Introduction to University Learning - Coursework Example

Name Course Tutor Date Introduction to University Learning Introduction ‘Introduction to university Learning’ is a preparatory course for students who want to pursue university studies. Through this course, students are able to familiarize themselves with the demands and nature of university studies. They also gain personal attitudes and strategies that will enable their abilities to effectively function while in the University environment. Students are able to develop practical and effective study, learning, and time management skills and they learn to use strategies that will assist them in writing of exams and tests. The introduction to university learning course include opportunities to practices like organizing information, note taking, public speaking, essay writing and internet and library research suitable to university level course work. Students explore strategies which enable effective participation in class and communication within the University setting. The introduction to University learning class is conducted in a way that match with the organization of a distinctive University course , so that students acquire firsthand experience of energy and time demands needed for university level studies (Emden, Becker 34). Reflective practice Reflective practice refers to effective activities in which learners engage to explore their experience so that they develop a new understanding and appreciation. It is an active process other than passive thinking and is a process that analyses, reviews and assess experiences, draws previous learning or speculative concepts and therefore offer an action plan for future experiences. Reflection enables learners to evaluate, understand and learn through experiences. It is a personal procedure that generally results in a change in individual perception of a condition and generates new learning for the student. Reflection begins with an individual student or a group of students and the experiences they have if applied to practice can lead to improvement of learning skills through the new knowledge they gain on reflection (Pavlovic 283). Through reflection the students gain knowledge and understanding of the practice and they gain the ability to Identify and respond to this knowledge. In turn, they actually become responsive to the issues, concerns, and needs and are significant in shaping the practice. Reflection starts on a complex situation and when students face this situation they are able to question themselves on what needs to be done. Development of reflective has widely been adopted in a variety of higher education and best practice professional set ups including education and leadership. Role of reflective practice in learning process Education courses regularly require learners to engage in reflective duties to assist them in evaluating their practices and values. This process can help students to improve their teaching practices. Reflective practice is viewed as reconsidering, questioning and analyzing experiences within a context such as learning theories. For instance, students at times discover that the realities of their practicum experiences are not on line with what they have learned from theories about learning and teaching. The practice of reflecting on the differences between actual experience and individual expectation enables the learners to become greatly engaged with the procedure of individual learning. Reflective process also helps the teachers to identify the power of their experiences with embracing how learners respond to their teaching. For instance, teachers are supposed to think of what they have learned from their teaching experiences and reassess these experiences and see the new ways that may advocate for new practices (Emden, Becker 65). Dimensions of reflective practice in learning process Reflective learning describes the type of learning undertaken by learners who are offered a chance to acquire and apply knowledge, feelings and skills in a relevant and immediate setting. Experiential learning involves a direct encounter with a particular phenomenon under study other than simply thinking about the encounter, or just considering the probability of doing a thing about it. In education, experiential learning takes place as a result of direct participation in the events within the class. Learning is achieved through reflection on past experiences and how these experiences affect future learning. Experiential learning is actually learning from primary experience which means learning through a sense of experiences and tends to completely reject the concept of secondary experience (Pavlovic 283). The four elements of reflective practice include, concrete, experience, observation and reflection. These elements are used in creation of abstract concepts and assessing of new situations. Reflective process involves concrete experience, observation and experience, formation of abstract concepts and testing of the new situations. The first step in reflective learning process usually starts with an individual carrying out a precise action and then viewing the impact of this action in this learning situation. After this, the learner is supposed to understand these influences in a particular case so that if the similar action is taken in the same situation it would be feasible to expect what would happen after the action. The third step involves the understanding of the general principle in which a particular occurrence falls. Learning may involve acts over a wide range of situations to attain experience beyond the precise state and suggestion of a general principle. Understanding the general principle simply does not entail in this sequence, ability to convey the principle in a representative means, that is the capability to express in words. It entails simply the ability to observe a link between the acts and impacts over a wide range of situations. A professor or lecturer who has learnt through this way may have several rules of learning and generalizations about what should be done on different situations. They will be able to tell which actions should be taken when there is anxiety between two individuals within a group. However, the educators will not have the ability to verbalize the actions in sociological and psychodynamic terms. Therefore, there may be difficulties in transferability of their learning to several other situations and settings. When the general principle has been understood, the fourth and last step is its submission through act in a new situation with a wide range of generalization. The action takes place in a diverse set of situations and the learners are able to predict the possible outcomes of the action. Two aspects are seen in experiential learning. The use of concrete on basis of here and how meaning encounter with a particular situation and how the situation can be handled and the use of the obtained experience is used to test opinions: and application of feedback to modify theories and practices (Clanchy & Ballard 87). Experiential learning assists in developmental nature of learning and appreciation of development of cognitive skills. Therefore experience plays an important role in learning of students. Effective experiential learning involves the possession of four diverse abilities, which include concrete experience abilities, reflective observation abilities, abstract conceptualization abilities and the active experimentation abilities. Even though the four learning abilities do not efficiently match with the diverse dimensions of reflective practice and learning model, this does not mean that they are not validated. The major problem of experiential learning model is that it cannot be applied in all circumstances. There are other alternatives like information assimilation and memorization which may be suitably applied in different situations. The experiential learning model is used within a quite limited range of cultures and do not lay emphasis on how the learning situation is affected by the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is important to consider the differences in communication and cognitive skills are are based on culture. There is a problem in the relationship of learning process to knowledge but a fact is that knowledge and learning are closely related. Students gain knowledge through the learning process and experience through different learning situations. The learning process is focused on individual mind and the learning situation. Learning is concerned with the generation of knowledge and knowledge comes as a result of combination of grasping experience and transforming the experience. The experiential learning model offers an excellent base for planning learning and teaching activities and it can be beneficially applied as a guide for understanding difficulties encountered in learning process and in academic advising (Clanchy & Ballard 45). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that Introduction to University learning is one of the aspects that should be given utmost attention because of the numerous importance attached to it. Students need to be familiarized themselves with the nature and the needs of the University. It is also essential to acknowledge the importance of reflective practice which one of the process of University learning. It plays an integral part in the learning process and therefore it should be taken care of. The experience gained through reflective practice enable the student to deal with different learning situations and predict what is likely to happen if a new situation emerges. Education courses within the University require students to engage themselves in reflective tasks that help them in assessing their learning practices and values. Works Cited Pavlovic, Henry. Worlds Apart Surviving Identity and Memory. New York: Lulu.com, 2007. Clanchy John, & Ballard Brigid. Essay writing for students: a guide for arts and social science students. Queensland Braille Writing Association, 1997. Emden Joan Van , Becker M. Lucinda. Effective communication for arts and humanities students Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Read More