Reflection of Module and Project Learning

At the start of the module, my goal was to achieve a better understanding of how to go about writing a proper thesis and report to prepare myself for upcoming years at university. Another main goal I set was to get better at presenting and public speaking confidence. I did get meaningful and constructive feedback from Professor Blackstone and my classmates that made me realise how I performed from their point of view which I think is a very effective way of learning. The points I can take away from the feedback are that I need to improve mainly on my structure and formality of writing my report and as for presenting and public speaking skills would be that I may have a monotonous voice, I tend to use filler words when I am nervous, and I also want to work on improving my language use. I feel by the end of the trimester I improved not significantly but enough to the point where I can notice the improvements myself. When given feedback for my reader's response from Professor Blackstone, I also consulted my friends on my PEEL structure and language use. I mainly read examples through Google and my classmates' writing styles and compared them with mine to see how I could write in accordance to the proper structures which made me understand my content better as it makes more sense. For presentation skills, although there were only two presentation sessions, I practiced pausing instead of using filler words. I still have issues with anxiousness and the tone of my voice which can be improved further as I realise I try to stay relaxed but it just makes my voice monotonous. This is how I utilised critical thinking through observing, analysing feedback, and solving problems to help me improve.

For the project part of this module, we were mainly challenged with juggling time for the report and presentation preparations as we were also going through exams and test papers for other modules. What kept me going was the help of my groupmates and reminding myself that it is possible to get it done as our seniors before us also did it despite the workload and time constraints. I learned that complaining will only waste time and the key is to finish one work at hand at a time while not thinking too far ahead with a realistic timeframe in mind. Another challenge that rippled from the time constraint was communication with the group as we all had different plans and time management. With the conflicting schedules, it was difficult to set up a meeting even though online calls though, we still had a few sessions together to discuss and finish the work on time. I am grateful to have teammates who can communicate clearly and effectively so we did not need to have long-winded conversations or beat around the bush to get to where we need to be and get it done. I prefer it when my teammates and I are straightforward which enabled us to carry on with assessing the options and decide efficiently especially as we were lacking with time.

As I look back on my involvement and experiences in the UCS1001 - Critical Thinking and Communicating, I am filled with fulfillment and a newfound understanding of how much I can improve to properly use for my future work and school projects and the potential I have to make my work closer to being perfect.