this is my final performance review.

1. Sheffield Hallam University: Performance
Review
Student: Ben Walker
Supervisor: Amy Lewis/ Phil Elks
First:
Mid:
Final: 14/06/22
SKILL AREA Student
Examples / Comments
Supervisor
Examples / Comments
A. Professional & Organisational
Awareness
● General presentation
● Equality & diversity
● Professional ethics
● Confidentiality
● Company structure & function
● Departmental structure & function
● Commercial awareness
I have shown to have good organisational awareness
as I have had good attendance throughout the entire
year with only being off sick once and asking before I
take days off.
I have also shown professional awareness by always
making sure that I'm wearing the right clothes and
PPE when in the lab or the aquarium such as always
wearing overshoes (crocs) when going to the
aquarium to lower the chances of contamination.
Score
8/10
Ben has continued to conduct himself in a
professional manner.
Score
9/10
B. Communication
● Clear verbal communication & active
listening
● Presentations
● Explanatory ability
● Writing skills
● Communicating with people at different
levels / from different backgrounds
Throughout the year my main problem was
communication and using the communication to
make sure that I am doing things right. I have been
trying to improve this as the year went on by asking
more questions and asking for help if I need it or
don't know where something is.
I still don't think my communication is as good as it
should be and I still need to work on it in the future.
Recently I have done a journal club where I had to
make a presentation about a journal and start a
discussion of what was good and bad about it. I think
that the presentation went well but I could have
personally added more to the discussion when it
started about certain points.
Whilst communication still appears to be
problematic for Ben he has worked hard to
overcome this and continues to show improvement.
His presentation at journal club was well done and
he engaged with the audience during discussion. His
slides were clear and appropriate and he chose a
paper that was both relevant and interesting.
Ben has also presented at lab meeting on a couple of
occasions and these presentations have also been
well thought through and delivered appropriately.
Ben now volunteers information without needing to
be asked and always checks if there are any
additional jobs to be done before leaving for the day.
This shows he understands the importance of good

2. Score
6/10
communication in a work setting and is something he
will be able to build on for the future.
Score
8/10
C. Working with Others
● Cooperating
● Contributing to teamwork
● Working under supervision
● Supervising / showing leadership
● Working with different people
● Interdisciplinary working
● Emotional intelligence
Towards the middles of the year I started to have a
more independent jobs as i didn't need to be
supervised due to my understanding of what to do
every day and how it was to be done safely making
sure every day after I have finished the normal task
to ask if there was anymore for me to do. I also made
sure to occasionally ask the other people working
within the lab if they needed anything or if there was
anything that I missed that needed restocking.
I have also been working with a new student to help
them get into the aquarium when they needed it as it
took some time before their agenda check came in so
they could work alone.
Score
7/10
Ben has really grasped the importance of all his
routine tasks and works well with other lab
members. He now also undertakes less routine tasks
without prompting.
Recently his help has been invaluable in assisting
another student set up and collect fish for her project
when she was unable to work unsupervised.
Ben is now showing many of the qualities required of
a lab technician, most importantly the ability to work
unsupervised and to support the lab to run smoothly.
Had Ben longer left on his placement, I would have
no hesitation in involving him in some basic
experimental work.
Score
9/10

3. D. Self-Improvement
● Enthusiasm, commitment
● Willingness to learn
● Initiative, resourcefulness, autonomy
● Taking responsibility
● Maturity
● Effective time management
● Personal organisation / work planning
Throughout the year my one main problem was
communication and making sure that if I didn't
understand something to ask. I have been trying to
improve on that by making sure that less things in
the lab went wrong due to me just not asking before I
do something.
If something did go wrong because of what I did I
made sure to improve on it and make sure that it
wouldn't happen again.
Score
8/10
Ben has clearly taken on board the discussions we
have had during his placement and is now more able
to discuss the requirements of his job on a daily basis
as well as volunteering information and undertaking
tasks without being asked.
He continues to manage his time very well and
supports the lab in a number of important ways.
Possibly most importantly, Ben is now able to work
completely independently and it is no longer
necessary for me to continually monitor his work and
check that he has completed his tasks.
Score
9/10
E. Problem Solving & Resilience
● Prioritising tasks
● Defining problems
● Taking action
● Locating information
● Taking a range of approaches
● Persevering
Throughout the year I have been improving on
making sure that I prioritise tasks that are needed
such as when I need to set up fish and make sure that
I don't go into the category 2 lab before on that day
by making sure I email beforehand on the day people
may need fish.
I have also asked multiple different people the
different ways they would do things such as different
ways of decorinating fish embryos and trying the
different methods and finding which one is best for
me.
Score
7/10
Ben is now in a position where he feels more
confident seeking advice on ways in which various
techniques he uses could be improved upon.
He also prioritises his workload to ensure all tasks
can be completed.
Score
8/10
F. Information technology
● Using Word/Excel/PP etc.
● Using specialist software
● Using databases
● Literature searching
● Open to developing and utilising new
technology skills
I have learned to use a new application to help me
with writing my literature review called zotero.
I have learned how to use biorxiv as a database.
Score
Ben has taken the initiative and sourced software to
assist with his writing.
He’s also now familiar with using specialist
publication and pre-print databases which should
help him in his future studies.
Score

