Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Reflection on learning during the BA Professional Practice (BAPP) course
The BAPP course has been an enriching experience. Not only has it helped me to expand my academic capabilities, but its work-based setting has enabled a great deal of self-study. The course offers the academic development that would normally result from a traditional University degree programme, accompanied by a unique opportunity to better understand yourself and your professional practice. I will explain my point further:
Academic improvement
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the course has been learning a variety of academic skills, such as:
- Developing three key writing styles: academic, descriptive and marketing
- Using the Harvard system of referencing
- Formatting text correctly, in accordance with the University’s guidelines
- Developing vocabulary and grammar
- Understanding the importance and process of research
- Writing a literature review
- Presenting data as charts or diagrams
All of the above are skills that can be drawn upon outside of a University course, which I look forward to doing. I especially enjoy knowing how to reference sources properly, as it is an important part of academic writing that I had not explored until the BAPP course. There is a plethora of useful information relating to the above academic techniques in the four handbooks issued during the course. I shall certainly keep hold of them for future reference.
Personal development
This element of the BAPP course has been of equal benefit to me. A work-based course requires a considerable amount of self-reflection, especially on one’s professional practice, as the degree title suggests.
This was encouraged from the very beginning of the course as the initial tasks focussed on our own vocational experiences. It was insightful to discuss, either at campus sessions or through our blogs, our personal working habits. Insight also turned to reassurance when programme advisers or fellow students highlighted traits that I recognised in myself, such as procrastinating from starting work for fear of not doing it perfectly. In a distance learning course it was helpful to be reminded that others were experiencing the same learning curve.
The theme of personal development has continued throughout the course, culminating in a research project that has not only improved, or rather initiated, my research skills, but has yielded some interesting data. I chose to research the topic of unemployment amongst dancers, as the management of vocational unemployment was a skill that I had failed to acquire! The results that my research brought were of such interest to me that I wished I had known them at the beginning of my first term of unemployment. Now that I am familiar with the process, and potential benefits, of distributing a survey it is something that I would be keen to revisit in the future should I have a particular point of interest to explore.
Final words
The process of completing a distance learning degree has been both difficult and enjoyable. I found the main challenge to be finding enough time to study, especially during the final module, where I had to juggle my project around a 50 hour week in a non-vocational job. I found that I could not always enjoy sitting down at my desk to complete tasks thoroughly, as time would not often allow such indulgence.
I still have not learnt, however, that wanting to do everything to the best of my ability is not an acceptable reason to procrastinate from starting a piece of work. I have been conscious of this habit throughout the BAPP course, but am yet to achieve any real progress in moving away from it. I will endeavour to control this tendency as I am sure that adult life will only get busier and I do not wish to be left behind!
In terms of the enjoyable aspects of the course I have found the opportunity to study at University level extremely satisfying. Despite the worries that come with a distance-learning course (“Am I heading in the right direction?” “Am I the only one finding this difficult to understand?”) I have always enjoyed reading back over a piece of work in the knowledge that I created it entirely from my own initiative. In hindsight I should have sought more guidance from my course advisers and peers, but I have always enjoyed working on my own and this course provided a challenging opportunity to do so.
I shall greatly look forward to applying all that I have learnt, academically and personally, to my forthcoming ventures.
Academic improvement
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the course has been learning a variety of academic skills, such as:
- Developing three key writing styles: academic, descriptive and marketing
- Using the Harvard system of referencing
- Formatting text correctly, in accordance with the University’s guidelines
- Developing vocabulary and grammar
- Understanding the importance and process of research
- Writing a literature review
- Presenting data as charts or diagrams
All of the above are skills that can be drawn upon outside of a University course, which I look forward to doing. I especially enjoy knowing how to reference sources properly, as it is an important part of academic writing that I had not explored until the BAPP course. There is a plethora of useful information relating to the above academic techniques in the four handbooks issued during the course. I shall certainly keep hold of them for future reference.
Personal development
This element of the BAPP course has been of equal benefit to me. A work-based course requires a considerable amount of self-reflection, especially on one’s professional practice, as the degree title suggests.
This was encouraged from the very beginning of the course as the initial tasks focussed on our own vocational experiences. It was insightful to discuss, either at campus sessions or through our blogs, our personal working habits. Insight also turned to reassurance when programme advisers or fellow students highlighted traits that I recognised in myself, such as procrastinating from starting work for fear of not doing it perfectly. In a distance learning course it was helpful to be reminded that others were experiencing the same learning curve.
The theme of personal development has continued throughout the course, culminating in a research project that has not only improved, or rather initiated, my research skills, but has yielded some interesting data. I chose to research the topic of unemployment amongst dancers, as the management of vocational unemployment was a skill that I had failed to acquire! The results that my research brought were of such interest to me that I wished I had known them at the beginning of my first term of unemployment. Now that I am familiar with the process, and potential benefits, of distributing a survey it is something that I would be keen to revisit in the future should I have a particular point of interest to explore.
Final words
The process of completing a distance learning degree has been both difficult and enjoyable. I found the main challenge to be finding enough time to study, especially during the final module, where I had to juggle my project around a 50 hour week in a non-vocational job. I found that I could not always enjoy sitting down at my desk to complete tasks thoroughly, as time would not often allow such indulgence.
I still have not learnt, however, that wanting to do everything to the best of my ability is not an acceptable reason to procrastinate from starting a piece of work. I have been conscious of this habit throughout the BAPP course, but am yet to achieve any real progress in moving away from it. I will endeavour to control this tendency as I am sure that adult life will only get busier and I do not wish to be left behind!
