This is my final blog entry for my MSLD 500 course
and time to reflect on my first graduate level experience. It took almost 3 years to begin my first
graduate level course after finishing my bachelor’s degree. I was apprehensive to begin because I knew it
would be demanding and I really was not sure how I would handle time
management. But here I am. I took the first step which is actually
starting. There is no question this
course was demanding. However, I managed
to find a way to juggle life and fit the course into the mix successfully. This course forced me to really shake the
rust off my 3 year break from academics.
Which is a good thing. In
hindsight, I really wish I did not take such a long break, or any break for that
matter.
This course provided a great
value in critical thinking skills, something that was a major concept
throughout the semester. I enjoyed
learning the ins and outs of critical thinking and how to apply it towards
academics and life. I was also not very
enthused about getting back into the APA mindset before the class started. But one of the assignments that consisted of
using the Hunt Library eased my mind a bit when I noticed there were tools
available to cite sources in APA format.
This tool, along with the APA textbook, made things a bit easier. Was I
perfect with APA by the end of the course?
No, but I felt more comfortable and noticed an improvement with each
week. I never realized how user friendly
and truly resourceful the Hunt Library is, so the assignment proved to be
invaluable. I also felt the assignment which
we needed to do a presentation was of great value. This assignment forced me to step away from
my comfort zone and opened up an entire new world of presentation formats. It is a great feeling to be able to complete
a course and take things away from it to be used in the future.
Another tool we used for the course was The Brain
software. I have to admit, I was not
particularly happy about having an addition expense after the course
started. I simply was not prepared for
that surprise, but I really did not have an option in purchasing. I also did not feel it added a great
value. I understand the concept, but
maybe I am just old school and used to keeping information organized in file
folders on my hard drive to reference at a later time if needed. The Brain just seems like a more complicated,
costly, and prettier way of doing that. Maybe
throughout future courses I will find the value, but not at this time. Another area I was not fond of was the layout
within course. I tried to get familiar
with the layout at the beginning of the course and spent time navigating and
practicing. However, I managed to screw
up. The first few weeks, I felt like I
was missing something. And I was. I was using the “Assignment” link as my guide
to complete my assignments. I did not realize
that within the “Module” tab, there was additional information to assist in
completing the assignments. My suggestion
is to eliminate the “Module” tab and integrate the information to make it more efficient. This will allow the student go to one location to complete their assignments.
As far as the University and professor support, I
really don’t think there is much left to add in that regard. The only way I could see improving support
would be 24 hour telephone support, and I do not see that happening. I think that having to wait to get a question answered is just one of the disadvantages to online learning. I also think all the course content was
relevant to functionality towards leadership.
Besides The Brain, I felt everything provided value. I am not really sure what to expect with my
future courses. But I do feel like this
course has built a foundation towards preparing me for them.
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