COMP3100/COMP3500/COMP4500 - SE_Projects

Individual Reflective Learning Journal : 15%

Each student will maintain a Learning Journal. This can be in document, blog, web site or other easily accessible format. The journal provides students with an opportunity to reflect upon what is happening in their project and to make connections between this and their formal learning. The journal is also aimed at helping students develop the habbit of reflection which in turn will help them develop the skills and attributes of a professional engineer.

Students may use their Google Sites website for their journal.

Journals need to address the Engineers Australia Stage 1 competencies and to provide evidence that supports your claims of having achieved a particular competency.

Journals need to:

• provide a brief introduction to the project
• draw upon your experience in the project (activities, observations and critical reflections) to provide evidence in support of the competencies you claim to have developed
• NOTE: It is likely that a single experience will demonstrate competency in more than one Element.
• identify both what has worked and what has not worked and the problem solving techniques you used (or suggested) in relation to them
• Remeber to reflect upon the reasons for the results you saw and identify situations were results might be different. You may also like to include what you would have done differently and why.
• clearly identify lessons learned and analysis of where these may, or may not, be applicable and why
• provide a summary of lessons learned - something that can be easily recalled and applied in your next project.

Journals must:

• be reflective not purely descriptive
• demonstrate linkages between activities, issues, prior learning etc and how this enables you to demonstrate you have gained the various stage 1 competencies
• cover all competencies
• It is not expected that COMP3100/3500 students will be able to demonstrate competency in all elements. If you have assessed yourself as not having developed competency in a certain element, you need to identify why this is so and how you expect to be able to develop that competency.
• It is not expected that students will be able to demonstrate the same level of competency in all Elements.
• be well structured and well written
• be proof read, so that it has none, or at most minor, grammar and spelling or typographical errors.

NOTE: Don't leave completion of your learning portfolio to the week before it is due - it is something you should do regularly, preferably each week. Reflection homework pieces and the self-assessment of the stage 1 competencies should provide a starting point for your reflection.

Assessment criteria.

• Addresses all competencies
• Critical analysis and supporting evidence
• Integration and synthesis of information - making connections
• Presentation and organisation, including quality of writing and grammar,

The expected word count is 3,000 words.

A penalty of 10% per day will be applied to journals that are submitted after the due date.