Critical Reflection

 Module learning:

At the start of the module, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the improvement I will make but I wanted to get the most out of this module as communication skills is something that I always wanted to work on. Therefore, I set some goals for myself such as trying to be as attentive as I can, participating more in class discussions, and most importantly, trying to overcome my fear of public speaking. 

Going forward into the module, I managed to interact with more people in class discussions and got the opportunity to step forward to present my opinions in front of the class. My interest in the module started to grow when my professor often asked me questions which activated my critical thinking and it brought me out of my comfort zone to be more interactive. After 13 weeks of classes, I felt that my presentation skills and critical thinking skills have improved significantly. 

I believe what helped improve my presentation skills was getting to familiarize myself with my classmates. As I became more comfortable around them, I found it easier to open up and speak in a bigger group setting. Being in Professor Brad's class has challenged me to solidify my research and learn how to apply citations correctly. In terms of communication and critical thinking skills, I often took Professor Brad’s comments on how I can improve myself and work on it the very next class. In addition, I used these critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate on how I can improve on my other modules.

At the end of this module, I felt that I am more confident when I am conversing with someone or while having a presentation, which is one of the main goals I wanted to work on. I want to use what I have learnt in future discussions or meetings with others and I hope to improve more going forward with the new skill sets that I picked up in this module.

Project learning:

During project learning, I had the opportunity to work with 3 other members to come up with an edible food container to fight against plastic waste as a research project. My team and I wrote a technical report which heavily tested our writing skills and we had to ensure the information given were valid and feasible.

Working in a group made me realize that teamwork is important and we have to play to each other’s strengths where if one of the members is more confident in the research, we should allow them to work on the research part. I felt that our group communicated efficiently and we managed to write out the technical report with ease.

The biggest learning point for me was when we had to present our research in front of a large audience and that made me nervous. I felt that my presentation skills weren't the best and I was afraid of bringing my team down. Professor Brad’s always emphasized multiple times on things that we can do better in class discussions and I tried to apply those during my presentation. I learnt to use hand gestures and maintained eye contact with the audience. I also tried to slow down while presenting so that I won’t be too nervous or forget my content and overall I felt that I did better than I expected. 

Overall, this module has been very engaging and helpful in getting me to where I want to. I felt that I have made significant improvement in communicating and presenting in class. One takeaway from this module is to always understand my content well and to practice beforehand, and ensuring that communication in group projects is very important.