Reflective Report Writing: Balancing Experience and Academic Insights

This reflective element is asking you to consider your individual experiences and/or expectations of how your talent has been/will be developed. You are required to consider your own experiences/ expectations during the learning process and compare/contrast this against the practices/ approaches suggested in the academic literature.  In your reflection you will be expected to prepare a personally focussed report covering the following key aspects:

· The background:

o What happened? – Provide the context - describe the learning experience – why were you doing it - when were you doing it - who else was there?

o How did you feel/ behave during the learning experience? - What do you remember thinking/feeling/doing during the learning experience?

· The experience –

o Evaluating the learning event - In your opinion, what was good about the learning experience/ what was not so good? Back up your assertions with reference to academic viewpoints on the design, delivery and evaluation of learning.

o Evaluating you as a learner - What does this tell you about your preference for learning? Why are you like this do you think? (refer to your learning style)

· Conclusions:

o Looking forward - In the future, what can you do/continue to do to enhance your ability to learn in different situations? What can the designer of the learning experience do to enhance learner experience?

Note – your reflection can be taken from learning experiences within university, part time work or your personal lives however please support your assertions with reference to academic viewpoints. Examples could include reflection on your learning experience in a particular module / or specific lecture or seminar; or on a training course in work or at university (e.g. leadership training or class rep training) / or reflect on your experience while learning to drive/ play an instrument or cook.

In summary marks for assignments are given in consideration of the following issues:

Academic Argument:

Marks for assignments are given in consideration of the following issues:

· relevance of answer to the question set

· clarity of answer

· logically developed and well-reasoned arguments

· adequate and relevant evidence for arguments

· evidence of linkage between academic arguments and self-reflection (Essay A)

· evidence of appropriate reading

· clear conclusions

Presentation:

· well-structured answer

· clearly written with good grammar and spelling

· references cited properly in answer

· sufficient references to sources

· references correctly listed at end

· within word limit (+/- 10%)

READING

You are not expected just to 'know' the answers, nor will you be able to do the assignment just from attending classes. It is essential that you read relevant books and articles before you try and complete the assignment. Wider reading will enhance your understanding and enable you to mention more points: some students only seem to read only a few general textbooks and some on-line sources. Try to demonstrate evidence of reading to support your answer, by referencing each source book or article, each time you present information from that source.

You should read:

· the recommended textbook

· the general reading chapters for the module and for the relevant topic

· other relevant books or articles you find on the topic - use of library, CIPD ‘infosource’ and web databases will provide further relevant articles

Evidence of your reading and research is vital .

REFERENCING

Your assignment is designed to test your

· knowledge and understanding of key concepts/theories/literature

· ability to analyse organisational problems/ reflect on learning experiences

· ability to apply theory to practice/ relate learning experiences to theory

A common problem for students in presenting assignments is in incorporating and listing referenced reading material.

Please refer to University guidance on referencing which gives advice on how to make references to the literature when writing assignments.

It is important that you know and follow these guides. Copying ideas, statistics or sections of text without acknowledging the source of the information is plagiarism and is not permitted. When you mention a reference in your assignment (e.g. Taylor, 2010) you need to list each one with the full details, on the final page of your essay (authors, date, title of article or book, name of journal, volume, publisher for books). You must list all sources in the reference List at the end of each essay.