Comparison of Working on the EWB Project to My Expectations - Essay Example

Portfolio 2 Assessment Name: Professor: Institution: City and State: Date: Portfolio 2 Assessment Comparison of working on the EWB project to my expectations Working on the EWB project has given me a chance to boost my knowledge, and skills. The position in which I am now is more or less analogous to that of portfolio one because both have been mainly about boosting my professional career. The project has helped me earn more skills and knowledge, which has put me in a different level in terms of professionalism. The impact of experiences on the situation will be given over and above their implications raised for future professional life and future learning. The aim of every student is to prepare themselves for their professional careers and what they learn in school is essential. This paper explains the difference in position between portfolio one and two and the experiences during the semester. It involves a reflection over the project as well as that of working as a group. The project involved a lot of processes. Transport solutions require critical reflection especially during the designing phase. The work involved is about evaluating available options in order to choose the best option. Group work was therefore important because it required the contribution of several people in order to devise a solution. A project is only viable if it is within available resources such as time and budget. Engineers work as a team in order to develop skills since their coursework and project are often complex. Research has shown that learn is made effective when we work in groups. Teamwork enables individuals to develop interpersonal skills especially when coping with conflict in being the head of the team, in developing a sense of self-esteem and in developing accountability and interdependence (Monash University, p. 1). Teamwork aids in personal development and will come handy even after school. The group needed to come up with a satisfactory solution. The group decided to come up with quick and effective decisions instead of concentrating on minor considerations. The project has enabled me to learn the importance of listening and observation. The two issues are very essential in the study and survey of engineering. Listening is essential since it enables people have a thorough understanding of the project. Listening means giving every group member a chance to give their ideas and opinions and then evaluating the contributions to come up with the best option. Observation provides the ability to communicate effectively. Effective communication involves contributing information and ideas essential for the successful and highly performing teams (Monash University, p. 2). It is important to differentiate between what is actually practical and what people think is practical. There is where the value of observation came in handy especially when communicating and creating questions with stakeholders was involved. Stakeholders must be involved, especially when designing a solution for the transport problem in our project. Members of a team have unique strengths and skills and contributions of all members are valued in order for the team to function efficiently. From the group, I learnt ways of interacting with stakeholders beyond just performing task roles. I also had an opportunity to explore the field in a practical way. Motivations for studying at the university and barriers encountered Different people attend university with various amounts of experience especially of working in groups. Some will have had the experience in college or high school or maybe have some relevant work experience. Some have very little experience especially where working with others is concerned. People come from diverse cultures and are likely to come with unique qualities and skills to the group. Ensuring that everyone contributes effectively and learning to use the best effect in a group can be very challenging. The benefits are great. It is common for people to set goals. Goal setting is an academic tool though the real power shows when an individual applies himself or herself and put goals into action. Goals are set because we are determined to achieve them. Students learn to set goals and define success in their own terms. I have set goals too and what I am resolute to do is accomplish my engineering and surveying goals. Achievement goals represent the objectives that guide competent and relevant behavior. The aims provide a framework for how individuals especially students interpret and experience the settings of achievement. Achievable goals are posited to have an effect on students’ instrumental help seeking (Roussel, Elliot & Feltman, p. 394). This is done through influencing the student’s attitudes towards the costs and benefits of requesting assistance. Every individual has a goal and purpose to fulfill in life. We are not islands either and hence we sometimes require help from others. Achievement always gives us inner peace as well as satisfaction and a sense of belonging. People and the society acknowledge and respect all forms of achievement whether for negative or positive reasons. University students are always seen as having the highest form of knowledge in the fields they are undertaking. The students are supposed to be role models apart from fulfilling their professional goals. What the society does not know is the effort students put in order to achieve their goals. The only way to achieve them is by setting goals and ensuring that they fulfill them. Help seeking is a strategy that has been viewed as being a great help in the achievement of goals (Roussel, Elliot & Feltman, p. 395). It is viewed as an adaptive strategy to increase understanding and improve performance using available sources. Achievement motivation is a form of motivation that is likely to affect instrumental help seeking. This is not to pronounce that it is the only form