Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Writing your Engineering Professional Practice Reflections

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The Bachelor of Engineering(Hons), Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Master of Engineering and Master of Engineering program rules state that: A student must—

  • (a) complete 450 hours of professional practice approved by the Executive Dean; and
  • (b) satisfactorily complete assessment pertaining to thatprofessional practice as determined by the Executive Dean.

You are required to submit five (5) reflections where you reflect on your professional development and communicate these learnings in a written form. Reflections may be completed during and/or after your professional practice activities.

Within each reflection, you are required to:

  1. Choose one (1) of the sixteen (16) Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies. Please note that out of the five (5) reflections at least four (4) reflections must be from sections two (2) and three (3) of the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies. Each reflection must address a different competency.
  2. Identify one or more learning events that you have encountered whilst undertaking your 450 hours of professional practice. When identifying your learning event(s), think about all the things you have done in your professional practice activities and decide which of those things have helped you understand better or helped you do a better job as a professional engineer.
  3. Discuss the learning event(s) you have identified with reference to the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency you have chosen. Use the SEAL Reflection Framework for your discussion (300 words per reflection).
  1. How will I be assessed?
  2. What is a learning event?
  3. How do I write reflectively?
  1. How should I write this?
  2. The SEAL process of self-reflection
  3. Sample

6. Sample

EA Competency 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains

Situation: The most significant learning experience from my work placement at Rio Tinto as an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineer was a presentation I had to give towards the end of the placement. I had to talk about the project that I was working on at a staff meeting. I had thought that I was quite confident, as I had spent quite a bit of time preparing it in the way that I have seen others make similar presentations. I was still quite nervous as the student in the team rather than the professional. When it came to the presentation, I wanted to do well.

Effect: My efforts to be calm failed and my voice went wobbly. I persevered despite being nervous and unhappy with my performance. Afterwards, I talked things over with my supervisor and we identified where I could improve. I was a little bit embarrassed about having to talk to my supervisor but I felt it was the best way to learn and improve. Presentations in a professional environment are much harder than at university.

Action: The debrief with my supervisor was really helpful and I realise that I need to structure my presentations better to help me present in a more logical way and I need to get a handle on my nerves by taking a deep breath before I start speaking and practising beforehand. From this experience, I learned that it is important to ask for help when you need it and even though criticism can be hard to take sometimes if you can use it to improve then it is well worth it.

Learning: In the future, I will seek help before I get to the point of near disaster and will take on board feedback. Overall, the experience has made me more confident about presenting in a professional situation. My communication skills have improved and I feel like facing a challenging situation has made me more resilient and able to bounce back after something has not gone the way I liked.