Week 2 Tutorial Preparation Activities Professional Identity and Reflection

Week 2 Tutorial Preparation Activities: Professional Identity and Reflection

Week 2 Tutorial: Communicating Professional Identity and Reflecting on Experience

2A: Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit of work, students will have:

1. Developed an understanding of the transferable skills needed in engineering work (Bolton, 2020) so they can write about these in their résumé and discuss them in job interviews.
2. Developed the ability to communicate their “value proposition” to potential employers (Holbrook Hernandez, 2020; Tanner, 2019) to make their job applications competitive.
3. Developed an understanding of the importance of reflection to learning from work experience, and the levels of reflection required for successfully writing reflective learning journal entries (Yocco, 2018; Skills You Need, 2020; Ullmann, 2017, p. 164).

2B: Tutorial Preparation Activities

See the reading list for this unit of study on Canvas.

1. Read seek.com (n.d.). Pay attention to sample #4 Graduate – this is the closest to your situation. Draft your pitch to an employer. Note: you are probably not a graduate if you are in this subject, so you may need to adapt this to your undergraduate student status.
2. Identify the transferable skills needed in engineering according to Bolton (2020).
3. Consider John Dewey’s notion, “We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting upon experience,” based on your reading of Yocco (2018) and Skills You Need (2020). Think about why reflection is important to learning from work experience and becoming a professional engineer. You will need to write about this for assessment task 2.
4. Read the Code of Conduct for participating in EPP1 file in the Getting Started Module on Canvas.
5. Read the following in-class activities. Prepare your individual responses to the questions. You will review these activities with your Peer Review Group (PRG) during the tutorial to help you develop your understanding of subject content.

2C: In-Class Activities

1. Your Peer Review Group (PRG)
   • You have been assigned to a PRG. You will not choose your group members. The purpose of this activity is for you to learn to work with people you may not know. In this PRG, you will give and receive feedback on one another’s Learning Journals. In tutorials 4 and 6, this feedback will be part of two formal Peer Review Activities. Think about 3 or 4 things you need to know about your PRG members, such as their names, engineering majors, and two or three other things.
   • Meet with your PRG and get to know one another. Find out the information you thought about in 1a above.
   • Read the following explanation of peer review, and discuss with your PRG what benefits you will get from engaging in peer review together. What are the benefits to the reviewer in peer review? Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).

The peer-review process involves collaborative learning in which students assess one another’s work (usually against explicit criteria) and provide each other with feedback. The process is formative and aims to improve student learning while it is happening to enhance understanding of the work involved and hence improve the quality of the final product (Somerville, 1993; Topping et al., 2000).

Through engaging in peer review and receiving feedback from a number of peers, students are exposed to a greater diversity of perspectives than just those of their tutor or lecturer. Indeed, the ability to ensure that students receive feedback from a number of different people is one of the main benefits of student peer review.

The review process requires students to analyze, review, clarify, and sometimes correct each other’s work. This can help to clarify and reinforce the reviewers’ knowledge and understanding of the area and encourages the development of advanced critical thinking and higher-order cognitive skills (Topping, 1998; Gehringer et al., 2001).

The peer-review process can also enhance student learning by:

• Building problem-solving skills through identifying areas needing improvement and providing constructive suggestions (Dochy et al., 1999; Somerville, 1993).
• Encouraging reflection and thereby promoting skills in self-assessment (Liu and Carless, 2006).
• Enhancing greater meta-cognitive self-awareness (e.g., Topping, 1999; Liu and Carless, 2006).
• Increasing student motivation by fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership for their peers’ learning (e.g., Dochy et al., 1999; Warren and Cheng, 1997).
• Promoting independent learning and reducing dependence on staff as ‘the experts’ (Brindley and Scoffield, 1998; Dochy et al., 1999).
• Improving self-confidence (Brindley and Scoffield, 1998).
• Providing valuable experience and preparation for the professional workplace (Brindley and Scoffield, 1998; Biggs and Tang, 2007).

Reference: Pearce, J., Mulder, R., & Baik, C. (2009). Involving students in peer review. Case studies and practical strategies for university teaching. Centre for the Study of Higher Education, pp. 2-4. Source.

d. Go to the People menu item on Canvas and investigate your PRG Homepage and the file exchange function. You will be able to use these to provide peer review to your teammates during the semester.

