DEC400L-200 Impact ePortfolio
Activity 4.2: Artifact List Assignment
- Took part in a mock interview
June 2020
Learned communication skills
How to appear in an interview
Presentation skills
Reflection: This artifact, other than being required for the class, is important because it shows my growth in terms of presenting myself during a professional interview. I spend time creating this artifact because it was a representation of my ability to communicate freely and in a conversational way, which makes the flow of information effective. Additionally, it is a reminder of how I should appear during an interview because an individual’s appearance determines how other people perceive them. In the process of creating this artifact, I followed a strict criterion, whereby I grouped the skills gained in terms of adequacy. I chose this topic based on the activity; that is, I interviewed with my mentor. Although it was a mock interview, it was a representation of the actual professional interview environment. I asked help from my mentor on how to determine whether success has been achieved. It took me half a day to create this artifact because I had to spend some time with my mentor and revise on the necessity of the object in my portfolio. This artifact supports my claim for growth because I have developed practical communication skills, how to prepare for an interview, and presentation skills. While creating this artifact, I learned that I could continually improve how I appear in front of different people, depending on the environment and the perceptions of the people. The weakness of this artifact is that it was conducted within a limited time frame. I can use this artifact in the future during professional interviews during a job search and evaluate job applicants as a future employer. If I were going to do this mock interview again, I would do it with people from different professions to get their varied perspectives and sharpen my skills.
- Communication skills assessment
July 2020
Determining the scores of different communication techniques
Reflection: I spent time creating this artifact because it has been essential in my growth as a life-long learner. It helped me understand my competence in different communication techniques. Knowing how to communicate in different cultures is vital because it will help understand others better, gather information quickly, and enhance the development of better relationships. I created this artifact based on the activity that I engaged in. I took part in an exam that assessed my communication skills, including oral communication techniques, written communication skills, and the use of body language and expressions. After the assessment, the scores were tabulated, allowing me to know areas where I needed to improve. The creation of this artifact was easy because my scorers were sent to my email. I took an hour to review the results and assess whether I had improved in my weaker areas. Communication skills assessment supports my claims for growth because it shows my competence and proficiency in different communication techniques before the evaluation and after the review. Following the evaluation, I understood areas where I needed to improve and areas where I showed exceptional performance. The strengths of this aspect are, helping me improve on my communication skills, allowing me to master my weaknesses, and allowing me to address my gaps and maximize my strengths. A significant shortcoming of this artifact is that the assessments were not continuous, thus making it difficult to ascertain the level of success realized. This artifact will be useful in the future because it will help me know how to communicate in different contexts and to diverse audiences. Besides, it will enhance my ability to established connections with other people. I would want to complete this artifact by conducting several assessments because growth is a continuous process, which requires ongoing, positive, and timely feedback.
- Took part in a project to identify a community issue
June 2020 – in progress
Determine the severity of teenage pregnancy
Find viable solutions to address the same.
Assess the success of the project
Reflection: I took part in creating this artifact, which is still in progress because it allowed me to engage in an activity to identify a problem affecting my community and propose viable solutions to address the same. Also, I spend time creating this artifact because it allowed me to exercise my research skills and assessment techniques. It was an excellent exposure, which allowed me to express my ideas on how to secure a productive future for the vulnerable teenage population. I chose my topic based on the activity that I engaged in. Identification of the issue affecting my community was the issue I addressed, and thus compelled me to use it as the topic of my artifact. In the process of creating this artifact, I consulted a couple of people, including my mentor, coworkers, members of the community, and community leaders. These stakeholders were famous because this was not a personal problem. Instead, it affected the community as a whole and the futures of millions of teenage girls across the world. I checked the severity of the problem before and after the research to analyze the level of success achieved. It took me two days to develop this artifact because I had to consult different people on the importance and relevance of the object in my portfolio. Asking these people gave me confidence in my ability to engage in community development programs. This artifact supports my claims for growth because I have learned how to conduct comprehensive research, work with others towards an ordinary course, and work towards the provision of solutions to existing community problems. The strengths of this artifact are that it shows my ability to work within a limited time frame, work in teams, find answers to severe community problems, and help members of the community towards the achievement of better livelihoods. This artifact will be useful in the future because it will promote research and problem-solving skills. I would not complete this artifact in any other way.
