REFLECTIVE DIARY
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Reflective Diary
This reflective diary is presented by a student under the undergraduate Foundation Program and therefore preparing for university training. It is a reflective essay of what the student has achieved in the completed sections of his or her undergraduate course. The preparation for the learning diary is for purposes of reflection that assist the student in assessing and evaluating his or her experiences throughout the course. The framework of the reflective diary has a cyclic nature, which helps in conducting a repeated review of the student’s learning practices. The objective of this learning diary is to understand whatever it has been learned in the last two terms and the areas the student should focus on to improve his or her learning experiences before graduating from campus. A diary helps in learning from the past through things that were either done correctly or wrongly and carefully planning. Therefore, this reflective diary is a description of the presentation, the CSR essay and the exams.
Section 1
Presentation Skills (Marketing Mix Presentation)
Description and Feelings
The presentation that was conducted on the marketing mix was a comprehensive report whose coverage was focused on Cathay Pacific Airways. The presentation was excellent, and it demonstrated a high level of confidence from the presenter.The details of the presentation required that the student should research the marketing mix of a specific company of interest. It meant carrying out secondary research analysis on the information provided on Cathay Pacific Airways that aided in the development of the presentation. The main challenge experienced in the course of the research was getting the information related to Cathay Pacific Airway’s marketing mix. However, the available content was direct and included vivid descriptions of the company’s marketing mix. The feeling of curiosity and desire to find out new information about the company is part of the experience during the presentation creation process. The process was very crucial in equipping skills and knowledge of English learning. The long process of conducting research and developing the presentation was both discouraging and frustrating. Opposite to the expectation is the fact that the presentation was not similar to that of a company developing a new product. Thus, it helped in the development of the feeling that the research was easier than expected.
Reflection (Evaluation and Analysis)
The presentation on the marketing mix explicitly presented its four main features, the history of the company and what the company is dealing with. It is the part of the presentation that was extraordinarily well hence displaying an in-depth understanding of the company. One notable limitation of the presentation is that it did outline poor time control as an aspect of the marketing mix. It indicates that the research was superficially conducted on small yet important points about the company. The omission of such important details leads to the generation of insufficient conclusion on the topic under research. During the research period, paying close attention to aspects related to the company’s core values is a major strength. Additionally, the research conducted in the form of a questionnaire was part of the marketing mix presentation that is free from any biasness. One notable weakness of the presentation is the lack of a detailed explanation of the company’s marketing mix. Each aspect of the marketing mix is presented briefly without a description of the strategy that the company intends to use to achieve an effective marketing mix. However, the overall experience in the process of conducting the research and presentation has significant impacts on knowledge development throughout the course. The acquisition of research-based knowledge will be applied in conducting research-based projects. Additionally, considerable knowledge has been acquired about the company because it is among the leading local airline’s transport providers.
An example of the presentation instance that was not done well is the presence of overlap in the questionnaire and secondary research. It does not provide a clear distinction between the findings of the questionnaire and secondary research. The presentation also fails to provide a detailed explanation of the findings of the research methods applied. In presenting a research report on the findings, it is important to give a clear guideline that gives the reader an opportunity for easy analysis (Pennington 2013, p. 97). The use of relevant headings and sub-headings to distinguish the contents of each research method is essential. To improve on this, review how to conduct research using various methods and ways of presenting the findings. Additionally, a review of the available literature that guides the development of research and skills for a presentation that helps in maintaining the relevance of the report. Also, more research will be conducted on the best presentation skills that will aid in developing better presentation. Conclusively, the entire research project and presentation will help in generating useful experience for future studies at the university. It will be of great help in the process of undertaking postgraduate studies that mainly entails conducting research projects and thesis. Despite the mistakes made in the presentation, the outlined forms of improvement will lead to enhance the quality of future presentation of research projects.
Section 2
Argumentation and Academic Essay Writing (CSR Essay)
Description and Feelings
The CSR essay is the research report was conducted on a number of companies using the required PowerPoint presentation format. The topic of the essay was corporate social responsibility used by different leading companies. It also written using the required amount of word-count and within the given assessment period. Therefore, it required a high level of attention to achieve the required standard of the essay. The major challenge encountered during the process of conducting the research was the lack of acquaintance with the idea of CSR and the related concepts. Therefore, it increased the need for more studies to facilitate a more general understanding of the CSR issue. However, the available literature provided a simple and understandable view of the concept. A feeling of satisfaction accompanied the process as the knowledge of the topic was developed and enhanced. The most likable aspect of writing the essay is the contribution it makes on the knowledge about the topic. It also applies simple and concepts that are easy to understand. The most unlikeable thing about the developing the essay is the frustrating process of citing the CSR strategies of different companies. Regarding the development of the essay, the expectation was that an essay does not have to follow any type of format. Contrary to the expectation is that an essay follows a specific format. It brought a feeling of curiosity to know more about the essay formats.
Reflection (Evaluation and Analysis)
The essay entails the CSR reports of Virgin Atlantic, Starbucks, MacDonald, Disney-Mickey Mouse, and Friends Book. Presenting the images related to the organization’s CSR issues was considered excellent. However, the essay does not provide detailed information about how these companies implement their CSR strategies and their effectiveness. The essay is considered very brief and provides limited information about the topic. The strength in the writing of the essay lies in an absolute understanding of the topic. After conducting research to acquire knowledge on the CSR topic, the information acquired was instrumental in the development of the CSR essay for organizations in question. The weakness is that limited scope on the requirements of the essay that could not allow for an in-depth description of the CSR strategies of the concerned companies. The process of researching and establishing the CSR issues related to different companies that are under study is both tiring and time-consuming. It implies opening the official websites of these organizations to get first-hand information on the CSR issues. Although the websites provide the CSR information for the organizations, the information is usually brief and does not give a detailed view of the entire topic. Presenting the examples of issues related to CSR in the middle of the essay is wrong and disrupts the required development and structure of an essay. The examples should appear at the end of the essay after presenting the CSR of the concerned companies.
