Critical Reflection

Module Learning

The UCS1001 module, which lasted 13 weeks, was really enlightening and eye-opening in that it allowed me to learn new knowledge that improved my writing and presenting skills and prepared me with many useful and important skills for the future. I set myself the dual goals of improving both my technical writing and public speaking skills at the start of this program, and I am glad to say that I was able to do so with the support of everyone around me, especially my professor. Being frequently chosen by my peers to express my ideas during sharing sessions gave me a lot of opportunities to present and speak in front of the class, which was a huge blessing for me. The numerous rounds of delivery increased my confidence and courage to speak in unforeseen situations. I was exposed to new concepts like the Paul-Elder framework, which taught me how to explore materials from a range of perspectives and enhanced my research skills, which helped to improve my articulation and professional communication. My biggest takeaways were in the areas of communication and research. Even though I still have difficulty putting my thoughts into words and tend to over-explain myself when conveying my ideas, with continued practice I have become better at analyzing writing and clearly communicating my perspectives. As I was required to use APA 7th citations and reliable sources, I learned how to efficiently source for my research information and to provide credits in a professional manner. Learning how technical and expert reports were written was an eye-opening experience.

Project Learning

I had faced several difficulties when working on the technical research project, especially in the beginning when the decision of the project focus was crucial because the themes chosen were more technical and we lacked the necessary requisite expertise. At first, I was extremely anxious and worried since I was unsure of how to carry out our ideas  as a group or whether they would be successful. I frequently led the team on various projects while I was a polytechnic student because there was greater responsibility and no one else was willing to take it on. But, after evaluating the skills of my team, I spoke with them before taking a step back and letting another team member take charge. Having a reliable teammate to divide the burden with has improved the team dynamics and helped me work more efficiently and productively. Through working with my team, I am able to improve my writing skills because we frequently provided comments for improvement of our ideas. Because I participated in multiple rounds of discussion to get everyone on the same page and clear on the goals, I have also learned the value of effective communication.

My team was able to capitalize on our strengths of each other because of our good teamwork as Solar Impact, which led us to produce the best version of our design solution since we were supportive of one another, and our personalities complemented one another well. Our ability to set our disagreements aside allowed us to make significant progress. As the saying goes, “ True teamwork is what makes the dream possible”.

As I leave this module, I am reminded of how memorable and enjoyable it was and how much it helped me in terms of developing my writing and communication abilities. I have gained invaluable knowledge from my peers and the lecturer, and I am convinced these teachings will help me succeed in life. As the phrase of an African proverb goes “ If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I have learned and seen how important collaborative teamwork is through this module.

I want to express my gratitude to Professor Brad Blackstone for making his lectures interesting and engaging and for actively providing me with timely feedback to help me develop.