Self-Assessment and Self-Reflection to Measure and Improve Self-Regulated Learning in the Workplace

People’s self-monitoring of their learning has extensive impact on generating opportunities for professional development. Self-monitoring before, during, and after completing work-related tasks affects decision-making, learning behavior, strategy use, and learning motivation. When self-assessing, a person compares performance against some standard. When self-reflecting, a person makes in-depth judgments about the learning process, motivation, beliefs, plans, and outcomes. Engagement in self-monitoring is a prerequisite for professional development. However, in most work environments, there is only limited facilitation of self-monitoring activities. Opportunities for self-assessment and self-reflection may be scarce, because it is complex to define individualized competency standards that match the workplace reality. This chapter describes reasons why it is often challenging for workplace learners to self-monitor their professional development. Then, recommendations to implement and improve self-monitoring activities are described. Development of competencies and learning goals that clarify the needed knowledge, skills, and attitudes can improve self-assessment accuracy. Further, to self-monitor professional development, people should be trained to focus on predictive cues that give indications about actual progress. Because persons remain largely unaware of their biased self-monitoring, they need continued opportunities and repeated feedback. Moreover, to reflect on affective and motivational aspects of workplace-based learning, employees could use learning journals and questionnaires as support tools to evaluate practice and identify areas for development and feedback seeking. Importantly, to stay motivated to self-monitor learning, people need to be informed about the usefulness of metacognitive activities and obtain autonomy to design individual learning trajectories

Effects of dietary trace mineral sources and levels fed to layers in their second laying cycle on the quality of eggs stored at different temperatures and for different periods

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of trace mineral levels and sources supplemented to diets fed to semi-heavy layers in their second laying cycle on the quality of eggs stored for 14 days at different temperatures. The experimental diets consisted of the inclusion of inorganic trace minerals (T1 - control: 100% ITM) and five supplementation levels of organic trace minerals (carboaminophopho chelates) (110, 100, 90, 80, and 70% OTM). Trace mineral inclusion levels (mg/kg feed) were: T1: control - 100% ITM: Zn (54), Fe (54), Mn (72), Cu (10), I (0.61) Se (0.3); T2 - 110% OTM: Zn (59.4), Fe (59.4), Mn (79.2), Cu (11.88), I (1.21) Se (0.59); T3 - 100%: OTM: Zn (54), Fe (54), Mn (72), Cu (10.8), I (1.10) Se (0.54); T4 - 90% OTM: Zn (48.6), Fe (48.6), Mn (64.8), Cu (9.72), I (0.99) Se (0.49); T5 - 80% OTM: Zn (43.2), Fe (43.2), Mn (57.6), Cu (8.64), I (0.88), Se (0.43); T6 - 70% OTM: Zn (37.8), Fe (37.8), Mn (50.4), Cu (7.56), I (0.77) Se (0.38). A completely randomized experimental design in a split-plot arrangement with 60 treatments of four replicates each was applied. The combination of six diets versus storage temperature (room or under refrigeration) was randomized in plots, whereas the sub-plots consisted of storage times (0, 3, 7, 10, and 14 days). Data were submitted to analysis of variance of a model in slip-plots in time using the software package SAS (2000) at 5% probability level. It was concluded that 70% OTM supplementation can be used with no damage to egg quality, independently from storage temperature or time. The quality of refrigerated eggs stored up to 14 days is better than those stored at room temperature