The general structure of the essay was unorganized evident in the presentation of images without giving a relevant explanation. Thus, it fails to direct the reader into what the essay presents about the topic. Essay writing involves following a predetermined structure that helps in the analysis and evaluation (Kılıç, Genç and Bada 2016, p. 108). Thus, a good essay writing skills implies a good organization in the structure and development of the ideas being addressed. In the presentation of an essay that gives an overview of the topic, images are suitable, but it does enable the writer to gain a good understanding of the topic. Therefore, the use of images should be accompanied by relevant explanations that provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of the topic. To achieve significant improvements in what was not done well entails numerous tasks ranging from conducting online research and the use of library materials that guide on essay writing and presentation. Additionally, the search for information using relevant websites such as Harvard business reviews and official news websites is significant in acquiring information on issues related to well-known companies across the globe. It is also necessary to focus on the areas that were conducted well and focus on ways for further improvement. It entails conducting more research on the company’s most recent images related to their CSR issues and strategies. The overall experience acquired in the process of researching and writing this essay is fundamental in conducting more essays, both in the undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The technique of writing an essay while giving relevant and detailed information is a basic technique that helps in writing most course-work activities.
Section 3
Exam Preparation and Exam Taking Skills
Description and Feelings
Adequate preparations were conducted before the exams that were done at OnCampus London. The exams were done while paying attention to the required format and within the period stipulated by the university. The preparation process ignited feelings of anxiety and fear for exams that most students develop as the exam period draws near. However, the completion of the exams ignited a feeling of contentment for having prepared well for the exams. There was a little bit of difficulty in tackling questions based on the calculation of statistical data. However, the theory part of the questions was direct and self-explanatory. Understanding the requirements of the question is a crucial element for developing the right answers. The most likable thing about preparing and handling exams is that it results in gaining knowledge and understanding more than what can be acquired from the tutor. The most unlikable thing about the process of preparing for the exam is the limited time given for the preparations. Therefore, it implies doing strenuous studies in an attempt to cover up the syllabus. The exams came out contrary to the expectations of being difficult to answer, and turned out simple and hence resulting in profound happiness
Reflection (Evaluation and Analysis)
The explanation and description of theoretical models are considered a significant part of what was done well during the exam. Adequate preparations directed towards learning theories and models presented on the syllabus contributed to excellent performance on theory questions. However, inadequate skills in calculations with special formulas were considered poorly performed. Personal strength in studying and mastering theoretical concepts was instrumental to excellent performance on theory-based questions. However, inadequate skills in understanding and mastering technical theories, especially those related to statistical calculation, contributed to poor performance in this section of exams.The process of preparing and doing the exams was useful as it entails making serious personal studies and analysis that contributes to the acquisition of significant knowledge. The experience also challenges one to conduct more personal studies and to polish up the areas of little understanding. Individual studies provided a self-efficient framework that can accommodate the required learning opportunities and planning (Yeager et al 2014, p. 559). It also reduced the tendency to depend on the course tutor to provide all the answers needed for student questions. Poor performance, such as those in technical calculations that decreased the overall performance in the exams, will be improved by allocating more to the practice of solving technical questions using the provided formulas. Also, forming discussion groups, whether physical or online, can help in improving performance due to shared knowledge and exchange of ideas.
Excellent performance, such as those on theoretical questions, can be further improved by doing more research and developing research questions that enhance the understanding of different models. Improving studying and performance skills can be achieved by doing reviews of what has been taught in class. The overall learning experience in the preparation and doing of the exams helps in anticipating the future demands of the course work. It gives the perception that more efforts are required in making personal studies in order to get a good grade at the end of the course. Sometimes students perceive that some classroom provided details are not worth revising because they seem insignificant to the requirements of the course. It is wrong because every aspect of the course has the possibility of being tested in the exam. It is also essential to pay attention to details provided by the tutor that might be small can contribute to overall performance in the exams. The fear of failure in exams forces one to take his or her studies more seriously to achieve adequate preparation to tackle the exam questions. The experience will help carry out future university studies as more time will be allocated to personal studies that contribute considerably to performance during examinations. The use of library materials and online content about the research topic is a study element that students have always been encouraged to conduct. It results not only in gaining an adequate understanding of the subject but also improves the general academic performance. Additionally, exam preparation techniques such as doing reviews and developing content summary are crucial for knowledge development in future studies.
Conclusively, reflective writing entails basing one reflection on what has been done in terms of the process and the outcomes of the assessment process. Reflective learning is essential as it provides the direction of the learning experience and areas that requires significant improvement. As it is said, “experience is the best teacher,” individuals learn through past experiences that help them in highlighting what was done right or wrong and make adjustments on the same. This reflective dairy provides a fair and unbiased evaluation of the assessments conducted in the term. It, therefore, provides an overview of the achievements and failures encountered during the learning and examination process.
Reference List
Kılıç, M., Genç, B. and Bada, E., 2016, Topical structure in argumentative essays of EFL learners and implications for writing classes. Dell ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 12(2), pp.107-116.
Pennington, M.C., 2013. Electronic media in second language writing: An overview of tools and research findings. In New perspectives on CALL for second language classrooms (pp. 81-104). Routledge.
Yeager, D.S., Henderson, M.D., Paunesku, D., Walton, G.M., D’Mello, S., Spitzer, B.J. and Duckworth, A.L., 2014. Boring but important: A self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-regulation. Journal of personality and social psychology, 107(4), p.559.
