Category: Academic

  • Report of Unused Courses

    Last night I wrote out a report on what courses actually apply to my degree. This particular blog entry is a bit different, it is a quick list of courses that were successfully transferred but that do not apply to the degree.

     

    Java Programming – CPCC – Summer 2005
    Introduction to Computer Science I – UNCC – Spring 2007
    Introduction to Computer Science II – UNCC – Fall 2005
    Computer Utilization in C++ – UNCC – Fall 2005
    Data Structures – FSU – Fall 2009
    C++ Programming – CPCC – Spring 2005
    C# Programming – CPCC – Fall 2008
    Ceramics Wheel I – UNCC – Fall 2006
    Ceramics Wheel II – UNCC – Spring 2007
    Creative Writing II – CPCC – Spring 2008
    Deductive Logic – UNCC – Fall 2004
    Global and Intercultural Connections – UNCC – Fall 2005
    Internet Protocols – CPCC – Fall 2005
    Major Figures in Philosophy: Plato – UNCC – Spring 2005
    Web Based Application Development – UNCC – Fall 2005
    US History I – CPCC – Fall 2008
    Introduction to Ethics – Gaston – Spring 2004

     

    This list is only courses that Fayetteville decided to be nice enough to actually transfer and does not include courses that were completed after my Associates degrees were issued. It also does not include “Digital Photography” from UNC-Chapel Hill, as I opted to not have that transcript transmitted (before any admissions officers freak out, I submitted a statement of enrollment instead, since it was only one course).

  • Degree Audit – BS in Psychology – Fall 2010

    As I near the completion of my undergraduate career and must fill out my final Academic Progress Report I have decided to utilize the degree audit features in Banner and work with it and other documentation to create a detailed picture of where all of my credits have come from for the degree. I have accumulated almost 180 credit hours at this point and not all are used in this degree, but quite a few do manage to find a home somewhere or other in the program of study. Spaces where there were multiple courses that could be assigned I entered the course that was selected by Banner to fill the position. I must say, I am a little sad filling out the form that goes with this audit for my last advising session as an undergraduate. Its almost like leaving high school all over again, once the degree is issued none of these courses will matter by themselves, they loose their identity and just become part of the degree. For this particular list of courses I looked back in my records in GITI and pulled semesters that classes were taken (since FSU doesn’t keep that info when transferring) and found myself reflecting on my experiences in the courses, especially those that I took in person, although there were some memorable online courses as well (primarily in the summer of 2004). The end is near. 

     

    University College Requirements

    UNIV 110 – University Studies (2):

    Waived for students entering with 30+ Credit Hours

    PHIL 110 – Critical Thinking (3):

    Waived for students Entering with 60+ Credit Hours

    ENGL 110 – English Composition I (3):

    Creative Writing 1 – CPCC – Summer 2007

    ENGL 120 – English Composition II (3):

    Writing in Academic Communication – UNCC – Fall 2004

    SPEE 200 – Introduction to Communication (3):

    Interpersonal Communication – Gaston – Spring 2004

    MATH 123 – College Algebra (3):

    College Algebra – Gaston – Spring 2008

    Math Elective (3-4):

    Discreet Structures – UNCC – Fall 2005

    Natural Sciences (8):

    Descriptive Astronomy – Gaston – Spring 2008
    General Physics I – UNCC – Fall 2004

    History and Social Sciences (3):

    General Anthropology – CPCC – Summer 2004

    Humanities and Fine Arts (3):

    Art Appreciation – CPCC – Summer 2004

    Restricted Electives (9):

    Art History II – Gaston – Fall 2008
    Introduction to Microeconomics – UNCC – Spring 2005
    Introduction to Literature – Gaston – Fall 2008

    Physical Education (2):

    Personal Health & Wellness – CPCC – Summer 2008

     

    Psychology Major Requirements

    PSYC 210 – General Psychology (3):

    General Psychology – Gaston – Fall 2003

    PSYC 233 – Statistics for Psychology (4):

    FSU – Summer 2009

    PSYC 320 – Theories of Learning (3):

    FSU – Spring 2010

    PSYC 331 – Developmental Psychology (3):

    FSU – Spring 2010

    PSYC 352 – Research Methodology (4):

    FSU – Spring 2010

    PSYC 360 – Social Psychology (3):

    Social Psychology – Gaston – Fall 2003

    PSYC 370 – Introduction to Biopsychology (3):

    FSU – Summer 2010

    PSYC 400 – History and Systems of Psychology (3):

    FSU – In Progress

    PSYC 422 – Abnormal Psychology (3):

    Abnormal Psychology – UNCC – Fall 2004

    Elective Group 1 [310, 342, 381] (3):

