Five Factors that Inhibited Reflective Habits in this Class

A Broadcast Techniques class is, ideally, a very practical and interactive class. Our class has generally bordered on the ideal - meaning that it has been quite practical and interactive. However this does not necessarily mean that it was all smooth and easy, and that everything we did in the class encouraged participation let alone reflective habits.

The following explains five factors that inhibited my reflective habits in this class.

The number of the students was quite high, especially when one considers the fact that this is (or is at least meant to be) a practical class. The number of students meant that we had to learn and use the available equipment in groups - in conditions that meant some students never got the opportunity to use some equipment (the cameras, for example) or partake certain roles (say, a director or a producer) - and these roles and equipments are pivotal in understanding and reflecting on what one has learnt.

Time. Communications is a very demanding major (and field) thus balancing the time for this class, other classes and classwork (from both this course and other equally demanding courses) was a hard act - let alone the time for one to reflect on what was taught in class, or what one read. Also, having an assignment to hand in, virtually, every week in, virtually, every class was another way time acted as an inhibition to reflection.

The studio personnel was neither very helpful nor approachable. They acted aloof and unwilling to help even when one approached them to ask for help or make a studio-related enquiry. This cultivated a sort of reproach, if not fear, for reflecting on what we'd learnt in class by practically engaging with the concepts and equipment we study theoretically. And though this might sound like an attack, or a detracting comment, I say it with all respect and with the hope that this might - in some way - change for the sake of future students.

Nature of the class. From within the class there were also various inhibitions. There were many classes were we had to learn theoretically in class then move to the studio for further (and more practical) learning. One might conclude that this is an effective way of doing a class of this nature but, in reality, this sometimes necessitated that we rush through the theory part, run to the studios, then, also (sometimes), rush through the practical part. And although the practical part was, originally, meant to reinforce the theoretical one it ended up being hard to understand - even incomprehensible, at times - due to the lack of a strong theoretical foundation.

Finally, the fact that students facilitated most of the classes led to some classes being unserious and some concepts misunderstood (or just not understood), particularly due to inadequate preparation. And though the lecturer was there to correct and guide whenever there was a misunderstanding, some points were still left unattended. It was, however, a great initiative for the classes ended up being more open to interaction (in relation to other courses) but the depth of the information one gets was only so-so in most cases, leaving little - if anything - for further reflection.

These were some of the factors that I found inhibitive to my reflective habits - as encountered in this class. I hope that, in a way or another, they shall be looked into and, where necessary, worked on for the betterment of the course.

(By Princely Hope Glorious, 08-2026. As a completion of today's CAT.)