IMPERIAL AWARD REFLECTION & REFLECTIVE WRITING - Imperial College ...
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IMPERIAL AWARD REFLECTION & REFLECTIVE WRITING
“It is not sufficient simply to
have an experience in order to
learn. Without reflecting upon
this experience it may quickly
be forgotten, or its learning
potential lost.
It is from the feelings and
thoughts emerging from this
reflection that generalisations
or concepts can be generated.
And it is generalisations that
allow new situations to be
tackled effectively.”
Graham Gibbs
1
The key to the Imperial Award is self-
reflection on experiences to find their
impact on your personal development.
This guide provides tools, techniques,
explanations and examples that will help
you complete the Programme. It will show
you that the key to the Imperial Award is
self-reflection.
Each stream requires you to write a short
reflective statement that fulfils the Award
criteria.
To write those statements, you’ll need to
reflect on your experiences, understand
their impact on you, and convert them
into evidence about each attribute. You’ll
need to use structured reflective writing to
present your evidence as you argue your
claim, to fulfil Award criteria.
▴▴ In addition to this guide,
imperial.ac.uk/imperial-award
has details of the Reflective Writing
workshop, video guides and more.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing2
Reflection
REFLECTION Reflection also helps you to recognise, and gain
Reflection is the personal learning confidence from, your own development. It helps
activity of looking at your own you discover more about your potential.
experiences to see your own
development. PRACTICAL REFLECTION
Use the online Portfolio to record your reflection
Reflecting requires you to understand
on experiences, assisted by the diagram of the
not only what you do well, but also to be
Gibbs Reflective Cycle below.
critical of yourself. It is an analytical cycle
enabling your personal development, Use the self-interview questions (on p4–5) to
and helping you become aware of it. convert that reflection into evidence for the Award ▴
Description
What happened? In what context?
Future action plan Feelings
How will you think and act differently What were you thinking and feeling –
in the future, and why? before and afterwards? Adapted from Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
Conclusions Evaluation
Looking back, what could you have What worked well? What did not work
done differently? well? What were the impacts?
Analysis
Looking back, why did these aspects
work well or not work well?
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing3
Transformation
W
e all change and develop during TYPES OF TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE
our lives, including during our
time at Imperial. Our mindsets
and perspectives shift as we learn from
experiences. This also changes what we do.
During your time at Imperial, as Unpredicted one-off experience,
undergraduate or postgraduate, full-time that changes you or your understanding
or part-time, you will acquire specialist (you are never the same again)
expertise in your field but you’ll also
develop your existing or new values,
assumptions, opinions and frames of
reference. They will affect you, your
Predicted one-off experience, good or
interactions with others and how you do
requiring you to get it ‘right first time’
things. The Imperial Award encourages you
(you can prepare for it, but will
to identify not only the changes in you but
not avoid it)
also their cause(s).
USING TRANSFORMATION
IN YOUR STATEMENT
The Award asks you to discuss the link
A combination of varied experiences
between your experience, its transformative
independently contributing to your
impact and the attribute.
development (as you react, cope,
You can fulfil the criteria by reflecting on: adapt, fix)
▴▴ The definition of the attribute
▴▴ Whether the attribute matches your
current ways of thinking/behaving and
how your understanding of it changed Cumulative experiences sought from
varied activities (purposeful, ongoing
▴▴ The experiences which evidence your and strategic)
development of the attribute
▴▴ The reasons why your experience(s)
caused you to develop Imperial Award
attributes. ▴
Cumulative experiences within
▸ Adapting and extending one activity (progressing to greater
Mezirow’s concepts of epochal and responsibility/challenges)
cumulative experiences (Ahearn 2018)
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing4
Reflection tools
T
hese self-interview questions If you’re not sure you possess an attribute
will help you to start linking your start by asking yourself questions about
experiences to Imperial Award your experiences (this page). If you think
attributes. Use your online portfolio to you already possess an attribute you can
record these links and your reflections. do the reverse (p5). ▴
SELF-INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, STARTING FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES
PRIMARY QUESTION KEY ASPECTS
Which of your past activities would you Reflect on activities that feel significant
handle differently, in future? for you: what was the situation and
context?