    Theories of Personality (PSYC 310) – FSU – Spring 2009

    Elective Group 2 [343, 430] (3):

    Sex and Gender (PSYC 430) – FSU – Summer 2010

    Elective Group 3 [420, 421] (3):

    Sensation & Perception (PSYC 420) – FSU – Spring 2010

    Computer Competency (3):

    Introduction to Business Computing – UNCC – Spring 2005

    Psychology Electives [PSYC 300+] (9):

    Behavior Modification (PSYC 380) – FSU – Summer 2010
    Child Psychopathology (PSYC 381) – FSU – In Progress
    Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 421) – FSU – Spring 2009

     

    Sociology Minor

    SOCI 210 – Introduction to Sociology (3):

    Introduction to Sociology – Gaston – In Progress

    SOCI 340 – Crime & Delinquency (3):

    Not Yet Started

    SOCI 350 – History of Sociological Thought (3):

    Not Yet Started

    SOCI 412 – Race and Ethnic Relations (3):

    Not Yet Started

    Sociology Electives (6):

    Sociology of the Family – CPCC – Summer 2004
    Introduction to SPSS  (SOCI 333) – FSU – Not Yet Started

    University Free Electives

    University Free Electives (9):

    Principles of Accounting I – UNCC – Spring 2005
    Drawing I – Gaston – Fall 2007
    Drawing II – Gaston – Spring 2008

  • What to do after graduation?

    I am coming to the end of my undergraduate career. In 2 weeks I will start the last 4 classes toward my major, completing my Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree. I have made a small change to my degree program that will result in me graduating in spring though, I have added a Sociology minor. I can not at this time rationally explain why I have done this, but honestly, its too late to back out now. I am rather glad I have another semester to go, as it gives me time to gather letters of recommendation, take the GRE and various other little tasks that need to be done.

    I have several options for what to do after graduation in May.

    1. Master of Arts in Academic Psychology, East Carolina University – continuing on my same academic track as I am on now, except focusing more on theory than application, but would still be a good start for me. I would be qualified to teach in community college psychology programs as well as limited counseling roles. This program is completely online.
    2. Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, UNC-Charlotte – this is my second choice option, but it is becoming my first choice. It would put me at the same school as Chris and put me back in an actual classroom. It is in some ways better than the options at ECU. I would be more directly in the program that I want to be in.
    3. Master of Arts in Library and Information Sciences, UNC-Greensboro – basically a masters degree for becoming a librarian. Its a relaxes sort of thing. The classes are a combination of on-campus at UNC-Charlotte as well as online.
    4. Master of Liberal Arts in Liberal Studies, UNC-Greensboro – this option is sort of a fall-back if I can’t get into the other programs. It is a curriculum of world cultures and a variety of artsy-fartsy (thanks Mrs. Hersey for that phrase) related programs.
    5. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art: Concentration Unknown, UNC-Charlotte – This option is one that I would love to consider more seriously than I currently feel that I can. To seriously think about my future career I have to move forward with options 1 or 2. This program will put be on track to a creative future, but I’m not sure its one that I can convince myself to live with. It would be a lot of work for not a lot of benefit in the end, but in some ways I wonder if I would be happier in this path. This program would also place me as on the same campus as Chris. This idea is quickly finding its way to the #3 spot and not #5.

    There are so many factors to consider and I don’t really know where to begin. I know I have to make a decision soon, as graduation is in May and I need to be prepared for applying to the programs starting in January/February 2011. I want to do something that matters, but at the same time it has to be something I can stick with and something that ultimately will make me happy and perhaps reveal truly who I am.

  • Recommendations for the Future of Education

    Almost all schools now have an “online learning platform”, whether it is Moodle, Blackboard, Blackboard Vista (previously WebCT) or some other means of providing students access to online course content. I believe that these platforms are underused in many institutions and should be expanded to support all classes.

    While in-person courses are the traditional form of course administration, I feel that they could be supplemented by their “distance education” counterparts. I feel that there is much enhancement that online course platforms can offer traditional courses, and I believe that there was ways that online courses can be improved as well. I would love to see traditional courses use online platforms the what that distance courses presently do, and distance courses should be in a totally new class of learning.

    First, I believe that all courses, no matter what delivery method, should have an securely accessible class site where at bare minimum there is access to a syllabus and grade sheet. That alone would allow students to stay better organized and on top of things. The addition of any paper documents handed out in class being added to the site would only add to the usefulness of the course site. For institutions utilizing SmartBoard technology, there is no reason to not provide electronic access to the instructor’s notes for the day. Students often spent a large amount of time taking notes in classes, usually writing what the instructor is saying as well as whatever they are writing on their boards, this is a step of redundancy for auditory learners. Absences from a course can often be disastrous, especially for classes that meet only once a week, but an enhanced web presence for a course could ease that disaster into an inconvenience. The web presence can not become a replacement for class attendance, but it can help keep students more connected to the material, and perhaps as a result, less likely to have a need to drop or withdraw.

