Course Reflections
I now know, without a doubt, why people say, "get your education, but do not stop until you finish". Being a student requires a number of skill sets to include computer literacy, current technology savvy, time management, good study habits, the knack for meticulous research, and the ability to critically think, read, and write from the minute the course starts. After an 18-year break from student status, I made a few personal observations about these requirements. First, they must have been stored in temporary memory in my brain and were deleted about 17.5 years ago. They simply did not exist. No amount of praying, crying, or begging could restore them. Second, the requirements are real and intense and then really intense. Third, not one of the requirements was like riding a bike! In fact, they were more like I had never been a student before. At this point, I wondered why I ever thought going back to school was a good idea. My final observation was that once I got behind (on day 1), quitting would have been the right choice. Taking a remedial how-to-be-a-student-preparatory class taught by local high school students would have been smart. Rarely have I been called right or smart.So, for the last 9 weeks I have spent nearly every moment awake (and some not) in front of my computer drinking from a fire hydrant, hanging on to sanity by a thread, and still barely getting by. But, I would not change a thing. The first class on my journey to a Master's Degree in Leadership is in the books and I lived to tell you about it! How can that be all bad?
This class is called MSLD500, Leadership Foundations in Research and is a prerequisite to every course I will take in pursuit of my degree. Now that I think about it, there is a definite resemblance to that remedial course I described earlier. The curriculum is designed to introduce or reintroduce the fundamental skills that are needed to succeed through the rest of the program. The course covers the following topics: Critical Thinking which examines the individual components, the process of critically thinking (reasoning) through issues, impediments to critical thinking such as personal bias and stereotypes, and applying critical thinking to academic disciplines in order to achieve a deeper level of understanding in any field of study; Research included an introduction to the university library, physically doing the research, citing references, the different research methodologies, and introduced Action Research which culminated in the students doing an Action Research project, report, and multimedia presentation; APA Style and Format was presented as the standard and expectation for all written work in the program; Reflection Blog includes establishing an account, creating the blog, and regularly submitting reflective entries on various subjects for the remainder of the MSLD program; ePortfolio creation, the benefits of having one, and how to use it effectively is incorporated throughout the program and will be used for the capstone project required for graduation.
I think the material covered in the course is appropriate and sufficient. The pace of the class seemed a bit too fast for the amount of information covered. This may just be me because the first and second paragraphs in this entry are true. Regardless, the pace drove me to spend much more time on the course than I expected. The assignments were appropriate to the material covered, however there seemed to be more repetition than needed specifically in the SEE-I assignment and the annotated bibliography assignments. The volume of work was a consistent challenge for me to complete each week. Again I was under pressure from the beginning which most likely made things seem more extreme than they actually were.
This class provided a large amount of instruction over the term for which I am grateful. I feel I needed every lesson in one way or another and I am confident that I am much better prepared to start the next course on the 19th.
Dr. Watkins, I thank you for your time and effort and I appreciate your patience and flexibility. You kept the course doable for me and I am grateful that you did.
To my classmates, some of us will have the opportunity to work together again and I look forward to it. Unfortunately, some of us will not. To everyone, I wish you continued successes and good fortune in all of your future endeavors. Thanks for your help! ~Pete
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