What specific experience caused you Why did you need to change your
to re-think your assumptions, choices thinking/actions? Did you seek advice/
and actions? training? How difficult or easy was it to
modify your thinking/actions?
What helped/hindered you?
Does this experience show thinking/ Reading the definitions of streams and
actions that match any of the attribute attributes, what matches the thinking/
definitions? actions evidenced by your experiences?
Why did the specific experience(s) Why was that specific experience so
helped you develop that attribute? transformational for you? How do
Ahearn (2017)
you know?
What impact do you expect to have in What has been your impact on others, or
future, using the attribute? on new situations, since you developed
the attribute?
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing5
SELF-INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, STARTING WITH THE ATTRIBUTES
PRIMARY QUESTION FURTHER REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
Which attributes do you think you can From the definitions of the attribute and the
evidence most strongly when thinking stream, which words and ideas describe you?
about your experience
Can you discuss the differences between this
attribute and the other three in the stream?
Think of one concrete example for Does your example show your independence
each of your chosen attributes. of thinking and action in the activity?
What did you do What was the context of the experience?
(background and context)?
How did you do it? Did you use any training, advice, trial-and-error,
group discussions, personal reflection or research
as part of your experience of handling the situation?
Why? Give a rationale for the What was your thinking/practice before you
change in you, before and after your developed the attribute? What specifically changed
experience. your thinking/practice? What is your thinking/
practice now?
What was the impact of your actions/ What is the evidence of this transformative
choice/approach on others and on impact on you or others?
yourself?
Use feedback from others, from observers, from
your own reflections, anecdotal evidence or your
Ahearn (2017)
own observations to back up your argument.
Would you do anything differently to Will you use the attribute to handle future
improve the outcome? What? Why? situations/challenges/opportunities?
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing6
Your online
portfolio
WHY USE THE AWARD PORTFOLIO? MAPPING
The online Portfolio lets you use your Mapping means selecting, and
reflection as evidence. You can use labelling, your experiences as evidence
the Portfolio as a diary or journal to list of an attribute. When you add a new
activities, analyse experiences, map experience to an activity, the new page
the links to attributes and produce an will list the 12 attributes at the bottom
automated Overview or summary. of the page. After reflecting on the
experience, you can click-to-match the
It is accessed on the Award web page,
experience to relevant attributes (see
using your College log-in. It is simple
opposite).
enough to use as a daily diary to capture
fresh experiences and track your own The three streams of attributes are:
development. It is intuitive to use.
Independent,
The Portfolio Activities and Experiences open-minded thought
pages are entirely private but,
helpfully, the Overview can be seen by
your personal tutor or mentor, to aid Effective teamwork
discussions.
