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FINAL REFLECTION
LOOKING BACK...
LOOKING BACK...
Out of AUD176 and AUD175, this unit was the unit I initially found the most challenging. There was just so much about sound I wasn't familiar with and we tackled a lot over the last 13 weeks at such a fast pace. We covered topics such as frequencies, harmonics, measuring SPL readings all the way through to acoustics and acoustic treatment . It was a lot to take in, but I persisted.
Although this unit handled some pretty intense topics, some of which I've still not fully grasped like logarithms and axial, tangential and oblique standing waves, I ended up thoroughly enjoying this unit and always found myself looking forward to coming to this class. This unit opened my eyes to the world of sound that surrounds us and all the pathways that I didn't know existed when it came to what kinds of employment we could take in this industry, like an acoustic engineer. Not once did I miss a class, even when I wasn't feeling 100% (which I think was only once) and I'd say that's due in no small part to the way Sam teaches the class.
I found even though some of the topics on the surface might sound dull and technical, Sam always managed to keep me engaged with what was being taught. There wasn't really a time I wasn't paying attention as I was pretty invested all the time during class. Some of the terms and concepts covered such as reverb and room acoustics were things that I never even considered during everyday my listening and have has completely shaped the way I view and listen to spaces. However, sometimes there were terms that were covered that I didn't understand even when Sam was explaining them and had to do my own research outside of class, such as harmonics. The fundamental frequency, harmonics and overtones were terms I had a very hard time understanding for about 2 weeks in the beginning. It wasn't until Kieran explained to me over Facebook Messenger the night before the first Project was due that I finally got somewhat of an understanding of them.
Speaking of Project 1, I definitely wasn't sure I was going to pass that project. I wasn't confident with many of the terms and had two group partners quit on me, one deferred and another just stopped responding all together. Project 1 was a solo project for me really and it really stressed me out. Even with Jon's positive feedback after we both gave each other our projects to compare our findings, I still wasn't confident in what I had produced for the first project. That turned out to be unfounded as I got an exceed specification, so I must of known what I was talking about. Only feedback I got with my grade was that there needed to be more pictures. It definitely wasn't a fluke.
It wasn't until after this project that I started researching a lot of the language we used for the project, mostly on YouTube, and that's when I the light bulb moment finally went off in my head about the fundamental frequency, harmonics and overtones. The following weeks certainly weren't a walk in the park, not by a long shot, but those first 3-4 weeks were so stressful. The practice, professional, metacognitive and creative transferrable skills were definitely all put to the test during those weeks.
For Project 2, there isn't really anything that I can look back and say I really struggled with as I had two awesome group members whose communication channels were always open. We did submit the assignment by the skin of our teeth, but that might've been due to some time management and scheduling issues. It was certainly a lot more enjoyable than the first project which was probably due to us all having a very even workload.
I've thoroughly enjoyed Project 3 at the moment, as it's completely taken me out of my comfort zone and forced me to plan, be resourceful and challenge myself with building some of the acoustic treatment. At this moment I have one more acoustic panel left to finish before I apply all the acoustic treatment I have sourced and built to test in my room. It's definitely the project I've been the most excited for this trimester.
In regards to feedback that I received during this module, I really only received the two lots of feedback when we had our learning journal review with Sam in week 4 and week 10. Before week 4 I was situating myself at the back of the class and although I was actively listening and writing my notes during this time, I wasn't fully engaging or absorbing as much of the information as I would of liked. The solution Sam gave me was to sit myself at the front of the class from then on and I have noticed a drastic difference. I'm able to absorb a lot of what is being taught and instead of hiding myself up the back I'm forced to be present during the class. After class (for both AUD175 and AUD176), I would almost always stay back to write up my in class summary and post class reflection while the session was still fresh in my head.
During the week 10 feedback, I told Sam that I had been upset with myself for a couple of weeks previously as I hadn't absorbed as much of the language that I thought we needed to and I wasn't where I thought I would be. Sam told me I was too hard on myself (due to a reflection where I had completely beaten myself down) and I shouldn't be as he saw how much effort I had put into my learning journal and that it was that of a high distinction student. That feedback did help me with getting out of that rut and charging head first into Project 3.
I definitely feel I should of asked for more feedback over the last 13 weeks, especially during the middle of the trimester when I wasn't exactly confident in what I was producing. I've seen my self confidence grow a lot during this trimester but it's only during these last 3-4 weeks have I felt confident in myself and my work. Most of the weeks were a challenge for me so I felt a lot of the time I was playing catch up in terms of understanding what was being taught even though my learning journal and reflections were up to date.
MOVING FORWARD...
MOVING FORWARD...
There are still many terms that I am still not confident in discussing, like logarithms. How the hell do I explain that? (I have a rough idea, I just can't formulate it into words). Also tubes and transistors, when I went researching them I got a whole bunch of engineering videos which I just could not understand. With those such terms and others I think it would be wise for me to conduct some more research over my break before next trimester to better prepare me.
I've shown that I am capable of engaging, working well under pressure, producing quality work and showing great self reflection, now it's time to work on some of those other skills like time management and self confidence. Self confidence will come in time and I know that, I just need to keep pushing myself out there and not second guessing myself as I'm my own worse critic. It may be useful for me to start using a calendar like google calendar or better yet, a physical diary, to plan out when I can conduct my after class research to get ahead of class. If I keep that curiosity of sound at the forefront of my mind I can see myself doing will in this course.
Wayne asked us prior to our final reflection for AUD176 what grade we believe we deserve for his unit and for his I said a distinction or a credit. For this one however, I think I am deserving of a high distinction because I have put the effort of a high distinction into my projects, learning journal and weekly reflections for this unit. I've seen such tremendous growth in myself and I've acted on every bit of feedback Sam has given me.
I am incredibly grateful for my time here at SAE, but I feel with this unit I have learnt so much more than I originally thought I could about sound. I'm also incredibly grateful to Sam for his patience, wisdom and belief in me throughout these last 13 weeks, I wouldn't have enjoyed this class as much as I did if it wasn't for him. Considering what we've learnt in this unit, I'm pretty eager to see what else I will learn during my time here at SAE.[
Self Reflection: As I tend to overthink every single thought that goes through my head, this was actually a blessing in disguise as I was able to tear myself open and had great reflective practice. This is definitely my most developed skill coming into SAE; I take pride in writing my reflections. A technique I developed for writing my reflections was to write them straight after class before I leave campus while everything is fresh in my head. I've grown to love the reflective practices.
Deliberate Practice: In my project journal entries and my weekly learning journal entries you can see clear planning and processes. Same goes for feedback that is given to me by a lecturer. These have only improved during the trimester.
Time Management: This is probably one of my biggest weaknesses and I've struggled with it since the very beginning. I have noticed as the trimester progressed I was able to manage my time a little better in some cases and I can see an improvement but much is left to be desired. This will be one of my primary focuses for next trimester
Strong Work Ethic: Taking pride in my work is something I have always strived for and there have been times during this trimester where I felt like just submitting something subpar, late or worse, throwing the towel in. You can tell I put hours and hours into my learning journal and my projects because of how detailed they are. This is possibly because I am a perfectionist and is something I was very surprised by myself, as I usually give up.
Works Well Under Pressure: Again, another skill I am surprised I have acquired. When things come push to shove, I managed to break down how I am going to overcome the issue with meticulous planning. Some of my best work is done under pressure.
Communication Skills: I can provide good feedback but I think some of my active listening skills needs work, it is something I have struggled with for a while. My oral communication can sometimes be botched and same with my written communication but I am seeing an improvement. I think my communication skills with my group during Project 2 was great.
Team Player/Ability to Collaborate: I've only had Project 2 to collaborate and we all shared the load equally and worked very weell as a team. I think it would of been the same for Project 1 if I had a decent group then.
Problem Solving: This is ok, I've managed to fix most of the problems I've encountered. I never really ran into any problems during AUD175 that might cause me to problem solve until this final project. I've had to do some problem solving for this project so I think this skill is getting better.
Critical Thinking: I would say that I haven't done much critical thinking, not many situation have arisen. But maybe they have and because I wasn't thinking critical I haven't actually encountered them. This is something I think I need to be more aware of, by active listening and not taking everything at face value.
Cognitive Outsourcing: I've shown numerous examples in my notes during the weeks where I have outsourced information to help with my learning. It still needs some work, but it's improved immensely over the trimester.
Self Confidence: This was the one skill I was severly lacking when I first started at SAE. It's also the skill I have seen the most improvement and development with. As I slowly came out of my shell during class and saw that the work I was doing was of quality , my self confidence grew. I'm still nowhere near as confident as I want to be with the terms that surround audio but I am on the right path. I am very proud of myself.
Positive Attitude: I like to think my attitude has been mostly positive during the trimester, you can ask my group memebers if that's true or not. There have been some stressful and low times for me but I feel I have mostly kept a positive attitude when challenged. I tend to remind myself that I am lucky I am here and doing something I am passionate about than focusing on the negatives of the situation.
Ability to Accept and Learn From Criticism: This is something I struggle with and have always struggled with, I don't like to take criticism unless its warm feedback. Only time I accept criticism or cool feed back is from a mentor or teacher. I definitely have seen some improvement in this during this trimester but it is one of the skills I am probably going to have to work on developing next trimester, and try not to take everything so personally, this ties into my overthinking.
Flexibility and Adaptability: A skill I wasn't sure I would be good at, but this trimester has shown I have been very flexible and adaptable. If I am not at work or have a dire commitment then I am very flexible. The first project is a clear indication of that as there were numerous hiccups that made my situation stressful; I had to adapt.
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