Reflect and Take Stock
In "before you start" we asked you to respond to some questions about your motivation; your skills and attributes; and your expectations of being a student. In effect you were taking stock of yourself before starting out on the journey of being a student. Now that the journey has started, it is time to pause and reflect on the journey so far.
Overview
There are four parts to this exercise:
Part Two: Review Skills and Attributes
Part Three: Review the Seven Skills for Success
Parts One, Two and Three invite you to review certain activities you undertook in "Before You Start" and then to reflect on your experiences in the first six weeks of study. You are asked to write down your responses to questions and where necessary to make action plans.
Read this short section. There are no questions to answer.
Time Allocation
These activities will take about one to one and a half hours to complete.
Benefits
If you completed the activities in "Before You Start"' you will benefit from reviewing your responses to the questions in those activities. This will allow you to clearly see what changes have occurred during the last six weeks and to identify and plan to address any areas of difficulty you may be experiencing.
Part One: Review Expectations
Instructions:
Review (re-read) what you wrote in response to Question 3 Your Expectations: What do you think being a university student will be like? Then, read the questions below carefully and write your response in the space provided. You can use dot points, full sentences, a combination of the two, or any format you choose. If you need more space to write your response, attach a separate sheet of paper.
As you do this, try to remember what it was like for you then, before you set out on your journey as a student.
Think about what changes in your expectations you notice as a result of your first six weeks of experience. How might you now adjust your expectations of yourself in relation to being a student?
Part Two: Review Skills and Attributes
Instructions:
Review what you wrote in response to Question 2: parts a) and b) Current Personal Skills and Attributes.
Review what you wrote in response to Skill Seven: Value what you already know.
Then, read the questions below carefully and write your response in the space provided. You can use dot points, full sentences, a combination of the two, or any format you choose. If you need more space to write your response, attach a separate sheet of paper.
This is a chance to reflect on your skills and attributes in action as you have applied them to the challenge of study.
Which skills and attributes have helped you to stay on task with your studies?
Which skills and attributes (if any) have been unhelpful?
What action might you want to take as a result of what you have noticed?
Part Three: Review the Seven Skills for Success
Instructions:
Review Part Two: The Seven Skills for Success and the responses you wrote in answer to the questions that were posed in that part.
Now, make some notes on each of the seven skills for success as they have applied to you over the past six weeks. Where necessary, write a brief action plan to address areas of concern. Action plans should be specific and realistic. You can use dot points, full sentences, a combination of the two, or any format you choose. If you need more space to write your response, attach a separate sheet of paper.
Skill One: Persistence
Skill Two: Motivation
Skill Three: Organisation
Skill Four: Using personal support and helping resources
Skill Five: Realistic Expectations of success
Skill Six: Reflection
Skill Seven: Value what you already know
(Note: You may have already covered this in response to Part Two: Review Skills and Attributes).
Part Four: A Final Word
Remember the analogy we made between doing a university course and running a marathon (Before You Start, Skill Two: Motivation). Using that analogy, at this point, after week six, you may be a kilometre or two into the event. This is a good time to reflect and take stock of how you are travelling.
By doing this activity, you have demonstrated the important skill of reflectivity. As you move through your course of study, it will be beneficial for you to go through a process like this from time to time, perhaps at the end of each session, or at least at the end of each year.
As a result of a reflection activity like this one, you may identify certain needs and make plans to address those needs. If you have identified any specific needs and would like help to address them, or if you just want help to identify your needs, contact Student Services. (Remember Skill Four: Using personal support and helping resources).
Finally, congratulations on completing these activities. We hope they have been beneficial to you. We wish you every success with your studies throughout the duration of your course, and beyond.