Development professional practice.
Summary document
introduction
The student development file is an academic document which follows the development of students in an academic field. The student is required to fill in learning log matrices in the course of the whole course which will cover each and every aspect of the course. The student is exposed to various finance and business course units which are meant to develop his or her professionalism in the field of finance. This is done through utilizing the student development file duly filled by the student and the various workshops in the developing professional practice (DPP). This course is very important in this specialization for the post graduate students. A summary of the course units and workshops and their importance to the students will be highlighted in the course of this paper. This course calls for quality, integrity and professionalism other than the academic skills that it imparts in the students.( White, et al. 2000)
Literature review
Development refers growing over time to a more complex nature of organisation of a living thing or of a given concept. Much has been written about self and personal development. Personal development involves developing both self and others while self development involves developing only ones self. Self development involves developing one’s own talents and capabilities, improving self –knowledge and adding value to your skills and talents to be ahead of others. It also involves working to better ones social interaction skills. (Cincotta, et al 2000)
Different school of thoughts regard self development in different ways. The western school of thought emphasizes on developing one’s self in an academic field. This school emphasizes on the aspect of education and especially higher education. Writers of Sumantra Ghoshal and Christopher Bartlett are of the idea that employees in organizations should trained on how to evaluate themselves individually for the good performance of organizations. Looking at the program in MMU Cheshire, there is no much difference if any with the propagated ideas of personal and self development. The program is well in line with the ideas of various authors.
Sources of research ideas
This unit entails that students have knowledge of where to get good research ideas. It exposes students to already written business and management papers and reports to try and gather information of what has been done and in what way. The unit will help students to come up with novel ideas or improve on what has already been done. Students are also taught on the importance of brain storming hence enabling them to think logically and critically. In this unit i was able to learn to think critically and also developed ideas of what my dissertation would be about. This also helped me to be prepared to approach the business environment with all its uncertainties. I also learnt the importance of literature review and how to add value to existing knowledge. The consultancy practice was also very valuable as it will go a long way in imparting in me the skills of interviewing which will be necessary in the actual field of practice.
Formulating research questions
This involved learning on how to come up with questions that would guide a research in attaining its objectives. Having research questions sets your mind into track about what techniques you are to use in data collection in order to answer the questions. Good research questions give a concrete reason as to why the research is being done. It enables one to have a definite plan of the intended research. This knowledge enabled me to come up with credible question for my dissertation after thoroughly going through materials that have been done in my area of research. This will also go a long way in the actual field to come up with analytical questions to solve problems in the real world. I am hoping to really use this knowledge in the banking sector. This unit also gave us skills of coming up with research proposal. This is document that is meant to show what research you want to carry out, how and why. It shows whether you research idea is feasible or not. In this unit i was able to correct some issues in my plan for the dissertation and streamlined my plan according to the principles learned here.(Ravenga, et al. 2000)
Academic writing
This is another important area in which a postgraduate student should be knowledgeable in. Writing according to this unit is not just about putting down pen to paper. It involves a well laid down plan of ideas and understanding of the topic in which you want to write about. Data presentation is an integral part of a student’s dissertation. One should be in a position to present data in the simplest and most logical manner as possible. Academic writing should be formal and coherent. I learnt in this course that it is always wise to carefully plan before going down to write. You should spend more time planning than writing. Previously i could just start writing without a detailed plan leading to papers with illogical ideas. I now learnt how to plan and write in a logical manner which helps a great deal in my final research report. I also discovered that i was much of a patch work kind of a writer and that is why it would be possible to find some of my ideas in my papers not linking in a logical manner. I know plan to work harder and practice more in my writing skills towards becoming an architect writer in the course of my time as a student. This will also be a plus in the field i will join in as i will be required to write numerous reports.
Presentation skills workshop
This involved data presentation in summary and graphic images. It was meant to show if the student really had grasped the idea behind the project he was intending to carry. It required students to review critically and synthesize the data for presentation. Students were required to identify an issue within an organization and select a specific topic for analysis. This could translate to their final dissertation paper. The idea was the supposed to be presented in graphics and pictures in the simplest way possible. I learnt from this the skills of breaking down complex information into simple structures that could be presented simply and in the shortest time possible. I also acquired the skill of mind mapping which enables me to organize different data in my mind and present it in a simple and logical manner which can be understood by any one. Mind mapping also enable me to tackle many issues both academic and professional. I am also in a position to commit so much into memory in simple and easy to remember structures. I discovered that i had the capacity to commit so much to memory. The only problem was that i never organised the data and tried to put even the most minute of information hence as a result i forget much of the information or confusing the ideas. The skill will help me in my field of practice as i am bound to deal with many issues thus require an excellent memory. I have set a plan to train my memory for the next three weeks to determine my effectiveness. (Laurence, W. 1999.)
Reflective practice
This unit involved training the student to put to practice what has been learned in the course. It involved drawing up a strategic plan of the activities one intended to do. It also requires one to fully demonstrate the various professional skills that have been learned in the course. The students were required to make analysis about their own development and produce a summary of the same which has been the case in this paper. You were supposed to show understanding of the various units and workshops in the course and provide your own assessment. By doing this, i am discovering my areas of weaknesses and strengths. I have put some efforts to dully work smart to improve my strengths and offset my weakness. By doing this i will be improving on my professional skills thus being even more suitable for my area of my specialization. It is always vital to know your strengths and weaknesses in order to be a more effective and efficient resource. If you know your weaknesses in the field that you are engaged in then you will know what to do to make your strengths work to their optimum for you and how you will suppress your weaknesses to avoid them dragging you.
