FY026 Preparing for Success at University: Knowledge and
Creativity
CW1: Reflective Essay
Student Name:
Student ID:
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Introduction
When students engage in reflective practice, they assess their own performance and identify
both their strengths and places for improvement. My plan is to write about my experiences in
the course to deepen my knowledge and inspire new ideas. As I sit down to write this essay, I
want to take stock of where I am as a student in this program, and where I would like to be in
terms of my own personal growth and development as a learner. As a result of my own
college experiences, I feel qualified to provide an objective assessment of the relationship
between scholastic success and mental development. This essay digs deep into a discussion of
many other abilities that are obviously important for academic success in college, and it does
so without diminishing the importance of objective self-evaluation. In addition, I will address
any problems that may occur in my last semester of college. To provide context, I'll be
drawing on Driscoll's Model (What?) in this piece. When asked "So what?" I explain why I
found the course relevant to my professional goals, and then I ask "Now what?" to determine
next steps for putting what I've learned into practice.
Development as a learner during this module
I've made an attempt to utilize the "What?" part of Driscoll's Model of Reflection to put the
work done in this program into perspective. Three of the most valuable skills I've picked up
so far are proper citation of sources, effective time management, and thorough essay
preparation. I had no clue how to start an essay before this class since I had never heard of a
subject sentence. The structure of an essay was the subject of this class. This will be helpful
when I eventually have to write an essay or complete a project. I had no idea what was going
on with the school assignment. This is a concept I've learned in class. I've learned how to
make use of references. I was unable to grasp the relevance of the allusions. After completing
this course, however, I am more certain in my abilities to properly cite sources using the
Harvard system and to write academically sound papers (Naipaul, 2018). Using proper
citations will make my writing more structured and readable. I've picked up some new tricks
for understanding things, realized the value of paying close attention, and gotten a solid
grounding in computing fundamentals. I lacked the knowledge to efficiently write and edit
digital writings before to discovering this instrument. Your talk illuminated the significance
of storing and preserving materials for me. I'll be grateful to my future self if you help me
organize all this paper work. Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are the Microsoft Office
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programs that I have recently mastered. I recognize the importance of having these abilities
and am dedicated to improving them so that I may remain an integral part of my academic
community. Excel skills are more important as more and more academic fields begin to make
use of the program. If you want to succeed academically in college, it's important to adopt
certain tried-and-true routines. Instead of wasting time on less important goals like checking
email every day or striking a work-life balance, I'm going to devote more time to improving
my writing.
After completing Stage 1 of Driscoll's Model of Reflection, I felt prepared to go on to Stage 2
and perform a more in-depth study of my programmatic learning experiences. I presented the
(So What?) inquiry in an attempt to nail down the course's significance. I knew I had finally
found the appropriate framework for my reflective processes when I was able to apply it to all
of my deficiencies and make great improvement . Many others in my generation agreed with
me that taking a more introspective, analytical tack might help you hone the knowledge,
abilities, and character characteristics you need to succeed in your career (Dartnall, 2022). I
realized that I wasn't paying attention in class and set out to find solutions. After some
research, I came across Driscoll's Model of Reflection, which seemed to better fit my
requirements. After considerable introspection, I've come to the realization that not only do I
have a fantastic motivation to learn, but that I can also utilize this to my advantage in my
professional and academic endeavors.
Facing future challenges and expectations of a university course
Driscoll's third stage of reflection helped me map out strategies for advancing my education
and career. That's why I've decided to hone my communication and interpersonal abilities.
Each connected to perception has certain goals, all of which I have laid out in great detail.
With these safeguards in place, I hope to be able to perform better, carry myself with more
poise, and gain some priceless experience. In addition, I'd want to set up a meeting with my
professor to discuss the difficulties I've been encountering. As I pursue my goals, I know I'll
face a number of obstacles. To face difficulties like this, I have made preparations. Some of
the homework assignments in my course materials may be challenging, so I set up this forum
so that my classmates and I can discuss our experiences and help each other out (Gwendolyn
Jordan Dungy, 2020). I gained the ability to assess the significance of a situation
(Bloomfield, 2020). I had always relied only on books for my knowledge before enrolling in
this course. I was not nearly as competent at making choices as I am now because of this.
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This course taught me the value of doing my own research to verify statements by evaluating
their legitimacy, authorship, and source. New curricula put more emphasis on original
research, thus I want to become better at it (Arnaud Sales, 2021). As a result, there is a
pressing demand for more in-depth and precise methods of data collecting and accompanying
literature. Until this point in my education, I've always relied on tried-and-true methods of
study. To do well in my next classes, I may need to refine my research methods beyond
simple Internet searches. Google Scholar, along with other relevant and well-known internet
sites, should be utilized to acquire the essential data. The gathering of such information is
required but not sufficient for academic achievement in higher education. Perhaps I ought to
be more skeptical of the statistics. Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy (2020) notes that data reliability
can only be established once it has been cross-checked against other, unrelated datasets.
These are all skill-related concerns that I need to work on as I gear up for the next academic
seasons.
Conclusion
This section discusses the broad spectrum of techniques and expertise acquired during this
course. The expanded capabilities of the ancestors are proof of this ability for growth. Along
with the prerequisites and course length, we cover the methods and approaches that will be
fundamental in subsequent units.
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References
Arnaud Sales (2021). Knowledge, communication and creativity. 7th ed. London ; Thousand
Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications.
Bloomfield, V.A. (2020). The Chicago guide to your career in science : a toolkit for students
and postdocs. 6th ed. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
Chamberlain, D. (2019). Reflection. 7th ed. London: Macmillan.
Dartnall, T. (2022). Creativity, cognition, and knowledge : an interaction. 11th ed. Westport,
Conn.: Praeger.
Miller, J. (2015). On further reflection : 60 years of writing. 8th ed. New York, Ny: The
Overlook Press.
Naipaul, V.S. (2018). Reading & writing : a personal account. 3rd ed. New York: New York
Review Of Books.
Susumu Kunifuji (2016). Knowledge, information and creativity support systems : selected
papers from KICSS’2014 : 9th International Conference, held in Limassol, Cypus, on
November 6-8, 2014. 5th ed. Switzerland: Springer.
Vanderstoep, S.W. (2019). Learning to learn : the skill and will of college success. 4th ed.
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
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