#Learning Journal What was the most helpful strategy you learned during this course

What was the most helpful strategy you learned during this course? 

I used to be confused. Why do need to take the"College Success"? After several weeks, I understood what the course is about. But I was not taking it seriously, because I did not get much interested in it and I have another course need to study until I found something that motivates me. In Taiwan, we don't have a course like this. Our colleges only teach us how to get a job and make money after we leave from school. The most helpful strategies I learned during this course are critical thinking and note-taking. 

How will you apply this strategy in your future studies here at UoPeople?

Critical thinking helps me think much more flexible and spot the most important details inside things. I remember that a few months ago before I apply for University of The People, I read a book on a moving high-speed train. The book title is "Insight Outsight", the book is telling every manager who wants to improve their skills about what they should know and give several examples to prove the theory. While I think of critical thinking, I thought of that book immediately. Every book has its own theory to show you why it is correct. But if we have critical thinking skills, we might begin to search even more evidence to prove it is right or it's might be a fake. There is so many fake news around social media and on the internet, many of it is created by some advertisement suppliers, to trick you to buy something you might not think it's necessary at first. If you can not think critically, you might fall into the fraud they set. I will apply the critical thinking skill to make my study much deeper into the truth.

What was the most surprising thing you learned this term? 

The most surprising thing I learned this term is the critical thinking process. 

Why did it surprise you?

It's surprising me because I did not know it even has a process? It sounds like a science experiment or business administration and I follow the steps to see how it works. During the process, I learned many skills that I didn't understand before. It's a procedure to peer any information and think how does it work? Who write it? What is the author's opinion? Is it a fake or for real? Traditionally, we don't doubt about what we learned and what we get from the school or any information when we don't know about one thing thoroughly. "I think, therefore I am"-René Descartes. Nowadays, there are so many frauds around the world that are tricking people by doing something dishonest. We may think we'll never be scammed, but already millions of people have fallen for fake emails, phone calls or letters that look genuine and ask us to give or update our financial details. The criminals get you to look over there whilst they rifle pockets.

Peer assessment is a unique education model. Think back to how you felt about peer assessment at the beginning of the term, and compare that to your feelings now. How have your feelings changed? 

Peer assessment is a model that I have never seen before. I have some doubts about it at first when I am supposed to do it. But a few weeks later, I feel it a useful model for communication and provides several aspects on the same topic. My feeling is from useless switch to effective. Just like an on/off button, it turns on my skills in this area.

Are you more comfortable with peer assessment? 

It's hard to say that it is comfortable or not. Not everyone can read the assessments from the other students without any emotional feelings and be a completely reasonable person. But while the peer assessments have several aspects to consider for, It's much better to do it. 

Have you learned something new while assessing your peer’s work?

The most significant thing I learned from assessing my peer's work is each essay has its own elements or factors to check. Putting pieces of information and words, knowledge together in sort of order, is not a piece of cake. And I learned that when we write something, we built it from words to sentences and then paragraphs. 

#Discussion A system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs showing people what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior

The text describes organizational culture as “a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs showing people what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.” 

From your own observations, give an example of a company’s culture being a strength or a weakness. 

About 10 years ago, my first fire department where I worked as a firefighter, has a dark history. It's obvious a centralization organization with bureaucracy. The top officer there only cares about the money they can take from the firetruck and equipment suppliers and the relationship with the mayor and the councilmen. They risked the firefighter's lives, just like the firefighters, risk their lives to save people in a burning building. While the culture has cost the firefighters' passions to the limit, they don't want to risk their lives anymore. Because the officers from the top to the bottom all execute like a corrupt bureaucrat, they don't want to change the problems of the shift system of the firefighters and ignored the bad institution behaviors. The value of being a firefighter is gone. They became to work less hard and unwilling to take any risk of their lives to save people in danger. This is the weakness of the organization. 

In what ways was it a strength or weakness? 

Strength or weakness can be reversed quickly if a tiny mistake happens. In this case, the top officers don't make their decisions to match the value and mission of what a fire department should do. Obviously, without integrity, there can be no trust.

Share examples of artifacts you have noticed to support your observation about that organization’s culture.

The example of artifacts, in this case, is the relationship between officers and the firefighters and the meeting spokes. All employees don't want to share their opinions and do more things that might benefit the department and once they get the paycheck is the only thing that keeps them work at the fire department. The amounts of the fire truck there, always a lot more than it's actually needed, and the firefighters don't share respect to any officers there.