The Role of Reflection in a Managmeent Skills Cour

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Diane Holtzman, Ed.D.
Evonne Kruger, Ph.D.
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
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The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
◦ Focus on the Liberal Arts
◦ Located southern New Jersey
◦ State four-year college with
undergraduate/graduate courses
◦ Focus on
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Sustainability
Global
Engagement
Learning
◦ Written and oral communication skills
◦ A combination of technical, leadership and interpersonal
skills
◦ Mastery of specific knowledge and
skills required by licensure and
certification boards
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Given today’s competitive job market, candidates must enhance their
ability to pass the initial job screening by demonstrating they have
the skills in the areas indicated in the job ad/description
e-Portfolios
 present more than just the traditional resume
 can present the applicant’s goals, accomplishments, skills, and
knowledge to prospective employers before an interview (Powell &
Jankovich, 1998)
 can provide examples of projects completed in classes as well as in
the work environment or through volunteer experiences—with the
applicant’s reflection on these accomplishments and growth
 allows for the integration of personal narration and reflection
through audio/podcasts and the incorporation of short video clips
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In developing the e-Portfolio for the workplace
Content in the e-portfolios
◦ should demonstrate the link between the individual’s
strengths and the jobs’ specifications/credentialing
requirements
◦ provides evidence that verifies individuals’ education,
training, credentialing, work performance, skills, and
accomplishments relate to the job
◦ positions the individual for future jobs by demonstrating
evidence of experience, skills, and knowledge
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Required for management
concentration juniors and seniors
and is an elective for all Business
majors
Contextualizes managerial skills
within management theory and
provides opportunities for
students to master entry level
managerial skills
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The management skills
course is designed so that
students should make
progress on selected
Business Program learning
goals that reflect the
philosophy of the AACSB
(The Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Businessaccrediting body) and College
Learning for the New Global
Century
Students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge,
skills, and competencies [adopted by the School of Business and
aligned with the AACSB Assurances of Learning Standards] that
meet the course rubrics:
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Information literacy skills in searching for information related
to the theory and practice of management [library literacy
assignment]
Professional business written communications
[Ex: business letters, reports]
The ability to interview a practicing manager and present
written and oral reports that integrate information literacy,
analysis and synthesis of the manager’s activities, and
reflections with the framework of Henry Mintzberg [Interview
with a manager project]
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The ability to document and address orally and in
writing disciplinary and conflict issues in the
workplace [FOSA written project on workplace
discipline; collaborative video project]
Writing and critiquing resumes and cover letters
Interview skills as an applicant and interviewer
[Team project: Human Resources video-project and
written packet]
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The ability to research and analyze managerial
positions and prepare professional job descriptions
and candidate interview rating sheets [Team
project: Human Resources written project and
video-project]
Critical thinking skills used in analyzing video
managerial situations and making
recommendations that include recognition of all
ethical implications [Manager’s “Hot Seat” case
projects]
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Social responsibility/volunteerism through
participation in service learning in a non-profit
agency in the community (optional) [Student’s
reflection paper and agency feedback]
Professional attitudes, behaviors, and conduct of
managers in the workplace [Team project: Job
Interview video]
Students should be able to demonstrate:
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Reflection on personal development as a manager –
requires synthesis and personal integration of the
knowledge, skills, and competencies addressed
throughout the course [Professional development
reflection assignment for the e-Portfolio]
Develop a professional career e-portfolio
(assessment and basis for life-long learning)
[e-Portfolio assignment]
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Goal is professional development
Achieved through
◦ Reflecting on the artifacts
◦ Writing the reflection pieces (reflection on the
Human Resources project and Reflection on the
entire course experience—as a student and as a
manager.
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Resume and cover letter
Business Writing: Letters and Reports
Library Information Literacy Assignment
Interview with a Manager Project
Workplace Discipline Project and collaborative
video[FOSA]
Human Resources Project –Job Design/Analysis
Video Job Interview Project and Reflection
Service Learning Reflection Paper
Professional Development Reflection
Final Portfolio
◦ Has students reflect on
 The Past—who was I before I had this learning
experience
 The Present-who am I as a result of this learning
experience
 The Future– how can I present myself as a career ready
manager
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Thus construction of the e-Portfolio requires that
the students begin with an image of themselves as
future managers within specific industries and/or
roles. This requires research into career
opportunities and required skills sets:
◦ Industrial sales
◦ Hospitality industry
◦ Health care
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As they select and present each piece of the
portfolio, tying it together with the career goals
articulated in the resume and the two reflection
pieces, they construct a persona – I Manager.
