Results of My Formative Assessment and the Lessons from the Module - Essay Example

Personal Reflection Introduction The module HWT 4002 is an important module that equips in healthcare professions with professional skills required in practice, particularly with regards to academic writing. This promotes autonomous learning and fit within the professional context. The module begins with the critical exercise of self-directed formative assessment activities that aim at helping in understanding an individual’s strengthens and comprehending the available opportunities that would promote learning. This assessment also identifies the learner’s weaknesses and threats that could deter the attainment of the intended learning goals. Referred to as SWOT analysis by Macfarlane and Ottewill (2012), this provides the basis for understanding the learning approach to adopt. The module uses various approaches to enhance learning, including directed study, private study and taught sessions. Therefore, this paper discusses the results of my formative assessment and the lessons from this module aiming to develop my summative assessment. Summative assessment is an important component in ensuring effective learning according to Bell and Cowie (2001). To do so, I adopt the Rolfe et al. (2001) model to give a reflection of my learning activities as documented by Timmins (2008). In the description, I evaluate what I learnt in the module, including my SWOT analysis and writing skills. In the second part, reflection, I articulate my thoughts on what I learnt from my assessment and the module. Finally, the action evaluates how the knowledge acquired has influenced my future strategies, having gone through the formative assessment. Therefore, this summative assessment expounds on my formative assessment to identify what I have learnt, what it means to my learning and how it influences my future actions. Description This module provided an immense resource on developing professional learning skills. First, it educated on the identification, location, selection and application of various sources for supporting professional practice. It involved an exercise on conducting online searches. The search engine, Google, proved to be an important tool to use in searching for required information. It is a vast database of numerous sources of information, including information on nursing. Importantly to note is that not all information on the search engine are credible. In fact, not all target the same audience (ed. Webb 2011). For instance, the sources with .gov on their web addresses could be considered credible as they give up to date information given by government agencies. However, .com sites are usually from companies and since they aim at appealing to prospective customers, they could not be fully reliable. For this reason, universities and other institutions of learning provide online libraries with relevant academic materials. The formative assessment task involved an exercise with Quest. Searches on Quest provided more reliable academic sources, specifically journals giving relevant research studies. It also gives credible sources from government agencies identified by the .gov in the web address (Centres for Disease Prevention and Control 2014; the University of Adelaide 2014). Sources from trusted bodies such as NHS and RCN would also be located in the Quest library. I also learnt how to discriminate sources further by including key words being searched. That is how I ended up with lesser results when I included the term ‘nursing’ during my Google search than the previous more general search. Secondly, this module was important in the identification and reflection of personal learning needs. Specifically, the formative self assessment activity involving the SWOT analysis identified my strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats. The Head Start activities indicated that my strengths are in taking notes, dedication, punctuality and curiosity. However, I have weaknesses in IT and navigation skills. Even so, I have opportunities in my peers and staff in the library who would provide me with the needed knowledge. Disruption from Head Start is my greatest threat because it requires me to undertake a lot of activities, including reading and finishing quizzes, within a short period of time. This competed with the time I should have been doing coursework. For self assessment, technology played a key role. I learnt how to use the university’s ePortolio system, referred to as PebblePad, for recording my progress and sharing information with students and the teacher. Another important resource from this course was learning communication skills that would help to effectively create structured and clear arguments. Critical in this learning was the information on plagiarism. After learning how to source and sieve the appropriate academic materials, it was important to understand how to use the information retrieved therefore, and make sense out of it but being keen to acknowledge the source. Without acknowledging the source, the writer would have falsely taken credit for the information, committing the gross mistake of plagiarism (Neville 2010; Taylor 2013). It was learnt that a software known as Turnitin detects such mistakes with negative results implying adverse repercussions on the perpetrator. This practice of giving credit to the source of information is referred to as referencing according to Lathrop and Foss (2000). It occurs in two phases, both in-text and at the end of the work. In-text