Personal and Professional Development - Coursework Example

Personal and Professional Development By Student’s Name Code+ course name Instructor’s Name University Name City, State Date Personal and Professional Development Processes and activities for implementation The best learning approach for engineering students is the experiential approach which encourages the learner to acquire knowledge and skills by doing. As a learner, one is exposed to experience and later encouraged to indulge critical thinking in applying lessons to real life situations. In engineering, new things come up that require the student or expert to apply critical thinking that is in line with the field of expertise. Engineering is an important department, and an opportunity to enroll on HND would greatly enhance personal skills and experience that suits in the engineering department. Components of successful learning experience To complete the course, it is important to recognize one's identity as a student and the need for the course. The primary need for the short course is to enhance competence in the workplace. The following components are discussed in this section. A determination is an important component as it is technically the will of a student to pursue a course. A determination is a key to realizing success when pursuing and academic course with that requires intense concentration such as engineering. With the little time allocated, it is important to have determination as a primary component to maximize use of the limited time. Goals are important since they provide the ultimate expectation from the student and the learner at the end of the course. The primary goal of the course is to incorporate relevant skills that would increase hands-on competence at the factory. Other specific goals are linked to the specific units entailed in the course I relation to the employer as well as the learning institutions. Objectivity is another component that is relevant to ensuring that the learning goals are adhered to. The primary learning objectives of the higher national diploma are to advance the academic experience in the field of engineering. By the end of the training, it is expected that the technical approach towards solving engineering issues within the petrochemical industry would have improved. As a young engineer, there is need to take time and establish the best approach to incorporating lessons acquired to the petrochemical industry. Training and development process The main approach to education and development will be the tutor lead training method as well as the experiential learning. The experiential learning approach is well suited when the engineering experience is enhanced by reflecting and critical analysis or synthesis. The process requires a student to pursue initiatives, come up with the required decisions on engineering and account for results at the end of the process. During the entire learning period and process, constant engagement is encouraged to ensure learning environment is highly interactive for the benefit of the student. As a student, one has to take part in identifying engineering problems, playing a part in developing solutions to engineering problems, setting up relevant experiments and incorporating creativity. Several steps are to be considered when applying the experiential learning process in training engineers. Experiencing As a student, two forms of experience will be required which include hands-on experience and the minds-on experience. Many engineering lessons exist in the petrochemical industry, and that provides an advantage of the hands-on experience. The fact that works provides adequate time to interact with the engineering environment as well as other professionals, this provides an added advantage. Sharing and reflecting Sharing and reflecting is another means of enhancing interaction within the learning environment, which also increases acquisition of engineering lessons. All students are required to share findings, experiences, challenges and discoveries. The interaction brings to table various experiences which provide other learners with an opportunity to learn from people with experience. Processing and analyzing It is an important process as a student to take part in processing and analyzing results, observations or reactions that emerge during the learning process. Reflecting on personal experience will also be important as it will help in enhancing the understanding of key issues related to engineering. Development of quality techniques of processing and analyzing situation would prove beneficial when transferred to the work environment. Generalizing and application After acquiring relevant knowledge and skills, it is important to establish the connection between experiences and the situation at the petrochemical plant. This will include the establishment of general trends, common challenges, common intervention measures and innovative approaches. Later, the open mind will be useful in ensuring that lessons learned apply to the petrochemical industry. Persons responsible for training and development The training and development approach will require the input of the tutors at the learning institutions. This includes lecturers and instructors of various modules offered by the institutional of higher learning. Other parties responsible for the training program include the petrochemical industry, which allocates time for the training program. The company will also provide the environment for the development of experience through exposures. People working in the petrochemical company, as well as the learning institution, will also provide the relevant experience through sharing and interaction. Individual development planning process As an individual, the planning process serves as the first important strategy for achieving success. Planning is an important process as it helps align the training objectives to specific factors such as time and finances. Developing a learning plan will consider the development of a working plan and development of the session plan. Identification of the course and modules Identification of the course and modules in the HND program are very important as it provides an opportunity for developing other plans. The course is engineering and has various modules with each module having specific goals. Revisiting the goal The next step is to revisit the goals of the entire course and establish if the goals are I line with the modules offered by the course. Revisiting the goals provides an opportunity to identify the specific parts of the goal that the training will have a direct impact as well as the parts that would require coverage of an extra mile. Strategizing the timetable After all the modules and goals have been identified and streamlined, the timetable has to be