1. Look at the “How to be successful in EPP1” file in the Get Started module on Canvas. Discuss with your PRG. Do you have any questions about this? Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).
2. Review your answers to the tutorial preparation activities with your PRG. Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).
3. Working with your PRG, complete the following table with information about the features of Academic Reports and Academic Essays based on your prior learning and experience. Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).

Features of Academic Reports and Academic Essays

Essays:

• Structure:
  • How does it begin? What are the essential features of the beginning?
  • What is in the middle? What are the essential features of the middle?
  • How does it end? What are the essential features of the end?
• Language Features:
  • What would you expect in terms of word choice?
  • Is it typically written in first person (I, me), second person (you – this is called addressive because it is addressed to someone), or third person (she, he, they)?
  • Are headings typically included?
  • What is the typical structure of the paragraphs? For example, are they typically deductive (starting with a general statement of the topic followed by a series of sentences containing specific information about the topic), or inductive (starting with a series of sentences containing specific information and ending with a general statement of the topic)?
• Academic Rigor:
  • In what two ways must the student writer include information from published sources?
  • How does the reader distinguish direct quotations from indirect quotations? Author-prominent citations from information-prominent citations?
  • Note: a mixture of author-prominent and information-prominent citations is common in many academic texts, but information-prominent citations are more common.
  • Compare and contrast the following:
    • The statement, “insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result” is attributed to Einstein.
    • Morell (2013) outlines what students might look for in a good workplace supervisor.
    • Weber (2018) presents data that identifies what engineering employers are looking for in a student’s portfolio.
    • According to Blair (1990), groups go through four main stages in their formation.
    • The phenomenon of ‘living in a bubble’ can be observed in university students (Medoway, 2012).
    • A powerful addition to the discussion of diversity is the notion of ‘individual diversity’ (Foor, Walden & Trtten, 2007).

Reports:

• Structure:
  • How does it begin? What are the essential features of the beginning?
  • What is in the middle? What are the essential features of the middle?
  • How does it end? What are the essential features of the end?
• Language Features:
  • What would you expect in terms of word choice?
  • Is it typically written in first person (I, me), second person (you – this is called addressive because it is addressed to someone), or third person (she, he, they)?
  • Are headings typically included?
  • What is the typical structure of the paragraphs? For example, are they typically deductive (starting with a general statement of the topic followed by a series of sentences containing specific information about the topic), or inductive (starting with a series of sentences containing specific information and ending with a general statement of the topic)?
• Academic Rigor:
  • In what two ways must the student writer include information from published sources?
  • How does the reader distinguish direct quotations from indirect quotations? Author-prominent citations from information-prominent citations?
  • Note: a mixture of author-prominent and information-prominent citations is common in many academic texts, but information-prominent citations are more common.
  • Compare and contrast the following:
    • The statement, “insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result” is attributed to Einstein.
    • Morell (2013) outlines what students might look for in a good workplace supervisor.
    • Weber (2018) presents data that identifies what engineering employers are looking for in a student’s portfolio.
    • According to Blair (1990), groups go through four main stages in their formation.
    • The phenomenon of ‘living in a bubble’ can be observed in university students (Medoway, 2012).
    • A powerful addition to the discussion of diversity is the notion of ‘individual diversity’ (Foor, Walden & Trtten, 2007).

1. In this subject, you will learn about a different type of academic writing called Personal Reflection. In previous subjects, you may have learned an introductory version of this. In this subject, we will further develop your ability to write reflectively. Following is information about personal reflection and how to write a Reflective Learning Journal entry. Watch this video about reflective writing.

In your Reflective Learning Journal, you will need to write about experiences YOU have had or activities YOU have undertaken and REFLECT upon them. Fook and Gardner (2007) call these critical incidents, which they define as “an incident that:

• is significant or important (to professional learning),
• is an incident from which the participant wants to learn,
• protects the confidentiality of other players in the incident,
• is an incident the participant is prepared to expose to the group and will minimize risk but maximize learning potential,
• should be written about and include in the participant’s own words
  • why it is significant,
  • a raw and concrete description of the context/background to the incident,
  • a raw concrete description of the incident” (p. 77).

