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.