Generate evidence of personal evaluation and analysis by using techniques to develop self-awareness of strengths and areas for development
FDPP2337
Personal Effectiveness and Professional Development
|
Words: |
3000 |
|
Weighting: |
100% |
|
Submission date: |
As per key date schedule |
|
Learning Outcomes Assessed: |
All |
|
Module Leader: Verified by: |
Heart of Worcester College CIPP |
|
Electronic copy available: |
Student website |
Introduction
-
You are required to produce a Personal Development Plan which records and monitors your achievements and the acquisition and development of appropriate qualities, skills and behaviours. (1500 words)
-
Using the data produced in Part One, above, as a basis you are required to write a reflective paper to support and clarify what is contained in your Personal Development Plan. (1500 words)
Your work will be presented in two distinct sections,
Part One will relate to Task One and will contain your Personal Development Plans together with any annexes that support those plans. Part Two will relate to Task Two and contain your Reflective Paper. The two parts are submitted together and should be bound as one piece of work.
Your assignment should be in the form of a written report.
Note well: Throughout your work you must relate appropriate theory to the practice on which you are commenting.Learning outcomes
-
Generate evidence of personal evaluation and analysis by using techniques to develop self-awareness of strengths and areas for development
-
Devise a personal development plan that shows the synthesis of theory into practice
-
Select and evaluate learning from experience
-
Use reflection and learning to support evaluation, action and planning
Assessment criteria
Set within the context of your workplace:
Marking will be in accordance with the Assessment Criteria attached to this guide as Annex Five.
Handing in
Electronic submission of assignments is mandatory. Please note that every assessment must be submitted clearly noting the student’s name and number. Work must be word-processed/typed.
You are required to keep a copy of work handed in.
Late submission of work
It is essential that you submit your work, in order to be able to pass the module. Full details of the regulations regarding late submission and applying for mitigation are available via the Student Handbook and website.
Academic Misconduct Penalties
When a student is found guilty of academic misconduct (cheating), the penalties are severe.
-
The assignment will be awarded a fail grade, with zero credit.
-
Penalties may extend beyond the single assignment, and may affect the module grade, and even the classification of the final award.
-
The academic misconduct will be mentioned in any reference given by the university. This means that graduates will find it very difficult to enter careers that involve trust, including Accountancy, Law, Computer Systems Administration, and Computer Security.
-
If the course (or module) is recognised or accredited by a professional organisation, that recognition or accreditation may be withheld from the student.
The normal penalties for a first offence are as below. Penalties for later offences (of any nature) are escalated, and the ultimate penalty is exclusion from the university. The list of offences below is not exhaustive.
|
Offence |
Penalty (all points apply) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Word Limits
Included in the word limit is:
Anything contained within the main body of your report, between the contents page and the reference list. All quotations, citations and the captions to pictures and diagrams. The contents of any tables within the main body.
Not included in the word limit is:
The title page, contents page or reference list. Any computer programme code listings, content within diagrams, or any appendices.
The following penalties can be applied to work which exceeds the stated word limit of 3000 words:
-
Up to 10% over: no penalty
-
10% to 20% over: one grade point penalty (e.g. B+ to B)
-
20% to 30% over: two grade points penalty (e.g. B+ to B-)
-
More than 30% over: three grade points penalty (e.g. B+ to C+)
Assessment Pack
This pack contains guidance on how to complete the assessment task together with several templates to assist your self-analysis. The templates in this pack form a minimum requirement and must be submitted for assessment. The study guide for this module also contains a range of activities, each clearly marked as a PDP Activity, and you are urged to use some of these to deepen your self-analysis. If you do, then these must also be included in your submission. Advice on the layout of your submission is included at the end of this pack.
Part One - Preparing your Personal Development Plan Analysing Your Competence
A wide variety of formal and informal development opportunities exist, both within
and outside of the workplace, and you need to be aware of these to identify the most appropriate opportunities to use in meeting your development goals. Personal development planning begins with detailed self-analysis.
