Critical Reflection on Module and Project Learning

Module Learning

Before I started this module, I had a feeling that it was going to be boring and repetitive, like the ones I took when I was in Ngee Ann poly. I dreaded taking another english communication module as my grades for these kinds of modules were usually C or low B. As a result of these grades received, I was not confident in my abilities to write a good enough essay or report. However, a small part of me looked forward to this module as I was comfortable speaking in a crowd and presenting to a group of people. With all these assumptions in mind, I gave my best effort in hopes of improving my written and speaking skills through this module.

Throughout the weeks of taking this module, professor Blackstone has always been providing me with valuable feedback on my written and speaking skills which I take seriously. For example, when we were tasked to write a reader response paragraph on a topic of our choice, I was struggling to complete it. I was unclear of which direction to take, coupled with my incompetent research skills, I was not able to find enough information on the system I have chosen. After some clarifications with professor Blackstone, things seemed clearer and I had established a clear direction which made the paragraph much easier to write thanks to his feedback. 

Additionally, this module had a session where a librarian came down and taught the class how to utilise different search engines and platforms to do our research. I learned about google scholar and saw firsthand how useful it is when I was able to find many helpful and up to date articles with a simple search as compared to a standard google search. This module even encouraged me to use ChatGPT to aid us in our research process. professor Blackstone urged us to make use of ChatGPT by giving it prompts to kickstart our technical report research process.

I would say that my initial assumption of the module being boring and repetitive was wrong in many ways. This module was more engaging compared to my previous experiences, with the professor leading the discussion and giving the students chances to give their inputs. This module also showed me that with enough effort put in and proper guidance, written skills can be improved. Though I would not say that I will look forward to future modules like this, I will certainly take it again with an open mind.

Project Learning

For this project, I took on the role of the leader, often times delegating tasks and giving the team direction. It definitely was not easy as different people have their different styles of writing and perception of groupwork. 

One key challenge that we faced was finding an appropriate design system that everyone could agree on. Choosing an appropriate design system is important as it dictates how tough it will be to come up with a research plan and the contents in our report. Rachel then bought up an autonomous shopping cart idea which she actually has experience in autonomous systems prototypes. We chose her idea and it was actually an interesting topic to research about. From this, I learnt that no matter how much of an introvert you think you are, your input could prove valuable to the team.

From this project, a final presentation was also involved. As I felt comfortable speaking to a crowd, I was instead worried about not knowing my content which would result to me stuttering and spacing out according to past experiences. I read up on many articles about smart shopping carts and made sure I was confident in my ability to answer question during the Q&A part of the presentation, which turned out well in the end as my group and I were able to answer various questions confidently. Prior to the actual presentation, there was a mock presentation which professor Blackstone gave me feedback on my body language when I was talking. I took the feedback seriously and now every time when I am talking in front of a crowd, I make a mental note to myself to not sway around too much and maintain equal eye contact with the audience.

For the report, I had to learn many skills other than writing. Table of contents, correct APA 7th Edition in text and end text references and lastly, correct figure referencing. As the leader of the group, I took it upon myself to edit the report by correcting grammatical errors and modifying it to seem like one person wrote it with the same style throughout. I felt that doing this helped me as I was able to spot grammar and sentence structure errors, reminding me of mistakes I should not make in the future. 

From this project experience, I see the importance in teamwork and also communication skills. Communicating with team members is essential to getting work done and making sure is is done right. The lessons and insights I got from this design system and team members will definitely help me in future projects and also workplaces.