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REFLEXTIVE ESSAY

NAME: ODUNLAMI BOLANLE AGNES

REFLEXTIVE ESSAY

Boarding a   British Airways flight to the United Kingdom on the 25th of September, 2021 was  very splendid and awesome journey though I had travelled to the United Kingdom numerous times this particular trip was to study therefore my expectation was different and many ideas and thought was going on in my mind ,the thought of  being a mature student    I left the university as an undergraduates over two decades  however  had the ambition to study abroad and acquire an international education .

On arrival I opted to my apartment at 6a North Bridge Street Sunderland, where I meet my flat mates who coincidently are undergraduate student at the University of Sunderland.  It was interesting to find out that one of my flatmate was a law student in the University of Sunderland he was helpful to explain student life and what the government expect from international student coming to study.

As I sat down to reflect on my time in the Master Foundation Programme at oncampus Sunderland, three months of the programme and indeed the experience had been awesome, according to ( Grisham.J. 1991)he say thus: ‘’now the judge is a shadow of his former self, a sick lonely old man who has withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home ‘’ In my early days at oncampus, I discovered that I am a shadow of myself  alone in England, no friends, no family members in the process of attending classes I had to start making friends.

I was a shadow of myself, quick to change my orientation and adapt to my new environment with fellow international student realizing that I have close to twelve months duration of studies, the alternative was to adapt to the new way of life.

The weather was very cold I had to buy warmer cloths, the temperature here in the United Kingdom is lower than what I am used to and I had to embrace the weather within a short time.

My experience here in the United Kingdom is an international student is indeed an awesome experience , I recalled the first day in the university I was stunned to see the magnificent and beautiful structure. The environment is very serene and quiet for learning, everywhere is green giving a very conductive environment to learn and appreciate human nature.

CHALLENGES

One of the challenges I encounter in the Master Foundation Programme basically has to do with the use of online method of teaching , initially when I arrived most of the class was held online and I struggle to adjust to that method of learning . I am more familiar with the face to face method  of learning  I must admit that I had been able to adjust  and familiarize myself with the style though it was odd to my initially I was able to cope with the new concept of  learning , I guess that the world is moving towards a more advance way .

Secondly inexperience in the use of computer was another challenge in learning my inability to use the computer accurately and effectively. I doubted my ability to use the power point, excel terms etc everybody always have doubt in one area of the other. However with regular practice and dedication I was able to overcome the challenges together with dedication it was possible. . According to Julie M et al, (2017) a university education may not offer the best landscape and students are faced with challenges in the mode of teaching, learning and assessment.

I   have to   understand academic writing, reading the text book independently have greatly improved my writing styles and   been able to make connections, this indeed helped to develop a deeper understanding which has drastically taken my writing to an advanced level.

Furthermore, I read  a text book on academic  writing  during my   research project , to be honest this will be the first experience that I will independently reading a text book and according Stephen .B ,(2015 ) to the text book summarizing and paraphrasing is a flexible to use in academic writing and provide more details in a sentence.    

OBSERVATIONS

One of the most fascinating observations here at oncampus is the friendly relationship that existed between non staff’s students and the academic staffs; everybody seems to be friendly and eager to render assistance to students, especially international students. The non-teaching staffs are extremely friendly and display a lot of respect and dignity to one another within the university. They are willing to provide support both morally and emotionally to the students.

Secondly, the dedication of the tutors is amazing; the one on one interaction with the tutors’ very fortnight with my research teacher has greatly assisted in my research. I was able to stay on track, each chapter was diligently read by him and he was able to detect my error and make corrections to the research paper.

Another key observation here in the oncampus programme was the absence of class team work, probably because we are few in the class. I never had the opportunity to engage any form of team work. The experience of team work would have been very impactful on my career  in the future however that was omitted in the on campus syllabus .Learning together has a team has its own advantage , I could have been able to identify my strength and weakness in a group work thereby improving and progressing more positive towards my desire goals.

Additionally, another interesting observation is the quick and easy access to information, especially the use of the internet. The building is well lit with lights, all the classroom are well furnished and spacious for student to learn. The display of computer board in all the class room is indeed a great experience, to learn with such a dynamic and advanced technology had imbedded more knowledge.

STRENGHT

Research has also taught me how to think systematically, how to separate ideas from information and to how fix thoughts together. Writing had been my strength, before arriving at the United Kingdom; the writing background was a skill that I was taught at the Nigeria Law School. I can recall that in the university back home in Nigeria we had a course titled  Legal English, that  actually form basic for my foundation  .It is indeed awesome that my writing skills have been more concise and precise on arrival in Sunderland . I believe is one of the strength that I developed more in the United Kingdom.

