By Augusto Kombo, Academic Support Tutor, FSB Luton

Introduction

As a student, it can be quite challenging to embark on a career path. I enrolled at FSB in February 2019 with the aim of empowering others. The first few years of being a student are always difficult to manage, especially when you have to balance personal life with academic obligations. However, my desire to set a good example for my children provided me with the strength and inspiration to keep pursuing my education. Right from the beginning, I was clear about the job path I wanted to take and I understood the value of my degree despite the effort and challenges that it would entail.

The core concept of learning

Functionally, learning has been defined as behavioural changes brought on by experience, and mechanistically, learning has been characterised as ‘organism changes’ brought on by experience (Hauschild, 2001).  The article describes learning as ontogenetic adjustment, or modifications in an organism’s behaviour brought on by consistency in its surrounding environment (De Houwer, et al., 2013).

Source: David-Kolb’s cycle-of-learning (Kolb, 2014).

The experiential learning cycle outlines many learning stages. This type of acquisition may be unplanned since developed, or it may be unintended and therefore regulated (Kolb, 2014). The learning approach leads to new, deeper, and more expansive perspectives of experience, but it also demands conscious effort to generate new knowledge in the face of uncertainty and failure (Kolb & Kolb, 2009).  According to Kolb, gaining new experiences and expanding one’s sphere of mastery are two of learning’s inherent benefits. Here are some strategies for overcoming typical fixed self-factors and enhancing learning individual characteristics in order to build one’s learning identity and shift the scales in favour of being a student (Kolb & Kolb, 2009). The researcher states some factors that can enhance the learning experience below:

Trust your experience: Make experience the primary driver of your learning process and the basis for all of your decisions. Choosing what you want to learn and confirming it with your own experiences are crucial. You take control of your education and your life when you take this action.

Trust the process of academic achievement: By monitoring your performance improvement over time, you can avoid placing too much emphasis on the short-term results of your performance and instead concentrate on the longer-term continuous process of gaining knowledge.

Examine your perceptions about studying style and areas of strength: It is critical to consider carefully how you define yourself as a learner and make that decision. Many times, people are ignorant of the ways in which they define themselves and their capacities.

Pursue construction education connections: Cultivate interaction that fosters the establishment of a constructive educational self-perfection and steer clear of individuals’ self-doubt and hinder your capacity for gaining knowledge.

Academic Support Strategies

At FSB there is professional support is available by reaching out to Lecturers and the Academic Support staff. Through frequent phone calls and email correspondence, academic support and student support regularly encouraged students to progress to the next level while providing useful advice for better Careers and Employability. Furthermore, regular homework study and the good habit of reading Books, Journal Articles, Electronic Sources and Documents from the website, help me enrich my level of knowledge. Additionally, I collaborated extensively with the academic support team and frequently utilised the services provided by the FSB Student Support team.

My academic performance improved, and I earned a degree in Health and Social Science. Following the career path by completing, with great achievement, a Master’s degree in Business and Management at FSB in partnership with Bath Spa University. Moreover, for a business to establish and retain a leadership position in its sector, knowledge is the most valuable resource that must be maintained up-to-date and enhanced on a regular basis. However, given that attributes like innovation, resilience and the desire to achieve are nurtured rather than preordained, acquiring knowledge is the most challenging work involved in sustaining concepts (Hauschild, et al., 2001).

Furthermore, my confidence and employability skills improved, with the professional advice of the FSB Careers Hub. Through this, I now currently work as an Academic Support Tutor in Business.

FSB Learning Advantages and Benefits

Studying at FSB for me came with lot of interesting benefits; from having unlimited access to the academic support/student support teams, to liaising with my lecturers on ways to improve my academic progress. The campus environment, which accommodated students from diverse cultural backgrounds, ensured that each student was listened to and professionally cared for to meet their learning goals. The Academic Support Centre at FSB is a team committed to fostering academic achievement. Considering the shift from being a student in Health and Social Science to doing a Master’s in Business and Management and acclimating to an entirely different setting, is an exciting career experience. However, FSB is dedicated to fostering professional growth that improves the students’ educational opportunities to achieve their career goals.

FSB the core Values, Mission and Objective

FSB maintains that it promotes tolerance and respect for all cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles through its vision, values, relationships, and education. Furthermore, it is imperative to fulfil the responsibility of equipping the students with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate modern British society, while also ensuring their safety. Through the aim of achieving this objective, they have integrated the complete set of British Values into all aspects, practice and academic delivery (FSB. 2023).