revisited to establish the time allocation by both the learning institution as well as the petrochemical industry. A balance has to be created to ensure that the two timetables do not contradict at any point. In the case of challenges, inquiries and concerns will be forwarded to ensure that no issue regarding the timetable is unresolved. Targets provided by the school and the petrochemical industry will also be aligned to the timetable. Financial plan The financial plan for the entire learning process will be determined at two levels which include the school fees and the financial requirements linked to academic materials or miscellaneous expenses. The school fees are fixed thus easy to calculate for the sake of the financial plan. On the other hand, the amount required for acquisition of academic materials and other miscellaneous expenditure is challenging to establish and has to take into account the information in the timetable provided. Development activities Development activities will target to provide a positive input by encouraging all-round development using specific programs discussed in this section. Common modules relevant to petrochemical engineers include analytical methods used by petrochemical engineers and engineering in petroleum production [Tee11]. A module that requires students to conduct an individual or group project is also recommended. Since the working at the petrochemical plant requires knowledge on petroleum processing, petroleum process engineering is mandatory. Engineering applications analytical instrumentation, refinery engineering, instrumentation and control principles are all necessary. The petroleum facility is facing a potential risk of fire since it processes combustible products, which makes emergency operations module a relevant module. A module on emergency shutdown procedures will be necessary for enhancing understanding of the emergency operation. Occupational health and safety module provides knowledge on the best way of maintaining individual health and safety as well as that of colleagues. Apprenticeship experience The apprenticeship experience provides an important opportunity to learn engineering concepts by watching experts. The experts technically act as mentors and on most occasions involving learners in real learning experiences as well as research. Other experienced learners also provide a good opportunity for apprenticeship learning. Colleagues at the petrochemical plant are also important when it comes to apprenticeship learning. Industrial experience While enrolling for the course, adequate industrial exposure gives a cutting edge for the course. In addition, the course is pursued as an evening course while during the day, there are numerous exposures to the various operations within the petrochemical industry. The exposure avails an opportunity for linking the school lessons too practical application. The two forms of exposure to knowledge technically complement each other, which enhances development. Having such an advantage further makes it easy to conduct research or work on a project. Cooperative learning experience The cooperative learning experience has been identified as to be more extensive compared to the internship experience. The lecturers and tutors have the knowledge and experience which they can deliver to the learners in an environment that have increased interaction between the two parties. Through cooperation, teachers deliver content to students and students are free to inquire where the need arises. Both the instructors and students stick to the cooperative relationship that is in line with the prescribed modules as well as the established goals for the course. In this case, the cooperative learning experience will be structured to meet the career development in the field of petrochemical engineering. Field work experience Apart from the daily experience gained from working in the petrochemical industry, additional field work experience is mandatory. It is expected that the modules to be pursued at the learning institution involve new experiences. Therefore, the fieldwork experience will act as a bridge for the modules learned and their application to the petrochemical industry. The petrochemical industry will provide an excellent environment for amassing experience in the modules learnt. Internship experience Internship experience has almost similar to field work experience only that the internship experience requires more time that the fieldwork experience. It is expected that the petrochemical industry will provide the opportunity for a staff member to acquire internship experience at the plant. Alternatively, internship experience can be offered by other similar companies with advanced resources that the current employer. Practicum experience The practicum experience is a mandatory lesson that should be included in the various modules offered in the course. For instance, the module on fire and safety requires practical to enhance the delivery of content. Practical can be delivered in the form of simulations to trigger response actions from the students. Practicums are important in cementing theories learned in modules in industrial experience, which also provide opportunities for designing and managing projects. Assessment Most learning experiences require assessment of the learners’ progress which can be conducted in various ways. Assessment for engineering students involves more than just assigning tests and marks. Formative assessment and summative assessment are the two primary approaches for assessing engineering students. Formative assessment is technically a personal form of assessment that requires one as a student to take part in identifying key question in engineering and establishing the responses for the questions. During this form of assessment, students are required to consult their tutors or peers in situations where answers to questions cannot be established. As a student, one can user this form of assessment to understand personal strengths and weaknesses. The other form of assessment is the summative assessment where the tutors are responsible for providing the learners with a set of exam for every module and assign performance grades for each module. Both traditional and modern approaches to assessment are recommended for this form of assessment. Practicum and internship can also be assessed by the instructors to determine the competence of the students in hands-on operations. Personal goals and original objectives The primary goal of the main goal of the course is to contribute to career development in the area of engineering. This section will discuss personal goals and objectives as far as the HDD course is concerned. Aims and objectives The first aim and objective are to develop regarding competence and approach to various engineering