Meta skills
There are five meta skills which the IBIS course adheres to these are Define, Design, Execute, Learn and Lead. On this page I will endeavour to explain how I have developed these skills over my first term at IBIS.
Define
This skills is used to be able to both discover and identify a problem which is then solved in a way which produces creative solutions. During the first term there have been several problems which have been presented to us which needed solutions; not least of which was this website.
I believe that through the thinking and reasoning class I have been able to develop a understanding which has helped to me approach task with the "IBIS Perspective". By that I mean one which is open to the possibility that there are multiple approaches on how to tackle a problem but also multiple solutions; thus forcing the individual to be innovative.
English and What's In My Backpack have given me a deeper understanding of myself which has given me the ability to know what approaches and solutions I can adopt for myself and what would be best suited for others.
Design
This skill is used to create solutions which are effective and visibly appealing to a problem, but also to be adopted in an easy and cost effective way. During the first term there have been several products which have been designed using these parameters.
In the thinking and reasoning class being the first of the groups to take the class every week I was able to give the teacher feedback on the topic of the week but also give her articles and videos which supplemented the teaching.
In Information Skills I was able to give the teacher feedback for how the class should be taught in the future and hopefully that will be adopted for future years.
For myself I was able to design this website so that it represented my work but also in a way which was within my limited coding skill. I wish I had a deeper knowledge of HTML and CSS so that I could create a better product, perhaps over the year I can improve it. I also was able to create a pretty reasonable IWOB presentation despite the fact that my artistic skill is lacking. Again I wish I could have created something more visually stunning but it would have been outside my skill and one which would have probably ended in disaster.
Execute
This skill is used to perform specific specialist activities which are required to create a product or accomplish tasks placed before them. There have been various occasions where this skill has been implemented.
This is my weakest skill because I often second guess my work and often believe the quality is lacking. So much so that I decided to only submit this assessment on the second try. This obviously is not the best policy to adopt and in the future I will have to start projects earlier so that I can iron out any problems and formulate things the way I expect them to be.
I do have the ability to articulate my point in either written or oral form. I also have the ability to captivate and intrigue an audience with my speech so hopefully I can use this to my advantage in the coming months and years of the course. I had the ability previously to sit down and finish a task in one sitting now it appears that I get distracted and cannot focus on projects for a long period of time. I need to manage my time effectively and adapt to this new mentality so that I use my time effectively to finish the task at hand in a timely manner.
Learn
This skill is used to constantly evaluate yourself making sure that you are improving and adapting new skills and knowledge into future tasks but also making sure that you learn from mistakes made during endeavours. Obviously being enrolled on a degree course means that you will always be learning from the classes you undertake. There have been other situations where I displayed this skill throughout the first term.
In What's In Your Backpack through the tasks we completed I often reflected on the type of person I am now and how different that is to even since I moved to Amsterdam. Realising what influences have helped me to grow as an individual have helped me to focus on what I want from this course on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
It has even caused me to make a weekly task list something which I have never done before. Due to me struggling to produce my best work it caused me to reflect on how effectively I used my time to evelop myself and realised not enough was being done to see maximum growth. I have already seen improvements and hope that it will help me to stay focus and grow even further both within the course and in my personal life.
Lead
This skill requires the individual to recognise the environment they are in and understand the role they have within it. It also demands the individual to bring out the best in those around them and create unity so everyone can work together for the same goal. During the first term there have been opportunities where I have been able to adopt this skill and sometimes even it was a necessity for me to use it.
In the 'deep dive week' we were asked, in groups, to create a solution to a problem, my group's was why people do not greet each other. Being the first week and the first task we were not as focused as we could have been. It was left to me to make sure the team performed well, handing out tasks to make sure that we ended up with a good product to present.
I also over the past term have been often leading discussion in class as well as helping others with projects and assignments that have been set. In the next term I want to set up a debate club, within IBIS, to help people improve their use of English as well as developing their presentation and debate skills as well as being for fun. I think if you were to ask those within my class and some individuals in the other classes they would see me as having leadership skills but I want to develop these further and learn how to adapt them to the platform of business.