What is it?
Reflective Learners
| Attribute dimension | University of Glasgow graduates... |
|---|---|
| Academic | Use feedback productively to reflect on their work, achievements and self-identity |
| Personal | Set aspirational goals for continuing personal, professional and career development |
| Transferable | Identify and articulate their skills, knowledge and understanding confidently and in a variety of contexts |
How will my degree develop it?
How will my degree develop it?
Why did you come to university? To study a subject you love? To help you get a better job in the future? For the social life? Or maybe it felt like the logical next step after school?
Some people seem to be born knowing what they want to achieve in life: for others it can take a bit longer to discover what they’re passionate about. The student experience offers all sorts of opportunities to help you along the way – there are hundreds of clubs and societies to try, work placements, study abroad schemes and thousands of people to meet – but sometimes even deciding where to start can seem daunting.
Personal Development Planning (PDP) is a series of reflective tools and processes which can help you to approach these questions logically and effectively. Our e-portfolio software Mahara is available for the use of all students and contains specially tailored templates and exercises to help you in putting together your own PDP.
You don’t need to have your future mapped out from day one. You’re encouraged to start small, working through the processes to plan out how you’ll achieve shorter-term goals such as getting a better grade for your next assignment or improving the quality of your academic writing.
As your confidence in the reflective process grows, you can start to apply it to bigger and bigger objectives – perhaps reflecting on your student experience so far as to decide which subject you wish to carry on to honours level.
Eventually, you’ll want to tackle life after university. University Careers offer all sorts of workshops, seminars and guidance services to help you in thinking about your future – and thanks to PDP, once you’ve found your calling you’ll be equipped with all the skills you need to map out your route to get there.
But being a reflective learner is about more than knowing where you’re going. Engaging in reflection helps you to appreciate your full value – identifying your achievements, skills, qualities and important experiences – and articulate those to others.
You’ll recognise your key strengths and back them up with considered examples. You’ll be able to describe personal weaknesses you identified in the past and the positive action you took to address them. And most of all, you’ll be able to demonstrate a level of self-awareness and maturity that sets you apart from the crowd.
How else can I develop it?
How else can I develop it?
In many ways, being a reflective learner is the most important attribute of all. Identifying the value of your time here at Glasgow is not only important for your personal confidence and satisfaction, it’s critical if you’re looking to enter the job market. Polish your inner mirror to a fine sheen:
- Mahara can help you to organise your thoughts and record your experiences. Get the most out of it with a training course in using it effectively.
- Visit the University Careers Service website to learn about the career paths open to you and how to market yourself effectively. Not sure where to turn your talents next? Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser
- Got an unquenchable thirst for learning? Postgraduate study might be just what you're looking for