Speaking to FSB staff and peers at my Masters graduation at FSB 2023. (Photo:2023)

FSB Support British Values

The Department for Education defines British values as “the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom.” (GOV.UK, 2014). As a result, some instances of how they uphold these values in FSB are given below:

• Democracy

Democracy Through their active involvement in the Student Union, students have a significant influence on FSB the decision-making process

There are elected student representatives in every course. Through participation in committees and surveys of their opinions, students’ voices are heard.

FSB promotes free expression and gives students the opportunity to hear other people out and weigh their perspectives.

• Law and order

The policies and procedures of FSB are followed consistently across the campus and are clear and comprehensive.

Complaints Policy: In order to enable students to voice sincere displeasure and highlight preventative concerns, FSB has implemented OIA best practice guidelines. This allows for fast resolution of the issues without fear of harm or retaliation. On-site security.

• Individual freedom

Under the guidelines of the Security Policy, students at FSB are actively encouraged to make decisions while understanding that they are in safe and welcoming surroundings.

With a Policy on Equality and Diversity for students, employees, and other stakeholders, FSB is dedicated to fostering equality, diversity, and a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere. The policy against bullying and harassment Rules of Discipline (see: Policy Hub – Fairfield School of Business (fsb.ac.uk))

• Respect for one another and tolerance for different religious beliefs and values

FSB promotes tolerance toward others, with special attention to the safeguarded characteristics outlined in the Equality Act of 2010 (Gov.Uk, 2011).

Room for multiple faiths, Celebrations of culture, Disability Policy and Student Support.

Moreover, FSB’s External Speaker and Activities Policy and the Preventing Extremism and Radicalization Policy apply to all Student Union activities that feature outside speakers.

In addition to the Preventing Extremism and Radicalization and External Speaker policies, the safeguarding and external contractors’ policy and the safeguarding vulnerable person policy (FSB, 2023).

Conclusion

Balancing personal and educational commitments at FSB can be challenging, especially for individuals who have responsibilities as parents, tight budgets, or other limitations. However, it’s possible to reconcile personal commitments and academic goals by employing effective time management techniques, seeking sources of support, and being adaptable. It’s important to keep in mind that flexibility and resilience are essential when dealing with unforeseen circumstances. To make the most of the time as an FSB student, it’s crucial to take advantage of every opportunity available, maintain an optimistic attitude, and be proactive in overcoming obstacles.

Recommendations

As students, it is important to remember that the path ahead is not always an easy one and the journey has just begun. In his graduation commencement speeches of 2011 and 2015, Denzel Washington advised that it is better to take risks in life and fall forward rather than backwards because at least that way, you can see what you are hitting. He further added that one should never give up on their dreams; instead, one should dream big and find a way to fulfil them. Washington advised the graduates to accept adaptability and toughness and recognise that obstacles are a necessary part of life’s journey. Finally, he advised everyone to learn to alter and change plans as necessary, create a spirit of resiliency by concentrating on producing original solutions, and keep a positive attitude in the face of demanding situations. Applying discipline and consistency is the key to achieving those dreams. (Grow Successful, 2019).

References

De Houser, J., Barnes-Holmes, D. and Moors, A. (2013). What is learning? On the nature and merits of a functional definition of learning. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, [online] 20(4), pp.631–642. doi:https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-013-0386-3.

FSB (2023). British Values – Fairfield School of Business. [online] FSB. Available at: https://fsb.ac.uk/british-values/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2023].

Gov.Uk (2011). Equality Act 2010 Guidance on matters to be taken into account in determining questions relating to the definition of disability. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80dcc8ed915d74e6230df4/Equality_Act_2010-disability_definition.pdf [Accessed 30 Oct. 2023].

GOV.UK (2014). Guidance on promoting British values in schools published. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guidance-on-promoting-british-values-in-schools-published [Accessed 1 Nov. 2023].

Grow Successful (2019). Denzel Washington’s Life Advice Will Leave You SPEECHLESS |LISTEN THIS EVERYDAY AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FB9i7P9Zs4 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2023].

Hauschild, S., Licht, T. & Stein, W., 2001. Creating a Knowledge Culture. Mckinsey Quarterly,, Issue Number 1.

Kolb, D. A., 2014. Experiential learning: experience as the Source of Learning and Development. In: The Experiential Learning. Second Edition ed. NJ: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Kolb, A. and Kolb, D., 2009. On becoming a learner: The concept of learning identity. Learning never ends: Essays on adult learning inspired by the life and work of David O. Justice, pp.5-13.