Self-awareness and
ACTIVITY RECORDING active self-management
Activities can include anything you
engage in, including but not limited to:
THE MATRIX OVERVIEW
▴▴ Summer internships or any work When you click-to-match attributes to an
experience, it populates a matrix which
▴▴ Volunteering, any type
gives you an overview of the strengths
▴▴ Business, enterprise or hackspace of your evidence for each attribute. You
projects can fill gaps with new experiences. A
complete set of evidenced attributes in a
▴▴ Life experiences e.g. Parenting or
stream would indicate that you are ready
care-giving
to write a statement for the assessors ▴
▴▴ UROP or postgraduate research
▴▴ Conferences, presentations, outreach
▴▴ Mentoring, tutoring, training
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing7
ACTIVITY
RECORDING
EXPERIENCES
MAPPING
ATTRIBUTES
THE MATRIX
OVERVIEW
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing8
Using reflection
to gain the Award
PROCESS USING THESE TOOLS AND SUPPORT
1R
ecall and record your activities and ▴▴ Use your memory, CV, calendar/diary to recall activities
experiences in your private online
▴▴ Use your online Portfolio as a journal, diary or notepad
Portfolio
2R
ead and reflect on the definitions of ▴▴ See Student Guidance or this resource (p. 19) for
attributes and the Award Criteria used attribute definitions and Award criteria;
by the assessors
▴▴ Use workshops, videos, talk to your peers
to discuss them
3R
eflect on your experiences, identifying ▴▴ Use the tools in this guide and on the website;
transformative experiences and map ▴▴ Use workshops; videos; peers/tutor chats
them to your attributes
▴▴ Use your online portfolio
4R
eview your evidence per attribute; seek ▴▴ Read your own portfolio, use the matrix
new experiences or re-use steps 1—3 ▴▴ Continue to self-reflect
5P
roduce your written statement, ▴▴ Use the writing tools and examples in this Guide
self-checking that it fulfils the ▴▴ Read the Award criteria in the Student Guidance
Assessor’s criteria document
▴▴ Attend the workshop on Reflective Writing
6 Submit your statement online. Reflect on ▴▴ Use the Award online system to submit a statement of
the assessor’s written feedback. Re-use any 4,000 characters; reflect on and follow your assessor’s
prior steps feedback; assessment dates available throughout the
year; resubmissions permitted
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing9
The SCART model
A TOOL FOR REFLECTIVE WRITING matters and that you understand what
The SCART model provides a simple you did well, what you could improve
approach to structuring your reflective and how it has affected your priorities,
statement (Step five in the Award assumptions or viewpoint.
Processes). You must write clearly and
concisely, fulfilling the Award criteria. ▴▴ Show understanding of the impact of
Remember that the Imperial Award is your actions on yourself and, where
not about the volume or success of your appropriate, others
activities; it is about recognising your
personal development of attributes. ▴▴ Use the reflection tools (Gibbs
Reflective Cycle; the Self-interviews)
SITUATION/CONTEXT to generate evidence about your
Briefly set the scene, explain how and experiences and select small examples
why the situation arose, what needed directly relevant to the attributes you
to be achieved, and the context of your are claiming
claim that you have developed the
TRANSFORMATION
attributes. You must evidence (argue persuasively)
▴▴ This scene-setting must be specific that, as a result of your reflection, you
and not generalised understand the transformative impact
of your experiences in helping you to
▴▴ Keep your explanation of the develop the attributes, enabling you
situation/task/context to an absolute to perform differently in the future.
minimum
▴▴ Address attributes explicitly
ACTION
▴▴ Explain how you know, personally, that
A brief explanation of what you did and
your experiences have changed you
how you achieved (or missed) your goal
or handled the situation. ▴▴ Look carefully at the Award criteria
to see what does / does not work as
▴▴ Explain what you did or what you evidence ▴
experienced
▴▴ Highlight the aspects relevant to the
attribute(s) by using key-nouns, key-
verbs and key-ideas from the attribute INCLUDE THESE IN YOUR STATEMENT
REFLECTION Situation | Context | Action
Evidence that you have thought about Reflection | Transformation
what you have experienced, why it
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing10
Reflective writing
Your short reflective statement
requires reflective writing; you must
go beyond mere description.
T
his framework, adapted from work by
Jenny Moon, describes the transition from
descriptive to reflective writing.
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING A description of what
has happened. It may tell a story but from only one
perspective. Generally only one point is made at a time.
+ ELEMENTS OF REFLECTION As above, with little
addition of ideas from outside the event and no
references to alternative viewpoints or the attitudes
of others. There is recognition of the worth of further
exploration, but it does not go very far.
REFLECTIVE WRITING There is description but certain
aspects are emphasised for reflective comment. There
may be a sense that the role of self is being thought
about. The account shows some analysis and there is
recognition of the worth of exploring the motives and
reasons for behaviour.