To develop potential, you need to know what stage of the development process has been reached: that is you need to analyse your current competence. The starting point is the identification of development needs. Initially, we encourage you to carry out this process on yourself; for self-development, but you can apply the tools and techniques to anyone. Developing potential is all about helping people to move forwards. In terms of work, this implies moving from one level of performance to a new and higher level. Not only can individuals improve their skills and performance, but the organisation will also benefit. During the development process, individuals pass through different stages of awareness, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Stages of awareness during development
We can explain this by applying each of these stages to driving a car.
-
State of unconscious incompetence - As children, most of us are completely unaware of the skills or techniques needed for driving a car. We are not aware of the need for any competence.
-
State of conscious incompetence - It is probably at some point during our teens that we become aware of the need to pass a driving test, involving both knowledge and skill that we don’t yet possess. We are increasingly conscious of our incompetence.
-
State of conscious competence - We take driving lessons and, once we pass the test, we tend to drive relatively carefully, thinking about the rules and techniques that we have been taught. We are conscious of our competence!
-
State of unconscious competence - Before too long, we automatically drive to the standard required, giving it no great thought. This is unconscious competence.
Unfortunately, what happens then is that complacency can set in — in driving terms, we begin to learn bad habits and there is a risk of drifting back to ‘unconscious incompetence’!
To analyse your current level of competence, there are two areas that you need to consider.
-
Job-related needs — what knowledge and skills do you possess now, and what do you need in order to progress within your job?
-
Learning needs — how are you most likely to acquire the knowledge and skills you need?
By working through this assessment pack, you will be able to practise the skills of analysing information to help you identify development needs.
Personal profile (see template in Annex One)
A good starting point for any development programme is making an accurate assessment of what you have achieved to date.
Drawing up a personal profile provides a basis for a development programme. This activity encourages you to begin thinking about the value of your achievements to date, in the context of your work and ambition, by providing a systematic structure for recording information.
Read through the following ten steps and, as you do so, complete the personal profile in Annex One, recording what you have done, what you achieved and how the results were measured.
Step 1
What educational/professional qualifications have you gained? Where did you obtain them and what standards, awards or certificates did you achieve?
Step 2
What jobs have you done in your career? Give the starting and leaving dates. What were the main achievements and/or experiences you gained?
Step 3
What professional training courses have you attended? When and where were they held? What knowledge, skills and experience did they give you?
Step 4
What are your current job responsibilities and key performance areas? If you have specific performance objectives list these, together with any recent achievements.
Step 5
What do you think your general skills and abilities are at this stage of your career? Use the Skills and Abilities Checklist provided in the personal profile to help you think about this.
Step 6
Have you taken any psychometric or other analytical tests which indicate what sort of performer you are or what references you have for working as an individual or team player? You might wish to find out your learning style, try the survey at http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a2_learnstyles/pages/roughandready.htm
Step 7
Reflect on the experiences you have had as a learner and note both the most successful and least successful What were the reasons?
Step 8
What are your career plans over the next two years and how do they fit in with your ultimate career objective?
Step 9
What non-work interests and activities do you have? Membership of a sports committee choral society or Parish Council for example will help illustrate what sort of person you are and what hidden talents and skills you may possess.
Step 10
What are your lifestyle goals? What balance do you want to strike between time at work and time with the family? Are the pressures and stress of a high-flying career an acceptable price you are willing to pay? It is helpful to separate lifestyle goals into short-, medium- and long-term goals with definite timescales to each.
Now we need to assess the skills required for your current job.
Job-related competences (see template in Annex Two)
Most jobs these days have a description of the main areas of responsibility and accountability. Such a description usually specifies ‘key tasks’ or ‘key result areas’ or something similar, which not only indicates the results expected, but also states how performance will be measured.