citing refers particular information used in the text to a specific source or sources. The referencing given at the end of the work on a different page gives full details of the sources referenced in-text so that the reader can find such sources with ease. This alludes to the importance of having all the relevant information on a source when citing it. Reflection Therefore, the module was important in shaping my professional learning skills. It has provided critical thinking skills. I learnt that searching for information to be used in academics could provide a vast of information. Specifically, when using Google search engine, numerous sources would be found. However, not all sources are credible. Therefore, I learnt how to identify credible sources using the web address, such that web addresses with .gov and .edu are more credible as they are from government and academic institutions as opposed to those with .com from companies (Zimmer 2007). To further enhance credibility, searching sources from trusted libraries, like those of educational institutions such as universities, provides more credible sources of information. This made me appreciate Quest as an important source of academic resources, including scholarly journals, books and literature from credible institutions. Whereas credible sources are found in such libraries, Google search engine still qualifies as an important tool in retrieving the required information, as long as proper discrimination is observed. To further assist in discriminating for appropriate sources, the words used for searching are important. This made me appreciate that searching with key words would yield more focused and targeted results. Even so, my limited IT skills could deter me from receiving the best results when conducting online searches. IT skills make it easier for one to get around the Internet and select the appropriate materials (McLoughlin & Luca 2002). With a weakness in this area, I could experience challenges navigating the system to retrieve the required materials. The formative self assessment exercise informed me of where my strengths are and the opportunities available for me to ensure that I achieve the objectives of professional learning, an attribute given to this form of assessment by Marzano (2006). As such, curiosity was a positive attribute in promoting research tendencies in me. According to Lathrop and Foss (2000), research is a critical component of professional learning because it provides the required information to support academic and professional practice. With the opportunities presented in my peers and the library as sources of knowledge, I can achieve more in my quest to learning. These opportunities would be useful in providing knowledge where I am wanting. On the other hand, my weaknesses and threats discovered through this assessment deter my attainment of the intended learning objectives. Of critical concern to me was my weakness in IT. This module enabled me appreciate the widespread use of technology for various activities. Search engines such as Google and Quest leverage on technology to provide numerous materials from a search. Collating the gathered information and putting it down in a way that would pass across the intended communication involves use of information technology skills, specifically in computers. Even further, sharing such information and assessing oneself, including communicating with the teacher, would require use of technology. This leverages on PebblePad technology. Therefore, my weakness in IT stands to jeopardise my attainment of the intended goals, just as argued by Issa (2009) and Noeth and Volkov (2014). On threats, I perceive Head Start as a disruption because it demands much from me within a short period of time. This reduces the time I am expected to be undertaking my coursework. Referencing was an informative part of the module for me. I have done some research papers before but I have never thought of the grievous mistake I make by not giving credit to the respective sources of information used, as such committing the mistake that Neville (2010) refers to as plagiarism. This makes me take credit that is actually not due to me. For the few cases I have referenced my work, I have not been keen to observe the rightful format. Academic work requires proper referencing as it is postulated that the writer is not a master of all knowledge. To make such work credible, use of trusted sources such as scholarly journals, government literature, books and literature from credible institutions should be used. Action From this assessment, I would have to urgently develop my IT skills. Acknowledging the argument by the American Library Association, ALA (2014), IT skills would improve my literacy in using computers, databases, software applications and other technologies aimed at the achievement of varied academic and professional goals. These are critical goals for me as a learner seeking to delve into academic research, leveraging on the Internet technology and further using the same technology for communication with the teacher and my peers and for self assessment. To do so, I intend to spend at least one continuous hour on my computer every day, carrying out short self-administered assignments, and having my peers correct me on my mistakes. The objective of this exercise would be to improve on my interaction with the online system and with the involved physical technological equipments used on computers, including the keyboard and mouse. Learning keyboard shortcuts would improve my