Secondly, my ability to keep my sentences short. The length of your sentence will determine the readability of your writing as much as any other quality. (Bryan A.G., 2001)  I have learned to compare and analyse both side together and arrival at a logical conclusion which I was unable achieve while learning as an undergraduate in Nigeria.

Thirdly, finding journal and articles on google scholar has significantly widened my presentation skills in my research. The skill to write good articles entails a lot of time devotion. A substantial number of hours to read more text books and familiarize myself with the good vocabulary by reading article on google scholar.

Fourthly, the most surprising thing I learned about myself is how far I have improved in my academic abilities since starting my course here in the United Kingdom. It is adventurous to participate in class and more comfortable sharing ideas my opinions. . I have learned to read ahead of class and to interact more with my fellow students in both formal classes as well as less formal classes.

In addition I am pleased with my experience and looking back I have significantly improved academically. The skill to present before an audience doesn’t come easy for anybody; however with regular daily practice it is possible to master the act. I have to devote a substantial amount of time to practice daily in order to meet the required standard by familiarising myself with watching ted talk on YouTube channels. I am of the opinion that oncampus Master Foundation Programme had played a significant role in that regard, I am more confidence.

Lastly, my ability to read independently ahead of the class has significantly improved my knowledge; I can reflect back and express myself   in a coherent and logical format.

WEAKNESS

The first step in any research topic is to understand the steps to follow before writing, academic research is very different from other aspect of research in all ramifications, I struggle to understand what the answer is all about in an essay which can be frustrating to my research also another part of my weakness is that I struggle with referencing my research accurately; I have to refer to my note book to get the exact format. I did also find it difficult to comprehend ideas behind an essay.

Secondly another weakness is my inability to use the Harvard style of referring accurately well,  I easily forget what comes first and what comes last, same applies in biography formulating a good research question.

I struggle to construct my research question. Choosing a question is an essential element for both quantitative and qualitative research and to form a research question, one must determine what type of research will be conducted most times I mix up questions or lump too many questions in one sentence. Thirdly, evaluation of the question was another weakness; I had to learn the statistic of complication of data and working out percentage to write my findings this was another struggle during my research.

The Academic Skills Development class has given me the oppunity to reflect on my strength and weakness not only as a student but as a professional, by taking all these different writing tasks over the three months duration I have learned how I can use my strength to the best of my ability, learning about my weakness on how I can improve on it. I have been able to gather a lot of information about my strength and my weakness has made to see areas where I need work on. Setting time aside to reflect in my career, I have chosen the oncampus classes and what  to accomplish in the future is to allow myself to be comfortable with the steps that I need to take attain my goals..

Additionally another weakness of mine is not being able to adopt to change as quickly as possible as I like everything staying the same, however this is not a good idea and since coming to on campus Sunderland I have imbedded the culture of adapting to change this will add to expand my knowledge and will assist to become more intelligent advocate.  According to Harris R. (January 1995) the university should ensure that overseas students have proper adaptation of teaching and technique to avoid bad situation with students. I do not think anyone is perfect but I do think we should strive to be our best in any tasks. The first step is to improve my weakness by using my strengths to improve my weakness would be a great idea. I. The programme has also made me know the areas where my strength is best being used.

CONCLUSION

Consequently, the journey to progress from Master Foundation Programme to full master programme next year 2022 will be expeditiously smooth taking into consideration all the weakness, challenges and strength. I will be more self-confidence to navigate the LL.M Criminal Justice and Procedure. My perspective has significantly change I believe the master class will be a smooth scale moving forward with all the above mentioned I strongly believe that the future is bright and my future endeavour will be significantly impacted in the society on departure back to Nigeria.

REFERENCES  

1. Grisham.J. (1991)  The Summons. Penguin Ram London; Arrow books

2. Stephen .B (2015) Academic writing: A hand book for international students .Park square Milton Park Abingdon Oxon; Routledge

3. Bryan A. G (2001) Legal writing in Plain English. The University of Chicago Press; The university of Chicago press Ltd, London

4. Julie Money, Sarah Nixon, Fran Tracy, Claire Hennessy, Emma Ball & Track Dinning  Andrea Szameitat  (2017) Undergraduate student expectations of university in the United Kingdom: What really matters to them?, Cogent Education, 4:1, DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2017.1301855

5. Harris, R. (January 1995) Overseas students in the United Kingdom university system. High Educ 29, 77–92 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01384242

