PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
HOW UNIVERSITY MEASURES MY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AND THE ROLES MY LECTURERS TAKE IN THIS PROCESS
Being in my first year at Bucks University, I am currently undertaking a degree in Accounting and Finance and within the degree, I am doing four modules. The university measures a students’ performance by having them sit TCA exams at the end of year and some modules tend to have TCA exams middle of the year. TCAs are carried out so that the university can get some form of idea on how well the students are doing and what grade they are achieving. In addition to TCAs, assignments are also key in performance management as they show how well someone is doing throughout the course of the year and shows how well the undergraduate has understood the topics in each module as well as how good the application of theory is to the work. Attendance is also vital because if you do not attend your lectures, you are unlikely to do very well come the end of year.
The modules I currently undertake are: People & Organisation, Business Environment, Management Accounting and Managing Money. For each of the modules, performance is measured slightly differently from one another. For People and Organisation, we go through PowerPoint presentations on different topics every week. During the seminar, there are plenty of group work and discussions. This ensures the students are engaged and concentrating on what the lecture is about. This enables the lecturer to measure performance as it gives them a clue of who understands the topic well and those that are not very familiar with what the topic is on. At the end of every lecture, we are given blog work to do in relation to the topic being covered. Sets of questions are given and we have to answer them through writing blogs and upload them on our BlogSpot once complete. In total, there are 15 blogs worth total of 60% of the overall grade for this module. I personally see this as a good way of measuring performance as it shows how much the students have gained from the lectures; what they have learnt and whether they have understood it well. In addition, it also shows how well we can relate the theories learnt to the questions and real life examples. For the first few blogs, we are given feedback on how we are getting along and whether there are any changes that need to be made. Along with the blogs, there are also couple of assignments worth 40% of the overall grade for the module which are set. There is no examination for this module.
For Management Accounting, we are set two assignments worth 30% each and an exam at the end of the year worth 40% of the overall grade. We are provided with feedback when we are handed our assignments back. This allows us to see where we went wrong or what could have been done better. By given feedback, I am satisfied as I know what to do next time when I have been set an assignment to do and how to approach it.
For Business Environment, there are three examinations worth 30% each from which only two best results count, so 60% worth of examination goes towards the overall grade. Along with the exams, there are two assignments worth 40% in total. We are given feedback on the assignments and the exams and the lecturer goes through the exam paper with the class so that each student understands where they went wrong and how to approach similar questions next time round.
Finally, Managing Money we have two examinations worth 30% each and Sage assignment which is worth 40% of the overall grade. One of the examinations is earlier during the year and the final exam is at the end of the year. As for the assignment, we go through different tutorials each week and use a software called Sage to carry out the tutorials. In total there are 12 tutorials which are done throughout the course of the year. Tutorials are there to help you progress without much difficulty with the assignment.
EFFECTIVE MENTOR
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Having read this article, I now have a better understanding of what a mentor is. Mentoring requires a set of skills. In my opinion, someone with a great deal of experience and someone with good communication and listening skills is worthy of being an effective mentor. By possessing good listening skills, it allows the mentoree to easily discuss any issues they have. Furthermore, a mentor with good communication skills as an asset is an effective mentor because they are able to offer advice on the best ways to deal with the issues being raised. If the mentee faces any challenges that are hard to come by, a mentor with vitally effective communication and listening skills can be very beneficial. An effective mentor is someone that you can trust and look up to for guidance. The mentor has to be honest as well as be patience. Another handy skill to possess is having a good professional relationship with the mentee. By building a stable relationship enables the mentoree to trust you and not be afraid to discuss issues with you.
A MENTOR IN MY LIFE
I have no specific mentor as I tend to approach different people depending on what area I am looking for advice on. When it comes to education related advice and advice for my career in the future, I approach my older cousin. This is because he has been through it all and is now the owner of a fast growing business. He understands me well and is always on hand to listen to me and offer advice whenever I need it. I feel comfortable discussing issues with him and by having a conversation with him I have reached certain decisions, which have benefited me in my life. For other advices, I tend to approach my dad or my best friend. I have always had support from my dad in whatever I do and same goes to my other family members. They are always there if I seek general advice and help me make the right decision and overcome any challenges I face.
To conclude, employers need to assess employees’ performance on a regular basis and make sure they are on the right path. By doing so, it helps motivate the employees resulting in higher productivity. There are several benefits of managing performance; it can identify someone’s strengths and also clarify areas of development and indicate how weaknesses can be overcome. In addition, the employees can improve their communication skills as they can talk about what they expect of themselves and distinguish between their own strengths and weaknesses. Organisations measure performance using several techniques, which are: monthly reviews, feedbacks and personal interviews.
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