speed of execution, an important aspect in fostering my time management attributes. Therefore, this IT skills training will not only provide me with the requisite skills in IT but also in academic research, as I will be learning on research work and use of IT applications and hardware at the same time. I will make use of the opportunity presented by my peers to ensure that I improve on my IT skills, but also more importantly on my writing skills. The self administered tasks that I will be undertaking will be reviewed by my peers who will show me where I have erred and share with me appropriate strategies to adopt so as to improve my skills. On my part I will be open to correction from my peers as advised by Lucey (2013). Organisation will also be an important aspect of these peer reviews as this will enhance understanding of the highlighted corrections and encourage a deeper understanding of what I am expected to do (Benjamin 2013). However, I seek not to lose control of such reviews by my peers. According to Chisholm (n.d.), students whose works are being reviewed by their peers should remain in control, directing the discussion and causing the peer to elaborate more on difficult issues. To cap this up and ensure its effectiveness, I will seek to have a weekly appointment with the teacher and share my best and peer reviewed paper for further guidance. Other than my peers and teacher, I also intend to make use of the opportunity that the library presents to acquire the required knowledge. The library will provide me with sources that will educate on the various referencing styles which I will apply in my daily assignments. The library staff will be of help in enabling me identify appropriate and current materials to achieve my objective. Finally, because of my strength in note-taking, I have numerous information to help me achieve better as a learner. I have taken adequate notes in class and from my peers to help me excel in academic writing. The importance of note-taking according to Nelson (2012) is to help a learner remember critical points and therefore promote learning. Thus, I will keep referring back to my notes as I seek to improve my writing skills. Furthermore, I will keep taking notes from my peers and teacher as I continue acquiring the most effective learning skills. Conclusion This summative assessment aimed at further analysing the findings from my formative assessment. It aimed at evaluating what I learnt, how it impacted on my learning and its influence on my future actions. Thus, the Rolfe et al. (2001) model was used in an obvious manner, dividing this paper into the description, reflection and action parts. This assessment is important in identifying my learning needs with reference to results from formative assessment. In the description part, I articulated what I learnt from the formative assessment and the module. I learnt how to source for information from Google search engine and institutional search engine, Quest. Google provides a lot of resources but discrimination should be used to use credible sources. Quest provides credible sources, this being a library for the university. To get more specific sources, proper selection of key words would be beneficial. Critical thinking should be applied when reading and selecting the retrieved sources so as to acquire relevant information observing the relevant academic level and expressing such information in an understandable manner. I also learnt how to use PebblePad, the university’s ePortfolio system for communicating with peers and the teacher and for self assessment. From this, I appreciated institutional libraries such as Quest as being sources of credible information. However, Google is also a resource if proper search strategies are employed. Referencing the sources retrieved from such sources and used in writing saves a writer from plagiarism accusations (Soles 2009; Zimmer 2007). It basically attributes the knowledge used to the rightful sources. The formative assessment exercise made me appreciate my strength in note-taking, curiosity, punctuality and dedication and opportunities in my peers and library staff that would provide me with knowledge where I am wanting. However, my limited IT skills and navigation skills and the threat of disruption from the Head Start activities could hinder me from achieving my learning objectives. Therefore, I intend to familiarise myself with IT applications and computer systems through a daily one-hour engagement in self-administered exercises. Apart from being academic work, these daily assignments would also focus on learning how to effectively use computers and the Internet for academic purposes. This aims at improving my IT skills, a critical factor at this level of education. I intend to make use of my opportunities to benefit me academically. Thus, I would use the library staff to guide me on acquiring the appropriate and up-to-date materials. My peers would offer guidance and correction on my papers so as to improve on my writing skills. I will supplement this with guidance from my teacher with whom I intend to meet every week so as to be guided on the specific areas that require improvement. Using my strength in note-taking, I would write down whatever feedback I get from my peers and teachers and use such notes to continually improve on my writing skills. Therefore, this module has significantly imparted valuable lessons on academic writing which will be critical in attaining success in my profession. 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