UCS Reflection

 The module given me valuable insights to what I can improve in my writings , speech and the way of thinking. With several drafts for reader response and report writings ,  I have learnt the way to cite resources based on APA 7th Edition , differentiate between sources that are backed with research and author's opinion, select important information from sources and paraphrase in my own words. With continued assessment and practice on writing, it has also sharpened my grammar and vocabulary knowledge. The PEEL format also provided clarity to my essay writing , enabling me to pitch my opinion that is well-structured with a strong focus.  The mock presentation conducted in class was an insight for how I am able to cope with stress and stuttered speech , which were the flaws I had during my time in polytechnic,  with valuable feedback from my professor and peers , I was able to work on my weaknesses and was able to prepare better for the final presentation. With the final presentation ,  I was able to hone non-verbal communication skills such as eye contact, body language and hand gestures which are very important in garnering attention to me as a speaker. With the help from past feedbacks ,  I was more confident in my final presentation and it helped to make me grow as an individual by practising on presentations, I do feel it is an important skillset to learn for future modules and careers.  I was able to learn new things about setting a presentation, such as parallel bullet points and black screen to divert attention to the speaker. To further improve on these skillsets,  reading more research reports and articles can help me bridge the gap between differentiating sources that are based on opinions or backed by research. To improve on presentations and body language, I have found great interest in watching videos from World Champion of Public Speaking such as Darren Tay who is a Singaporean that won the contest. Overall, I feel that the UCS module has helped me to be a confident speaker and competent writer for essays or reports.

From the team project,  I have learnt that I do not have the utmost confidence in delivering speech and presentation effectively. I tend to stutter or stop momentarily under stress and have not been truly able to speak with full confidence without any jitters. I also have learnt that my teammates also do feel the same and it is human nature for us to feel pressured , especially when such scenarios are graded.  No matter how many hours were put into rehearsing the script for the presentation, I will not know how I would perform till it is the time for me to give the presentation which I find it is hard for me to improve on as these emotions are rather spontaneous and would only be triggered when it's a graded presentation with the class full of people. I have tried my best to use body language with the best of my ability , however ,  I feel that I can still improve the hand gestures and make it more natural as a plethora of words have different hand gestures that using a wrong hand gesture can be seem as inappropriate. The project also tested my writing skills , as I put under the focus on gathering sources and information about electric vehicles and their vehicular processes which I had no background knowledge on. It was rather challenging to step into a space without familiarity but I took it as a learning path to be a more competent writer. The difficulty in understanding unfamiliar concepts helps me adapt to be more prepared in learning new information , and being only familiar with AMA citation , it was hard to adapt to the APA 7th Edition , throughout the draft report writing,  I was more confident in citing sources based on APA. The report writing has changed my perception of learning to be more adaptable to change of scenarios , such as only citing in APA 7th edition and writing a report with no prior knowledge. It has helped me understand the need to be versatile in any field of study and not to only stick to what you know. I feel that the project improved my teamwork coordination and initiative towards the work needed to be done , while also gaining experience in being quick to understand new knowledge.  These experiences that will not only solely impact my work towards report writing or presentations but also contributes towards my life-long learning in the future as well.