Job-related competences, which are also known as ‘technical’ or ‘functional’ competences’, are often included along with job descriptions. Competences are statements of the specific skills, underpinning knowledge and associated - behaviour needed to perform tasks to the required standard. in some sectors of industry, these are laid down by representative bodies and form the basis for vocational qualifications, but additionally some employers have designed their own competences specifically for their own organisation.
Whatever the source, these competences are an essential guide to the standard of performance required for jobs, and they form the basis for this activity.
When thinking about the competences needed for your job you will inevitably reveal gaps in your own competences. This activity highlights areas of competence for future development by creating a list which can then be used as the basis for a development plan.
Use the template in Annex Two to note down the competences required in your job. If these competences are specified on your job description, then write those down. You may also be working to NVQ competences. Alternatively, try to identify for yourself the key competences that you need — the ability to produce a budget, the ability to use a spreadsheet, the recruitment and training of new team members, and so on, and note them down on the form.
Then, for each key competence, assess whether or not you need further development. This is not as complicated as it sounds! Simply ask yourself if your current level of performance is adequate, or does it need improving? Write your answer in the ‘Development needed?’ column.
These job-related competences represent what you need to do to perform to the required standard in your job. However, that is not the whole story. There are also competences that reflect how you need to perform, and these are known as ‘personal competences.
Personal competences (see template in Annex Three)
While the job-related competences that you need may change as your job changes, personal competences stay with you (although, if you think back to the idea of ‘unconscious incompetence’, they may need renewing if they are not used regularly).
Personal competences are sometimes referred to as ‘transferable skills’, although there is likely to be a different emphasis from organisation to organisation (and from job to job). A variety of models for personal competences exists — many organisations have developed their own competency framework identifying the personal competences required by their managers.
As a generic model in this assessment pack we have grouped the personal competences into ten distinct areas.
-
Acting assertively
-
Acting strategically
-
Behaving ethically
-
Building teams
-
Communicating
-
Focusing on results
-
Influencing others
-
Managing self
-
Searching for information
-
Thinking and taking decisions
In this activity, you use checklists to assess your current level of competence in each of these ten areas. You will find that the activity requires more thought about some aspects of competence than was necessary when completing the personal profile.
The questionnaire is adapted from the list of personal competences developed by the Management Charter Initiative (MCI), an industry-led organisation which has identified key occupational standards for managers.
You have thought about development needs in relation to your current job. Now you will find it helpful to consider the personal competences that are relevant, and whether you need to develop them further.
This activity encourages greater awareness through self-assessment by highlighting areas of competence for future development.
Look at the checklists in Annex Three, and use them to assess current levels of competence. (If assessing yourself, it would help to discuss your assessment with your line manager.) You need to make two judgements.
Is the competence relevant to your current job? Tick Yes or No as appropriate
Is your current level of performance adequate or does it need improving? lf it needs improvement, put a tick in the ‘Development needed’ column.
By completing these checklists, yourself you now have a wealth of information about your current attainments and ambition, your job-related competences and your personal competences. This information in itself would permit you to identify the ‘development gap’ — the areas in which you need to develop yourself because there is a shortfall either in the skills needed for your current job or because you need to acquire additional skills for the future.
Remember, though, that this is only half of the development picture. To develop your potential effectively, you need to be clear about how you learn, so that you can plan your learning and maximise its impact.
Summary
So far we have looked at how you can set about identifying your own development needs. We’ve seen that the development process sees us going through different levels of awareness about our competence. To motivate people (including ourselves), to pursue a development programme, an awareness of the current situation is a crucial first step. We therefore introduced three tools to help with this important stage:
-
A personal profile - recording what you have done and what you have achieved, as well as your career and lifestyle ambitions
-
Job-related competences - an assessment of what you need for your job, and whether you need to develop these competences further
-
Personal competences - a record of ‘transferable skills’ relevant to your current job and an assessment of whether your performance meets the required standard.
The completion and submission of these three tools is a mandatory requirement of the assessment.
Personal Development Plans
In this section of the pack we focus on a particular approach that will enable you to draw up a personal development plan (PDP).