This means you should not just write about positive experiences but should focus on negative experiences also.

…it seems almost overwhelmingly the case that people choose what they experienced as ‘negative’ incidents for reflection. For them, this may mean incidents that were puzzling, traumatic, ones they couldn’t stop worrying about or forget, that they regretted, thought they could have handled better, or felt strongly (negatively) about. In our experience, these seem to be the ones from which people are most open to learning, ones that they want to rework in order to gain some different type of new meaning. It seems that if people bring incidents that they have felt were positive (usually because they think they did well), they have more of a vested interest in preserving their perspective on them and are therefore less open to other perspectives. This is the key point here: participants should choose incidents they are open to learning from. (Fook & Gardner, 2007, pp. 77-78, italics added)

6. Sample Reflective Learning Journal Entry

Read the following sample reflective learning journal entry and answer the following questions: a. Who are the participants? Is it written in the first, second, or third person? b. What was ‘critical’ for this writer about this incident? c. How was the confidentiality of the participants protected? d. What can be learned from this critical incident? Why is it significant?

Sample Reflective Learning Journal Entry

In a placement during my second year when I was working on a surgical ward, I was working under the supervision of my mentor, caring for a seventy-two-year-old gentleman, Mr. Khan (pseudonym), who had undergone abdominal surgery. I had been asked to remove his wound dressing so that the doctor could assess it on the ward round.

I removed the dressing under my mentor’s supervision, using a non-touch procedure, and cleaned the wound, as requested by the doctor. My mentor was called to another patient at this point, so at her request, I stayed with Mr. Khan while we waited for the doctor to come to see him.

The doctor had been with another patient, examining their wound, and I noticed that she came straight to Mr. Khan to examine his wound, without either washing her hands or using alcohol gel first. I also noticed that she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and I was concerned that the cuffs could be contaminated. I thought for a moment about what to do or say, but by the time I had summoned enough courage to say something, I thought it was too late as she was already examining Mr. Khan.

I was alarmed by this, as I had expected the doctor to wash her hands or use alcohol gel before examining Mr. Khan. However, I felt intimidated because I felt that the doctor was more experienced than me as a second-year nursing student; and I didn’t want to embarrass her. Also, I didn’t want to make Mr. Khan concerned by confronting the doctor in front of him.

Later, I spoke to my mentor about the incident. She suggested that we speak to the doctor together about it. My mentor took the doctor aside and asked her whether she had washed her hands before examining Mr. Khan. She looked quite shocked. She said that she had been very busy and hadn’t thought about it. My mentor discussed the importance of hand hygiene with her, and the doctor assured her that she would wash her hands before examining every patient in the future.

The incident was extremely challenging for me. I regret that I did not act to challenge the doctor’s practice before she examined Mr. Khan. However, I am pleased that the doctor responded so positively to the feedback of my mentor, and I have observed that she has now changed her practice as a result of this incident. I too have learned from the incident, as it has taught me the importance of acting assertively with colleagues, in a sensitive manner, in order to safeguard patients' well-being.

Most people engaging with the health care system would expect a very high standard of hygiene practices. Hand hygiene is the single most important activity for reducing cross-infection, however, many health care professionals do not decontaminate their hands as often as they should (Royal College of Nursing, 2005). It is also possible for staff to transmit infections via uniforms, so there is a need to review policies on staff dress (Department of Health 2007). As a nurse “you must act to identify and minimize the risk to patients and clients” (The Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Professional Conduct, 2004, section 8). This also applies to my own practice as a student nurse when I was caring for Mr. Khan.

Looking back on this incident, I can see that I should have acted sooner and that I should have ensured that the doctor washed her hands before examining Mr. Khan. I can now see that my inaction in this incident put Mr. Khan’s well-being at risk. After a discussion with my mentor, I recognize that I need to develop the confidence to challenge the practice of colleagues, putting the well-being of clients at the forefront of my mind. I realize that I need to be supportive to colleagues, understanding the pressures that they may be under, but ensuring that their practice does not put clients at risk.

