Personal Reflection
Self-peer assessments were disseminated between all students, sadly a week prior to this I was away sick and could not contribute to this. After reviewing the survey, my thoughts;
Recipe for disaster!
What have they done?
Why are self-assessments a non-disclosure?
The survey was designed to evaluate each peer’s progression in Aviation Business during the first month of the course. As I was going through each student, I remember the thought process of constructive criticism when evaluating, e.g. if they have conducted a task well, praise them. If you see they have not been productive say it and make sure you give something constructive about how an individual can improve the area you can see as there is always room for improvement. I believe giving plain negative feedback to other peers in class is unprofessional and they will have different thoughts about the person. At times I think it needs to be addressed properly by lecturers / facilitators to demonstrate how to develop these skills from the commencement of studying. Giving all feedback on a Friday afternoon prior to a weekend without discussing these issues collectively or individually, and observing peers mixed emotions (anger to very sad) and leaving the situation as it was, will not change this outcome. I just hope they do not take the feedback too personal otherwise it will have more of a negative effect opposed to constructive reinforcement.
I remember during my personal promotion courses and when holding a position where I was required to give performance reviews in the military, instructors and superiors always made sure we had; good points, where to improve and how to improve the area and finally an overall conclusion. I always listened to this. Invite the subordinate into the office, be pleasant and ask them how they are. Asking them personally what areas do they see themselves excelling and where they believe they need to perform better. Nine times out of 10, they knew this themselves so you reiterate and let them know what resources they can use to perform better. If you could not perform the skill accordingly, the interview or briefing can turn horrible as I have witnessed.
Many people who gain a degree, in the future, will be in a managerial position. If they develop these skills accordingly, they will be competent managers and have the knowledge of how to work in these situations. Maybe it is a cultural thing I am seeing, I am not sure…... Hopefully we can all learn something from this.