Preparing a personal development plan (see template at Annex Four)
Most people draw up and use plans of some sort in their day-to-day work. These may take the form of complex project plans or simple ‘To Do’ lists, identifying priorities in a list of tasks. Such plans provide a structure to ensure that deadlines and objectives are met. In many cases they serve a motivational purpose too, as milestones can be reached, and achievements recorded. Planning development is no different, in that an appropriate structure to identify and record future action and the achievement of objectives is both a useful and a motivational tool. It can help you address the development needs you have identified, either your own, or those of other members of staff.
Such a plan is often referred to as a personal development plan (PDP). It is sometimes called a ‘learning contract’, a term which derives from the idea that PDPs and contracts are agreed between the individual and their line manager or coach.
Both parties are making a commitment, the individual commits to keeping to schedules and making available their own time, while the line manager provides the necessary finance, resources, time and space.
In most organisations, PDPs are quite simple in design, but to be useful they must contain some essential information. This information will answer the following questions.
-
What is the development goal and is it SMART?
-
How will the goal be achieved and are all the main activities clearly listed?
-
Where will the activities take place and are there adequate facilities and resources available?
-
When will the programme start and end, and how often will progress be measured and reviewed?
-
Who is involved and have they agreed to the plan?
We can illustrate how this works in practice by considering an example of an athlete whose development need was ‘to improve the speed at which I run the 400m hurdle race’. This translated into a SMART development goal: ‘Over the next six weeks I intend to reduce the time it takes me to run the 400m hurdle race from 1 min 15 secs to 1 min10 secs.’
The figure below shows what a PDP for achieving that goal might look like.
Personal development Plan
|
Development goal Over the next six weeks/intend to reduce the time it takes me to run the 400m hurdles race from 1 min 15 sec to 1 min 10 secs. How will goal/s be achieved?
Where will development take place? I will watch the video at home. Running and weight training sessions will be held at the club. To start on: Programme will start immediately. Reviews: Once a week To be completed by: Programme will end in six weeks’ time. On Friday each week I will run a timed 400 m run and discuss results with my coach. Signed: Signed: |
You can see that this is a simple and clear plan involving several different learning opportunities to achieve the stated outcome. Your PDPs should be equally clear, comprehensive and concise.
There is nothing magical about a PDP, it is simply a framework for planning and recording development objectives. Signing it demonstrates the agreement of all involved and formalises their commitment. This, in itself; increases the chance of the plan being successful.
Your assessment requires at least five development goals.
Part Two – The Reflective Paper
Before embarking on the reflective paper consider the review of past and current achievements that you have undertaken. It is recognised that most students will draw on experiences from work, however, be aware that that the skills and abilities identified through a review will be enhanced by drawing also on other experiences from life generally. For example, you may be the secretary of a sports club, or may do voluntary work, or may have a hobby/pastime in which you use a variety of skills.
Your review has focused on skills and abilities – what you have done or can do (strengths), the successes you have had – not on qualities such as ‘confidence’ or ‘patience’ or ‘dependability’. Qualities are derived from the application of skills and abilities, therefore: what do I do to ‘feel or show’ confident? How do I ‘exhibit’ patience? How do I become ‘dependable’? The review has also made you consider what areas require development (weaknesses), again from experiences from situations of no or limited success. These elements of strengths and weaknesses can then be summarised, along with opportunities and threats, through a SWOT analysis, which then becomes the basis of the reflective report.
The reflective report should explore the ‘consequences’ of the strengths and weaknesses identified. Not simply describe them, but analyse and evaluate them essentially answering the question ‘so what or why?’ Giving examples of the use of a strength and how it impacted a situation and other people, also examples of areas of weakness, again what was the impact on the situation and people. Discuss also how the opportunities identified can help develop skills and abilities and how skills and abilities could be used to overcome threats.