4. 9/10 10/10
G. Numeracy
● Calculating / evaluating
● Checking results
● Applying appropriate statistics
● Recording / presenting data
Throughout the year numeracy has been a problem
for me but every time there was a new equation I
made sure to have it written down somewhere as if I
needed to use it again I would have the amount
already down or just need to put the number in an
equation.
Score
6/10
Ben continues to demonstrate an understanding of
the calculations necessary in the preparation of
buffers and reagents.
He also now appreciates the importance of working
out these details in advance of beginning to prepare
solutions/reagents to ensure there is sufficient
material available.
Score
8/10
H. Working Practice
(i) Knowledge
● Experimental/project design
● Function / principles of equipment
● Health & safety procedures
● Knowing reasons for particular working
practices
● Background / theoretical knowledge
Throughout the year I have been trying to improve
my knowledge of what happens around where I
work. I have been doing this by going to weekly
presentations such as DRIP (department research in
progress) where I can learn about what current
research is happening in the department I am in and
the other department in the building.
I have also been improving my knowledge while
writing the literature review to know what previous
research has found out about what I am working
with.
I have also made sure to keep up with the health and
safety procedures as they are updated such as during
the pandemic when and where masks should be
worn or where it is optional.
Score
7/10
Ben seems to have really engaged with the meetings,
seminars and talks that have been available to him.
This has hopefully begun to put things into contact
for him and given him a greater understanding of a
wider range of fields of research as well as enhanced
his understanding of the particular projects that
occur in the lab.
His compliance with the numerous health and safety
requirements in place in the containment level 2 lab
as well as the additional, and often changing, COVID-
specific restrictions has been exceptional.
Score
10/10
(ii) Work Skills
● Careful & safe working practice
● Manual dexterity
● Correct use of equipment/methodology
I have made sure that throughout the year I have
been improving on my work skills and making sure
that I have been working safely but at the same time
effectively. I have done this when I have done
Ben now works independently and without the need
for monitoring. I feel confident that he would be in a
position to take on some more routine experimental
tasks if he were to remain in the lab longer.

5. ● Follows methods / protocols
● Competent in a range of activities
something wrong or missed a step in a certain job to
write down what I did wrong so that the time I am
doing that job I can do it right.
Score
7/10
Ben has realised the importance of communication in
the workplace and continues to improve in this area.
Ben needs to have confidence in his own abilities and
not feel self-conscious about asking for help,
guidance or reassurance.
Score
9/10
(iii) Quality of Work
● Accuracy
● Reliability of service
● Attention to details
● Efficiency
● Meets deadlines
● Resilience under pressure
Throughout the year my quality of work has
increased due to getting used to working within a
laboratory and aquarium. I have always made sure
that when a job needed to be done such as
restreaking the bacteria every 10 day it was done
before that time was over. I have also made sure that
no fish have gone over 5dpf within the 2 laboratories
that I have worked in.
Score
7/10
Ben’s quality of work has continued to improve to
the point where he is now working independently
and without monitoring. He uses his initiative to
pre-empt jobs and manages his time so that routine
tasks are completed.
Ben has become a reliable and effective member of
the lab who supports the work of other lab members
and helps to ensure the smooth running of the
general and containment level 2 laboratories.
Score
9/10
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE SUPERVISOR
Comments / Proposals
Potential action to assist with training, extend
experience or address problems as follow-up to
Performance Review
After a rocky start Ben has continued to make improvements to his working practices over the course of his
placement. He now functions independently and no longer requires daily monitoring to ensure he undertakes
the tasks required of him. He takes the initiative and pre-empts many of the non-routine tasks around the lab.
He has also recognised the importance of communication and has developed the confidence to ask more
questions, say when things haven’t gone according to plan and to seek additional jobs to fill his time.
Ben is now performing as a valued member of the lab and I wouldn’t hesitate to give him more responsibility
and to introduce him to some of the basic experimental protocols within the lab if he were to remain with us
longer.
Date discussed:
13/07/2022
Supervisor: Student: