11 LB160 – Book 3 Producing Influential Documents 1 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book 3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3: Self-Evaluation Documents

Introduction 3.2. Skills Audit 3.3. Personal experience in Business Studies Self-evaluation reports: Organisation 3.6. Argument in skills- evaluation reports Reflection Session 3:Self-Evaluation Documents Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents

Introduction In this session, you will read and write performance-evaluation reports. There are three situations in which such texts are produced. 1. On business studies courses, students are asked to write skills-audit reports to record their development during the course. 2. When applying for jobs, applicants write a personal statement supporting their application. 3. In the workplace, appraisal (assessment) reports are a part of continuing professional development and performance management. Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents

44  In short, the goal of a performance-evaluation report is to evaluate either one’s individual performance or that of an organisation or company. 4 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.1. Introduction: What is performance?

Introduction: Focus on Individual reports 3.1. Introduction: Focus on Individual reports Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents Individual performance is more personal, and therefore its writing style is different from much of what you have encountered so far in this course, which always emphasized a more impersonal and objective style. Writing may become personal for two reasons: 1.The audience is less formal and the writer wants a personal kind of relationship with them. 2.The subject matter the writer is dealing with is their personal experience In personal writing, the writer’s voice or personality comes through in the words of the text more clearly than in objective and formal texts. One type of personal reports is called a skills-audit (review) report, which we will see more of in this session.

Skills Audit 3.2. Skills Audit Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents Skills audit texts are usually written by students on business studies courses to reflect on the skills they already have, developed during the course, or plan to develop. The easiest way to start the process is to perform a SWOT analysis on yourself. Activity 3.1 Purpose: to gather information for a self-reflection essay. Task : Look at text 3.1 in your Resource Book (p. 39) to familiarize yourself with the communication and professional skills that LB160 is designed to develop in students. After reflecting on your progress, fill out the table on the next slide, mentioning your strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the course and now.

77 My strengths at the beginning of the course My weaknesses at the beginning of the course My strengths nowMy weaknesses now 7 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.2. Skills Audit (cont’d)

88 My strengths at the beginning of the course Identify and communicate potential solutions based on knowledge of business studies theory My weaknesses at the beginning of the course Communicate effectively in writing in a range of academic and workplace genres, showing recognition of audience and purpose My strengths now Read and summarise written text materials Apply a critical perspective to my own and others’ language use Communicate better in academic genres… My weaknesses now Relate the communication skills needed for academic study to those needed in the workplace Relate the communication skills needed for academic study to those needed in the workplace. 8 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.2. Skills Audit (answers will vary)

99 Another personal skills-evaluation report you will encounter in this session is a personal experience of a job you have had recently. Activity 3.3 Purpose: to study the job characteristics model in order to apply it to a personal job experience. Task: read Extract 3.2 in Resource Book 3 (pp.39-41) and summarise the main features of the job characteristics model. Do this by filling in the gaps in the figure on the next slide. 9 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.3. Personal experience in business studies

10 A. Core job characteristics B C. Outcome Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.3. Personal experience in business studies (cont’d) Skill variety i) Different skills and talents 2. i) 3. i) 4. i) 5. i)

11 A. Core job characteristics B. Critical& Psychological states C. Outcome Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.3. Personal experience in business studies (Answers) 3. Knowledge of results of work activities 2. Experienced responsibility for work outcomes 1. Experienced meaningfulness of the work 1.Skill variety i) Different skills and talents 2. Task identity i) Job done from beginning to end; identifiable 3.Task significance i) Impact of job on people’s lives 4. Autonomy i) Employee exercises choice 5. Feedback from job i) Effectiveness of job reflected clearly in outcomes 1. High intrinsic motivation 2. High job satisfaction 3. High work effectiveness

12 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents 3.4 Skills-Evaluation reports: Organisation In this section, we will concentrate on a personal type of self-evaluation report, which is an individual skills-evaluation report. Students who have been auditing their progress in this course can now combine their reviews and assess their progress in both the key skills (language) and professional skills (business). Skills-evaluation reports often have a problem-solution pattern. The problem is the absence of a skill or a weakness the student has. The solution is the development of the skill. The evaluation is an account of how effective the student’s development has been. As all these are claims made by the writer, or the self-reviewer, they need to be supported by evidence to become persuasive. The next slide will show this process in a figure.

13 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 3:Self- evaluation documents SITUATION PROBLEM (CAUSE) SOLUTION EVALUATION Evaluation: weaknesses or absence of skill? What evidence? Evaluation: what evidence? What reason? Evaluation: how successful? What evidence? Evaluation: what evidence?

14  Self-evaluation reports are personal. They are about your experience. However, they are also public documents, written for someone else to read—in this case, a tutor. For that reason, they need to be organised and expresses in ways that will influence the audience. They need to use evidence convincingly. Session 3:Self- evaluation documents Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties