ETHIOPIAN DEFENSE UNIVERSITY

HDP WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT ON MODULE -1

BY: MIKRU BIRHAN ENGIDAW

October 31, 2025

Bishoftu, Ethiopia
Reflective Activity 1

1. Reflection on the Mission

Ans. To Provide Education and Training, Research, Consultancy and Community Services that
enhance the mission accomplishment of National Defense Forces.
2. Reflection on Vision

Ans. By 2033, to be one of the best five African Defense Universities in Education, Training and
Research.
3. How effectively are the teachers in your HEI working towards realizing the mission
and vision of the institution?

Ans. The teachers in my HEI are working hardly towards realizing the mission and vision of the
institution.
4. What are the core values of your institution?

✓ People and country before self

✓ Complete personality
✓ Democratic thinking
✓ Excellence
✓ Responsibility and Accountability
✓ Innovation
✓ Team work
✓ Respect for Diversity

Reflective Activity 2

1. How relevant and important are the various leadership positions for the effective
functioning of HEIs?
Ans. The various leadership positions within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) such as
presidents, vice presidents, deans, and directors are highly relevant and crucial for effective
functioning. Each level of leadership plays a specific role in governance, decision-making, and
coordination. The president and vice presidents provide strategic direction and institutional
vision, ensuring alignment with national and international standards. Deans and directors act
 as intermediaries, translating institutional goals into actionable plans within faculties or
departments. Furthermore, administrative units like finance or human resources ensure
operational efficiency and resource management. Together, these hierarchies promote
accountability, collaboration, and smooth institutional functioning.
2. To what extent does the top leadership understand and support the efforts of lower academic
units to achieve the ultimate goals of the institution?
Ans. The extent to which top leadership understands and supports lower academic units can
significantly affect institutional success. When top leaders are engaged and maintain open
communication channels with deans, heads of departments, and faculty, they are better able to
understand the challenges faced at the grassroots level. Effective HEIs typically show strong
alignment and mutual support between top management and lower academic units ensuring
that strategic goals (such as teaching excellence, research output, and community engagement)
are realistically implemented. However, in institutions where this linkage is weak or
hierarchical barriers are rigid, the achievement of institutional goals may be hindered.

Reflective Activity 3

1. How reasonable are the rights and duties of the academic staff as indicated in the Senate
Legislation of your University?

1. Balance between academic freedom and accountability: Reasonable policies typically

anticipate professionalism and respect for institutional ideals while simultaneously
protecting employees' freedom to teach, research, and publish.
2. Clear expectations: Tasks including teaching load, research output, and student
supervision must to be well-defined and practically attainable. Vague performance
requirements or excessively demanding workloads are warning signs.
3. Fair evaluation and promotion systems: There should be clear evaluation and
advancement standards for academic staff. The procedure is fair if it is consistent and based
on merit; if it is arbitrary or affected by politics, it is not.
4. Job security and due process: Reasonable laws provide that employees have the right to
appeal disciplinary actions and cannot be fired without cause. This is frequently reflected
in tenure or fixed-term safeguards.
 5. Participation in governance: Reasonable laws provide that employees have the right to
appeal disciplinary actions and cannot be fired without cause. This is frequently reflected
in tenure or fixed-term safeguards.
Reflective Activity 4

1. What do reflection, reflective practice and reflective teaching mean to you?

✓ Reflection = thinking about what happened.

✓ Reflective practice = making that thinking a regular, intentional habit.
✓ Reflective teaching = applying that habit to your teaching to become more effective and
responsive.

3. Based on your teaching experiences give examples of reflection on, in and for action.

Ans.

Reflection on action: After finishing a lesson, I realize students struggled with a group activity
because the instructions weren’t clear enough. Later that day, I think about what went wrong and
decide to break the steps into smaller parts next time.

Reflection in action: While explaining a new concept, I notice blank stares from students. I pause,
simplify my explanation, and use a real-life example instead. The class suddenly becomes more
engaged.

Reflection for action: Before starting a new semester, I think about how last year’s students found
class discussions unproductive. I decide to set clearer participation guidelines.

Reflective Activity 5

2. Which reflective technique is more preferable and appropriate for teaching/learning and for
lifelong learning? How?

Ans

• For teaching/learning, action research is effective because it links reflection directly to

classroom improvement.
 • For lifelong learning, it develops a mindset of inquiry and adaptability essential qualities
for any professional who wants to keep growing.

