ICC – 05/11/24 – Week 6: Writing your Reflective Statement

ICC – 05/11/24 – Week 6: Writing your Reflective Statement

Reflective Statement

What inspired you to join the Creative Computing BSc, and what do you hope to gain by the end of the course? 

I was inspired to join the Creative Computing BSc course because it offered me the chance to explore both practically and artistically, it bridged the gap between technology and creativity. I believed that unlike typical computing and coding courses that’s focal point is technical skills and IT experience, Creative Computing allowed for me to explore a wider variety of modern and current projects due to its creative approach to innovation. In addition to this, the dynamic approach to computing ensures that my studies are applicable to various industries which in turn gives me diverse career opportunities suitable for contributing to the rapidly evolving industry that is creative computing. By the end of the Creative Computing BSc course, I hope that I will have gained proficient technical and creative skills that will allow me to make meaningful and transformative changes to the industry meanwhile getting the opportunity to live and travel to interesting places as I implement my knowledge internationally. 

What skills or strengths do you bring to this course, and can you share specific examples (in or outside of school) of how you’ve applied them in the past?

Throughout me education and childhood I have acquired experiences and opportunities that have made me fit to make the most out of this course, I have many skills and strengths to bring to this course, including my outgoing nature and willingness to learn and adapt. I have always made conscious efforts to build my banks of knowledge and experience both academically and personally in order to suit the dynamic and rapidly evolving industry that I wish to work within. For instance, during my college education I was involved in writing two scientific papers, during which I oversaw the research process and collaborated with researchers which allowed me to gain a further understanding of scientific report writing which will assist me in my further education. It also refined my analytical and communication skills which will greatly benefit me in group work and in class discussions. Additionally to this I also participated in the Young Enterprise competition where I developed my professional mindset, team-working skills and problem-solving abilities. All key attributes for a successful academic! Having held several jobs each in varying roles, I have become efficient and effective at adapting to different group dynamics and familiarising myself with the involvement in being apart of a productive and worthwhile group with a shared goal. Moreover, during summer projects I have gained proficiency with working with large data sets, where I was responsible for cleaning and analysing data. This has further developed my technical skills as well as my attention to detail. This dynamic myriad of skills such as my adaptability, teamwork, analytical skills, and eagerness has ensured that I have the ability to excel from this course.

Which aspects of the course do you think will be most challenging for you personally, and how do you plan to approach them?

I’d say that potentially the most challenging aspects of the course would be self-doubt and a lack of confidence in my abilities, which could prevent my input and contributions in class discussions and group work. To address this challenge I aim to build my self-assurance by offering my opinions in class and familiarising myself with receiving constructive criticism from my peers as this can lead to development of knowledge and competencies in creative computing. Furthermore, I anticipate potential challenges when assigning tasks and roles in group work – either taking on too many or too little responsibilities could be an issue that I face. I aim to overcome this challenge by improving communication with the group, deciding on clear expectations and sharing tasks fairly/ equally. Additionally, being able to establish a routine that prioritises academic and social needs is essential to completing assignments and making the most out of living in a new city which in turn contributes to my overall well-being. To avoid unnecessary stress I will aim to complete tasks within a set time frame from its due date to avoid leaving things to the last minute and to a standard that is subpar to the standards I have for my work. Finally, perhaps my biggest concern for the course would be keeping up with the fast pace of coding classes. I intend to complement my in-class learning with further online tutorials and videos to reinforce and improve my understanding and confidence of course material.

Can you describe a communication challenge you’ve faced in a collaborative project and how you overcame it? 

During my education I have participated in various collaborative summer projects, of which I have experienced uneven work distribution which in turn has led to communication challenges and therefore delays in progress during the project. To address this issue and overcome it the team prioritised frequent gatherings to set clear goals and make certain that each member of the group was aware of expectations, set tasks and responsibilities. Open discussions in the group encouraged honest feedback and peer review which improved quality of work, group efficiency and the team’s overall cohesion. In conclusion, this prevented certain group members from being overwhelmed with the workload and confusion for others. 

What area of creative computing excites you the most right now, and how are you planning to deepen your knowledge in this area? 

Currently for me the most exciting area of creative computing is coding. This particular field excites me due to its adaptability and rapid evolution, it constantly offers new challenges and unique opportunities to create innovative and interesting solutions to modern issues. I find that coding that reflects real-life, in-time issues is particularly engaging to me as it makes projects significantly more impactful and relatable to their users and audiences. To further my knowledge in this area, I plan to attend additional workshops as well as eventually participating in hackathons held by the university. These experiences will not only develop my current abilities but will also allow me to network and work on collaborative projects with others that have more advanced coding experience and knowledge into specialist fields. By sharing these encounters with peers and mentors in industry-settings, I hope that I will gain new perspectives which will enable me to refine my technical coding skills.  

Feedback

Peer Review – Tia Grant

What went well: 
-The statement included strong points with clearly laid out examples.
-Paragraphs flow well which means it’s read easily.
What required improvement:
-Add seven more words. LOL!
-Honestly I’m not sure… I’m definitely not the right person to ask.
What to consider in the future:
-You could consider adding seven more words.
-You could potentially add references within the last paragraph with ideas for future projects.