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PRESENTATION

https://oncampusedu.sharepoint.com/sites/1-termMFPSept21/Shared%20Documents/ASD/Recordings/ASD%20-%20agnes%20presentation-20211126_094734-Meeting%20Recording.mp4?web=1

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ACADEMIC PROFILE

In pursuit of my journey to acquire more knowledge in the legal profession I opted for a post graduate programme in Criminal Law and Procedure at the University of Sunderland. I have to complete a Master Foundation Programme to secure a guaranteed Progression. I graduated from the Lagos State University having fulfilled all the requirements of the University and passed the prescribed examination under the authority of the senate I was admitted to the Degree of Bachelors of Law on the 15th September, 2001.  I continued my legal career at the Council of Legal Education and on completion was awarded a Bachelor degree in Law.

My interest in law began as a teenager when I graduated from high school, I discovered that majority of the people in the society do not understand the basic fundamental human right violation, therefore the elite class was taking advantage of the poor and indigent in the society especially those that   cannot afford the legal services and support.

I became more thrilled by watching reality television series titled ‘’Judge Judy’’ very Saturday and Sunday to gain a better understanding of solving legal issues. Indeed that was the first step in achieving   self-accomplishment in my career as a legal practitioner.

Legal representation is more than appearing in court and writing brief of argument, attending continuous legal education is another vital way .The second step in accomplishing my career progression was by attending the International Bar Conference in Boston 2013 with my colleagues. The experience to learn and unlearn different legal theory from other lawyers from other jurisdiction was an awesome experience for me.

Legal Practitioners are often amongst the first people to speak out   against injustice and oppression within the society. The legal profession is a noble profession. Many of those who attended law school and practice law ended up influencing social and political changes that shaped the world. Over half of all the presidents in the United State America came from a legal background.

Upon completion of my academic qualification I joined the Lagos State Ministry of Justice as a Project Officer in the year 2007. My passion for rendering pro bono services was put to test. I was deployed to the Office of the Public Defender and assigned to the Family Court. My role was to ensure that vulnerable women and Children were duly represented in court irrespective of age, tribe or nationality.

Furthermore, I became a State Counsel for the Lagos State Government on the 11th of May 2010, and thereafter deployed to the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights Lagos State Ministry of Justice. The Directorate for Citizens’   is saddled with the responsibilities of rendering legal intervention, Judicial Intervention, Mediation, Law Enforcement.

I was nominated by the Directorate to head the litigation department, my role was to ensure that employees were legally  supported, especially those who sustained injury during the course of their employment or whose employment was wrongfully terminated by employers without complying with the provision of the Labour law.

In the history of the department I was the first State Counsel to initiate the idea of   instituting a legal action at the National Industrial Court (Labour Court) I discovered that many employers were violating the labour law and mediation was not achieving the required results for the employees.  

ACHIEVEMENTS ON RECORDS

1.     Thirty Judgment and rulings on merit from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

2.     Letters of appreciation from the Office of the Solicitor General & Permanent Secretary.

3.     Endorsement of letter of appreciation from the Office of the Honourable Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice

FUTURE AMBITIONS

A person without ambition in life is like a ship without a rudder or a traveller without a destination, people that want to succeed in life must have a direction. My future ambition is to be elevated to the higher bench and become a Judicial Officer. In view of my ambition and together with the academic qualification at the University of Sunderland (LL.M) in Criminal Justice and Procedure my career progression for future is well defined and structure.

A Judicial Officer is saddled with the responsibilities of dispensing justice without fear or favour. When taking the judicial oath, I will uphold to dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will. The quality of a Judicial Officer is to know the law and know to apply it to make a decision which I intend to uphold to the best of my ability to adjudicate meticulously and diligently in the administration of justice.

Additionally, my exposure at the University of Sunderland will be positively replicated back in Nigeria particularly in the area of administration of criminal justice, which had been neglected for decades by the Government. The poor and the indigent members must have access to justice, quick and free without any hindrance or setback. My future ambition will be directed towards ensuring that the oppressed is adequately represented. Another important area that I will explore is Alternative Dispute Resolution; many people do not understand the concept of settling disputes amicable without recourse to litigation.

Furthermore, I have a registered Non-Governmental Organisation in Nigeria. Passion for Justice Initiative, we render free legal support to victims of industrial accident or road accident victims to navigate the justice system.