Reflective Activity 6

1. What have you understood about reflective higher education teachers from the above cases?

Ans: From the three cases, it’s clear that a reflective higher education teacher is someone who
constantly examines and improves their teaching practice.

• In Case 1 (Balcha), we see what reflection looks like in action. Balcha plans carefully,
uses active learning, responds to problems quickly, and looks back after each lesson to
identify strengths and weaknesses—both his own and his students’. He shows reflection
in, on, and for action. This makes him a model of a reflective teacher: thoughtful, self-
aware, and committed to continuous improvement.
• In Case 2 (Endelibu), we see the opposite. He doesn’t plan, reflect, or adapt. His teaching
remains unchanged for years, which means he’s not learning from experience. This shows
that without reflection; even long experience doesn’t necessarily lead to growth or better
teaching.
• Case 3 (Tsion) shows someone who wants to improve but lacks guidance and confidence.
She reflects to some degree (she knows she’s not teaching effectively), but she doesn’t yet
know how to turn that awareness into practical change. She needs mentorship and support
to develop reflective habits that connect theory to practice.

So, a reflective teacher is not just experienced or knowledgeable they are actively learning from
experience, seeking feedback, and applying new understanding to improve student learning.

2. How effective are the above cases in changing your attitude towards applying reflective
thinking in your study and in your teaching? Explain.

Ans: These cases are quite effective because they show three different stages or attitudes toward
reflection:
 • Balcha’s case motivates me to be more intentional and thoughtful about my own learning
and teaching. It shows how reflection leads to growth, confidence, and better classroom
results.
• Endelibu’s case is a warning it reminds me that routine without reflection can lead to
stagnation, even after many years.
• Tsion’s case encourages empathy and patience. It shows that being reflective also means
being open to help and learning how to turn theory into action.

Altogether, the cases highlight that reflective thinking is essential for both professional and
personal development. It changes the way I approach my studies and teaching instead of just
completing tasks, I’m more aware of how and why I do things, what works, and how I can improve
continuously.

Activity 10

Your Continuous Professional Development Plan

What I Review of
would Specific By when objectives
What I will do
like to objectives (Date) (How? By
develop whom?)
• Observe experienced • Reviewed by my
teachers and note effective line manager or
1. Establish clear routines management strategies. mentor through
and expectations for • Create and communicate lesson
Develop my students. classroom rules and observations and
December
classroom 2. Improve consistency in routines. feedback.
30
management handling behavior issues. • Practice using positive • Self-reflection
3. Build a more positive reinforcement and calm journal after each
classroom atmosphere. correction methods. week.
• Reflect weekly on what • Student feedback
worked and what didn’t. at mid-term.
Reflective Activity 8

2. Which role model characteristic do you want to develop?

Ans: I Like Ferdisa’s characteristics to develop as a role model, but in some cases, it is not good
enough with my characteristics like arriving late. I want to avoid its weaknesses and develop it’s
strengthening.

Reflective Activity 9

3. You most probably had the experience of teaching students with different attributes (linguistic,
socio-economic, etc.). How well did you manage the task? If you faced problems in this regard,
how did you resolve them?

Ans: Yes, I have taught students from a variety of socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds,
which has been enjoyable and challenging. Initially, it was challenging to maintain everyone's
interest due to linguistic disparities and unequal access to resources. I addressed this by making
explanations easier to understand, including images, promoting group projects, and distributing
materials digitally so that any student could take part. In order to boost motivation and confidence,
I also offered constructive criticism and encouragement. I discovered that adaptability and
empathy are essential for successfully handling diversity in the classroom through reflection and
minor improvements.
 End-of-Module Self-Assessment - Module One

Write a reflective comment on your overall performance and achievements in Module One with
respect to each of the following areas.

1. Reflective activity

Ans: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and Activity 10

3. Contributions to group work

Ans: I am actively participating in group works. My class activity is less.

5. Attendance and punctuality

Ans: I am punctual, in this Module I missed one class

How would you evaluate your overall performance in Module One? Circle one.

PASS INCOMPLETE FAIL

Signature of candidate: __________________ Date: ____________________