For example: Good time management – delivering on time, effective planning, prioritising actions and helps to develop good relationships with others (dependable and focussed). However, a good time manager may be seen as controlling or too focussed on detail – for every strength there is always a potential weakness.
Whilst poor time management – delivering late or not at all, poor planning, not prioritising and leading to poor relations with others (lacking focus and not dependable). However, a poor time manager may be helpful to others when they should be doing their own work/tasks.
Links can be made with theory to the consequences of strengths and weaknesses and this will enhance the report. Avoid large quotes, summarise in your words or note support or otherwise: ‘Pedler et al (2002) also comment on the…’
Assembling your submission
Your assessment submission should be assembled as follows:
Part One:
A minimum of five development goals using the template at Annex Four. This to be followed by the completed self-analysis templates from Annex One, Two and Three plus any others drawn from the study material.
Part Two:
Your Reflective paper plus any appendices associated with this paper.
Annex 1 Personal Profile
Step 1. Education and Qualifications
|
Education: |
|
Qualification: |
|
Professional qualifications: |
Step 2. Career history
|
Job: |
Dates: |
|
Main achievements/experiences: |
|
|
Job: |
Dates: |
|
Main achievements/experiences: |
|
|
Job: |
Dates: |
|
Main achievements/experiences: |
|
|
Job: |
Dates: |
|
Main achievements/experiences: |
|
Step 3. Courses
|
Courses attended: |
Main achievements/experiences: |
Dates: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Step 4. Your job
|
Briefly describe your job (include key relationships): |
|
Key performance areas/targets: |
|
Specific objectives: |
|
Recent achievements: |
Step 5. Skills and abilities checklist
The following are included as a guide to help you think about your existing skills and abilities.
|
Tick the box if you think you need development to improve. |
|
|
|
Development needed |
|
Making and using contracts |
o |
|
Delegating |
o |
|
Co-ordinating tasks and making arrangements |
o |
|
Managing time |
o |
|
Deciding on priorities and setting goals |
o |
|
Working without supervision |
o |
|
Setting and meeting deadlines |
o |
|
Handling a variety of tasks and responsibilities |
o |
|
Concentrating |
o |
|
Questioning |
o |
|
Assimilating and remembering a lot of information |
o |
|
Reading quickly |
o |
|
Keeping records; filing and retrieving information |
o |
|
Advising or counselling |
o |
|
Helping people to develop themselves |
o |
|
Running training sessions or teaching |
o |
|
Speaking at meetings |
o |
|
Planning, chairing or running a meeting of any kind |
o |
|
Making a presentation |
o |
|
Expressing appreciation and compliments readily |
o |
|
Saying ‘no’ without feeling guilty |
o |
|
Asking for help or information |
o |
|
Giving constructive criticism |
o |
|
Accepting a rejection |
o |
|
Stating your views to an authority figure |
o |
|
Refusing to allow yourself to be manipulated or ‘put down’ |
o |
|
Accepting different opinions |
o |
|
Listening intently and accurately |
o |
|
Communicating information and opinions clearly, in speech and writing |
o |
|
Thinking quickly on your feet |
o |
|
Explaining difficult concepts or ideas and giving clear instructions |
o |
|
Making yourself understood in a foreign language |
o |
|
Writing minutes |
o |
|
Dealing well with the public |
o |
|
Writing business letters and proposals |
o |
|
Speaking on the telephone |
o |
|
Interviewing |
o |
|
Getting people to work together |
o |
|
Negotiating |
o |
|
Persuading people |
o |
|
Promoting change |
o |
|
Taking risks |
o |
|
Making and carrying out difficult decisions |
o |
|
Spotting and solving problems |
o |
|
Challenging ideas and actions that are unacceptable |
o |
|
Using imagination |
o |
|
Supervising others |
o |
|
Judging people’s effectiveness and potential |
o |
|
Giving feedback |
o |
|
Other: |
o |
Step 6. Working preferences
|
Learning style preference: |
|
Leadership style: |
|
Management style: |
|
Team member style: |
|
General personality characteristics: |
|
Other: |
Step 7. Experiences as a learner
Think about your experiences as a learner. What were your most successful experiences? What were the least successful
|
Most successful: |
|
This was probably because ... |
|
Least successful: |
|
This was probably because ... |
Step 8. Career plans
|
In two years’ time, I would aim to be: |
|
To move towards this, my plans are: |
Step 9. Non-work interests
|
Hobbies and interests: |
Step 10. Lifestyle goals
|
Family? |
|
Friendships? |
|
Working environment – stress levels, home-based, international? |
|
Home environment – town, county, overseas? |
|
Social and community? |
|
Leisure? |
Annex 2 Job Related Competences
|
The key competences I need to achieve the performance targets in my job are: |
Development needed? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 3 Personal Competences
|
|
Yes |
No |
Development needed? |
|
|
ACTING ASSERTIVELY |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
take a leading role in initiating action and making decisions? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
take personal responsibility for making things happen? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
take control of situations and events? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
