University of Wales Institute, Cardiff: life for a student - Essay Example

?Reflection Essay I am a freshman of the of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) for the first semester of studying Software Development and Networks. I personally chose UWIC, mainly for two reasons: it is popular in my home country-Saudi Arabia and the institution boasts of excellent facilities. Likewise, this school enjoys the reputation as one of the best institutions for higher learning in the United Kingdom. Its programs for Management and Education are renowned for producing top alumni. UWIC has five sections that offer undergraduate and graduate studies, namely: Cardiff of Art and Design, the Cardiff of Health Sciences, the Cardiff school of Management, and the Cardiff School of Education (www.uwic.ac.uk.). Lately, the institution has invested in a Research Center that amounted to five million pounds. This exhibits how much resources are being placed to enhance the learning process of students and members of the academe. Indeed, the school is one of the world’s finest institutions. This reflection paper would narrate my life as a student in UWIC and how much learning I have absorbed since I studied here. Moreover, this essay will cover the challenges I have encountered during the first two semesters of my stay here. I never thought that studying on UWIC would be an enjoyable learning experience from the very start. However, that is not to say that I had no adjustment difficulties as an international student. Being exposed to a new culture as well as a different educational system was not that easy. I am thankful for my devoted teachers who have been patient with my shortcomings. Also, I exerted my best effort possible, so I can overcome the challenges that surrounded me; indeed, I prevailed. One of the very first challenges presented to me was the referencing system for academic papers. Back in my country, referencing styles have been taught to students but they were not enough to meet the strict standards imposed by United Kingdom universities such as UWIC. There were many errors from the beginning that were overwhelming to an international student like me. The problem stems from the fact that we were only taught the rigors of APA which is the only style used in Saudi Arabia’s universities. Here, I have to develop more skills using different styles like Harvard style, APA (American Psychological Association) style, MLA style and Vancouver style; AGPS style (Newcastle University). Apparently, most schools here use the Harvard referencing style which is easier to adapt and use in my own experience. After a few lessons and diligent practice, I have already polished my skills using Harvard reference style. On top of learning how to use Harvard referencing, I also learned how to write a full CV which is crucial for getting employed in the future. The second challenge I had to overcome was time management. Even when I was still living in my country, this was already an issue for me. Not learning how to manage my time carefully posed many problems at the end of the first term. There were numerous papers to submit at different deadlines. Since I was not good at prioritizing my activities, I felt so much pressure when deadlines came. After that harrowing experience, I learned my lessons well so I made a plan. Truly, some good things can come out of bad events. My plan involved assessing the difficulty of the assignments that were given to us in class. Then, I plotted how much time was needed to complete the assignments. What I did was I persisted daily to finish any task that required immediate attention. Sometimes, I have to do more than two assignments just so to meet the deadline. I tried to move fast so I would not get stuck on one project. Lastly, I sought the help of other people such as classmates and team members so we can all brainstorm and help each other. Because of these experiences, I have improved my communication and social skills. This was a big plus aside from learning time management since I used to struggle when communicating with others. It wasn’t that easy to become fluent in another language and that was made possible through the encouragement of my new found friends. I didn’t only learn a language during my stay at UWIC, but gained new friends as well. I also discovered that UWIC has two unique assessment styles- exam and coursework. At the very beginning of the term, my tutor asked me to choose between Coursework and Examination. I readily answered coursework because I believed that coursework gives more opportunities for international students like me to study their assignments in-depth and overcome language barriers. It is true that coursework is more intensive and time-consuming than exams but this style can provide a better chance for international students to pass the course. Why? Because I may encounter examination questions that could be difficult to comprehend, which would result to mistakes. This would greatly affect my mark just because I did not understand the question. Another reason for choosing coursework over exams is that it hones our research skills that make us better students. We have to go to the university library to find the right reading materials needed for our research. Likewise, I have learned how to search online and filter the worthy materials I need for research. I learned how to evaluate if a paper is well-written or how valid are the claims by using good arguments. On top of this, I had the chance to discuss with tutors and friends my ideas about certain topics. The tutors provided very good support by guiding me in finishing my coursework assignments. Besides, I preferred coursework because it challenges me to conduct my own self-study aside from the given