Thursday, June 7, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Individual Presentation Reflection
Sunday 3rd May
Research and Innovation Centre
Time: 09:20 a.m.
Omar Al-Hosani.
Topic: Water shortage.
Omar introduced himself along with the topic he was going to
talk about.
Omar explained that the area he was going to talk about was
in India, and explained what the different possible causes were, along with a
few solutions.
Slides: average, nothing very attractive about the pictures
shown, although they did relate to his topic.
English: decent, although you could sense the nerves in his
voice.
Body language: very active, but kind of made me feel nervous
for him as he seemed to fidget quite a bit.
Eye contact: he looked at Mr.Hedley as well as a few of the
class members, but mostly directed his attention to the teacher.
Unfortunately not all answers were handled appropriately; he
didn’t have detailed answers for most of the questions asked.
I learned that:
1.
India is suffering a water
shortage.
2.
That the government was not
necessarily doing much to help them.
3.
That one of the solutions
was to chemically stimulate the clouds to cause rainfall.
Overall, Omar did a decent job, but could have done a little
more research in order to be more prepared for questions that he may be asked.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Presentation Reflection
Tuesday 1st May
Research and Innovation Centre
Time: 09:00 a.m.
Ahmed Saleh Al-Hammadi
Topic: Civil Defense
Ahmed introduced himself and began
his presentation by explaining what the civil defense is. Ahmed then went on
talking about when and why it started. He also identified the different types
of vehicles used, as well as the different types of fire extinguishers.
Slides: The slides were informative,
clear, and interesting.
English: decent, although he had a
bit of difficulty explaining himself and translating some words that were in
Arabic in the PowerPoint.
Body language: his body language was
confident, and he seemed to know what he was talking about.
Eye contact: he looked at the class
members as well as at Hedley, although he would direct most of his speech
towards Hedley.
Ahmed had detailed answers to
questions asked.
Overall: Ahmed did a good job, and
obviously did a decent amount of research on his topic.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Meeting Reflection
Problem: Experimental international college
Date and of Meeting: 13th March 2012
Venue: CERT Research and Innovation Center
Equipment: Computers, papers and pencils.
Group members:
Chair: Saleh Mohammed
Minutes taker: Abdullah Ahmed
Participant: Abdulaziz Saeed
Sunday, 13th March 2012, Abdullah, Abdulaziz and I met in the Innovation and Research Center to discuss the potential of having an experimental international college here in the HCT. We discussed 4 points, which were: issues that may arise due to mixed gender classes, loss of our Arabic traditions, loss of Islamic values over time, and lastly, the benefits of international minds and mix of cultures. We discussed these points one by one, and came to a conclusion for each of them. We managed to talk about these points with Hedley, and get his feedback on them, as well as what he thought about our opinions. Despite having a few cons, we came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to have an international college, as we would all benefit from the minds of others, as well as how people from other cultures do things.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Meeting Report
Problem: Experimental international college
Date and time of Meeting: 13th March 2012, 9:30 a.m.
Venue: CERT Research and Innovation Center
Equipment: Computers, papers and pencils.
Group members:
Chair: Saleh Mohammed
Minutes taker: Abdullah Ahmed
Participant: Abdulaziz Saeed
Agenda:
· Issues that may arise due to mixed gender.
· Fear of loss of the Arabic traditions.
· Fear of loss of Islamic values over time.
· Benefits of international minds and mix of cultures.
The chairman Saleh opened the meeting at 9:32 a.m. The meeting was held late owing to compulsory reasons.
1. Issues that may arise due to mixed gender.
Abdulla said it is a good idea, because the statistics show that females are better students than male students and that will motivate male students to perform better in college. Saleh agreed with the idea to a certain extent, worrying that people from the opposite sex would be somewhat distracted. Abdul Aziz thought it was a good idea. Hedley said that this might cause some disagreements with parents, because they are not used to mixed gender colleges in the UAE.
2. Fear of loss of the Arabic traditions.
Abdulla said that the traditions will disappear with time and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Hedley disagreed completely stating that through all the changes that have happened up to now, the UAE still holds some of their oldest traditions like falconry, and Saluki hunting and Saleh agreed. Abdulaziz was in favor with Abdulla.
3. Fear of loss of Islamic values over time.
Saleh said that some valuable Islamic traditions like the two Eids and the Holy month of Ramadan will remain forever. Although Saleh also stated that we have already lost some of our values. Hedley agreed. Abdulla and Abdulaziz agreed with Saleh.
4. Benefits of international minds and mix of cultures.
Abdulla said that it would lead to a greater understanding between different cultures, and would reduce the amount of conflict between them. Abdulla and Abdulaziz both agreed that the benefits of the different cultures and minds would be of great advantage to us. Saleh agreed, but was worried that western cultures would influence the young Arab generation and would contribute to the loss of traditions and Islamic values.
In conclusion
1. The idea of mixed gender was unanimously agreed upon by all of us.
2. Saleh and Hedley agreed on the fact that the UAE will not lose all of their traditions. Abdulaziz and Abdulla disagreed with this, saying that we will lose most if not all of our Arabic traditions with time.
3. We all agreed on the fact that we will never lose some of our Islamic traditions.
4. We all agreed that we would benefit greatly from different cultures and minds. Although, Saleh feared western cultures would have a great impact on the young Arab generation.