concerns in the petrochemical industry. Another objective and aim set is to complete the HND course. This includes active participation in all the active participation in tasks prescribed by each module. The practical parts of the course include industrial based practical and simulations. Achieving is always great, but great achievements are very important as it helps in the establishment of an image. For this reason, one of the aims of this training is to score high by taking advantage of the availed resources. Both the school and the petrochemical company provide adequate resources to encourage development. The resources also make it easy to conduct practicums by linking theoretical approach to industrial approach. Setting targets Targets will be set at three levels which include career achievement target, work performance target, and grade performance target. The high grade will be worked for during the entire course and in the quality process knowledge will be obtained. High grades help to prove the ability to handle theoretical work while performance improvement at the workplace proves ability to apply knowledge in the workstation. The HND program provides an extra opportunity to advance an individual career as an engineer in the petrochemical industry. In addition, extra targets set by both the learning institution as well as the petrochemical industry will be incorporated into the individual targets. Response to feedback Responding to feedback is an important process in learning as it helps a student in seeking clarification on certain areas [Pau10]. In this process, various issues will be observed to ensure that the process adds value at the end of the course. Course demands, as well as characteristics of teachers, will be considered. Bias will be avoided to help tutors and lectures provide accurate feedback, which will be counterchecked with broad research. Only reliable sources will be approached or used to respond to feedback. Update Re-setting aims and targets Updating aims and targets are essential in ensuring that the coherence is attained. Aims and targets can be changed in situations where the expected modules are no longer offered in the learning institution. Aims and objectives can also be changed depending on changes from the petrochemical industry. At the individual level, aims and objectives can be redefined to expand the scope of achievements after attaining initially set aims. Knowledge is never static, and these allow revising the aims and objectives to enhance career development. More insights can be acquired through interaction, and this can contribute to revising of initial aims and objectives. Establishing and recognizing strengths and weaknesses Strengths and weaknesses can be established at three levels which include individual level, learning institution and the petrochemical industry. Personal strengths include a determination to pursue an HND course and develop career-wise. The positive nature and drive to work hard and advance as an engineer are very useful. An additional individual strength is a positive perception to criticism which allows lessons to be effectively acquired. Working under pressure as well as in the absence of supervision has always provided an added advantage over others. On the other hand, several weaknesses can be identified in the form of impatience especially work related issues. Direction for change Weaknesses and strengths have to be established and the possible major impacts of these two in the HND course. All the strengths have the potential to positively impact the learning process since personal determination and positive mind to learn is important in the intensive HND course. The weakness identified might have a slight impact on learning especially when tolerance and patience are required in group works. Personal changes will have to be considered to ensure that this weakness does affect learning negatively. Specific changes such as time management will be determined by the intensity of the course as well as the job demand at the workstation. Cycles of activity To achieve the set goals and objectives, monitoring, reflecting and planning will be required. The planning process involves setting of aims and objectives that are sustainable in meeting the goals and objectives. Planning will also involve aligning the time schedules to include work schedule at the petrochemical plant and the lecture schedule at the learning institution. Continuous monitoring will be done to determine whether the plans have been adhered to. Monitoring helps to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the plan. Monitoring also provides an opportunity to make changes to sections within the plan that are ineffective. Reflective practice is an important tool strategy in learning as it helps ingest the lessons learned as well as linking lessons to practical field. Reflection also helps to determine whether aims and objectives have been achieved, or the factors needed to achieve aims and objectives. Effective communication In a petrochemical industry, crude oil is processed in a process known as refining to produce different petroleum products meant for different purposes. Many processes are present in a refinery from the point crude oil is injected into the production chain to the point finish products, and other wastes are ejected. Different production sections have different demands, which translate to workload, and this can be prioritized. It should also be noted that certain objectives must prevail during the production process and time management is critical. This section will look at these three key areas in a petrochemical processing plant. Prioritizing workloads Processing workloads will adhere to the objectives of the entire process, the techniques used in the process and the various steps in the process. The main objective of the petrochemical industry is to distil crude oil and retrieve important products. The stages that require prioritization include injection of the crude oil in the plant, crude oil heating, and the distillation column, cooling loops, product collection and waste collection. Prioritizing workloads also depend on the production approach used in the plant which may be a continuous or batch process. The petrochemical industry, in this case, uses the continuous production process. All the processes and stages require professional as well as subordinate staff to ensure that the entire plant runs efficiently. Objectives Safety is a fundamental objective of the management operation of a petrochemical plant. Most of the products developed at the plant are combustible thus making it necessary to avoid cases of fire as it might turn to be fatal. All employees must be protected within well-articulated occupational health and safety standard. Maintenance of the