using Gibbs’ reflective cycle and e-portfolio to enhance reflective thinking skills. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1157, No. 2, p. 022099). IOP Publishing.
Wisniewski, B., Zierer, K. and Hattie, J., (2020) The power of feedback revisited: A meta-analysis of educational feedback research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, p.3087.