Research skills
The students in this unit were required to go through various other researches before writing their own. This was a critical part as it required to have mastered the various conventions of what entails research writing. In this case we acquired knowledge of what a research is and why it is necessary to research on various fields. An important aspect of this unit was to understand what a research topic is and how and where to come up with a viable one. A research should be based on a defined locality or area and not just anywhere. This knowledge would help me to use the limited available resources carefully and economically in both my academic and career experiences Any research should be guided by research questions and some theory. I learnt how to create sensible research questions that could adequately lead to the objectives or aims of the research program. I also got some knowledge of where to get related literature and a theory or theories to form the frame work of my dissertation. I discovered that there are actually many areas where you can acquire knowledge and information from other than the library. Sources of data or information are important whether it is in the academic field or in a person’s career. Having the skills to gather information quickly will give you a competitive edge over other companies. I discovered that i actually had skills to collect data only that i was not putting the skills to practice. I thus resolved to read widely not only on my dissertation but also in the course of my career. By doing this i will always be informed therefore staying a step ahead of my competitors. Research can be done on various angles. The nature of your problem determines what kind of research you are going to employ that would give you the most plausible results. The data generation and assessment is also very important as it will determine the results of the whole project. Wrong data or wrong data assessment may result to unwanted or false results.
Self development groups
We were engaged in student development groups where we gained hands on skills on how to relate with other professionals in a business environment. With this I also learnt to relate with people both professionally and socially. Strategic management skills have enabled me to be in a position to manage various resources and also being in a position to balance between work and social life. My major strengths lie on the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. I still require some polishing up on research and writing skills. The student help groups have been such an important tool in developing of personal practice as you learn about how to manage people. In any organisation the most important resource is the human research. Having the capacity to manage the human resource will go a long way in the success of one’s firm or organization. The personnel are the pivot of an organisation. (Burke, et al. 2000)
Proposal for continuing professional development
I am a post graduate finance student in the department of business and management at MMU Cheshire. I have a degree in mathematics but no working experience in the field. I decided to take finance immediately i graduated with mathematics to further my skills not only in finance but in the business sector in general.(Stein, et al.2000)
The unit of this course has also given me lessons on self development. Self development involves learning as much as you can in your field of study but also spreading your tentacles further to gain more knowledge in other related and non related fields. This will put you in a better position as compared to other professionals in the same field from other institutions.
Throughout the course, i was exposed to various course units which contributed so much to my personal and professional development. This course was mostly based on research, academic writing and presentation skills. The course units were both theoretical and practical.
It is necessary for post graduates to possess skills such as academic writing, presentation skills, research and cooperation skills. This should be portrayed as the student progresses through the semester in the learning logs and the practical lessons like during presentations. I have gained presentation skills especially after being exposed to the mind map technique. This enables me to critically analyze and present data in a logical and flowing manner by being able to link ideas of a given topic. I have also learnt writing research reports. This will go a long way in writing my dissertation as well as in advancing my knowledge one i get into the banking sector. Although i need to study more on various research reports to improve on report writing. In the field of research, i have also learnt various techniques of data collections. These techniques are determined by the literature review which gives you knowledge regarding you field of study. (Barbault, et al. 1995)
I am looking forward to a lucrative banking career which would not have been possible if i had not undertaken this unit. As of the moment, it will not only be possible but even a lot easier to work not only as a banker but also in entirely any business management or finance field. I have really improved on various aspects which will be very important in the course of my career. Considering that i do not have any working experience, this unit has really helped me gain confidence to face real world situations by the numerous workshops that simulated the actual working environment.
The self assessment skills will also be important in the work environment. This will make me have the ability to assess myself and determine my level of performance. This is important in an organisation where with this skill you work confidently without the fear of whether you are performing or not. You will thus be in a position to focus your abilities towards optimisation as you work without fear. (Primack, 2006)
Proposals
After going through the course as a student and as a partial observer, i would say that the DDP unit really gives student an opportunity to grow not only academically but also professionally which is a vital element in today’s competitive world. The idea of students assessing themselves while still under the supervision and guidance of their tutors enables them to develop skills not only of self development but also of how to develop others in the same circumstances. There is no way in which a person can lie to himself. This means that one will comfortably assess others based on the qualities he or she has imparted in himself.
Conclusion
The DPP is in all a very important and necessary course to go through in the process of your course for you to emerge as a top class professional. It is in overall a good training technique which allows student to learn a lot easily and in an interesting manner.
This course enables a learner to develop him or herself to satisfy the conditions set by the organization under which he works. DDP also enhances self development in away that the learner not only works towards fulfilling the company objectives but also her own goals. It enables one to be prepared to any kind of work situation.
DDP is therefore of great importance to both a worker/learner and the organization as a whole and should therefore be embraced in the training of individual employees.
REFERENCES
Barbault, et al.( 1995) Principles business assessments. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Burke, et al. .(2000)writing business proposals: Coastal Ecosystems. Washington, D.C World Resources institute.
Cincotta, R. and Engelmann R(2000).principals of management. Washington, D.C. Population Action International.
Laurence, W. (1999.) Reflections on business strategies .London Oxford University press.
Ravenga, et al. (2000) Business and investments Washington, D.C: World Resources Institute.
White, et al. (2000)How to write business proposals. Washington, D. C : World Resources Institute.
Stein, et al.(2000) Essentials of business planning. New York: Oxford University Press.
Primack, B. (2006)Funds management Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.
