Sample Answer (Preview)
The following is a partial sample answer showing the approach, structure and referencing expected for this module. It covers approximately 25–30% of the full assessment (3,000 words across Reflection 1, Reflection 2 and the Portfolio). Sources are cited in Harvard style.
Reflection 1 (Semester 1): My Transition to University Study at Arden
Introduction
This reflection evaluates my transition into university study at Arden during my first semester on the Foundation Degree. It is structured around Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle, which moves from description and feelings to evaluation, analysis, conclusion and an action plan. I chose this model because it makes me explain not only what happened but why it happened and what I will do differently, which links my academic development directly to the skills I will need in the workplace (Moon, 2006).
Description: what happened
I returned to education after four years working in retail, where I had progressed to shift supervisor. In the first weeks I had to learn to use iLearn, find sources in the library databases, attend seminars and prepare for my first formative task. The most significant event was my first draft of an academic paragraph. I submitted it for formative feedback believing it was well written, but the tutor commented that it described ideas without evaluating them and that my sources were websites rather than academic texts.
Feelings: how I reacted
My first reaction was disappointment and some self-doubt. I had been confident in my communication skills at work, so the feedback made me question whether I belonged at university. After discussing the comments with a Peer Mentor, I realised that this reaction is common among students who start higher education after a period in employment, and that the feedback was aimed at my writing rather than at my ability. This shift in thinking reflects what Dweck (2006) calls a growth mindset: treating difficulty as information about what to develop next, not as evidence of a fixed limit.
Evaluation: what went well and what did not
Several things went well. I managed my time effectively because I used the same weekly planning habits I relied on as a supervisor, and I attended every live seminar. I also contributed regularly to the discussion forums, where my experience of dealing with customers helped me give practical examples. However, my academic reading was weak. I read sources from beginning to end without a clear question in mind, which took a long time and produced notes that summarised rather than analysed. Cottrell (2019) argues that active reading, which starts from a purpose and records the reader’s own questions and evaluations, is what turns reading into usable evidence for writing. My early approach lacked this purpose.
Analysis: making sense of the experience
Looking back, the gap between my workplace confidence and my academic performance came from the different expectations of the two settings. At work, a clear and accurate description of a problem was usually enough, because decisions were made by my manager. In academic writing, description is only the starting point; I am expected to weigh evidence and reach a justified position. Recognising this difference helped me to see my personal strengths more accurately. My organisation, reliability and ability to communicate with different people are genuine strengths that transfer to study and to future employment. Succi and Canovi (2020) found that employers value soft skills such as communication, teamwork and adaptability highly, often more than students expect, so these strengths are worth developing deliberately rather than taking for granted.
The experience also showed me the value of the support available at Arden. Using the Academic Skills Tutor sessions on critical writing, I learned to structure paragraphs around a claim, evidence and evaluation. When I applied this structure to my next forum post, the tutor’s comments noted a clear improvement in my analysis. This suggests that the problem was a skill I had not yet been taught, rather than a lack of ability, which strengthened my motivation to keep going.
Conclusion: what I have learned
This first semester has shown me that my transition to university is a process of adapting existing strengths to a new setting rather than starting from nothing. My time management, reliability and communication skills helped me cope with the volume of new tasks, and they are the same skills that employers look for when they recruit graduates (Succi and Canovi, 2020). At the same time, I have learned that academic success depends on skills I had not practised before, especially active reading and evaluative writing. Accepting critical feedback as part of learning, rather than as a judgement on my ability, was the most important change in my thinking this semester (Dweck, 2006). It also showed me that reflection is most useful when it leads to a specific change in behaviour, not just a record of events (Moon, 2006).
Action plan
In Semester 2 I will set a clear question before reading each source and keep a reading log that records the main argument, the evidence and my own evaluation, following the active reading approach in Cottrell (2019). I will also book two further Academic Skills Tutor sessions before my next summative deadline and…
[End of preview] The remaining sections are included in the full solution, which is available on order. They cover the rest of Reflection 1 (conclusion and action plan), Reflection 2 (Semester 2: digital tools, critical thinking and presentation skills) and the 1,500-word Portfolio ‘My Academic and Professional Development Journey’ (skills mapping, CV and LinkedIn, and a SMART personal development plan).
References
Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
Moon, J.A. (2006) Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.
Succi, C. and Canovi, M. (2020) ‘Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing students and employers’ perceptions’, Studies in Higher Education, 45(9), pp. 1834–1847. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1585420.
