UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND
E S S AY O F E MPL OY EE D E V E L O PME N T ‘COME TOGETHER ’
GEERT HOPMANS B00219141 T U E S DAY
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I N T ROD U C T I ON
How can students avoid a resit? It is not that simple as it looks like. Most of the people would answer this question with: buy a course book and read over and over again till you know the whole course book. But this learning style does not work for everybody. If a student will fail his exam, he will be disappointed because there is an opportunity he will not pass the module. The student remembers the disappointment and learns that avoiding a resit would be his benefit. Next time a student will have an exam he knows that if he will not prepare enough he will get disappointed, but if he will prepare himself by doing the right learning style he will be glad and pass the module. Learning takes time. It depends of a couple of aspects how long it will takes to learn something. The aspects of learning are; knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences (Gold et al., 2010, p.81). Also the way of how we learn takes time. Theories are used to explain how learning occurs. In the first paragraph there is one of the three main learning theories mentioned, it is the behavioural theory – if you fail, you will be disappointed. The two other learning theories are the cognitive theory and the social/sociocultural learning theory (Gold et al., 2010, p. 84). Throughout our lives we learn every day. In terms of speaking people use the words lifelong learning very often. Students want to improve the aspects of learning. Each student has a different style of learning to reach the goal; passing the exams. The learning cycle of Honey and Mumford can distinguishes the four learning styles by doing a questionnaire. The questionnaire shows the students what kind of learning style they are using. A lot of students do not know how they really learn. When a student finally knows if he is a theorist, a pragmatist, an activist or a reflector, he can focus on the learning of a method which is the best one to use for him. A student can use off-the-job methods like a lecture, a role play, a business game or a case study (Gold et al., 2010, p.144). A student can reduce the chance of having a resit by knowing what kind of learning style he is using most of the time. It will save the student a lot of time if he knows which learning methods he has to use comparing with his learning style. But it is not always the cause of a student, also the University can help the students by improving their learning experiences. The thesis of this essay is; in which ways can the University of the West of Scotland improve the learning experiences of the Business students? In short, the students as well as the teachers must know what their learning styles are. If this is clear all parties will benefit. There must be an improvement where all the learning styles come together.
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M A I N B ODY
To become an effective learner you have to move around the whole circle of Kolb. It does not matter if you, as a student or teacher, jump in any part of the cycle. The most important thing is that you are willing to come into the cycle and want to be aware of your learning style. If you moved too quickly through the entire circle of Kolb or you skipped some parts, the consequence is that the learning efficiency will decrease (Thesis 2005-2011). As a teacher you have to know that students have other learning styles than yours. So the teacher has to figure out a way to help the students learn. Not every student likes lectures, others like for example role plays as a learning method (Kolb, D., Kolb, A. 2011).The teachers of the University of the West of Scotland; from now on UWS, must organize the class before teaching. The reason why is because otherwise there will be a golf between the teachers and the students. Each class must be divided in groups and give them group projects. But before the teacher divide the groups he has to prepare the class by giving them background information about for instance; how to work in groups, how can you be effective as a group, how to communicate better as a group and how to solve problems such as troubles with planning or who has the authority to decide. Furthermore, the class has to do two questionnaires. In the first place there is the Kolb test, it gives a clearer picture of how you take in new information and to help you become a better student (Socratests 2008-2011). Secondly there is the Belbin test. It shows how individuals behave their selves in a team environment. Belbin identified a set of nine roles which are provide a good balance and increase the success of a group. A group member can assume more than one role (Chapman, A. 2005-2010).The teachers of the UWS can divide the groups based on the results of the two tests. Each group has different members, different personalities and different views. The teachers and the students of the UWS knows how the learning processes went from week to week. Sometimes the process went well as planned, but there are also some weeks when a student or a teacher thinks it could be better. The best way to improve the learning and teaching process is to do an evaluation frequently. After four weeks the teacher must undertake at least one teaching evaluation. This can be taken place in an informal or an formal way. For example the teacher give their students a survey. There will be questions asked about the current situation and how it could be better. The survey could be given during a lecture, because lectures are very long and it is sometimes hard to concentrate the whole time. Alternation in the lectures is very important. An example of evaluation in an informal way is talking in a discussion group about how course is progressing . A discussion group contribute to the reflecting skills of a student – having an experience, reflecting on it, drawing their own conclusions and putting their theory into practice (Gold et al., 2010, p. 91). The only problem with this informal evaluation is that it is not representative. The learning and teaching processes at the UWS should be monitored for their effectiveness and regularly reviewed for ways to be improved (Sessional n.d.). The results of the surveys can be processed by Business students. If you look at the behavioural theory, you can conclude that the Business students can get a reward if they 3
analyse survey data very well. They learn how to analyse and they will get a reward in return in the form of a good mark. In the third year the Business students has to do a general internship, because they need practical experience. During an internship everything comes together like knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is a real test case. The students should have the possibility to choose the setting and country of each internship by their selves. But it is important if there is a similarity between the placement and the education. The UWS must have an office where students can come over to find a placement/ a internship that belongs to their wishes. The ‘practical office’ offers several internships in all kinds of industries.
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C ON C L U S I O N
The understanding of the term learning is quite difficult. Everybody knows what learning is, but not everyone can explain it. Learning is a lifelong process that will stimulate human beings by getting knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences. The University of the West of Scotland are already using several kinds of learning methods to improve the learning experiences of their Business students. But there are some ways in which the University of the West of Scotland can improve their current policy. The teachers as well as the students must know what their own and others learning styles are, because it spares time and it shows how you really learn. Thanks to Honey and Mumford, it makes it easier for everybody to understand the way of how we learn. The teachers can adapt their learning methods to the learning styles of the students. The reason why is to get the best learning efficiency. The classes must been organized and divided in groups by the teachers. The teachers know how to be effective as a team. Talking in a discussion group about how course is progressing, is a experiential theory. During the lessons you observe the teacher and their way of teaching. At the end you will give him or them positive feedback (=reflection). After getting feedback the teacher can work on his weaknesses. The behavioural theory is mentioned when a student is analysing the survey data very well, he will get a reward in return. The introducing of an office that offers placements is an example of social/ sociocultural learning. Business students need practical experience. It is very important for their future, because they have already smelled the ‘grass’ of their work field. They know what they can expect.
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REFERENCES
Gold, J., Holden, R., Iles, P., Stewart, J., Beardwell, J. (2010) Human resource development: theory and practice, Basingstoke; Palgrave Macmillan. Kolb, D., Kolb, A. (2011) Interview; What is experiential learning?, [Online], Available: http://learningfromexperience.com/ Thesis (2005-2011) Learning styles of Kolb, [Online], Available: http://www.thesis.nl/kolb/ Socratests (2008-2011) Learning style Kolb test, [Online], Available: http://www.socratests.com/test/study/skills/skills/learning-style-kolb-test Chapman, A. (2005-2010) Belbin team roles, [Online], Available: http://www.businessballs.com/personalitystylesmodels.htm#belbin team roles descriptions Sessional (n.d.) How can learning be improved?, [Online], Available: http://sessional.lnt.unsw.edu.au/content/how-can-learning-be-improved
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