though. Help seeking combines aspects of social and academic engagement, as it is both a form of social interaction and a learning strategy. It is normal for everyone to seek assistance since none of us is a genius. Help seeking can satisfy social as well as academic purposes. In academics, the quality of friendships can help to explain the propensity to seek academic assistance from one another and work together (Roussel, Elliot & Feltman, p. 395). The aspect of help seeking is what I have enjoyed most in the semester. The ability to help each other through group work has been the most motivating thing during the semester. The realization of goals has been the most fulfilling aspect of the strategy. The strategy has made studying easier since the complex units are now simplified by the discussions we have. I have learnt to appreciate the course am taking with time. At first I thought engineering was going to be difficult but through the semester and through the collaborative work groups we have, I have learned to embrace and appreciate the course with its challenges. Engineering is a demanding course and it requires that one put in more effort and time in order to accomplish the set objectives and goals. The challenges have been a motivation to work harder. This is with respect to the fruits to be reaped after the course. Hard work is often rewarded with good benefits. There is always an assumption that higher education levels enable one to gain higher performance abilities and capabilities. The more performance capabilities you have the more the added benefits and the better the pay. This means that the basic needs of the individual will be met meaning that individuals will be more motivated. The rewards are not an end result for me but rather a stepping stone to achieving higher fulfillment in several areas of life. The rewards are therefore a motivation to aim higher in my professional life. The rewards motivate one not only to fulfill their career fulfillment but also to provide service to humanity. I had one major challenge when I started the course. The challenge was the complexity of the course, which made me skeptical about the whole idea. I had thoughts of leaving the course for another. Help seeking gave me motivation including encouragement from other students. I discovered that some students had more problems than I did. Some did not even know how to speak English well posing a new challenge for them. There were many recorded cases of failure during the first semester giving me the jitters. It is common for every student to face challenges no matter the course they undertake. The willingness of other course mates to indulge and discuss course work gave me more motivation to continue with the course. Time is of essence in such a demanding course. Discussion groups often consume a lot of time specially when the leader does not have good leadership qualities. The leader lacked such qualities as effective communication, which is essential for the success of any group or team. Any good leader should be able to guide the group effectively towards achievement of goals. Members of the group often engaged in arguments that were not related to the course work. The leader was not able to make a stand and make it apparent that the aim of the group was to cover the set course work before indulging in other activities. Most of the time, we concluded the meeting without doing anything constructive. We were wasting time which of essence if we were to achieve the goals we had established at the commencement. It was therefore necessary for the leader to read a book dealing with time management as well as that of good leadership qualities. During the beginning of the course, I had difficulties understanding what was expected of me especially where the course outline was concerned. Some units prove to be difficult to understand meaning that I had to put extra effort to catch up with the rest. The problem led to low morale and I sometimes thought that I had chosen the wrong course. Our lecturers enabled us know what was expected of us by providing an explanation of the course outline. Group discussions also made sure that we never lagged behind in class. This further explains the challenges I faced during the semester. The problems I faced were mainly academic. I did not have any social problem since I am a very social individual and I get by with anyone at the shortest time possible. I did not have any issue with personal management. I am a very organized person who keeps time especially when I know that goals and objectives have to be met. How and why our team is working the way it is Working in groups can be hard especially if the leader does not have leadership qualities. When devising a transport solution like the one our group is dealing with, stakeholders must be involved. The leader should lead the team to analyze stakeholders in a bid to allow everyone to understand the importance as well as influence the stakeholders of the project. This helps the team to focus on the success and direction of the project (Kennon, Howden & Hartley, p. 9). The analysis of the stakeholders involves a discussion, which is as insightful and as important as the outcomes of the process. The success of our project will depend on the ability to develop support and manage the expectations of key people. Successful management of key stakeholders can have an immediate as well as substantial impact. The reason that satisfied stakeholders can improve the relevance and progress of a project. It can also ultimately contribute in a big way to its success. Engagement of stakeholder analysis will give the project confidence of the community that is to be affected by the project. Stakeholder analysis and involvement during planning as well as development stages of the project provides an opportunity to have an insightful conversation about their stakeholders and project. The result is the team develops a clear understanding of the various