act in an assured and unhesitating manner when faced with a challenge? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
say ‘no’ to unreasonable requests? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
state your own position and views clearly in conflict situations? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
maintain your beliefs, commitment and effort in spite of set-backs or opposition? |
o |
o |
o |
|
ACTING STRATEGICALLY |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
understand how the different parts of the organisation and its environment fit together? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
work towards a clearly defined vision of the future? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
clearly relate goals and actions to the strategic aims of the organisation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
take opportunities when they arise to achieve the longer term aims or needs of the organisation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
BEHAVING ETHICALLY |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
comply with legislation, industry regulations, professional and organisational codes? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
show integrity and fairness in decision-making? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
set objectives and create cultures that are ethical? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
clearly identify and raise ethical concerns relevant to the organisation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
work towards resolution of ethical dilemmas based on reasoned approaches? |
o |
o |
o |
|
BUILDING TEAMS (MANAGING OTHERS) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
actively build relationships with others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
make time available to support others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
encourage and stimulate others to make the best use of their abilities? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
Yes |
No |
Development needed? |
|
|
(d) |
evaluate and enhance people’s capability to do their jobs? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
provide feedback designed to improve people’s future performance? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
show sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
show respect for the views and actions of others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(h) |
use power and authority in a fair and equitable manner? |
o |
o |
o |
|
BUILDING TEAMS (RELATING TO OTHERS) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(i) |
keep others informed about plans and progress? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(j) |
clearly identify what is required of others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(k) |
invite others to contribute to planning and organising work? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(l) |
set objectives that are both achievable and challenging? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(m) |
check individuals’ commitment to a specific course of action? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(n) |
use a variety of techniques to promote morale and productively? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(o) |
identify and resolve causes of conflict or resistance? |
o |
o |
o |
|
COMMUNICATING |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
identify the information needs of listeners? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
listen actively, ask questions, clarify points and re-phrase others’ |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
adopt communication styles appropriate to listeners and situations, including selecting an appropriate time and place? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
use a variety of media and communication aids to reinforce points and maintain interest? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
present difficult ideas and problems in ways that promote understanding? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
confirm listeners’ understanding through questioning and interpretation of non-verbal signals? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
encourage listeners to ask questions or re-phrase statements to clarify their understanding? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(h) |
modify communication in response to feedback from listeners? |
o |
o |
o |
|
FOCUSING ON RESULTS (PLANNING AND PRIORITISING) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
maintain a focus on objectives? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
tackle problems and take advantage of opportunities as they arise? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
Yes |
No |
Development needed? |
|
|
(c) |
prioritise objectives and schedules to make best use of time and resources? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
focus personal attention on specific details that are critical to the success of a key event? |
o |
o |
o |
|
FOCUSING ON RESULTS (STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE) |
|
|
|
|
|
(e) |
actively seek to do things better? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
use change as an opportunity for improvement? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
establish and communicate high expectations of performance, including setting an example to others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(h) |