In terms of the enjoyable aspects of the course I have found the opportunity to study at University level extremely satisfying. Despite the worries that come with a distance-learning course (“Am I heading in the right direction?” “Am I the only one finding this difficult to understand?”) I have always enjoyed reading back over a piece of work in the knowledge that I created it entirely from my own initiative. In hindsight I should have sought more guidance from my course advisers and peers, but I have always enjoyed working on my own and this course provided a challenging opportunity to do so.
I shall greatly look forward to applying all that I have learnt, academically and personally, to my forthcoming ventures.
100 word summary of my project's main findings
My project aimed to explore the way in which professional dancers perceive, experience and manage vocational unemployment.
The findings showed that dancers encounter practical difficulties when not in contract, such as limited finances and restricted training regimes. It was also discovered that although vocational unemployment can be damaging towards self-confidence, many dancers maintain their enthusiasm and discipline in spite of this.
Strategies to help manage vocational unemployment were identified. The most popular of these included: working in a non-vocational job; maintaining close contact with the dance industry; using the emotional support of friends and family and pursuing alternative methods of keeping fit, outside of the dance studio.
The findings showed that dancers encounter practical difficulties when not in contract, such as limited finances and restricted training regimes. It was also discovered that although vocational unemployment can be damaging towards self-confidence, many dancers maintain their enthusiasm and discipline in spite of this.
Strategies to help manage vocational unemployment were identified. The most popular of these included: working in a non-vocational job; maintaining close contact with the dance industry; using the emotional support of friends and family and pursuing alternative methods of keeping fit, outside of the dance studio.
Thoughts on Google Docs
As with Delicious (see previous blog post), the online sharing of resources has become increasingly favoured. One only has to consider the popularity of Wikipedia, which attracts users on a worldwide scale, or the level of interest generated by the controversial website WikiLeaks.
As well as enabling individuals to share information of personal interest, or documents that they have written, the storing of information online ensures its safekeeping. Files and resources are commonly saved on an individual’s computer. Unless these are backed up, the failure of that particular computer could cause such information to be lost. Saving work through a website such as Google Docs ensures that documents do not rely completely on personal computers, USBs or back up CDs.
Furthermore, documents stored on Google Docs can be accessed from any computer with internet access, allowing personal documents to be read and edited without the need to carry a personal laptop or USB.
Google Docs has been of use to me during this module in two ways. Firstly it has ensured peace of mind that my work is backed up in the safest way possible. Secondly it has allowed me to access it from computers other than my personal laptop.
In the future I would hope to extend my use of Google Docs to sharing work with others online, as I have not needed to do so during the course of my project. Google Docs would be of particular benefit to any collaborative projects where the authors cannot always work together.
As well as enabling individuals to share information of personal interest, or documents that they have written, the storing of information online ensures its safekeeping. Files and resources are commonly saved on an individual’s computer. Unless these are backed up, the failure of that particular computer could cause such information to be lost. Saving work through a website such as Google Docs ensures that documents do not rely completely on personal computers, USBs or back up CDs.
Furthermore, documents stored on Google Docs can be accessed from any computer with internet access, allowing personal documents to be read and edited without the need to carry a personal laptop or USB.
Google Docs has been of use to me during this module in two ways. Firstly it has ensured peace of mind that my work is backed up in the safest way possible. Secondly it has allowed me to access it from computers other than my personal laptop.
In the future I would hope to extend my use of Google Docs to sharing work with others online, as I have not needed to do so during the course of my project. Google Docs would be of particular benefit to any collaborative projects where the authors cannot always work together.
Thoughts on Delicious ~ a social bookmarking site
I am pleased to have been introduced to this social bookmarking site through the BAPP course, although my use of it during the module has not been extensive.
Delicious provides a useful way to recommend resources found on the internet to other users. It is a progression from the way in which we save online resources to our computer’s ‘Favourites bar’, as it allows anyone with a Delicious account to view your bookmarked items.
There are two key benefits to this feature. The first is that we can instantly find our saved items through any computer with internet access, as opposed to the traditional method of using just one computer to access our saved links. The second benefit is the ability to share resources with an online community, which is of particular benefit to a group such as those on the BAPP course. The ability to tag resources with keywords is a useful device when searching for links that those inside your Delicious network have added. I have also found it beneficial to see resources that other Delicious users (outside of my network) have contributed to the online library.
Sharing resources amongst an online community is a technique that could be used for a variety of purposes. Students; work colleagues; friends; family, or members of an organisation or club are all examples of groups that could potentially find Delicious of benefit. Social bookmarking is a new concept for me, but one that I shall certainly bear in mind for the future.
Delicious provides a useful way to recommend resources found on the internet to other users. It is a progression from the way in which we save online resources to our computer’s ‘Favourites bar’, as it allows anyone with a Delicious account to view your bookmarked items.
There are two key benefits to this feature. The first is that we can instantly find our saved items through any computer with internet access, as opposed to the traditional method of using just one computer to access our saved links. The second benefit is the ability to share resources with an online community, which is of particular benefit to a group such as those on the BAPP course. The ability to tag resources with keywords is a useful device when searching for links that those inside your Delicious network have added. I have also found it beneficial to see resources that other Delicious users (outside of my network) have contributed to the online library.
Sharing resources amongst an online community is a technique that could be used for a variety of purposes. Students; work colleagues; friends; family, or members of an organisation or club are all examples of groups that could potentially find Delicious of benefit. Social bookmarking is a new concept for me, but one that I shall certainly bear in mind for the future.
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