project stakeholders thus helping the development of a focused project strategy (Kennon, Howden & Hartley, p. 9). Some stakeholder’s interests are more obvious than others are. The ones that have less obvious interests are difficult to define especially if the interests are multiple, hidden or in contradiction with the stated objectives or aims of the individual or organization. The analysis of the stakeholders should include such things as power relations with other relations, power and status, the importance of the success of the project, degree of organization, decision-making processes and control of strategic resources. Influence is the power that stakeholders have over the project we are doing. The achievement of the project goals and objectives depends on the active involvement of stakeholders. Important stakeholders are those whose needs the project seeks to meet and also those whose interests converge with the aims and objectives of the project. Some stakeholders are important to projects depending on the kind of project that is being carried out but may have limited influence on the project. These are the stakeholders that need special efforts in order to enable them become active participants to ensure that all their needs and interests are met. The group leader should therefore realize that stakeholders are important and their inclusion will see the success of the project. They have a huge impact on the design of the project. This means that their concerns should be taken into careful consideration since they have numerous and diverse ideas. The ideas are mainly concerned with how to improve a project and address the relevant issues. Communication is the process through which messages are sent and received. The transmission is all in an effort to create shared understanding. Communication plays an integral role in human interaction. There are numerous and obvious benefits of effective communication as they enhance all aspects of our professional and personal lives. Misunderstood or ineffective communications may give rise to embarrassment or problems in our personal lives. In our professional lives, the result of ineffective communication may have serious results (Winbow, 2002, p. 1). It is obvious that people who speak different languages have difficulties speaking. This can lead to misinterpreted messages. This was evident in our class during the first semester. The undergraduates who did not have English as their native language had difficulties interpreting messages. In the world of transport, the chosen standard for achievement of effective communication is the English language (Winbow, 2002, p. 3). Effective communication is important and its success is realized when the receiver of the message understands the information or idea sent. Many predicaments and confusion often occur in projects and most of them are caused by ineffective communication. The result will be confusion and failure to understand the objectives of the project. Projects can fail due to this hence the goals and objectives set may never be realized. Effective communication ensures collaboration and cooperation since it reduces barriers to achievement of goals. Students are diverse given their backgrounds. The group leader should therefore understand and appreciate the diversity of every student. Conclusion Education enables one to pass through several stages, which I have realized through my engineering course. I have realized that hard work is vital in every course undertaken. The achievement of goals provides a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. The benefits of getting an education are many. The ability to cater for the needs of individuals in addition to the society proves that education is vital. Achievement of goals gives inner peace especially when one realizes that their dreams are being realized. I am an example of this as I have realized that my dreams are being fulfilled both in my personal and professional life. I have been enabled to play a role in building the nation through my remission of taxes and the support I give to my family and the society. I have learnt that it is essential for all leaders to have leadership qualities if they are to lead their groups towards successful achievement of goals and objectives. We have learnt as a class that group work is essential since it motivates and encourages students to go on with their course of choice despite the challenges involved. The ability to provide solutions to everyday problems is not only a career requirement but also a calling to serve humanity. The transport project that we undertook provided us with a starting point in our career life. I am now fully prepared with the indispensable skills and knowledge necessary to serve humanity. My group members can attest to the fact that I have improved as far as confidence and self-esteem is concerned. My group members should have the same thoughts since we were constantly encouraging ourselves to be role models to the rest of our course mates. Engineering is a demanding and marketable course. Overcoming the challenges of the engineering course resulted in fulfilling expectations. References list Kennon, N., Howden, P. & Hartley, M. (2009). Who really matters? A stakeholder analysis tool. Extension Farming Systems Journal, 5 (2), 9. Monash University engineering. Learning effectively through group work. Communicating and Learning in Engineering Online Resources. URL: http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/current-students/download/groupwork.pdf Roussel, P., Elliot, A. & Feltman, R. (2011). The influence of achievement goals and social goals on help seeking from peers in an academic context. Learning and instruction 21, 394- 402. Winbow, A. (2002). The importance of effective communication. International seminar on Maritime English. URL: http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=18000&filename=InternationalSe minar.pdf (Accessed 30 April, 2013). Read More