Teaching ‘Networking with Others’: A Reflective Account
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v6i2.308Keywords:
Reflection, Academic Practice, Networking, Postgraduate Students, teaching methodsAbstract
Reflective practice is about seeing yourself and your life differently. It is a method of self-appraisal that, when used in academia, has the potential to provide insights that are not always immediately apparent to the practitioner. The author of this paper shares a piece of structured reflection based on Gibbs’s (1988) framework. This personal narrative relates to a teaching session entitled, ‘Networking with Others’ that was delivered to UK and International postgraduate health care students. It is this activity that forms the basis of this reflective work. A number of educational issues are considered as the reflection unfolds, many relating to methods and modes of delivery. The final part of this paper reports on an action plan developed to improve the session. This includes the adoption of more collaborative working in order to support the student’s professional as well as academic needs. It is anticipated that this new workshop style session will improve the learning experience, and provide students with a firm base from which to grow their networking skills for the future. In addition, the plan may offer suggestions for anyone running similar sessions throughout the UK and the world.
References
Argon, A., AlDoubi, S., Kaminski, K., Anderson, S. K., & Isaacs, N. (2014). Social networking: boundaries and limits part 1: Ethics. TechTrends, 58(2), 25-31. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-014-0734-9
Baroutian, S., & Kensington-Miller, B. (2016, January). Information literacy: The impact of a hands-on workshop for international postgraduate students. Education for Chemical Engineers. 14, 16-23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2015.10.001
Bennetts, C. (2003). Self-evaluation and self-perception of student learning in person-centered counselling training within a higher education setting, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 31(3), 305-323. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0306988031000147901
Donelan, H. (2016). Social media for professional development and networking opportunities in academia. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 40(5), 706-729. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2015.1014321
English Oxford Living Dictionaries. (2017). Definition of network in English. Retrieved 3rd January, 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/network
Entwistle, N. J. (2000). Promoting deep learning through teaching and assessment: Conceptual frameworks and educational contexts. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) Conference, Leicester, 9-10 November 2000. Paper retrieved from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/docs/entwistle2000.pdf
Fuller, A., (2007). Critiquing theories of learning and communities of practice. In J. Hughes, N. Jewson, & L. Unwin (Eds.), Communities of practice. Critical perspectives (pp. 17-29). Abingdon: Routledge.
Habermas, J. (1987). Knowledge and human interest. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hassanien, A. (2006). Student experience of group work and group assessment in higher education. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 6(1), 17-39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1300/j172v06n01_02
Hegel, G.W.F. (1964). The Phenomenology of mind, (J.B. Baillie, Trans.) London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. (Original work published 1807).
Hu, S., & Kuh, G. D. (2002). Being (dis)engaged in educationally purposeful activities: The influences of student and institutional characteristics, Research in Higher Education, 43(5), 555-575. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1020114231387
Hubball, H.T, & Pearson, M. L. (2011). Scholarly approaches to curriculum evaluation: critical contributions for undergraduate degree program reform in a Canadian context. In M. Saunders, P. Trowler V. Bamber (Eds.), Reconceptualising evaluation in higher education. The practice turn (pp.186-192). Maidenhead, England: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
Kaminski, K., Foley, J. M., & Kaiser, L. M. R. (2013). Applying Transfer in Practice. In L. M. R. Kaiser, K. Kaminski, & J. M. Foley, Learning transfer in adult education, Number 137, (pp 83-89). San-Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. New York, NY: Associated Press.
Krukowska, A. (2015). Effective relationship management as a survival skill for PhD students. Sport & Exercise Psychology Review. 11(2), 86-87.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Mahlanze, H. T., Sibiya, M. N., & Govender, S. (2015). Guided Reflection: A valuable tool for improving undergraduate student nurses’ levels of reflection. African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance (Supplement 1:2) 396-408.
Mitterle, A., Bloch, R., & Würmann, C. (2015). Time to teach. Revisiting teaching time in German higher education, Management Revue, 26(3), 203-226. doi: https://doi.org/10.5771/0935-9915-2015-3-203
Murphy, J., Lyon-Maris, J., Scallan, S., & Muir, A. (2016). The drama of communication. The Clinical Teacher, 14(1), 60-62. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12514
National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. (2017). What does an engaged university look like? Retrieved 3rd January, 2017, from https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/explore-it/what-does-engaged-university-look
Nilson, L. B. (2003). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. (2nd ed.). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing.
Paquette, K. R., Corbett, F., & Casses, M. (2015). Student evaluation response rates of teacher performance in higher education online classes. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 16(4), 71-82
Paterson, C., & Chapman, J. (2013). Enhancing skills of critical reflection to evidence learning in professional practice. Physical Therapy in Sport, 14(3), 133-138. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2013.03.004
Saunders, M. (2011). Setting the scene: the four domains of evaluative practice in higher education. In M. Saunders, P. Trowler & V. Bamber (Eds.) Reconceptualising evaluation in higher education. The practice turn (pp. 1-17). Maidenhead, England: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Fransisco, CA: Josey-Bass Inc.
Schwartz, M. S., & Fischer, K. W. (2006). Useful metaphors for tackling problems in teaching and learning. About Campus 11(1), 1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/abc.154
Springborg, C. (2010). Leadership as art -- leaders coming to their senses. Leadership, 6(3), 243-258. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715010368766
Stout, D. E. (2016 June). Things I have learned (thus far)…reflections of an accounting academic. Journal of Accounting Education, 35, 1-19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccedu.2016.03.001
Streeter, J. (2014). Networking in academia. EMBO Reports. 15(11), 1109-1112. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.15252/embr.201439626/full
Succar T., Grigg, J., Beaver, H. A., Lee, A. G. (2016). Core competencies in ophthalmology: A systematic review of best practices in teaching ophthalmology to medical students. Survey of Ophthalmology, 61(1), 83-94. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.survophthal.2015.09.001
Taylor, D. (2016). Performance. London, England: Duke University Press.
Thompson, E. C. (2006). Internet-mediated networking and academic dependency in Indonesia, Malasia, Singapore and the United States. Current Sociology, 54(1), 41-61. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392106058833
Vitae. Realising the potential of researchers. (2017). Professional development for researchers. Retrieved 3rd January, 2017, from https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development
WetFeet (Firm) (2008). Networking works. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA : Universum.
Williams, D., Smith, K., Yasin, N., & Pitchford, I. (2013). Evaluating the state of enterprise training for postgraduate researchers in the UK, Education + Training, 55(8/9), 849-867. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/et-06-2013-0083
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice has made best effort to ensure accuracy of the contents of this journal, however makes no claims to the authenticity and completeness of the articles published. Authors are responsible for ensuring copyright clearance for any images, tables etc which are supplied from an outside source.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