lectures. Case in point, my IT fundamental assignment forced me to research from very technical websites as well as read many books just to get a good grade on the PC module. Unlike examinations, coursework allows students to prepare themselves by learning methodically. Furthermore, examinations place too much pressure on a student, which can lead to a lot of mistakes. Instead of focusing on the student’s effort and will to learn, the focus is placed on the mark from the examination which I think is not the purpose of assessment in the first place. During my studies in UWIC, I have grown a lot as a learner because I faced difficulties that improved my determination as well as my knowledge and skills. I realized that a person can only see his strength when he is faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. The problems and challenges can break the person or make him stronger after he has succeeded. My fortitude was tested by the module on programming which I was really afraid of knowing that it is a hard module. Later, I was surprised that I could accomplish easily the first assignment on the module. All that was needed were extra effort and dedication to master programming. At times, it did test my patience, especially when there were many mistakes, and I had to start again. At the end of the module, I got a high mark because I became proficient in programming. On top of this programming module, I have done other three modules, which were scheduled to be finished by the end of the first semester. The first module was business application which I really found interesting as compared to other modules. I learned a lot from here through the guidance of my tutor. Also, I enjoyed the module because I am very enthusiastic in knowing more office programs that have practical applications in almost any workplace. In my country, I studied a similar module which was taught at the General Administration Institute in Riyadh between 1997 and 1999. Even at that time, I found it useful but my experience here at UWIC has opened more possibilities in applying MS Word in business applications. Hopefully, I would be given more exercises in the future, and I am excited about it. The second module in my first semester was called Multimedia; indeed, it was a very new experience for me that gave me so much delight. I enjoyed learning about the web, the codes, the numbers, and multimedia design. I realized that it was not that easy to become a multimedia designer since there were many factors to consider when designing a website. It should please not only the website owner but the users of the site as well. Because I chose coursework, the assignments didn’t seem much burden since I liked what I am doing. I fervently researched on the Internet to learn more about multimedia design. My motivation for learning was triggered by pure interest in the topic. The third module was Legal and Ethical issues in Information system which was a theory subject. This also proved interesting because we have to learn how to protect data from third parties. Likewise, we learned as well how grave it is to illegally copy programmes. Admittedly, one needs to read many materials because of the law (regulations and acts) which requires familiarization with legalities. Nevertheless, the lectures made me interested because it presented solutions proposed by the law. Unfortunately, the module is divided into three examinations as part of assessment. I took the examinations and up to now, there are no results yet, but I am hopeful. In conclusion, although I am just beginning as a freshman student here at UWIC, I am very proud of being part of this institution. I know how hard it is to get a good mark in the modules because it reflects the school’s ideals for quality learning. So far, I have received good marks from my other modules. I deeply admire and appreciate the tutors in my modules who have generously shared their time and knowledge with me. They were patient and understanding of my weaknesses as a new learner adjusting to the system. Moreover, much can be said about how the university explores technology such as blackboard to enhance the whole learning process. As mentioned in the introduction, this school is well-known for its very modern facilities. The curriculum is also good because the modules I have finished are good foundation for more advances studies in the coming higher levels. One can compare how much progress they have made as years pass by because the modules become more complex. Moreover, the study plan for the second and third year is organized for first year students, in which by the end of the first year each student has to choose two sections from the following areas: Web Programming, Multimedia, Networking and Object Oriented Systems to complete the university programme degree over the rest of a bachelor's period. Because of my previous experience in the past modules, I would be choosing Multimedia and Networking. These two areas would greatly interest me and have made more passionate in studying to finish the course. The coursework assessment style works best for me as a learner, so I know I would succeed. Another reason why I chose those two areas is that my country offers many job opportunities in such areas in both public and private sectors. For the coming years, I would be concentrating on my study at UWIC, so I can have a bright future in my country. Reference 1. University of Newcastle. (2006). Referencing styles. Available: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/library/tutorials/infoskills/writing/page20.html Last accessed 3 March 2010. 2. UWIC. (). Welcome to UWIC. Available: http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/English/AboutUs/Pages/Home.aspx Last accessed 4 March 2010. Read More