It is pertinent to state those years of decay in infrastructure most high rate of over congestion of the correctional centres in Nigeria is intended very worrisome for the government, especially the poor rate of development. The need for urgent care of the system is necessary and this form part of my future ambition to contribute meaningfully well to the growth of the justice system in Nigeria

In conclusion, my intention is to facilitate the reformation of the justice system   on returning back to Nigeria next year and impact my  ideas , share my experience with the  relevant authorities , Stakeholders and Nigeria Police   Force on the urgent need to  be professional and dynamic in our governance .

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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Oncampus Sunderland Master Foundation Programme has greatly broadened my horizon to enhance and improve my skills in different areas and dimension before progressing for the master programme in Criminal Law and Procedure.

Skills for different jobs have their own requirement but there are several skills that are applicable to students.  Employer will always value students who have the appropriate skill and display those skills in the work place.

Master Foundation Programme is taught to develop and demonstrate these skills. This connotes the fact that   to excel in my career I should have acquired the necessary skills to navigate the labour market. . When asked in application forms and in interviews it should be clearly stated in the application form, however to gain advantage in such a competitive market jobs and really turn the heads, the employee will need to equip himself with a great set of transferrable skills which are essential to the attain career progression with the recruiters of jobs in the labour market.

It is pertinent to develop my analytical skills and reasoning over the years, one of the easiest ways to acquire the skill is to engage in continuous legal education, attending International Conferences, Seminar and workshop. This will add great academic value of reasoning skills, by independently engaging in conversation and participating at seminar.

A good skill is essential in order to do a task, the skill required to assist build confidence and independent in life is very essential to succeed. It is important to have the resources and one way to acquire the resources is to achieve the skill, for example getting an appointment as a Judicial Officer is my desire goal. I need the right skills to achieve my goals without the right skills It will be impossible to achieve my goals.

So here’s how to get started the first step is to have a career progression plan , I applied for study leave  which was approved  by  the Lagos State Government Public Service Rules Public Servant  are to follow a pattern of progression from  State Counsel  , Senior State Counsel , Principal State Counsel  Assistant Chief State Counsel  and  Chief State Counsel. I have been a career Public Servant and I deeply aware of the employability skills. Employability skills are the essential skills that enable an employee thrive in any workplace.  

During my Master Foundation Programme I have developed the following skills:

1.      Academic Writing.

2.      Referencing with Harvard Style.

3.      Presentation Skills.

4.      Reasoning and ethical skills

5.      Confidence.

6.      Self-Motivation.

7.      Information Technology.

These are the skills and attributes that are needed for my career , apart from the academic skills I have also improve in my communication skills , my  ability to present  clearly and effectively  to readers perspectives.  

It is important to mention the following: attention to details, ability to think quickly on my feet without hesitation, writing essays and dissertation independently, computer literacy such as use of the internet and email, creating my personal profile, use of Information Technology, using email to communicate with my tutors via teams to mention a few, are the new skills I learnt during my Master Foundation Programme.

BACKGROUND

I should give a brief educational background about myself before going into details in this academic write up .I graduated with Bachelor of law degree LL.B in 2001 and obtained a Bachelor Degree in law from the Nigeria Law School as a Solicitor & Barrister of the Supreme Court. In my professional career I have worked as a State Counsel in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, performing the following writing skills: preparing pleadings, brief of argument, legal advice on behalf of Claimant or Respondents in court.

Master Foundation programme had greatly improved my academic orientation in many ways thereby directing my perspective towards academic, particularly the methodology of teaching in the United Kingdom which is very different from my home country Nigeria. It’s being over two decades that I graduated from the university, the last research I did was during my undergraduates years, many questions was on my mind and to be honest I doubted my ability at the initial stage of the programme, however with regular and constant reading I was able to understand the topic and gained more understanding of the subject

The tutors are indeed phenomenal in their approach of teaching. They tried to illustrate with diagrams and videos. They encourage and motivate the students during studies. This great attributes motivated my mind to improve by skills.

My research project is based into six chapters listed below:

1.      Introduction.

2.      Literature Review.

3.      Methodology.

4.      Sampling Framework.

5.      Result Elevation.

6.      Conclusion and Recommendation.

In the project formulation stage I had improved my decision making plan and planning skills.  This is quite important if the questions are too ambiguous respondent will not be able to comprehend and give concise answer. It will defect the whole essence of my research. I developed three questions for each topic. I have a short period of time to complete my project therefore it is advisable to have a simple topic for easy compilation of materials and resources.