set goals that are demanding of yourself and others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(i) |
monitor the quality of work and progress against plans? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(j) |
continually strive to identify and minimise barriers to excellence? |
o |
o |
o |
|
INFLUENCING OTHERS |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
develop and use contracts to trade information, and obtain support and resources? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
present yourself positively to others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
create and prepare strategies for influencing others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
use a variety of means to influence others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
understanding the culture of the organisation and act to work within it or influence it? |
o |
o |
o |
|
MANAGING SELF (CONTROLLING EMOTIONS AND STRESS) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
accept personal comments or criticism without becoming defensive? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
remain calm in difficult or uncertain situations? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
handle others’ emotions without becoming personally involved in them? |
o |
o |
o |
|
MANAGING SELF (MANAGING PERSONAL LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT) |
|
|
|
|
|
(d) |
take responsibility for meeting your own learning and development needs? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
seek feedback on performance to identify strengths and weaknesses? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
learn from your mistakes and those of others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
change your behaviour where needed as a result of feedback? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
Yes |
No |
Development needed? |
||
|
(h) |
reflect systematically on your performance and modify your behaviour accordingly? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
(i) |
develop yourself to meet the demands of changing situations? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
(j) |
transfer learning from one situation to another? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
establish information networks to search for and gather relevant information? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
actively encourage the free exchange of information? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
make best use of existing sources of information? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
seek information from multiple sources? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(e) |
challenge the validity and reliability of sources of information? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
push for concrete information in an ambiguous situation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
THINKING AND TAKING DECISIONS (ANALYSING) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
break processes down into tasks and activities? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(b) |
identify a range of elements in, and perspectives on, a situation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(c) |
identify implications, consequences or casual relationships in a situation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(d) |
use a range of ideas to explain the actions, needs and motives of others? |
o |
o |
o |
|
THINKING AND TAKING DECISIONS (CONCEPTUALISING) |
|
|
|
|
|
(e) |
use your own experience and evidence from others to identify problems and understand situations? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(f) |
identify patterns or meaning from events and data that are not obviously related? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(g) |
build a total and valid picture from restricted or incomplete data? |
o |
o |
o |
|
THINKING AND TAKING DECISIONS (TAKING DECISIONS) |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you: |
|
|
|
|
|
(h) |
produce a variety of solutions before taking a decision? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(i) |
reconcile and make use of a variety of perspectives when making sense of a situation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(j) |
produces your own ideas from experience and practice? |
o |
o |
o |
|
(k) |
take decisions that are realistic for the situation? |
o |
o |
o |
|
|
Yes |
No |
Development needed? |
|
|
(l) |
focus on facts, problems and solutions when handling an emotional situation? |
o |
o |
o |
Annex 4 Personal Development Plan
|
Development goal/s: |
|
|
How will goal/s be achieved? |
|
|
Where will development take place? |
|
|
To start on: |
|
|
Reviews: |
|
|
To be completed by: |
|
|
Signed:
Dated: |
Signed:
Dated: |
FDPP2337 Personal Effectiveness and Professional Development: Level 5 Grade Descriptor
|
L5 |
Relationship to assessment criteria |
Knowledge and understanding |
Evidence of independent study and relevant academic sources |
Application of disciplinary analysis |
Communication skills |
Quality of argument |
Relevant technical/creative/ transferable skills development |
|
A+ - A- |
Exceptional response to all the assessment criteria for the task |
Exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge together with very strong clear independent critically evaluative understanding |
Goes well beyond what is taught in reading/researching to inform learning |
Authoritative grasp of disciplinary concepts and analysis to issues and problems |