The process of reflecting upon learning
experiences in terms of their relationship to career
goals and personal development is as important as
that of documentation.
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“A remarkable number of effective managers are
reflective: they know how to learn from their own
experience; they explore numerous options; and
they back off when one doesn’t work, to try
another”
Reflective managers tend to engage in higher order
thinking:
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wondering,
probing,
analyzing,
synthesizing
ability to connect their experiences to “the self”
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The importance of reflection in management can be extended
to most professions, e.g., law, medicine, scientific research,
psychology, creative writing, education, and the performing
arts.
By reflecting upon the relationship between their broadly
defined learning experiences and their perceptions of
themselves as career-ready, students provide evidence of
their preparedness to transition into the full-time work place
or graduate school, and perhaps also of their future success.
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The construction of the self using e-documentation is not a
new endeavor to most students.
Impression management and the presentation of the self in
everyday life, as first articulated by Goffman, are now being
applied to social e-sites.
The vast majority of students have experience with social
networking sites such as Facebook where they are very aware
that they are attempting to control both the impressions their
sites give about themselves and the impressions that are
actually interpreted by “friends” and others.
Social networking site experience helps develop:
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Envisioning skills: the ability to envision the self
that is presented to the world
Presentation skills: ability to work creatively with
multimedia: Photos, video clips, links to YouTube
and other sites must be carefully coordinated.
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Impression Management Skills: editing, monitoring,
and continuous updating skills
Social networking skills include the understanding
that the individual is constructing a persona that
he/she will “try out” publicly. The selections posted
are edited and reviewed should enhance the
intended persona.
Impression Management is particularly important:
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Claims of damages by employers when employees
post critical comments about their employers;
Prospective employers frequently check social
networking sites and make judgments as to
character, communications skills, and maturity;
“Friends” are quick to identify misstatements,
prevarications, and even casual puffery.
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These envisioning, presentation, and
impression management skills can be
transferred successfully by students to the
development of their skills portfolios.
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When students are done with the e-Portfolio they have a
strong repository of artifacts from which they can select those
elements they want to include in an official career portfolio to
future employers.
This can include
◦ Projects—those revised/exemplary written and video/audio
projects
◦ Transcripts
◦ Resume
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The content in the e-portfolios
◦ should demonstrate the link between the individual’s
strengths and the jobs’ specifications/credentialing
requirements
◦ provides evidence that verifies individuals’ education,
training, credentialing, work performance, skills, and
accomplishments that relate to the job
◦ positions the individual for future jobs by demonstrating
evidence of experience, skills, and knowledge
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Individuals will own and manage their
personal portfolio information from
childhood through careers as a tool
for reflective life-long learning.
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May be required in high schools/colleges, as mandated
by states’ legislation, to showcase students’ readiness
for the job market [eFolioMinnesota)]. (Karlen & Sanchirico, 2010)
E-Portfolios are becoming the new standard that every person
has to have…and have broken out of the educational sector
and are being adopted for employees in companies.
(Batson, ePortfolios, Finally!)
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Diane Holtzman, Ed.D.
Diane.Holtzman@stockton.edu
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Evonne Kruger, Ph.D.
Evonne.Kruger@stockton.edu
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Barrett, H. (2001). Electronic Portfolios - A chapter in Educational Technology. Retrieved
June 21, 2010, from http://electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/encyclopediaentry.htm
Batson, T. (2010, April 7). ePortfolios, Finally! Retrieved June 20, 2010, from
http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/04/07ePorfolios-Finally.aspx?p=1
Daudelin, M.W. (1996). Learning from experience through reflection.
Organizational Dynamics, 24(3), 36-48.
Goffman, Erving. (1959). The Presentation of self in everyday life. New York, NY: Anchor
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Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning. Atlantic City: Thomas Edison State College.
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Search." Business Communication Quarterly 61, no. 4 (December 1998): 72-82.
Mintzberg, Henry (2009). Managing. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Mintzberg, Henry (2004). Managers not MBAs: A hard look at the soft practice
of managing and management development. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Raelin, J. a. (2008). Work-Based Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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