Graduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning unit:ELT502 Enhancing Professional Practice: reflective essay

Developed by Dr Sharon Thomas and Moira Cordiner

Synopsis of the task and its context

This is the first task in the unit. It is a 3000 word reflective essay, written in the first person and weighted 50%. Students are required to engage in a process of peer observation with one or two of their peers, and document their personal experiences in a descriptive and reflective journal. These experiences are as a peer observer and as someone being observed. This journal forms a database of evidence that is used first to describe the process they undertook, and then to analyse and evaluate it to draw out themes and relationships between these themes. The journal is not submitted for assessment. Once the description and the analysis have been completed, students use theseto critically reflect on the impact of the process on their thinking about teaching and learning. The purpose of this is to make them aware of their strengths and limitations, their openness (or otherwise) to having convictions challenged and hence help them devise acourse of actionfor future teaching and learning practice. Research literature as well as the journal is to inform and be used as evidence to justify analyses, evaluations and reflections.

Match between learning outcomes/objectives and criteria for the task

Learning outcomes / new task-specific criteria
On completion of this unit, you should be able to: / To complete this task, you are to:
2. engage in a process of peer observation to enhance your professional practice / 1. engage in a process of peer observation by:
  • designing and implementing the process of peer observation from the perspectives of the:
observer
person being observed
  • analysing and evaluating the data from your journal

3. design, implement and evaluate different assessment strategies
1. demonstrate the qualities of a reflective practitioner by critically reflecting on the assumptions that underpin professional practice / 2. demonstrate the qualities of a reflective practitioner by:
  • critically reflecting on the impact of the peer observation processon your thinking about teaching and learning
  • supporting your reflection with evidence(experiential and literature based)

  • communicate in academic writing:
expression and English conventions (spelling, punctuation, grammar)
use of literature
APA referencing of literature sources

Student name

Task: A personal account of the peer observation processweighting 50 %
criteria / HD / DN / CR / PP
In your personal account, you: / In your personal account, you: / In your personal account, you: / In your personal account, you:
1. engage in a process of peer observation by:
  • designing and implementing the process of peer observation from the perspectives of the:
observer
person being observed
  • analysing and evaluating the data from your journal
Weighting 30% /
  • provided a detailed, and systematic description of the design process that:
/
  • provided a detailed description of the design process that:
/
  • provided a detailed description of the design process that:
/
  • provided a brief description of the design process that:

included all the stages
focussed on your context and perspective as well as being sensitive to and respectful of your peer’s context and perspective / included most of the stages
was primarily focussed on your context and perspective / included some of the stages
was focussed only on your context and perspective
  • thoroughly and insightfully analysed and evaluated a balanced selection of ‘raw data’ from your journal to:
/
  • thoroughly analysed and evaluated a mostly balancedselection of ‘raw data’ from your journal to:
/
  • analysed and evaluated a selection of ‘raw data’ from your journal to:
/
  • partially analysed and evaluated a selection of ‘raw data’ from your journal to:

identify emerging personal and professional themes / identify emerging professional and some personal themes / identify some emerging professional themes
explain the relationships between these themes / explain some of the relationships between these themes / make general statements about relationships between these themes
support these themes and relationships with relevant and convincing evidence / support these themes and relationships with relevant evidence / support these themes and relationships with mostly relevant evidence / support these themes with some relevant evidence
2. demonstrate the qualities of a reflective practitioner by:
  • critically reflecting on the impact of the peer observation process on your thinking about teaching and learning
  • supporting your reflection with evidence (experiential and literature- based)
Weighting 60% /
  • critically reflected on the impact of the peer observation process by:
/
  • reflected on the impact of the peer observation process by:

recognising the strengths and limitations of your and others’ understanding of teaching and learning / recognising the strengths and limitations of your understanding of teaching and learning / stating whether it affirmed or challenged your current practice in teaching and learning
questioning your convictions with integrity and open-mindedness by: / questioning your convictions with open-mindedness by: / questioning your convictions by: / confirming your convictions by:
revealing how receptive you are to feedback or criticism and suggesting why this may be the case / revealing how receptive you are to feedback or criticism / revealing how reactive you are to feedback or criticism / justifying your reaction to your peer’s feedback or criticism
usingrelevant and convincing evidence to challenge your practice, habits, and beliefs / usingrelevant evidence to challenge your practice, habits, and beliefs / usingrelevant evidence to challenge yourpractice, habits, and beliefs / reiterating why yourpractice, habits, and beliefs do not need to be challenged
comprehensively explaining and illustrating how personal histories and institutional environment can affect professional practice / explaining and illustrating how personal histories and institutional requirements can affect professional practice / explaining how personal histories and institutional requirements can affect professional practice / implying how personal histories and institutional requirements can affect professional practiceby describing your context
proposing a realistic course of action for your future practice, by perceptively applying what you have learned from the peer observation process / proposing a realistic course of action for your future practice, by applying what you have learned from the peer observation process / making some suggestions about yourfuture practice by applying aspects of what you have learned from the peer observation process / outlining what you had learned from the peer observation process so that the reader had to infer your intentions for future practice
  • supported your reflection with evidence by:

stating and justifying a position on the peer observation process in general by: / justifying a position on the peer observation process in general by: / implying a position on the peer observation process in general by:
referring in detail to the benefits, limitations and complexities of the peer observation process / referring to the benefits, limitations and some of the complexities of the peer observation process / referring to the benefits and limitations of the peer observation process / mentioning either the benefits or the limitations of the peer observation process
comparing your experience to the research literature (including discipline-specific) / comparing your experience to the research literature / comparing your experience to the research literature
3. communicate in academic writing:
expression and
English conventions (spelling, punctuation, grammar)
use of literature
APA referencing of literature sources
Weighting 10% /
  • consistently communicated in fluent academic writing by:
/
  • predominantly communicated in fluent academic writing by:
/
  • communicated in fluent academic writing by:
/
  • communicated in academic writing by:

using coherent, concise and cohesive expression by adhering to English conventions / using coherent and partly cohesive expression by adhering to English conventions
integrating a range of relevant, scholarly literature (generic and discipline-specific) to support justification of your views / integrating a range of relevant, scholarly literature to support justification of your views / integratingrelevantscholarly literature to support justification of your views / usedsome scholarly literature to support justification of your views
accurately referencing all sources using the APA convention / accurately referencing most sources using the APA convention
Comments:Grade: