Personal Application Assignment Essay Example for Free

Personal Application Assignment EssayA variety of texts and articles over the past few years subscribe to argued for the use of an alternative glide slope to teaching organizational behavior, one that emphasizes experiential learning. This approach emphasizes an existential, emergent view for learning organizational behavior (Mc hypothesizeen, 1979), whither the role of the instructor is that of learning facilitator, responsible for intent projects for students to base learning upon, rather than as teacher, responsible for lecturing on theory and concepts. While gaining wide acceptance, this approach has nevertheless created paradoxs in the assessment of students performance. monumental learnings in this model of teaching occur not only from the buzz offment of concepts, but also from the experiences themselves. McMullen (as swell up as some early(a)s) has proposed the use of a private employment assignment to booster solve the problem of performance assessment. Thi s assignment is found upon the experiential learning model formulated by Kolb (1971). This model is discussed in much detail in the text chapter on learning styles.Kolbs model argues that learning occurs through a process which big businessman begin with a concrete experience, which leads to pondering observation about the experience. Abstract conceptualization follows in which models, paradigms, strategies, and metaphors ar applied to the results of the experience. Active experimentation concludes the cycle as the concepts be then put into devote, thence generating new concrete experience. Figure 1 shows the model much(prenominal) clearly.In one sense, persons able to learn using tout ensemble four modes of the model depart be better able to take away learning from the variety of contexts in which they interact. We feel that the Personal Application Assignment is a useful peter for both evaluation of a students work in courses taught using an experiential approach an d further, that the Personal Application Assignment can serve as a way to help students learn to learn. The PAA is both an evaluation and a teaching technique.Our past history of teaching using this method has sh cause that the PAA, in order to be most useful, must include clear guidelines for the student. To that end we make believe undertaken to set forth the guidelines below to help students to understand the requirements for in effect(p) PAAs.Guidelines on Grading, Topic Selection, and Confidentiality scratch of every last(predicate), we believe that a 20-point grading system simplifies understanding how each component of the paper is graded and weighted. There are five elements to the paper and each usually is weighted equally. These include the four elements in the learning style model and a fifth element that takes into account the introduction, integration, synthesis and general quality of indite in the PAA. The score given in each element depends upon how effectively t he student has met all the criteria listed for that voice of the paper. For the instructors part, we believe that instructors need to proffer specific feed brook as quickly as possible to students on wherefore they were awarded points in each area and, more importantly, what they need to do to mitigate. To achieve these objectives the same summary sheet of paper that guides the grading is provided to the student as feedback. This sheet is attached at the end of this handout.The above paragraph referred to the weighting as normally being equal for all parts of the paper. In cases where the quality of the student writing is clearly below acceptable standards for college- level courses, this component or the entire paper may be given a significantly lower grade. (Preparing a good quality initial draft to be reviewed by a peer forget help eliminate this potential problem. An initial draft is not the same as a first draft or rough draft. It should be a indication the student has a lready revised one or more times. Students should be responsible for castking out help with their writing skills if necessary.Choosing a good payoff is essential. Select an experience that relates to the assigned course topics. It should be an experience that you would like to understand better, (e.g., there was something about it that you do not totally understand, that intrigues you, that made you discern that you lacked certain managerial skills, or that was problematical or significant for you.) When students are excited about learning more about the incident, their papers are tremendous and interesting. The topic must be meaty enough to take it through the entire learning cycle. The incident does not have to be work relate an incident in any setting (sports, school, family, church, etc.) that relates to the course topics is acceptable.You should acquire a recent experience (not something that happened back in amply school). The more recent the experience, the more likel y it is that you could take fills that could improve your current inter legal exercises with a supervisor, group member, roommate, or other person with whom you have an on departure relationship. You also may select an experience which is not ongoing if this is more salient to you.Two additional issues should be considered in choosing your topic. The first is confidentiality. Students sometime wish to create verbally on a topic that is of a personal nature. They may be willing for the instructor to read their paper but not want this to be read by other students in the class. This is a reasonable request and confidentiality will be honored. Students who want their paper to be confidential should inform the instructor ahead of time and should write confidential at the top of the paper.There is one exception to the confidentiality rule. If a student covers conduct related to the University where significant University rules or State/Federal laws have been violated by other students or University staff, the instructor reserves the right to bring this issue to the attention of the appropriate administrator to gibe that the postal service is remedied.Elements of the PAA1. concrete ExperienceIn this part of the paper, students briefly describe what happens in the experience. A simple description of the events which occurred is not sufficient. The feelings experienced by the student as well as his or her musical themes and perceptions during the experience are relevant to this discussion.Another way of looking at the concrete experience would be to recognize that it possesses an objective and a subjective component. The objective part presents the facts of the experience, like a newspaper account, without an attempt to analyze the content. The subjective part is the here-and-now personal experience of the event. This experience is composed of feelings, perceptions and thoughts. laboursaving hints (1) It often helps students to replay the experience in their min d. After reviewing the experience, students should write a report of what they saw, heard, tangle, thought, and heard and saw others doing. (2) Students should avoid presenting the detailed mechanics of the experience unless these are critical to the remainder of the paper. This section of the paper should be no longer than 1.5 pages long. (3) Students should avoid reporting the feelings and thoughts experienced after the experience being described. This retrospection is more appropriate in the reflective observation section. ExampleWe all sat at the table together. Not a sound came from any of us. Finally, after what felt like an hour to me, I simply had to say something. Why are all of you taking this course? I asked. One person, a small impertinent looking man said, I needed this course to complete my MBA. Others laughed. Another person, a nicely dressed woman, said, Id like to get an easy A. I thought to myself What a bummer I didnt want to be in a group with quite a little w ho didnt take the subject matter seriously. When the meeting ended, my perceptions of the group had somehow changed. mayhap this was a good group to be in after all. Some of the members had similar interests to mine, and most of them were nice plurality that I could see getting along with. I felt somehow hopeful that this semester wouldnt be so bad after all.2. Reflective ObservationThe student should ask him/herself What did I observe in the experience and what possible meanings could these observations have? The key task here is to gather as many observations as possible by observing the experience from various points of view. The main skill to work on is perspective taking or what some people call re-framing. movement to look at this experience and describe it from different perspectives. For example, how did other participants view the slur and what did it mean to them? What would a neutral (objective) observer have seen and heard? If some time has passed since the experienc e, do you now see the authority differently? Look beneath the surface and try to explain why the people involved behaved the way they did. Reflect on these observations to discover the personal meaning that the situation had for you.Helpful hints (1) If possible, discuss the experience with others who were involved to gain their views and clarify your perceptions. (2) Unhook yourself from the experience and meditate about it in a relaxed atmosphere. Mull over your observations until their personal meaning comes clear to you. Try to figure out why people, and you in particular, behaved as they did. What can you learn about yourself, looking back on the experience? If you write about a conflict or interaction, be sure to analyze both sides and put yourself in the shoes of the other people involved. ExamplesIn thinking back on the meeting, I began to see how the group might have taken my comments. My comments were, after all, somewhat aggressive. Some might even call them belligerent. Had I said these things before this class, or at work, I must confess that I would have surprised even myself. unless it seemed there was more going on here than met my eye at the time. Sarah and Bob at first didnt seem to be the kind of people to liquefy forces on this job, so why was I arguing against them this time? Then it dawned on me Their departments were about to be combined into the same division Why hadnt I remembered that during the meeting?Many thoughts raced through my head. Was the cause of last nights high that we won the game? Was it the first time we had worked together as a group? mayhap the fact that member X wasnt there that night helped But I still had a nagging hunch that my involvement, downplayed as it was from previous meetings, helped.3. Abstract expressionBy relating assigned readings and lectures to what you experienced, you are demonstrating your ability to understand conceptually abstract material through your experiences. This process will help you refine your model of people and organizations. While some assigned readings and lectures will have varying degrees of relevance to your experience, it is important that you make several(prenominal) references and not limit your conceptualizing to just one source. delectation at least deuce major concepts or theories from the course readings and cite them correctly e.g,, (Osland, Kolb Rubin, 2001, p. 31).By reviewing the assigned reading material, you should be able to identify several specific concepts or theories that relate to your experience. First, briefly define the concept or theory as you would for someone who was not familiar with it. What issue or problem does the theory examine? What variables are used to analyze the problem and how does the theory explain the link among causal variables and outcomes. What kick upions does the theory give as to effective management practices? Second, in a separate paragraph, apply the concept thoroughly to your experience. The tie-in s hould include the specific details of how the theory relates to and provides insight into your experience.Try to develop diagnostic questions based on the theory that help you to analyze your situation. Does the theory explain what causes certain behaviors or outcomes and were these causes present in your situation? Does the theory tell between effective and ineffective practices that help you to understand your situation? Does the experience support or refute parts of the theory? You are encouraged to suggest modifications to a theory to make it fit your particular situation better.Helpful hints (1) It is sometimes useful to identify theoretical concepts that interest you first and then see out and elaborate on a personal experience that relates to these concepts. (2) An alternative approach is to select an experience you wish to understand better and then select concepts that apply to your experience. The example below shows how one concept was defined and applied in a student P AA.Abstract Conceptualization ExampleThere are several organizational behavior concepts that help me understand this experience. One is the Thomas-Kilman theory of conflict (Osland, p. 284-285) which is based upon two axes, either the colligate for ones own interests or the concern for the interests of the other party. The five styles reflect a low or high position on these two axes and are labeled competition, compromise, avoidance, accommodation, and collaboration. In the incident I described, my coach began with a collaborative style, high concern for both his own interests and the interests of the other party. He tried to work out a solution that would requite both of us but I neither saw nor heard his point of view.I just wanted to get my own way and practice in the same way I had on my previous team. I see now that the conflict style I used was the competitive style, high concern for my own interests and low concern for the interests of the other party. Looking back, this is the style I have used most often throughout my life I usually got away with it before because I was such a good athlete. However, my experience with the coach supports the textbooks description (p. 285) of the losses that may result from using this style. I lost everything when I was kicked off the team and I certainly alienated the coach and the other players and discouraged them from wanting to work with me.4. Active ExperimentationThis section of the paper should begin by summarizing what you learned about yourself as a result of writing the paper. What new personal insights and practical lessons did you learn about how to more effectively deal with these types of experiences. Make sure to focus on what you learned about yourself, rather than what you learned about someone else, general situations such as group behavior, or processes such as negotiation. This should be presented in a separate paragraph and not buried within your discussion of an action gait. nigh you should pre sent four action steps that you will take to make you more effective in the future in these situations. (Future actions must be based on the experience reported in the Concrete Experience.) These actions can be stated in the form of guidelines as to how you would act differently or resolutions as to steps you could take to develop or practice particular skills. You should elaborate in detail how you see your action ideas being carried out. A given step might include several related activities to complete it. Sometimes students have a tendency to list an action step and then shift to explaining why they would take the action without sufficiently explaining the actual behavior they would falsify.For example, the statement I would strive to communicate better because people feel I dont listen very well does not tell a reader very much about what you would do to communicate better. Saying that I will strive to communicate better by using active listening techniques where I will paraphr ase the others viewpoint before presenting my own opinion is a better indication of how you will carry out this action step. There should be a clear link between your action steps and the concepts presented in the abstract conceptualization section. If the theories you selected provide recommendations for improving management practices, you are encouraged to incorporate these ideas in formulating your action steps. Dont just repeat tips from the text. Try to include at least one action resolution that is based upon new knowledge that you have gained about yourself. If you were to re-live your experience, what would you do differently? What would you do to improve the situation?In past student PAAs it is often difficult to sort out where one action step ends and another begins. Please provide a separate paragraph for each action step and number or otherwise demarcate the separate action steps. For example, First, I would .. My second action step would be This will help the reader di fferentiate between action steps and will ensure that you provide four distinct action steps as part of your plan. Explain why you would take these action steps. Why would the selected behaviors be likely to improve the situation?Helpful hints (1) Project a future experience in which you envision the implementation of your ideas and then elaborate on that experience as a way of demonstrating how your actions will be carried out. (2) Where does this situation exist in your life (home, work, school)? Do you need a support system to make it happen? How will you obtain the cooperation of others to jointly improve the situation? (3) Try to imagine the final results of your experimentation. What will it be like if you accomplish what you want to do? Example of Action StepsHow then can I best utilize and improve my achievement motivation? First, I must arrange for some accomplishment feedback. This will be done by aim or perceiving tasks so that I succeed bit-by-bit, gaining a reward each time and thus strengthening my desire to achieve more. Second, I should look to models of achievement. If people around me succeed, it will further stimulate me. I will ask them how they go about setting realistic goals for themselves and observe how they get feedback from others regarding their performance. Third, I should modify my self-image to include my desire for personal challenges and responsibilities and my requirement of continual feedback. (As a first step, I imagine myself as a person who requires or must have success, responsibility, challenge and variety.)I will seek out situations that are more likely to provide these challenges in the future. Fourth, I must learn to control my reveries. fairish beyond the borderline of awareness, many of us are constantly talking to ourselves. While it is fun to fantasize, I will try to make sure my aspirations are realistic given my current skills and time available to accomplish my various goals. I will spend time prioritizing my goals to ensure that I dont try to do too much or too little. Finally, although I would never admit so, I agree that salary is a potential dissatisfier for me. Therefore, I must insist on what I perceive as a fair return for my performance. I will discuss my salary expectations with my supervisor to ensure I know what is expected and also to ensure that my boss knows my expectations. Wish me luckHere is another example of a good action step, write by a student who wanted to stop being a passive follower and become more of a leader.I am going to take a more active role in team meetings. I will volunteer to be the team facilitator in at least one meeting during this semester. In all other meetings, I am going to make at least two process interventions to help the team function more effectively. To prepare myself, I am going to care unspoiledy observe other students who are excellent leaders, and I will read two articles on team leadership. I will also design an evaluation form on my team participation and ask my team to use it to pass judgment me after the meeting I facilitate. Based on their feedback, I will continue working on possible weak areas during the rest of this course.5. Integration and makeupThe well written PAA has a focal issue and a story line with themes that are carried throughout each of the four sections. The idea of synergy applies here The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. If integration is present, then the reader can attend to the content without distraction if integration is absent, barriers prevent the reader from gaining a full appreciation of the content.Are the major themes that you have identified integrated throughout your paper? Make sure that the reflective observation takes into account the viewpoint of all the key people cited in the concrete experience. Do the concepts cited in abstract conceptualization fit well with these observations? Is there a clear link between the concepts or theories that you cite and the subsequent action steps that you formulate? Citing the theories is not just meant to be an academic exercise it should help guide the analysis of the situation and the planning of practical steps for improving future situations.Other barriers that prevent the reader from fully appreciating the papers content are spelling and grammatical errors, as well as the overall appearance of the final document. Since good writing skills are so important in the business world, there should be no errors in your paper. Use the spell check (and grammar check) on your computer before you hand it in. Sometimes reading a paper aloud will argue where sections of a paper may need revision to simplify awkward or unclear sentences.