Critical Reflection

Critical Thinking and Communication is an amazing module. Reflecting on the past 13 weeks, it has been a great journey as I have learned a lot of communication skills through this module. I recalled the goals I set for this module were improving my communication skills such as public speaking. After learning about presentation skills taught during UCS lessons, I can see significant improvements in my confidence and skills. Especially for the team oral presentation, it was a great opportunity for me to perform formal public speaking. I have prepared the script and practiced it for a few days so that I can deliver my speech fluently and confidently. Through the oral presentation, I realised that presentation skill is more than technical skill. The English Language has been my weakest subject since I was young, I felt fearful and had the least motivation for it. Over these 13 weeks, this module has guided me with various tips to improve my speaking and writing skills, especially the feedback given by Professor Blackstone and peers which I realised these are very helpful. The communication skills that I learned through this module will be very important in the future, especially when we enter the workforce where presentations are usual practices. I believe that I have achieved the goals that I mentioned earlier in my introduction letter. After this module ends, I will continue to sharpen my skills through other presentations and reports that I will encounter in the future. 

Project learning is a huge component of this module. I am glad to work with my project teammates who are Luqman, Wei Li and Zaki. Even though we did not know each other in the beginning, I felt appreciated that we pulled off a great technical report and an oral presentation together as a team. It was a combined effort from all of us to produce a great report and prove that teamwork is effective. Communication is crucial for us to succeed and work efficiently as we have clarified our doubts with each other and know clearly what we should do individually. Other than the group work, I felt that I had improved my writing skills as well. In the past, I mostly did the reports blindly by transferring the data that I found and had a lot of grammar errors. While writing the technical report, I was inspired by the lessons on writing an effective technical report. Additionally, my teammates and I encouraged each other and gave feedback on our writing skills so that we could learn from each other and make improvements to the report. Peer review is also a crucial component in this module as it allows us to learn from one another and realise the mistakes that we have made when other teams pointed out. Through the peer reviews and Professor Blackstone’s comments, I always can take up something different every time and make improvements to my writing skills. Through the project learning, I hope to apply these skills in other group projects and assignments and even in the workplace.

Thank you Professor Blackstone for the guidance in this module, Cheers!