Carol commented on Groups 2 and 3
Darcey commented on Groups 2 and 3.
Survival
Darcey
Mitschelen
After allowing myself a moment to freak
out, I took a deep breathe and dove into the task in front of me. It was
important to have that moment and to recognize and understand the depth as well
as the intensity of the work ahead.
From that moment of acceptance, I spent
time thoroughly reading the syllabus and developed a chart for tracking
assignments, their basic focus, and due dates. This helped me to take control
of the work and kept me focused during the semester.
I realized early on that I needed to keep
everything in perspective and to enjoy the journey, rather than make it into a
larger challenge than it really was. Probably the most important part of the
journey was the development of a strong relationship with my group partner. This
relationship was founded in excellent communication which provided a way for
the ability to challenge, question, and nudge each other. By doing so, we were
able to produce quality work that brought us much satisfaction.
The relationship also brought another key
component to survival…. Humor! Laughing. Teasing. Joking. All became a part of
our work and was the bridge in moving our working partnership to friendship. This
final step created a sincere concern for the others success and a desire to
invest more into the task at hand.
I won’t sugar coat it. This course is a lot of work and it is challenging. Survival requires attention to several additional items:
·
Take the time to understand the assignment
and its rubric.
·
Make sure you write to align with the
rubric.
·
Know when and how to submit work.
·
Technology… don’t be afraid of it. Dive
in! Dr. Chang provides links to helpful information. Check them out.
·
Partner with a techie person. This is
vital!!!
·
Review APA Style BEFORE you begin to
write. It will save you from redoing work.
·
Begin earlier, rather than later, on the
weekly postings. It will help keep that part manageable.
·
And finally, do not be afraid to contact
Dr. Chang if you are uncertain, etc. She is very accessible and responsive!
For additional survival tips, please watch the following video.
I am confident that along the way you will discover learnings that go beyond the subject matter. I know I did.!Best wishes!
Survival Memo
Carol Freeman
I believe I can sum my survival kit up in three words,
syllabus, syllabus, and syllabus!
With
the information covered in the course, along with the specifics of the
assignments and discussion board post, it is vital to pay attention to the
syllabus. I made the mistake of glossing over it, in the beginning, and then
mistakenly missed one of my discussion post by posting 2 instead of 4 times. The
only person I can blame for that is myself because it was written plain as day,
but browsing caused me to overlook it.
One
thing to realize when you are browsing through the group project in the
syllabus, is that everything is building on one common goal so choose your
topics wisely. I was very pleased with the topic I had chosen however I initially
was interested in two different topics (narrative and andragogy) that had some
similarities. I erroneously thought that I could compare and contrast the two as
part of the group project. What I did was create confusion which was all due to
my not correctly reading the syllabus.
If
you want to be successful in this course, you must refer to the syllabus often.
If you have questions, reach out to your classmates/group members and Dr.
Chang. I have found her to be very receptive to answering questions and
clarifying the assignments. The discussion boards and group projects may seem
substantial but they are most certainly relevant. Keep that syllabus close if
you want to do well.
Darcy love your survival tips. You are so right about tips. I need them prior to this class. You did people that are encouraging! The class required a lot of work and did require dedication. I was so there with everything you said about I am ready to quit!! But thank goodness, we are at the end of the road! So very true, about the group work. Survival tips that I will use for my next class. Dr. Chang was very helpful along this journey, I wish I would have utilized her early on in the class.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you did not quit, Angela! I am glad you pulled everything together and completed your assignments step-by-step in the end with your hard work!
DeleteBo
You both should be incredibly proud! You have met each and every challenge and not only come through them, but have obviously learned a great deal and have some great success stories to tell. I love the practical tips and the encouraging thoughts you shared. These tips should be a great assets for future students!
ReplyDelete-v
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDarcey and Carol,
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips for future students! You are so right about not giving up easily and always checking your syllabus!
I believe EDAC 634 is the hardest course among the courses I taught. It is a theory based course, and the questions in weekly discussions are harder to answer since they require students to thoroughly understand the theories, and to analyze the materials provided, which usually are not just education related materials, but the materials from various fields. It is very normal if you do not understand all of the contents, and you are frustrated. It is a intellectually challenged course, and if you are not clear about the course, just ask. With a little help and guidance, you will pass this course successfully with a sense of achievement, like Darcey said.
Carol is also right about the syllabus. It is very long, but it is a great source for your learning. It includes the instructions, rationales, and examples of each assignment. It is important that you check the instructions of your syllabus and read other students' examples before you start your assignments.
Bo
From that moment of acceptance, I spent time thoroughly reading the syllabus and developed a chart for tracking assignments, their basic focus, and due dates. This helped me to take control of the work and kept me focused during the semester.
ReplyDeleteThis relationship was founded in excellent communication which provided a way for the ability to challenge, question, and nudge each other.
The relationship also brought another key component to survival…. Humor! Laughing. Teasing. Joking. All became a part of our work and was the bridge in moving our working partnership to friendship.
I am confident that along the way you will discover learning that go beyond the subject matter.
One thing to realize when you are browsing through the group project in the syllabus, is that everything is building on one common goal so choose your topics wisely.
If you want to be successful in this course, you must refer to the syllabus often.
The discussion boards and group projects may seem substantial but they are most certainly relevant. Keep that syllabus close if you want to do well.
----- These are great tips and ideas you shared with us, Darcey and Carol!
Bo