DEEPER REFLECTIVE WRITING Description now only
serves the process of reflection, covering the issues
for reflection and noting their context. There is clear
evidence of standing back from an event and conducting
a deep, thoughtful internal dialogue. The account shows
deep reflection, and it incorporates recognition that the
frame of reference (the ‘lens’ through which an event is
viewed) can change.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing11
Your reflective
statement
WRITING YOUR THE DO RULES TABLE
REFLECTIVE STATEMENT DO DON’T
To achieve each Imperial Award stream
you need to produce a written reflective ▴▴ Do use all of the analytical ▴▴ Do not write your
statement of no more than 4,000 reflective tools to reflect statement without
characters per stream, demonstrating deeply, before you start reflecting on the impact of
how you meet the Imperial Award criteria writing-up your experiences.
in relation to each of the four attributes
within that stream. ▴▴ Do use your matrix tool to ▴▴ Do not try to squeeze in a
select your best evidence mention of every activity
Before you write your statement, you for each attribute and experience. Be
should have already started reflecting selective.
upon your experiences in relation to the
attributes in that stream. The portfolio, ▴▴ Do write using “I”, “me”, ▴▴ Do not use assertions
overview matrix, Gibbs Reflective Cycle “my”, “mine”, keeping in lieu of argument. If in
and the Self-interview questions, are your focus on impacts of doubt attend an Award
designed to help you reflect and make your experiences writing workshop or
use of your reflection. The SCART model discuss with peers.
is designed to help you to structure
your writing so that you present an ▴▴ Do explicitly address each ▴▴ Do not list achievements
argument rather than simple description. attribute in the stream, (successful results)
Express yourself reflectively by using the arguing in support of your instead of experiences.
reflective sentence and verb generators claim, with experiences as
(p15 & p16). evidence
This table lists Reflective Statement
Do/Don’t rules, based on the Assessor’s ▴▴ Do weave a coherent ▴▴ Do not stretch thin
Criteria (set out in the Imperial Award statement for the whole evidence to cover all
Student Guidance). ▴ stream. attributes. Better to
seek further, deeper
experiences, if time
permits.
▴▴ Do focus on the why, or ▴▴ Do not focus on a factual
the reasons behind your description of your
feelings and actions. experience.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing12
EXAMPLE REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
FICTIONAL STREAM: EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS
To help you understand what reflective
Imperial graduates will take impressive technical
writing looks like we have created a
qualifications into the workforce, to have impact on
fictional Imperial Award stream called
society, knowledge and the future. To operate at a level
Effective Presentation, and invented
befitting the quality of their qualifications, graduates need
an example statement by an imaginary
to be able to communicate with impact, achieving more
student called ‘Sam’, with comments
than the mere transmission of data but communicating
from an assessor.
at a deeper level to shape the response to the
communication. Great responsibility comes with the ability
to persuade others, and this stream recognises attributes
which enable proficient communication (what and how)
and societal responsibility (what and why).
FICTIONAL ATTRIBUTES:
1. Awareness of audience needs: Effective presenters
are audience-focused instead of information-centric,
and consider the audience’s context including why
the audience is present, the range of audience wants/
needs/priorities, and their range of likely responses.
Critically, effective presenters know what impact they
wish to have on the audience beyond
the presentation.
2. Uses effective presentation tools: effective presenters
do not merely display information but explain
it, using strategies tailored to their audience.
Strategies and tools can include rhetoric, argument/
counterargument, evidence and also visual, verbal,
aural, digital or other modes of delivery. An effective
tool helps the presenter have their intended impact
on the audience.
3. Ethically responsible: a presenter makes choices
about what to present and what to omit, and how to
present and how not to present. In these choices, the
presenter must be careful to ensure the honesty and
integrity of communication, whether controversial
or not in its content.
4. Persuader mindset: an effective presenter seeks
to have an impact (an effect) on the audience.