plants is an objective that aims not only to increase the efficiency of the process but also to protect the people working at various stages of the plant. Routine maintenance by the plant’s engineer will be implemented and monitored. Safety is critical since leakages in some processes can pose a risk to the people at the station. For instance, the fluid catalytic cracking process releases IV carbon oxide, carbon monoxide and oxide of sulfur. The oxides of sulfur can cause respiratory problems in case employees are exposed to this gas for a long time. Other objectives will be based on specific processes within the production chain. The primary objective of the crude distillation unit is to separate three important distillates which are naphtha, diesel, and kerosene [Ron09]. The technique used to achieve this objective is the complex distillation, which has several processes within it. The vacuum distillation unit’s primary role is to extract valuable gas using a technique of reducing valuable hydrocarbon pressure. Vacuum and stripping streams play a crucial role in achieving this objective. The objective of the delayed coking process is to extract valuable products from low value resid, which results in extraction of naphtha, diesel and coker gas oil. The main processes within the delayed coking process include thermo-craking with the help of carbon. The fluid coking process also aims to extract valuable products from low value resid. Similar to the delayed coking process, the fluidic cocking process also produces diesel, naphtha, and coker gas oil. According to [Ron09], the fluid catalytic cracking process aims to extract naphtha and diesel from the conversion of gas oils considered to be of low value. Hydro-treating process aims to eliminate contaminants such as sulfur, heavy metals (lead) and nitrogen. The process is also needed to saturate olefins as well as aromatics that come out as a final product or pre-refined product. The main technique deployed in the hydro-treating process is hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is conducted in a fixed catalyst bed, which gets rid of nitrogen sulfur and heavy metals such as lead. Hydrocracking process targets to produce naphtha, ultraclean lube, and middle distillates. The process also uses hydrogenation that takes place in a fixed hydrotreating catalyst. A catalytic reforming process is necessary for the conversion of low octane naphtha to high octane. High octane product is an essential blend in the production of gasoline as it provides toluene, benzene, and xylene. Isomerization process produces high-octane iso-paraffin from low-octane n-paraffin. The petrochemical company has business objectives in which the production process serves as a great determinant [Ron09]. For instance, the company targets to process a specific unit of crude oil within a specified time. In addition, the company also has objectives aimed at maintaining its corporate social responsibility. All these objectives will be integrated into the production objectives to make sure that they all serve the best interest of the company, Effective time management A production process involves the input of raw materials, processing, and output of finished products or wastes. In the entire process, the aspect of time management is important given the fact that a continuous process is preferred. Effective time management is also a factor of effective machine operation as well as efficient machine maintenance. Time management also involves the efficient distribution of workload to ensure that no personnel is overloaded with tasks. Overloading a specific process can result in overall delays in the production process. Employees will work in shifts to ensure that no employee is exhausted to affect the production process. Time management in the plant will be treated as a holistic approach that requires every employee to take part. Production schedules and targets will be used to ensure that each production section manages time effectively. Time management strategies will involve planning, organizing, coordinating, controlling and directing. A time management plan will be developed that will include time management specifications at every production stage. Individuals and activities will be organized to ensure that aspect of roles and time is addressed. Coordinating time management in all stages of production will ensure that the process is continuous and efficient. Controlling is necessary to ensure that all units remain obliged to the time management framework. In addition, the managerial skills of directing will also be relevant directing. Evaluation and benefits of effective time management strategies The time management strategies to be deployed in the production process have many advantages. While other factors in the production system can be changed, time is a factor that can never be changed and only planning can be used to align events to time. With effective time management, losses are reduced since production bases in time to meet the business goals. Quality time management allows the petrochemical company to realize a new edge of efficiency, which translates to increased production. Time management ensures that more production units are achieved using fewer efforts since all the processes in the petrochemical plant is coordinated. It is easy to come up with decisions in an environment where time is well managed, and this is an area that the petrochemical plant will benefit from. Time management skills can be transferred to decision making. The five basic factors in time management have many benefits since they integrate the approaches of general management to time management. Planning provides a time-based template that the entire organization adheres to. Precise and prior planning certainly eliminates the possibility of poor performance. After a time-based plan has been developed, it may be challenging to adhere to the plan thus organizing comes in. Organization provides a way through which the time-based plan will be implemented to ensure that the entire plan is considered. Directing, coordinating and controlling help to ensure that every activity sticks to the established plan. Bibliography Colwell, R. F., 2009. Oil Refinery Processes: A Brief Overview. Process Engineering Associates, LLC, p. http://www.processengr.com/ppt_presentations/oil_refinery_processes.pdf. Surgenor, P., 2010. Student Feedback: Responding Constructively. Retrieved from Module Design and Enhancement: http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/Student%20Feedback%20Responding%20Constructively.pdf Teesside University., 2011. Higher National Certificate in petroleum Engineering. Retrieved from Programme Handbook: https://www.tees.ac.uk/docs/DocRepo/Open%20learning%20engineering/Petroleum%20engineering.pdf Read More

