Abstract
This chapter explores the outcomes of the introduction of critical reflective writing assessments into an undergraduate business course at RMIT University in Australia. These assessments successfully increased the business students’ understanding of Asian business culture and their awareness of how cultural values and beliefs are embedded in Asian business practice. However, few courses in the business programme at the university use reflective tasks as an aid to learning. To promote the use of reflective writing assessments, resources need to be developed for students and staff that make clear the requirements, structure and content, as well as the goal of including reflective writing in the courses. We developed a variety of learning resources, as well as guidelines and rubrics. In addition, we conducted writing workshops and provided frequent feedback on the tasks. The pedagogy was reviewed from the perspective of the students enrolled in the course for Semester 1 of 2017. On analysing the data collected from focus groups, semi-structured interviews and a course experience survey, we found that the aspects of the pedagogy considered most effective were the Description, Interpretation, Evaluation and Planning (DIEP) writing strategy and the frequent provision of feedback. The students reported that the tasks and the regular feedback motivated them in their study, increasing their intercultural competence. We plan in the future to introduce more tailored resources, including annotated writing models and explicit assignment guidelines for the benefit of new and casual staff, as well as students. Quick and timely feedback will continue to be critical.
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Appendix
Appendix
DIEP structure used in the course
Sections | Explanation | Stages applicable to map of learning (Moon, 1999) |
|---|---|---|
Description | Describe an insight or one thing learned (an insight must not be factual information, but how students made sense of one particular thing that was learned) | Making sense |
Interpretation | Interpretation of the insight—what the insight may mean to students and/or the topic focussed | Making meaning |
Evaluation | Evaluate the insight by relating it to other theories or topics learned in the class to deepen appreciation of the topic focussed | Working with meaning |
Plan | Identify ways in which students can apply their new learning for their academic, professional and personal development | Transformative learning |
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Ichii, R., Ono, A., Ebenhaezer, J. (2019). Reflective Writing as a Learning Tool: Assisting Undergraduate Business Students from Diverse Backgrounds to Participate in a Globalised Marketplace. In: Tynan, B., McLaughlin, T., Chester, A., Hall-van den Elsen, C., Kennedy, B. (eds) Transformations in Tertiary Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9957-2_9
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