- Organizational strategy course MGT495-200
July 2020- In Progress
Problem-solving techniques
Communication
Decision-making skills
Reflection: There are different reasons why I created this artifact. One is a course I am taking and has helped me gain the necessary skills and knowledge for my future career. I created this artifact because it shows my academic attainment and its relevance to my major. Taking a course in organizational strategy is necessary because I will be working in a corporate setting. Thus, interpersonal, communication, leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving techniques are critical. The process I took to create this artifact was based on the course name, as presented in the syllabus. I used the name of the course to differentiate it from other classes, which I have engaged in at Tiffin University. I am still engaged in the creation of this artifact because the cause is not yet completed. I have performed different revisions, including all the activities and weekly assignments. To ensure that each event is comprehensively revised, I dedicated an hour and two for the tasks. This was adequate time for me to grasp all concepts learned in class. This artifact shows my continued growth because every week, I take class activities to test my abilities to understand the concepts taught in class and assess whether I have met the set objectives. There are student responses and feedback from my instructor, which helped me address identified mistakes and improve in my weaker areas. In the process of creating this artifact, I learned that the process of gaining knowledge is continuous and can be randomized or structured. The strengths of this artifact are enabling me to develop problem-solving techniques, practical communication skills, and decision-making skills. This artifact is necessary for the future because it will show that I can be useful in any organizational setting. Possession of these skills is essential in a work environment because they lead to the achievement of competitive advantages. If I were to go back, I would still take this course.
- Theory and Application of Leadership SCS400-200
July 2020- in progress
Learned different leadership skills
Learn how leaders can solve community challenges
Learn how leadership can be improved.
Reflection: Other than being a requirement for the class, I created this artifact because it is a course that I have become passionate about. Taking part in this course has allowed me to know myself better in terms of leadership skills. Also, I created this artifact because, in my future career path, I want to be a leader. Thus, it is necessary to master how leadership is used to solve problems affecting followers and other members of the community. I also created this artifact because, without proper guidance, a team, organization, and society cannot achieve their set objectives. I named this artifact after the course I am taking. I used the name of the class because it allows the reader to know what type of content was covered. I included this artifact in my portfolio because of the influence of my instructor in one of the feedbacks. It was positive feedback, which highlighted ways of choosing practical and useful artifacts to use in my portfolio. This course has weekly discussions and an assignment, which I revised based on student responses and instructor feedback. This artifact supports my claims for growth because since the course began in July, I have learned different leadership skills, known the approaches that leaders can use to address community challenges, and how the process of leadership can be improved. In the process of creating this artifact, I learned that leadership is a skill that is acquired and can be nurtured to achieve optimal outcomes. The strengths of this artifact are that it highlights my ability to adopt different leadership skills based on the environment, followers, and the context. I can say that the fact that the course is still in progress makes it difficult to know the cumulative achievements and level of success. This course is useful in the future because it will allow me to lead people from diverse backgrounds and facilitate the completion of competitive advantages in my future firm. Thus, if taken back in time, I would still consider this course.
- Academic research project
July 2020
Learned how to determine the credibility of an educational source
How effective research can be done
What sources should be used in an essay and which should be avoided
Reflection: I spend time creating this artifact because, in my future career path, I would want to be able to engage in fruitful research projects. Majoring in finance implies that I will be involved in many types of research. Therefore, participating in an academic research project allowed me to know how credible research can be done. Also, I created this artifact because it helped me realize that I will be exposed to many sources during my work. Therefore, before making any decision, it will be necessary to have the right facts. The criteria I used to name this artifact was based on the activity engaged in. The main event that I engaged in during this project was the identification of credible sources. Because the type of research was academic, I decided to call it an educational research project. My instructor in DEC400L-200 helped me with essential points regarding the credibility of a source and how to identify the most relevant sources, which are consistent with the study topic. I revised past research papers and the references provided in the Tiffin University Pfeiffer Library. Exploring sources from different journals and search engines provided an opportunity to make better choices and result in excellent researches. It took me nearly a day to go through various sources and learn which are most useful in my cases. This artifact supports my claims for growth because today, I can know whether a cause can be used in academic research, conduct researches effectively, and know the sources to be avoided during an investigation. While creating this artifact, I learned that not all sources could be used in the study, unless competency is not an issue. The strength of this artifact is allowing me to stand-out as a competent academic researcher. An educational research project will be necessary for the future because it will show that I can competently take part in research and help find sources and solutions to problems. I would not do this activity any other way if I were asked to complete it again.
- Learning Philosophy
I believe that all learners must have quality and compelling learning experiences. I think that it is a process that should help learners become critical thinkers, develop solutions to global problems, become responsible and productive. Realizing the full potential of learning can be achieved by being passionate about the process of learning. There are different approaches, which I use to make decisions on what I need to learn. The first approach is to study my timetable and ensure that it is consistent with the class timetable and the syllabus. This approach allows me to know which areas in my course I should study. I also consider it based on the quality of information I am going to get. Knowing the quality of data is essential because it determines the time and resources I should invest in that area. Also, I decide on what I need to learn by addressing areas where I have limited knowledge. Highlighting my weak areas allows me to advance my education. I also decide on what to learn by comparing my competence with that of my peers. By knowing what they know, I can be able to understand what to learn. I also decide on what to learn by evaluating global academic trends.
