Sunday, December 21, 2014

A500.9.4.RB_DellElceCamila

A500.9.4.RB – Course Reflections

            Today is the last day of the first semester as a graduate student in the Master of Science in Leadership. I could not feel more accomplished as I do today. As I reflect on the values of this course, it was a challenging path that I am happy I took. When I decided or entertain the idea of going for my master’s, I never thought I was going to be able to pull it off but I did. Many positive aspects came from this unforgettable experience and some frustrations too. Nevertheless, what I have gained from this course is invaluable and for that I am thankful to my professor, Dr. Daryl Watkins. I have to say, all his assignments were interesting and they all had me critically thinking. The course was very intense since it only lasted 9 weeks and Dr. Watkins assignments were time consuming.

            From this course I have learned an insane amount of information, theories, definitions, concepts, software’s, formats, etc., the list can go on and on. All the topics covered during the course semester were completely relevant to what I expected out of this class. I can see myself already making use of what I have learned into my everyday life and also future classes. I really enjoy going through all and each of the modules every week. One of my favorites parts of the assignments was watching the TED videos; I always had something to learn from about it. In addition, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to create my own blog and express myself freely about the course as one of my hobbies is writing. I really do not believe the professor could have done any additional work to support my learning through out the semester. Dr. Watkins was very understanding to my needs and also schedule. Being a full time employee at a retail company during the holiday season and taking a graduate course was very challenging to manage. But professor Watkins help me get through it.

            If I have to reflect on the negative areas of the course, the only thing I got frustrated about was the course load. I thought it was a bit much for a nine-week course but then again it is expectable when you are taking a Master’s Degree. In the same manner, Dr. Watkins had explained to expect more work from his class then any other class, so that gives me hopes for future leadership classes. And also, as I plan into going to Law School, I think, after surviving this course, I am ready for it. Needless to say, if I ask myself, what could I have done differently to improve my learning experience during this course? My answer would be time management. As much as I know I was busy, there is a need from my side to estimate and make better use of my time and that way not delayed my assignments. Moreover, I have to be more careful about my spellings and grammar. English is not my native language and my grades suffered a little bit due to not having someone to proof read my assignments. Other than that, I can say that for the first time, I have read every detail, textbook, article, journal, you name it, I read it all from the course. I did not just read to read, but I actually made substantial use of my critical thinking while learning. 

            Overall, I am very pleased with my first semester at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Dr. Daryl Watkins and I look forward into continuing my education.


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