By the end of the training, it is expected that the technical approach towards solving engineering issues within the petrochemical industry would have improved. As a young engineer, there is need to take time and establish the best approach to incorporating lessons acquired to the petrochemical industry. Training and development process The main approach to education and development will be the tutor lead training method as well as the experiential learning. The experiential learning approach is well suited when the engineering experience is enhanced by reflecting and critical analysis or synthesis.

The process requires a student to pursue initiatives, come up with the required decisions on engineering and account for results at the end of the process. During the entire learning period and process, constant engagement is encouraged to ensure learning environment is highly interactive for the benefit of the student. As a student, one has to take part in identifying engineering problems, playing a part in developing solutions to engineering problems, setting up relevant experiments and incorporating creativity.

Several steps are to be considered when applying the experiential learning process in training engineers. Experiencing As a student, two forms of experience will be required which include hands-on experience and the minds-on experience. Many engineering lessons exist in the petrochemical industry, and that provides an advantage of the hands-on experience. The fact that works provides adequate time to interact with the engineering environment as well as other professionals, this provides an added advantage.

Sharing and reflecting Sharing and reflecting is another means of enhancing interaction within the learning environment, which also increases acquisition of engineering lessons. All students are required to share findings, experiences, challenges and discoveries. The interaction brings to table various experiences which provide other learners with an opportunity to learn from people with experience. Processing and analyzing It is an important process as a student to take part in processing and analyzing results, observations or reactions that emerge during the learning process.

Reflecting on personal experience will also be important as it will help in enhancing the understanding of key issues related to engineering. Development of quality techniques of processing and analyzing situation would prove beneficial when transferred to the work environment. Generalizing and application After acquiring relevant knowledge and skills, it is important to establish the connection between experiences and the situation at the petrochemical plant. This will include the establishment of general trends, common challenges, common intervention measures and innovative approaches.

Later, the open mind will be useful in ensuring that lessons learned apply to the petrochemical industry. Persons responsible for training and development The training and development approach will require the input of the tutors at the learning institutions. This includes lecturers and instructors of various modules offered by the institutional of higher learning. Other parties responsible for the training program include the petrochemical industry, which allocates time for the training program.

The company will also provide the environment for the development of experience through exposures. People working in the petrochemical company, as well as the learning institution, will also provide the relevant experience through sharing and interaction. Individual development planning process As an individual, the planning process serves as the first important strategy for achieving success. Planning is an important process as it helps align the training objectives to specific factors such as time and finances.

Developing a learning plan will consider the development of a working plan and development of the session plan. Identification of the course and modules Identification of the course and modules in the HND program are very important as it provides an opportunity for developing other plans.

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