In the future, I will aim to develop my assertive skills when working with colleagues, in order to ensure that the well-being of clients is maintained. In my next placement, I will make this a goal for my learning and will discuss this with my mentor to work out strategies for how I can achieve this.

References:Department of Health (2007). Uniforms and Workwear: An evidence base for developing local policy. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004). The NMC Code for Professional Conduct: Standards for Conduct, Performance and Ethics. Nursing and Midwifery Council. Royal College of Nursing (2005). Good Practice in Infection Prevention and Control: Guidance for Nursing Staff. Royal College of Nursing. Adapted from: Brookes Reflective Writing Using Gibbs.

Discuss your answers about the sample reflective learning journal entry with your PRG. Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).

1. Read the Following Information About Reflective Writing

Reflection: Many of the models used to analyze reflective writings described levels of reflection. Their common denominator is two levels ranging from the lowest level of reflection, often called descriptive writing—a writing that showed no presence of reflection, to the highest level—a deeply reflective writing.

a. Description/Recount of an experience: ‘This category captures the subject matter of the reflective writing’. b. Feelings: ‘Often, the feeling of being concerned, having doubts, feeling uncertain about something, or frustration are reasons for a reflective thought process. However, feelings such as surprise or excitement are also mentioned’. c. Personal beliefs: ‘Reflection is often from a personal nature. This is about one’s assumptions, beliefs, the development of a personal perspective, and the knowledge of self’. d. Recognizing difficulties: ‘Expressing an alert, critical mindset is an important part of reflective writing. A critical stance involves being aware of problems and being able to identify or diagnose such problems’. e. Perspective: ‘The writer considers other perspectives. For example, the perspective of someone else, theory, the social, historical, ethical, moral, or political context’. At this level, the writer is expected to synthesize their experience with the required reading, and ideally with further reading. f. Outcome - lessons learned and future intentions: i. ‘Retrospective outcomes were: Descriptions of the lessons learned, better understanding of the situation or context, new insights, a change of perspective or behavior, and awareness about one’s way of thinking. ii. Prospective outcomes were: An intention to do something, and planning for the future’.

(adapted from Ullmann 2017, p. 164)

Task: Identify which paragraph of the sample reflective learning journal entry contains each of Ullmann’s (2017) levels of reflective writing. Some paragraphs may represent more than one level of reflection.

Task: Identify the transition signals in the first sentence of each paragraph that tells the reader what level of reflection each paragraph addresses. Note: the main verb in the first sentence of each paragraph is sometimes the transition signal.

Nominate one student to be your spokesperson to report back to the whole class (a different student should take a turn at being the spokesperson each time you see this instruction).

TIP: Assessment tasks 2 and 3 require you to write reflective learning journal entries like this sample reflective learning journal entry. Students who fail this subject fail to understand this model and fail to write in this style.

TO PREPARE FOR YOUR SUCCESS, DRAFT YOUR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING RÉSUMÉ

• Study the UTS Careers Résumé and Cover Letter Workbook in the Lecture week 2 module on Canvas. Notice how professional résumés are different from a résumé you may have prepared for non-professional roles – students who do not succeed in this task are often those who submit an old résumé that does not meet professional standards.
• Take particular notice of the sequence of elements in a résumé. What are typically the first, second, and third sections in a résumé? How is information sequenced in these sections?
• Notice how Transferable Skills sections are written, and the kind of evidence that is required in this section – this section is an essential element of a professional engineering résumé. This section can often determine whether or not a candidate gets an interview for a job or internship.
• Draft your Professional Engineering Résumé.
• Post your draft professional engineering résumé to your Peer Review Group on Canvas and ask your PRG for feedback. Prepare feedback for your Peer Review Group members on their professional engineering résumés so you can give this feedback verbally during tutorial week 3 – DO NOT PROVIDE WRITTEN FEEDBACK.

Note: It is a minimum requirement of this subject that every student produces a competitive professional engineering résumé which follows the format demonstrated in the Week 2 Lecture The Professional Engineering Job Application Process module on Canvas, and the UTS Careers Workbook. Students who fail to submit a competitive résumé following the format we teach in this subject will receive 0% Z grade for the subject. Résumés using a template such as the MS Word templates available online will receive an automatic fail. You need to demonstrate that you can format a résumé document yourself.