5. Overall, we all agreed with the experimental international college.
Saleh thanked everyone, and the meeting was closed by 9:52 a.m.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Reflection ONE
This was the first interview of the day; it was on Sunday, 19th February, 2012, at 8:15 a.m.
The interviewee was Abdul Aziz. He was applying for a Mechanical Engineer position.
Hedley introduced himself and two other interviewers, which were Mohammed Abdullah, and Omar, and then asked the interviewee to briefly introduce himself. Which he did, stating his name, age, which is 19 years old, and then went on to explain his degree and when he graduated.
Mohammed asked him what qualifications he had; he replied saying that he studied engineering as a bachelor student from Higher Colleges of Technology, and will continue for a master’s, with a GPA of 3.5. Mohammed also asked where Abdul Aziz sees himself in 3 years’ time; he replied that he sees himself in a manager’s position, or in an important place. Can you work under pressure? I think so, he replied. Do you consider yourself creative? Yes, he replied, and went on saying that he created a car engine with his group in college. How much salary do you want? Not important; salary comes second, work comes first, and yes, I like challenges, he replied. Interviewee asks “Who would I be working for?” You would work in our company, we would hire you at a level that verifies your certificate, and you would work until 5 p.m.; salary will be DHS 35,000, excluding bonuses.
Hedley and the other interviewers thanked Abdul Aziz for coming in, and the interview was done by 8:30 a.m.
Reflection TWO
The interview was on Sunday, 19th February, 2012. It began at 8:35 a.m. Hedley introduces himself and the two other interviewers, Omar and Mohammed Abdullah.
The interviewee is Abdullah Ahmed. The job he is interviewing for which is as a waiter in a restaurant
Abdullah Ahmed introduces himself and where he studies, his major, which is in engineering, his GPA which is 3.85.
Abdullah was asked why he wants this job. He replied saying “I want this job because it’s a good job for my age for pocket money whilst I study, and I’m also interested in meeting new people.” Does meeting people of different nationalities interest you? Yes. You said you got a chemical engineering certificate, so how would you be able to work as a waiter? I don’t have any experience, but I am willing to take courses. Omar asked him if he was going to leave after he graduates; he replied saying yes of course, it’s only for a few months.
How much salary do you want? He is satisfied with the minimum wage, which is around Dhs 1,500. Where do you see yourself in 3 years’ time? Graduated, and pursuing my master’s degree. Can you work under pressure? “Yes, I think I can work under pressure, I’m always nervous but I respond to the pressure and produce the goods”, he replied.
Hedley and the other interviewers thanked Abdullah Ahmed, and the interview was done by 8:50 a.m.
Reflection THREE
The interview was on Sunday, 19th February, 2012. It began at 8:55 a.m. Hedley introduces himself along with the two other interviewers.
The interviewee is Abdullah Ali. The position he is interviewing for is as a chemical supervisor in one of ADNOC’s companies
They all introduced themselves. And Abdullah Ali was asked to tell the interviewers about himself. Born in 1989 in Abu Dhabi, Abdullah Ali who is now 20 years of age, studied chemical engineering in HCT, and graduated with a GPA of 3.93; he says that he previously worked in another ADNOC company, and has learned a lot of information and ideas. He was asked where he learned his English; he replied that he learned English in school, although they didn’t help him that much, so he said it was more through music, movies, and travelling. “Why should I hire you” he was asked; he replied saying that in his previous job, he finished his work and understood what he needed to do in 5 months, which he sees as a good thing because his colleagues couldn’t do that in 3 years. Greatest strengths? Whenever he faces something he doesn’t know, he would ask anyone he does and doesn’t know, and if they weren’t able to provide him with answers, he would piece together all the information until he gets an answer.
Interviewee asks: let’s hope you accept me for this job, how long will it take for you to promote me? “That depends on your position; as I told you, we have grades and each grade has a type of promotion; we also have a policy that every year an employee gets a 3% increase in salary".
Hedley and the other interviewers thanked Abdullah Ali, and the interview was done by 9:05 a.m.
Reflection FOUR
The interview was on Sunday, 26th February, 2012. It began at 8:15 a.m. Hedley introduces himself along with the two other interviewers.
The interviewee is Saleh Awadh. The job he is interviewing for is to be a section head in oil operations. Saleh introduces himself; he is 28 years of age and states that he is basically experienced and can handle any kind of operations, and is experienced and flexible. How many years did you work? He replied with short answers, saying 10 years, and seemed very quiet and not confident. Which company? ADCO, he replied. What was your last position? “I was a supervisor in oil operations. This job would be a promotion”, said Saleh. Did you hear anything negative about our company? He said that he only heard good things about the company. Why did you apply to our company? “I have the ability” he replied, which was not a detailed answer. What are your greatest strengths? He is a motivator, problem solver, and is prepared for emergencies and had to handle one 2 years ago, an emergency in oil; there was lots of pressure, so he had to reduce the pressure; people tried to continue running it, but he went to the site and closed it, by closing the valve, manually. What about your weakness? If he focuses on small details, he misses the big picture. Why should I hire you? He thinks he is sure he has the ability to do this job, with experience as a motivator. You seem too quiet to be a motivator, how can you motivate people like that? “On the site, I am a different person when I’m not being interviewed”, he said.
Interviewee asked; when can I start? We will see after one month. The interviewee automatically assumed he was accepted for the job, which is not a good thing.
Hedley and the other interviewers thanked Saleh Awadh, and the interview was done by 8:30 a.m.
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