Exceptional communication/ presentation skills, appropriate to audience, and demonstrating excellent ability in relation to accuracy, clarity and judgement in conveying understanding and meaning |
Significant ability to construct and sustain evidence-based arguments, through excellent synthesis and critical interpretation of scholarly reviews and/or primary evidence |
Exceptional demonstration of relevant technical/ creative/ transferable skills in managing and developing own learning and making decisions in complex contexts |
|
B+ - B- |
Strong response to most of the assessment criteria for the task |
Knowledge demonstrates thorough depth and breadth of learning together with independent critically evaluative understanding |
Evidence of insight in selection and use of material to go beyond what is taught |
Ability to relate facts/disciplinary concepts together and apply good disciplinary analysis to issues and problems |
Very good communication/ presentation skills, appropriate to audience to convey meaning, demonstrating strong competence, accuracy, clarity and judgement |
Arguments logically constructed, coherent and evidence-based on synthesis of scholarly review of a range of academic sources and critical insight |
Very good demonstration of relevant technical/ creative/ transferable skills in managing and developing own learning and making decisions in relatively complex contexts |
|
C+ - C- |
Good response to most of the assessment criteria for the task |
Knowledge demonstrates good depth and breadth of learning together with emerging independent critically evaluative understanding |
Good breadth of understanding of taught content and set reading/ references |
Responses are relevant to subject matter and show evidence of disciplinary analysis albeit with some limitations |
Communication/ presentation of information/ evidence to convey understanding and meaning demonstrates competence, accuracy and clarity |
Logically constructed coherent argument, using scholarly review of academic sources, with some insight but possible weaknesses in structure/evidence |
Sound demonstration of relevant technical/ creative/ transferable skills outside of areas in which first studied |
|
D+ - D- |
Adequate response to main assessment criteria for the task |
Knowledge sufficient to demonstrate sound learning with some standard critically evaluative understanding |
Relies on adequate selection of set materials/standard readings and references |
Responses are relevant to subject matter but balanced to descriptive and derivative rather than disciplinary analysis |
Competent accurate communication/ presentation of information/ evidence to convey understanding, possibly with some minor weaknesses |
Logically structured coherent argument with supporting evidence, using scholarly review of academic sources, but with some weaknesses/gaps |
Adequate demonstration of relevant technical/ creative/ transferable skills in structured predictable contexts |
|
E - Fail |
Some engagement and understanding, but overall does not quite meet criteria for task |
Some knowledge and understanding to demonstrate effective learning |
Some evidence of study from taught content and/or relevant academic sources and references |
Some ability to apply disciplinary conceptual understanding to evaluate and interpret issues/ problems/data |
Communication/presentati on is weak and problematic in conveying understanding |
Some evidence of a logically structured argument with some review of academic sources, but with weaknesses/gaps |
Some evidence of relevant skills development or application |
|
F - Fail |
Weak response to main assessment criteria for the task |
Weak or insufficient knowledge and understanding to demonstrate effective learning |
Limited evidence of use of set materials/relevant academic sources and references |
Little evidence of ability to apply disciplinary conceptual understanding |
Communication of information is inaccurate, incomplete or otherwise problematic in conveying understanding |
Argument/ explanation is weak and poorly constructed, and/or unsubstantiated |
Weak evidence of relevant skills development or application |
|
G - Fail |
Very poor response to main assessment criteria for the task |
Very poor knowledge and understanding to demonstrate effective learning |
Very little evidence of study from taught content and/or relevant academic sources and references |
Very limited disciplinary conceptual understanding evidenced |
Very poor communication indicating incoherence and/or seriously incomplete understanding |
Very poor argument/ explanation, lacking in logic and/or unsubstantiated |
Seriously lacking in evidence of skills development or application |
|
H - Fail |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
Seriously inadequate or insufficient response to the task |
The number of references for a 3000 word essay will depend on the number of points made, however, there should be approximately two references per paragraph. You can use general textbooks to support general comments on theory, or to support definitions/terms, or to cover assessment techniques. You should use research articles (available through e-resources) to support specific aspects of theory. Be wary of other web sites (unless they are .ac or .edu, as these are generally university based sites) unless you can verify the source. Under no circumstances should you use user-generated web sites (such as wikipedia). There is guidance on Harvard referencing available on the student website.