A persuader mindset is required for a presenter
to be able to identify what the effect should be
and how to achieve it, and how to follow-up on
an effective presentation.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing13
FICTIONAL SHORT REFLECTIVE STATEMENT: SAM’S STATEMENT ASSESSOR’S NOTES: WHAT
My experience on the ICU Toilets-for-Us Project (T4Us: a sanitation MAKES THIS REFLECTIVE
project for rural India), made me rethink my approach to presentations
Sam helpfully sets the
and changed my practice. My claim to have the attributes of an Effective
Situation/context (Following
Presenter is evidenced by 3 key experiences which transformed my
the SCART model)
presentations strategy, impacting different audiences and me.
Sam focuses on claiming to
Looking back, despite often presenting coursework, my three most
possess the attributes and
transformative experiences as a presenter have been (1) as media officer
how Sam’s experience is
for the T4Us project, (2) getting T4Us communications coaching and (3)
evidence. Keywords include:
talking to my personal tutor about this Award stream. As media officer,
rethink, claim, attributes,
I needed my presentations to start changing people’s minds; the training
transformed, impacts
gave me know-how; but my reflective discussion with my PT truly helped
and change.
me to shift my student focus from ‘information’ towards ‘presentation’,
changing my strategy. Sam has prioritised reflective
(analytical) thinking over
With my tutor, I debated the differences between teaching, presenting,
description of details.
proving, and information-dumping when we discussed “Persuader
(Reflection from the
mindset” (attribute (d)). I realised that I’d never needed a “persuader
mindset” when presenting coursework to teachers who already knew
SCART model)
the topic. I’d merely collected relevant information, and won marks for
information-gathering. The teachers were changing me with feedback, Sam explicitly addresses
not me persuading them. the attribute and shows
reflection upon the dilemma
In contrast, I definitely need a persuader mindset when I explain the
of whether Sam’s experiences
Toilets-for-Us project to other people, to convert students into volunteers,
as a presenter have always
potential funders into sponsors; and the public into supporters who
involved the attributes.
realise that people are dying from cholera and suffering social harm in
Sam argues using a counter-
places without sanitation systems. My training increased my audience
example and then highlights
awareness (attribute (a)) and so now each audience gets a tailored
positive examples. Sam shows
presentation, instead of one fact-filled standard presentation. I believe
a shift in their own basic
that audiences talking to me after a presentation is evidence that I met
assumptions, which cannot
their needs and persuaded them about our project’s potential. We now
happen without reflection.
have an existing sponsor who increased their funding and we doubled
Sam uses descriptive detail
our volunteer force from 5 to 11, a good impact from my shift from talker
of action mostly to illustrate
to persuader and my discussions with audiences are deeper now.
the transformation and avoids
too much detail about the
T4Us story.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing14
My transformation into someone who “uses effective presentation Sam highlights
tools” for attribute (b), occurred during T4Us communications training. transformation, using a before
Tough feedback from the trainer changed me from someone who and after technique, with
loved powerpoint and pictures, into someone who now relies more on phrases like ‘from someone
‘conversation’ with my audience. I use rhetorical questions as hooks, who loved…into someone who
I build up arguments using data instead of just showing data for the now…’.
audience to interpret. I have pushed background knowledge to the
This is rich in details, but they
background and brought forward my main points. I acknowledge, instead
are always reflecting on Sam’s
of hiding, any problems (the counter-arguments against our project) to
progress into someone with
show my audience that I anticipate their concerns. This impresses funders
the IA attributes.
in particular, as it shows transparency on issues such as ‘westerners
imposing solutions on India’ or our tiny project scale, which are the
biggest counter-arguments we face and were issues I needed to address.
In my discussion with my Personal Tutor, we really debated what the Sam makes explicit the
Imperial Award attribute of being “ethically responsible” would truly approach taken to reflection:
mean for my T4Us project. I thought it meant “do not plagiarise” but Sam illustrates how debate
he thought it was wider. When I showed him my new presentation of and discussion with another
T4Us, his reaction to those counter-arguments was that it hit the ethical person (Tutor) introduced
issues head-on. Do we cause harm when 10 homes access get deep-pit Sam to new ways of looking at
toilets but we do not reach the neighbours 2km down the road? Are our their own practice as a T4Us
claims grounded on facts, opinions or hopes? Do we make it clear to the communicator and gives a
audience? This is an aspect that I had not truly considered before looking specific example of change
at Imperial Award, so I am still developing my understanding but I am now resulting from that new
consciously aware of trying to be ethically responsible as a presenter and insight.
not a ‘glib salesman’. I now make clarity about our tough issues the key to
my ethical presenting.
