In this fourth blog, I was asked to share my experience of my internship so far. I am currently working in five workstreams and it is teaching me to reflect on the skills gained and put them into context, encouraging me to be a contemplative learner as I embark into the world of work.
I was drawn to this position as I am always interested in exploring a different sector that does not align with my degree. Understanding how the University is implementing best practices in online learning within programmes at the school has been an eye-opener for me – I learned first-hand how CHEP plays a role in improving the quality of education. Throughout the several weeks, I discovered that pedagogic principles in education are constantly evolving, and the variety of responsibilities I undertake was exciting.
The two-day induction devised by Bobbi was comprehensive and well-thought-out because it entailed many insightful lectures from various stakeholders, allowing me to understand how each workstream functions. It was concise and adequate in preparing me to kickstart my role efficiently. What inspired me to improve upon each task was the diversity of backgrounds of each intern as I learnt how to adapt my delivery to convey complex information to different degrees. Understanding what each work package involves was a steep learning curve, but I relished the process of learning and identified where I could best contribute to each stream.
“I am currently working in five workstreams: Enhancing Academic Transitions Support, Assessment and Feedback, Accessibility, Personalised Learning and Education for All. I enjoyed these workstreams because of the various responsibilities I gained early on and steered my tasks in multiple directions. A mix of qualitative and quantitative projects has always been my interest as I can use the skills gained from my Engineering degree to analyse large chunks of data more effectively. As each workstream requires several skillsets, I enjoyed the process of identifying how I can utilise my existing competencies from my work experiences to improve them further in the tasks I am involved in.
“The staff I met within CHEP were very welcoming and friendly. They were approachable and constantly attempted to answer my queries despite their busy schedule. The 1-to-1 sessions with Busola, Bobbi and Helen, taught me to reflect on the skills gained and put them into context, encouraging me to be a contemplative learner as I embark into the world of work.
Learning best practices in online learning and delivery has been appealing for me as technology and student expectations in University are expanding. These workstreams are indispensable to ensuring the University maintains its reputation as a research-intensive institution. I am very enthusiastic about observing the impact of all of our work towards building an inclusive education for prospective students and staff at the University. What is produced today contributes to a better tomorrow.