    Next, online courses have been allowed to fall to the level of a guided independent study. For undergraduate education, this is inadequate. There is a rich world of knowledge available online, and it would seem that such information would be the best place to start with building an online course. There should be more to online courses than reading the text, having discussion boards and taking tests. There is a lot of information that is not academically suited on the Internet, but that’s where the instructor comes in, to guide students to appropriate information. Online students should be held to a higher level of technical competence as well. It is possible to conduct elaborate projects and utilize information technology in far more ways than is being accomplished presently.

    Also, and this is highly optimistic of me, I believe that instructors should post their syllabus at least 2 weeks before the semester is to begin, to allow students to plan accordingly. Most courses carry 3 hours, but that doesn’t mean they all carry the same amount of work. Additionally, it is quite possible for a student to have a conflict with an instructional style in use. Providing syllabi a few weeks ahead could save everyone some trouble, and also allow students some “inactive” time to prepare for the course. 

  • PSYC 352 Paper Graded

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    Just moments ago my paper for PSYC 352 was graded. I suppose Dr. “Monique” is actually intending to pull an all-nighter to get her grading done. I got 70 out of 75 points on the paper, which is about a 93, which isn’t too bad.

  • Procrastination: Not Just for Students

    I thought I was bad for procrastinating on my papers all semester, but not I don’t feel quite as bad. One of my instructors is about a month behind on her grading. Dr. “Monique” started grading assignments in her online courses at about 5pm this evening, and grades are due at midnight. She is an instructor that relies on Blackboard for her gradebook, which presently doesn’t even show any signs of the final paper, which makes me think she has at least 25 papers sitting on her desk waiting to be read after she finishes grading discussion boards. I don’t know what her other courses are like, but the two that I have with her have papers that need to be graded, as well as other assignments. I don’t know how she will manage to get a quality grading job done if she has that much work left to do.

    I suspect that if she gets done, she will be cross-eyed and needing to sleep for a while.

    Dr. “Monique” is just the worst example, the others are behind as well. The other 3 instructors had not turned in grades as of 4PM today (system refresh for Banner is 4pm and 9am), but they at least have all of the raw data together and just need to get it to the registrar.

    Ah, procrastination, its good for everyone!

  • Spring 2010 Papers

    Now that the semester is officially closed students may no longer submit work, and therefore I am now free to release publically my research papers from the semester.

     

    PSYC 320 – Theories of Learning
    Chunking
    PSYC 331 – Developmental Psychology
    Gender Differences in Self Esteem
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    PSYC 420 – Sensation and Perception
    Uses of Tactile Sensation of the Blind
    PSYC 352 – Research Methodology
    Observational Methods of Research
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  • The Waiting Has Begun

    Everything is turned in, has been for days. I have done all I can do to arrange for other semesters and as of 9 minutes ago, the Spring 2010 semester has closed, so there is 0 to do. I am not very good at this time between semesters, it feels awkward and unnatural.

    I am waiting for my instructors to finish up their grading, or in the case of some instructors, start their grading.

    There are some courses I am pretty confident in and some that I am a little more concerned about, but I won’t be calm until all of the grades are in.

  • Waiting

    I am used to semesters being over with great suddenness and authority, with deadlines barely being met and everything falling into place at the very last minute. That last minute is 3 days away at the moment for some classes, and 6 days away for other classes. Either way there is this huge feeling of waiting this semester. All of my assignments are in, save one. Two of the major assignments that I had to complete are writing assignments, large papers. I anxiously await the results on those assignments which can make or break my grade. Also with the waiting, my brilliant and thoughtful Sensation and Perception instructor has decided to not open our final exam until 8am tomorrow morning, so I’ve been waiting days for that, since all of my other exams are finished. I suspect I will try to pounce on the exam as soon as I can so that I may separate myself from the texts of the semester. I hate waiting. Even if all of my instructors manage to get things together before the 7th, I still have to wait until the 10th to find out all of my grades.

    Presently, I am waiting for someone to tell me if I can take SOCI 333 during the fall.

  • Building Insanity

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    My Fall 2010 semester chart shows my planned courses for the fall. Looks a little ominous doesn’t it? While the courses total to only 17 credit hours, the number of courses seems to be a little overwhelming to me. As you will notice, all courses are goldenrod except SOCI 333, which is plum. This indicates that most courses are registered and SOCI 333 is just planned. If I am allowed to take SOCI 333 I think I will swap it for PSYC 342 on the schedule. I do worry about having so many courses, how will I keep up with all of them?