I choose a topic related to law, based on the experience and the challenges in regard to the legal profession I can confidently write about the topic. My years of experience will be a great advantage to the research .This will assist in gathering opinions from other colleagues it will greatly assist to allow narrow down my questions in a very constructive way giving a clear direction for my research.  

In the second chapter, I have done plethora of research and basically reviewing a lot of article online, visiting the library to source for relevant article that will be of great value to my research. I have learnt to construct a literature review in a systematic and logical way. A good literature review will enable formulate a good questionnaire. Facts and opinion surrounding the research topic and becoming familiar with the theories of the subject is another skill I have developed during my studies.

In addition to the literature review, I learned to divide my topic into sub heading this aids the clarity for presentation of my research. These activities had greatly enhanced my researching skills and analytical skills I have discovered many useful internet sites related to academic research. The google scholar is one of most accessible tool for academic research and is easily accessible expects that some article demand payment before gaining access or dawn loading.

I formulated research question for online survey and posted on www.monkeysurvey.com. My computer skills had greatly improved using the survey monkey is an internet programme and hosting site that assist researcher or students to submit questions. I was able to gather response and transform that response into writing my research paper.

The ability to formulate questions using the following words is phenomenon to my academic achievement and acquisition skill using the, What, When, Where, Why and How to   prepared questionnaire for Nigerian and United Kingdom audience. In the United Kingdom   my questionnaire was fill using the online platform same was applicable to those in Nigeria. I was able to get fed back within 24 hours.

The next step is the methodology which basically defines the approach to adopt. What is the best approach to collection of information? I have the information what should I do with it, I can answer these questions positively I have made my questionnaire to be clear and precise. I was able to construct and build questionnaire that are relevant for the research both online and offline.

It is pertinent to say that there are over 200 million documents on google scholar, covering approximately 90% of all articles published. This article has greatly added value to my research, reading the article abstract give a clear direction of the topic and that determined the relevancy before downloading the article. I learned google scholar was one of the website that was beneficial during the research indeed assisted in the journey of writing my thesis. Another great skill  was  using the key words to navigate the article online  is another skill that has greatly improve my academic skill , the key words is relevant to  the articles  the key words gives a clear information about the article. This was a useful method.

In the third chapter of my research project I have prepared some questions, this will be the first time I will be preparing a questionnaire, let me quietly reiterate that during my undergraduates days in Nigeria, my project was based on books written by different authors that I read in the library I didn’t have the opportunity of preparing a questionnaire, survey, interview. It is indeed awesome this will be the first experience doing such task in the academic field.

In chapter four of my research I have to be mindful of the limitations and ethics, when it comes to taking sampling from the public. I have enriched myself with the knowledge that voluntary participation and informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality is the key to a good interview. The respondent ethics is a vital tool that must be taken with all sense of respect and dignity. It is paramount to take cognizance of the respondent ethics and value during this stage of distributing questionnaire.  

Additionally, being able to familiarize myself with the use of power point was another skill that I have to develop in the United Kingdom throughout my undergraduate’s years and career in Nigeria I was more familiar with the use of Microsoft word. Master Foundation Programme has inculcated the use of information technology usage I am able to use the power point presentation accurately to present my research during the presentation.  I struggle at the initial stage eventually I was able to master the act   .

The fifth and sixth chapter is related to the result evaluation and conclusion stage. This was one of the most interesting stages this part taught the importance of using evidence to substantiate research, without having evidence from the respondent it is impossible to reach a conclusion. Evidence is based on facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid, all the information made to reach a decision is based on research not fabrication of opinion.

I decided to limit my questionnaires  to a small population  of respondents , being my first experience in  academic writing  and  gathering information is something that I am not familiar with, however this doesn’t ‘mean that it was not worthwhile  the experience   studying   require a great deal of dedication  to learn the process .

 Furthermore, I have developed my critical thinking skill to a very great extent, my ability to intellectually discipline myself and work independently without supervision. I have to skilfully gather this thought in my research and translate it into positive step towards my research paper.

In the final stage of my research  which is the conclusion part I  need to put all the information in writing my report and summarizing my findings .The chapter equip  me know to approach  the task of writing my report step by step ,writing a report has been one of the skills acquired in the legal profession , to be a great advocate legal English is one of the subject  to pass , despite  my legal background I still have to learn  to use the appropriate vocabulary in   academic writing.

Proof reading is very important in academic research each word must be properly sunnitized   for grammatical error before publication. Paying attention to details is very important. It will send bad signals out to the readers if the research is full of error. As a commonwealth student, English is the official language and there is no excuse for bad lexical structure. Growing up with that orientation, on arrival at Sunderland I needed to add more values to the way I compose my sentences. The Master Foundation Programme and Academic Skills Development have significantly distinguished my ability to write 3000 words within a short period of time.

