Time, Tech, and Talk: An In-Depth Reflection on Advancing Skills in a Module Setting

At the outset of this module, I already had various skills acquired in previous modules and experiences. I was able to set deadlines and prioritise relevant areas. Before this module, I had undertaken different assignments that were instrumental in horning my skills in time management. In previous assignments, I had employed these skills to plan how I would complete my assignments within the prescribed time. However, I have to admit that there are certain areas that I may not have carried out in a desirable manner. My comprehension of Information Technology was rather elementary and limited to the use of word processing and power point basic features. In terms of information skills, I was able to identify sources for my assignments and evaluate them but had a challenge with referencing and attribution of academic work. Statistics are useful in research especially when providing background to an issue and I was able to understand and use numerical and graphical information relating to business. This skill has helped understand basic concepts and common strategies in the field of business and law. Although I had average communication skills, I was not able to effectively participate in group assignments and discussions.

At the end of this module, I have generally improved and learnt new skills in addition to the skills I already had. Currently, I have better communication skills and I can now effectively participate in group assignments and discussions. I am now more confident in my presentations. Further, I am now able to communicate effectively and interact with my classmates and other students in the institution. I have also realized that I can now plan my work and set deadlines effectively than before. However, I have to admit that I still have challenges in meeting deadlines. I believe that I can improve in this area so that I can plan my schedules in such a way that I complete my tasks a few days before the deadline to allow me to revise the work and submit a well-reviewed copy. My application of numbers has also become better and I can now effortlessly understand numerical and graphical information. Notably, I have developed better use of IT because I can now effectively use the internet to conduct research and Microsoft tools for to create and present information as directed by the module leader.

Allison, Brian, et al. Research skills for students. Routledge, 2016.

I have developed the above skills in different ways including the module tasks and assignments that I have undertaken. The group work assignments have been very instrumental in horning my interpersonal and communication skills. Through group assignments, I got the opportunity to interact one on one with my classmates and share ideas. Additionally, I learnt to express myself with confidence before a group of people and interact freely with others. I realized that frequent interaction with my peers was very effective in helping me learn to cooperate and work together with diverse people holding different opinions. In my future career, listening skills are very key in understanding situations and coming up with suitable solutions. Therefore, I have been determined to improve this and at the end of this module, I have engaged with my group members and listened to different opinions from them before accepting or giving my contribution on the same issue. A number of tasks in this module involved the submission of written assignments and presentations. In this regard, I have undertaken various assignments that required me to use Microsoft word and PowerPoint presentations and I have along the way improved my understanding of the above.

At this point, there are a number of things that when I look back I would do differently. For instance, I did not plan well some of the tasks I performed in this module. Although I submitted them within the stipulated deadline, I believe that I could have done better by scheduling an earlier completion to allow me to undertake a through revision of the work and reconsider the research involved before final submission. In consideration of my previous assignments, I have concluded that I could have done better with my problem solving skills. While I was able to identify and solve most problems in my assignments, I realized that I did not undertake a critical analysis of the situation, an element that is important in this module. In future, I will want to become better at critically analysing situations and providing the right solutions. I have also recognised that although books are detailed sources of information, journals are more specific and offer different authors perspective on a given topic. In fact journals provide an insightful understanding where the module requires a critical analysis of a subject area.

Bedwell Wendy L, Stephen M Fiore, and Eduardo Salas, Developing the future workforce: An approach for integrating interpersonal skills into the MBA classroom. (2014) Academy of Management Learning & Education 171,186.

I feel that I may need to develop further my interdisciplinary skills especially in connection to other modules in my course. Further, I want to improve my team work capacity by engaging in more group assignments, discussions and debates. I have realised that group work tasks can help improves ones interpersonal skills including improving leadership skills. In addition to the above, I plan on enhancing skills like patience, flexibility, responsibility and dependability to develop good interpersonal attributes. Since this module involves a lot of research, I am focusing on improving my research skills to enable me submit quality assignments. As a result of the above mentioned skills I have gained better insight into various areas relating to this module. I am now capable of critically analysing business situations and providing a suitable solutions. More importantly, I can now easily identify, analyse and use relevant sources like journal articles for my assignments. In relation to the above, I have also learnt how to use different referencing styles and the essence of avoiding plagiarism in my work through correct attribution and paraphrasing of borrowed ideas. In particular, I have a better understanding of the interplay between business and law. Overall, I feel that I have gained key skills and general knowledge relating to conflict of laws. I believe I have performed well in this module although there are areas that I plan to improve on as explained above.

Ortlipp, Michelle, Keeping and using reflective journals in the qualitative research process.(2008) The qualitative report 695,705.
Alzahrani, Salha M, Naomie Salim, and Ajith Abraham. Understanding plagiarism linguistic patterns, textual features, and detection methods. (2011) IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C Applications and Reviews133,149.

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Bibliography

Journals

Alzahrani SM, Salim N, and Abraham A. Understanding plagiarism linguistic patterns, textual features, and detection methods. (2011) IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews).133, 49.

Bedwell WL, Fiore SM and Salas E, Developing the future workforce: An approach for integrating interpersonal skills into the MBA classroom. (2014) Academy of Management Learning & Education.171, 186.

Ortlipp M, Keeping and using reflective journals in the qualitative research process. (2008) The qualitative report 695,705.