The communications training and the process of reflecting on what I do as Sam finishes by pulling
a presenter has shifted my entire approach and I am now more ambitious together the stream’s themes
for my presentation’s impact. I no longer give the entire history of the (persuasion; audience; effective
project, I shifted my focus to the audience, my priority to the impacts of tools) and reminds us of Sam’s
the presentation and I use more varied tools because my presentations know-why, know-what and
are about persuading people to act. Although it would be nice to earn know-how. Transformative
the Imperial Award, the real impact of my transformation into an effective impact of Sam’s experiences
presenter will be when I revisit the Indian village this summer, to see the remains the dominant focus
impact of having persuaded more people to give more help, money and of Sam’s claim to possess the
support to challenge this real-life problem and see the solution happen ▴ attributes.
Character count: 3,895 (no spaces)
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing15
Reflective sentence
generator
Use this sentence-generator to adopt
reflective–contemplative writing.
If you wish to SHOW JUDGEMENT
important event happened when…
For me, the (most) meaningful idea arose from…
relevant learning began after…
If you wish to CLAIM DEVELOPMENT
developed understanding of...
I have improved my skills in…
enriched ability to…
If you wish to SHOW CHANGE OVER TIME
Previously, thought…
Initially, I felt…
At the time, noticed…
If you wish to SHOW SHIFT IN THINKING/ACTION
read… think…
explored… realise…
Having I now
analysed… know…
learned… feel…
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing16
Verb generator
Look at the themes and the verbs we’ve suggested.
These are merely a starting point and may help you
reflect on your experiences.
achieved, completed, improved, enhanced, prevented,
Achievement
produced, implemented, delivered, closed-out, finalised.
advised, wrote, instructed, presented, edited, chaired meeting,
persuaded , pitched, reviewed, listened, learned, adjudicated,
Communication
claimed, justified, negotiated, reported, professed, acclaimed,
counter-argued.
created, designed, established, introduced, developed, set
Taking initiative up, initiated, instigated, re-started, re-designed, convened,
proposed, pitched, re-examined, re-evaluated.
investigated, determined, searched, surveyed, examined,
Research catalogued, classified , reviewed, published, wrote-up,
analysed, compared, presented, queried, hypothesised.
recognised, arranged, budgeted, verified, scheduled, planned,
Organising
produced , checked, recast, replenished, delegated, devolved,
and planning
involved, re-organised, accounted, reported, recruited.
advised, facilitated, collaborated, proposed, trusted,
evaluated, consulted, mediated, handled , negotiated,
Interpersonal
welcomed, hosted, consoled, cheered, commiserated,
celebrated, diversified, recognised, acknowledged, introduced.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing17
Advice and
clarifications
An activity gives you the opportunity to Private Feedback from the Assessor
gain experience. The activity of being panel is given online on every statement,
an academic representative could helping you decide what to do next.
give experiences of committee work
There are multiple Assessment Cycles
communication, actively listening to
per year (two per term plus some
individual students’ concerns and with
summer vacation assessment may
being strategic to create rule changes.
be offered). Different assessors may
An experience is gained during an contribute on different cycles. Students
activity, having an impact on you, are free to submit and resubmit
shaping your subsequent thoughts amended statements at multiple
and actions. cycles, if wished.
Evidence (to support your claim to Your online Portfolio can also be used
the Award) is composed of personal daily/weekly as a diary or journal for
experiences analysed to discover why capturing your thoughts/reactions to
they converted you from your old set of experiences as you have them.
assumptions and behaviours towards
The Portfolio has a Mapping tool, for
your newer behaviours, ideas and
matching attributes to your experiences.
actions.
