Computer Architecture - Content Analysis- Reflective Journal

Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Reflective Writing ABN: 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 29 March 2017 Page 1 of 3 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051

Reflective Writing: Tips and Samples

Reflective writing is a subjective method of reviewing your personal thoughts about a

particular topic. In higher education, students are commonly asked to reflect on what

they have learned during a particular class or honestly assess their experience when

completing an assignment.

Reflective writing is:

 More personal than traditional academic writing. You can use personal

pronouns (e.g. I, we, my) and you should provide your perceptions about the

course or content.

 Concerned with specific aspects that you found challenging, and how you

overcame them.

 Focused on comparing, contrasting and analysing an idea or event based on

your own perspective

 Still written in a formal structure. Use full sentences and complete paragraphs.

Things to avoid

x Simply recounting what you learned or what happened

x Only summarising the topic or process

x Writing dishonestly about your experiences

Self-Reflection Process

Describe

Analyse

Evaluate

You

Choose one part of the

learning experience and write

about what happened

Explain what the learning

experience means from your

perspective

Choose one part of the learning experience and write about what

happened

Choose one part of the learning experience and write about what

happened

Choose one part of the learning experience and write about what

happened

Show how successful the

learning experience was for

you

Explain how this changed your

understanding of a topic or

yourself

Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Reflective Writing ABN: 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 29 March 2017 Page 2 of 3 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051

Example One: Reflective Journal Entry

My first month studying at Kent has been a difficult experience. It took me some time

to find a job and I have to work a lot to afford food, rent and school fees. It has also

been hard because I did not know any other students and I sometimes have trouble

understanding my lecturer. A positive factor is that I enjoy studying my subjects and

feel very motivated to achieve high distinctions in every subject. I have found that

writing lecture notes by hand has made it easier to remember more information, so I

will aim to write organised notes for every class. This has enabled me to review all

lectures after class and makes it easier to understand each chapter of the textbook.

One strategy that I want to use is to ask more questions in class. I often feel shy and

embarrassed but I know that I will not understand unless I ask my lecturer. I also want

to push myself to talk to other students and I can ask questions to them too. I have

learnt that studying as part of a group is an effective method of revising, so I’d like to

make some more friends before the mid-trimester exams and hopefully I can study

with other people. As part of this approach, I have been attending the weekly study

group sessions and regularly complete my assignments in the library with other

students. This has made me feel more positive about studying, especially when

completing difficult subjects.

Outside of class, I want to take more time to relax. The first few weeks have felt

overwhelming and sometimes I get really stressed. I am going to try read a textbook

chapter in bed and try to get to sleep earlier. Getting more sleep will hopefully make

me feel awake and alert when I go to lectures.

Example Two: Self Reflection on an Assignment

Last week I submitted my final essay for Business Communication. The topic of the

essay was whether or not communication skills were more important than technical

skills, and my essay argued that communication skills were more important. In

researching this topic, I analysed the importance of communication skills in fields such

as health and IT—both of which require extensive technical skills—and concluded that

roles in these fields still require effective communication in order to complete their

respective job responsibilities properly.

One of the major issues I had was finding academic sources for my assignment. I had

never used an academic database before and was unsure about how to find relevant

sources. It took quite some time to analyse the essay topic, understand the key words

and then put these words into EBSCO. When I could not find any sources straight

away, I became quite frustrated. After talking to ALS, I learnt how to develop alternative

search terms and use Boolean operators to limit my search to more relevant sources.

This made it much easier to narrow down the search and find academic articles that

Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Reflective Writing ABN: 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 29 March 2017 Page 3 of 3 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051

were directly relevant to the topic I was investigating. These searches produced peer-

reviewed articles that examined key case studies in health and IT, which proved useful

in supporting my essay argument.

Another issue I faced was structuring the essay. I had several key points I wished to

discuss, but the assignment was limited to 1000 words. As a result, I downloaded the

essay plan template on the ALS Moodle page and mapped out three key points that I

wanted to make to support my essay argument. This made the structure much easier

to follow, and it also made me think deeply about the essay content. I needed to focus

on the most important elements and assess whether or not each sentence and

paragraph was essential to supporting my argument. For example, I decided to omit a

paragraph that examined the role of communication in schools, because I felt that

health and IT were more relevant topics to consider in regards to technical skills.

Overall, completing this assignment developed my research and writing structure

skills. I had difficulties with finding sources and selecting key points for analysis, yet I

was able to overcome these challenges through attending an ALS consultation, using

the guides available on Moodle and assessing which elements of my essay were

essential in supporting my main argument. For future assignments, I will aim to always

use an essay plan template and use academic articles as part of my analysis.

Further Resources

For further information on reflective writing, see Chapter 22 of Judith Dwyer’s

Communication for Business and the Professions (the Business Communication

textbook).

Reference

Dwyer, J 2013, Communication for Business and the Professions: Strategies and

Skills, 5th ed, Pearson, Sydney.

Library catalogue number/shelf location

658.45