In addition another fantastic skill that learnt during my study   that I learned   the use of referencing my essay writing a research project, without precise and concise referencing, defect the whole essence of the research I make a short notes in my jotter during lecture and getting home I ensure that I transfer all my jotting into my note book before going to bed. I further read more on google scholar to get more clarification on the topic before the next class.

Another important skill I have developed in the Master Foundation Programme   is my ability to  study independently  ahead of the class  according to my  schedule  I strictly ensure  to read ahead  from Monday to  Friday , including  weekend .This style  have dramatically  contributed to my studies . My schedule for each day is written in a diary for guidelines. Writing down my schedule during Master Foundation Programme has significantly made my journey to be focus and organised. This schedule might not work for everyone and the other student may have to adopt different strategies but these have proven useful over the three months during of my studies.

It was during my Master Foundation Programme that I had the first encounter writing an academic profile. The experience in writing an academic profile is interesting. I had the opportunity to submit my profile online and   stated all the skills for effective writing academic writing extensively in my write up. I narrated all the achievement it was a great and awesome experience to narrate my skill and display my academic achievement for the international employer to access. It never occurred to me that as a legal practitioner I can post my profile on social media.

I am a member of the oncampus social marketing skill, it a platform for content creators to display their creativity on social media, using Instagram or tiktok. The content creator was a platform to improve my presentation skills, though I did not post any full video on the school website; however as a member of the content creator team I had the opportunity to present a short introductory video about myself stating my nationality and location study centre.

Another great experience I had was the opportunity to interact with other student virtually and share ideas on the advantages of the social media. I meet different student from other campuses. Creativity is the global concept in today’s vibrant world and the world is looking towards that direction  

It’s often said that college students are spoon fed however I realised self-discipline is paramount .Attendance is closely monitor in all graduates school, the idea to motivate yourself to complete tasks is the key to success and I have developed that skill here in  Sunderland because when no one constantly pushes you to do well, you have to be self-discipline   It’s important to exercise self-discipline every day, self-motivation skills will be added to my CV, it is one of the skills that I was able to assist during my  programme.

Working collaboratively with fellow student from different academic discipline, culture, ethnicity   etc.  Is another aspect that has greatly influenced my orientation to relate well with fellow international students, I have learnt academic socialisation ideas and opinion from different students. One of such experience learned from a student from South Africa is that apart from the teaching in English language in South Africa they also teach in the native language that in my humble opinion will make learning more interesting and exciting for teachers and students. The United Kingdom is a multi-cultural environment for students to share ideas and improve their academic skills and development.

On line class was my first experience, I never experience online lecture I have significantly master the act of using  my computer to listen and record notes during  classes I  do  appreciate the new concept of online mode of teaching. Where assignment, lectures, students score, recorded lectures, lecture materials are all pasted online for student to access. Lectures are recorded for future reference. The opportunity to listen again is awesome innovation that cannot be achieved by a face to face method of teaching.

Resilience is a skill that I learnt here the need to demonstrate, flexibility by adapting quickly to changing roles and environment. Learning form mistakes and bouncing back stronger is to show resilience in the face of academic pressure and stress. Motivation to face the academic pressure is something that I learned this will compliment my performance upon my return back to Nigeria.

Master Foundation Programme and Academic Skill Development have indeed changed my perspective .The developmental skills acquired are life skills that will support new way of thinking and problem solving. I have been able to build confidence both  in my written and spoken English ,  progressing  into a full master next year I  am  well equipped to navigate   the post graduate  programme confidently . All these were due to the good foundations that have widened my horizon. I am positive that all the above skills will be useful in my future legal career.

In conclusion, the learning process at  Sunderland have been awesome experience from the first day I arrived here in  Sunderland I was deeply fascinated with the site of the university , the environment  is serene and green , the architectural  structure is stunning  and to wrap it up, the city of Sunderland is surrounded with beautiful flowers, trees and friendly people .The weather is not friendly  the temperature is lower than what I am used to and  is something I experienced in the United Kingdom .The atmosphere is serene for learning .As the winter gets closer I begin to feel nostalgia and lonely here in Sunderland. I am optimistic that on completion of my studies from the University of Sunderland all the above mentioned skills will  made my career progression to be redefined for appointment  in the future . I will be more confident and knowledgeable to face challenges while working in my place of work. The experience is awesome.