I think that learning is worth it because a person can gain more knowledge. Education helps a person to become more open-minded and able to interact with others. Scholarship offers higher levels of experience, making a person aware of himself and others. I think that education is worth it because it allows a learner to develop long-term relations, which can prove to be helpful in future career endeavors. Another reason why learning is worth it is that it establishes an environment for further self-development.
If I were to go through the learning process at TU again, I would change two things. The first thing I would change is the approaches to gathering information during research. I have come to realize that research plays an essential role in learning because one can collect relevant and reliable information. I would adopt effective research methods by mainly relying on library resources and peer-reviewed papers. Another thing I would change would be to develop better relationships with other learners and tutors. I think that this approach would be an opportunity to gain more knowledge. Establishing good relations would be an appropriate way to develop social intelligence.
There are a couple of things I have learned during my time in Tiffin. One, I have learned that I can develop constructive relationships to help me in my career. I have also learned that I can be dependent on to help other people become better versions of themselves. I also learned that feedback helped me improve my performance. Getting regular feedback from educators and other learners allowed me to evaluate myself and address areas where weaknesses were observed.
In my personal life, learning has helped me become more confident and satisfied with my outcomes. Education has allowed me to understand how to communicate with others confidently. Gaining more knowledge and skills has improved my self-confidence. Professionally, learning has given me the ability to apply the knowledge and skills I have learned. Education has also helped me achieve satisfaction with my career outcomes. The ability to use my skills competently and proficiently has given me a sense of achievement.
- Community leadership project
July 2020
Identification of leaders in a community
Determine effective leaders
Determine ways used by leaders to solve problems
Reflection: I spend time creating this artifact because it allowed me to learn how community leadership can be made more effective and resourceful. Creating this artifact allowed me to know-how leaders can be identified. I was prompted by the fact that many leaders today focus on the satisfaction of personal interests, rather than followers’. Failing to choose the right community leaders has led to the failure of many community projects, failure to achieve set objectives, and find viable solutions to existing problems. Also, I spend time creating this artifact because I intend to be working in a leadership position. Thus, it is necessary to know how to lead effectively. The success of leadership is determined by the ability of a leader to motivate followers to work optimally and achieve set goals. I named this artifact based on the concept that was being learned. The aim was to learn how community leadership can be made more effective. Thus, using the name “community leadership project” made it easy to know the focus of the artifact. As I worked on this artifact, I consulted with different community leaders on how to address current community problems. It took me two days to consult with these community leaders. This artifact supports my claims for growth because I can identify leaders in a community, determine whether leaders are active, and the approaches they use to solve community problems. Considering that there is a high number of people who would want to be perceived as leaders, it is necessary to know who can help followers achieve goals. The strengths of this artifact are allowing me to adequately engage in the process of leadership and determine whether those in leadership are performing their roles optimally. This artifact will be useful in the future because it will showcase my strengths in community leadership and solving problems. If I were to go this project again, I would address the factors leading to the failure of leaders.
- Bachelor of Business Administration/ Finance
2019-2021
Management of research skills and analyzing variable information from different courses
Developed teamwork skills and problem-solving by working with associates to manage the projects required
Maintained close connection with the team leader to provide the information needed and advise
Reflection: I spend time creating this artifact because it covers my degree attainment and my major in finance. Creating this artifact allowed me to know my progress as a finance student, assess my capacity to reach the set objectives, and advance my skills in the financing industry. Creating this artifact allowed me to evaluate my competence in the management of research skills and analysis, the development of teamwork skills, problem-solving techniques, and maintaining close relationships between leaders and followers. The process I used to choose the topic of the artifact is by using the title of the degree program. Using this title was vital because it provides an opportunity for the reader and potential employers to understand my academic attainment as well as the knowledge gained. The feedback from my instructor allowed me to create the artifact. Although it is included in my resume, I included it here because I have learned it from Tiffin University. This bachelor’s degree supports my claims for growth because I have acquired knowledge in areas like management o research skills, analysis of variable information, development of teamwork skills, development of problem-solving techniques, and establishment of better relationships to promote the flow of information. This artifact will be useful in the future because it portrays my skills and competence in finance. It will be vital because it sets me apart from other job applicants. If I were going to do this degree again, I would not change a thing because it is a significant addition to my educational attainment and shows my competence and proficiency in this area.
- Resume