An automatic Matrix Overview is
Definitions of streams and attributes
generated when you use the Mapping
(in the blue Student Guide) have specific
tool in the Portfolio. It shows your
wording which you need to understand
strongest evidence.
before reflecting on your experiences to
find evidence for a persuasive claim that Self-interview tools, the SCART Model
you have those attributes. and the Reflective Sentence Generator
are optional tools to use and re-use
Statements are 4,000 characters long.
when doing reflection and again when
You must write a coherent argument
structuring and writing your statement.
covering all four attributes in a stream.
Your selected evidence must be from Within a stream, your re-written or
your own independent personal amended statements are considered
engagement in activities that gave as revisions of your first statement,
you experiences. and thus there is no concern over
self-plagiarism. (You can re-use
The Assessor’s Criteria can be found in
earlier writing, in a given stream) ▴
the Student Guidance. Write and review
your statement with these criteria in mind.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing18 19
THE IMPERIAL AWARD FRAMEWORK THE IMPERIAL AWARD ATTRIBUTES
Applying your scientific or research knowledge, or
Innovative approach skills, to improve an existing thing, or to develop,
Thinking for yourself and taking open-minded approaches to identify or establish something new.
situations or tasks means that you draw on, but are not confined Generating ideas and applying them to develop an
by, what you already know from your studies and from your life Creativity initiative, solve a problem, instigate a course of action,
experiences. The four attributes can be discussed in relation to or bring value to an individual, situation, or process.
Stream one
a single activity or may have been gained/demonstrated across
Independent,
several activities. Situations requiring independent thinking may Identifying a solution and justifying it with intelligent
open-minded thought Practical, intelligent problem-solving
have involved risks with no guarantee of success, and yet these reasoning.
situations can be highly transformative for you and others.
The emphasis in this stream is on the student’s ability to
distinguish the different aspects of each attribute and relate Identifying opportunities and taking risks to develop
them to their own thinking. Enterprising mind-set outcomes relevant in society or that have an impact
within an existing organisation.
Managing communication processes and the flow of
Communication and active listening information to ensure that teams work effectively and
that there is a shared understanding.
Imperial students have a strong tradition of group activities, Understanding how you or others are motivated,
however progressing beyond mere groupwork to effective teamwork Motivation using this understanding to help achieve a collective
requires an effort to understand teams, develop teamwork skills goal or aim.
Stream two
and apply them to enhance the team’s activities. Students will Observing and understanding how others behave and
Effective teamwork
use this stream to evidence their transformation into an effective Awareness of group dynamics and interact; using individuals’ different approaches and
contributor to a team, reflecting upon their impact on a team’s collaboration perspectives to benefit the team; and working with
operation and their contribution to team achievements. others to achieve a collective goal or aim.
Contributing to effective leadership, enabling a team to
Strategic mind-set
achieve its collective goals or aims.
Considering personal strengths and opportunities for
Critical self-analysis/self-evaluation self-improvement, presenting a case or argument to
Imperial students enjoy the reputation of people who can handle justify behaviour or personal development.
intense academic challenges. Many also enjoy a reputation for
Being conscious of how your values or ethos impacts
working to benefit society and for being achievers who can identify
Social conscience the application of your expert skills, knowledge and
Stream three opportunities and have an impact, aware of the world beyond their
experience and how your behaviour can affect others.
Self-awareness own context. In this stream, students are required to demonstrate
and active their emotional intelligence, to recall and reflect upon their own
Seizing and exploiting opportunities to further develop
self-management internal drivers and to consider their impact on others. Students Recognising opportunities
yourself.
will reflect upon instances and events which demonstrate attributes
going to the core of their identity and their ability to manage Appreciating broad social, cultural or international
transformation. contexts and adapting behaviours and approaches in
Global mind-set
a range of diverse situations, showing self-awareness
and empathy.
Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writing Imperial Award Scheme | Reflective writingFor more information email imperialaward@imperial.ac.uk | imperial.ac.uk/imperial-award | 2020
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