Hi, this is KB. So, I have a problem. I'm getting emails from some students who, for some reason, are on lists that ask me to click addys and boxes if I want to see the content of a given email. These emails ask me to verify my identify when I respond to their emails. Students should be aware of problems inherent in using services such as yahoo and getting involved in any kind of alleged 'layer of protection' between them and those who email them. I don't want to refuse emails from students, really I don't. However, I don't have the time to track down students who send out emails telling me that if I click on this or that box I can see the contents of a student's email.
If your current email account is a problem, please use the free University of Leicester email. If you have lost it or don't know it, send me a post through some other system (e.g. - Google) in a regular email and request that I assist you to get your U of Leicester email address. Please.
No tutor, being aware of the problem of hidden viruses in confirmation emails, is going to click on an unknown addy or a box to get through to you and assist you. Last year, I acquired a very nasty computer virus on my rather pricey PC laptop. That lappy is now being used as a doorstop. The virus problem could not be fixed by the computer department at a local university and they had it for a month! Now, I'm using my old Mac computer ...and I won't let this happen again. So, please give some thought to not using that 'Yahoo' address with all the notes requesting that I be one of your many 'friends'. Yes, I have a Yahoo account too but I don't send out anything really important this way and mine doesn't have verification notices. Actually, I have several different email addresses for different purposes. This way I keep my email tidy. If I had a problem getting through to a tutor I would get a Google email addy and request their assistance so I could use my University of Leicester ID and password. I will always try and assist you as long as I don't get emails with unknown email addresses in them. Many of these emails contain adware and/or spyware that loads into your computer the minute you click on it.
Okay, this is why this is so important. I take a lot of time to write back to each correspondent. I even have correspondents who are not students, but simply learners. I always have time for genuine learners no matter who they are or where they are. And, a word to the wise, no genuine learner has ever sent me an email that asked me to verify my identity or that contained a pop up advertisement. Not one. I want you all to pass, to get through your degrees and move ahead with your careers. However, if you have a Yahoo address with massive verification requests that come back at me, I won't click on those verification boxes. It's simple. I won't go looking for hidden emails either. And as for students who want me to respond them on a different email address, other than the email addy from where they sent the original question, please use your U of Leicester account instead. If you are at the office and decide to pop me a message on your business email account, you shouldn't expect me to be a mind reader and guess that there is another place you would like to have the return email sent. This is why University of Leicester provided you with an email address.
When I get unusual looking emails such as the ones I discuss above there isn't any way I have access to information that lets me know whether or not you are a student, without sending out copious emails to the already overloaded admin staff. Those of you who have needed help from admin staff, I'm sure you'd all agree that they should use their time ensuring that the U of Leicester postgraduate programmes are running smoothly, not trying to find out why you are emailing me. I won't burden them with these requests any longer. This will keep the system working. Thank you.
KB
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
What I learned in university
Last week, a student told me that she enjoyed reading about my struggles in university. I realized that I've never written anything about teaching and why I like to teach. Particularly, why I like tutoring students online or in small groups. So, this week I'd like to talk about the importance of the struggles I had at university and how they shaped me into becoming a better graduate student.
I attended university in Toronto, Canada a number of years ago. More than I'd care to admit. I'm not one of those students who like to think fondly back to High School. My family moved around; I went to two High Schools; I never seemed to get the knack of "fitting in." I like school, didn't study much and did really well in English and History.
When I was good at the subject, I was a very good student who got "A". In university, my grades were good but not excellent until the latter years. I did, however, work very hard and read a great deal. I was always interested in the information that we didn't cover on in the class. For example, when I took French Renaissance History I became intrigued by Ferdinand Braudel and his approach to history. When I took Shakespeare, I read all the materials that weren't on the syllabus.
This approach didn't help me as an undergraduate. Undergraduate education is, after all, about getting a base for the studies that follow. You need to thoroughly understand the readings that are given at this base level. I tended to deviate from the pre-arranged path and go off on my own. As a graduate student, this natural curiosity helped me greatly. It helped as well that I was older, and consequently more organized. This meant that I used to prepare my questions before, not during, my classes. Of course, I had the training of library school to teach me the right way and the wrong way of doing research by then.
Most of the problem of getting good marks is understanding where to get good information. I already knew about this. The 'net sometimes allows students to thing they are doing good work if they simply search for a few references on Google Scholar or Wikipedia. They write dissertations using Wikipedia to back up their research questions. It is so easy to think this is 'good work' and ignore the obvious, really good reference materials right under our noses in the Digital Library. Unfortunately, the 'net doesn't usually provide us with the right material unless we dig deeper.
What I learned in university, over the course of several different occasions, was that I didn't really know how to learn effectively. I resisted attempts, by the university, to go writing labs thinking that these were for other students, students who were failing. Of course, I could've spared myself some time and trouble if I'd learned about how to construct a research paper effectively in my very first year of studies. I didn't understand, when I was a new student, that my words and all my research should be earning me much higher grades. I had to wait for time and experience to get these grades, grades I could have gotten if I'd just accepted that there were things I needed to learn.
Now, when I look back, I want other students to learn from the mistakes I made so long ago. I was a good student, curious and bright. The principles of education haven't really changed. Do good research. Learn to use language effectively. Demonstrate that you have thought carefully and analysed the questions that you are attempting to answer. Answer the questions that are given by the instructor instead of something else. Ask for information if you don't understand the questions you are given.
Like the knight in Stephen Leacock's story, I have tried to ride off in all directions many times. I have had to learn to focus and think about the hard questions posed in university classes. I had to learn that taking the time to think was not a bad thing but was, rather, required by the content of the texts that I was trying to study. It took time to do this and practice. Now, it is my earnest wish that all students not do what I did during the early years of my university education. I want my students, and I mean you my readers, ask for help and try to learn more effectively without thinking it makes them weaker, but understanding that asking and accepting help makes you stronger.
KB
I attended university in Toronto, Canada a number of years ago. More than I'd care to admit. I'm not one of those students who like to think fondly back to High School. My family moved around; I went to two High Schools; I never seemed to get the knack of "fitting in." I like school, didn't study much and did really well in English and History.
When I was good at the subject, I was a very good student who got "A". In university, my grades were good but not excellent until the latter years. I did, however, work very hard and read a great deal. I was always interested in the information that we didn't cover on in the class. For example, when I took French Renaissance History I became intrigued by Ferdinand Braudel and his approach to history. When I took Shakespeare, I read all the materials that weren't on the syllabus.
This approach didn't help me as an undergraduate. Undergraduate education is, after all, about getting a base for the studies that follow. You need to thoroughly understand the readings that are given at this base level. I tended to deviate from the pre-arranged path and go off on my own. As a graduate student, this natural curiosity helped me greatly. It helped as well that I was older, and consequently more organized. This meant that I used to prepare my questions before, not during, my classes. Of course, I had the training of library school to teach me the right way and the wrong way of doing research by then.
Most of the problem of getting good marks is understanding where to get good information. I already knew about this. The 'net sometimes allows students to thing they are doing good work if they simply search for a few references on Google Scholar or Wikipedia. They write dissertations using Wikipedia to back up their research questions. It is so easy to think this is 'good work' and ignore the obvious, really good reference materials right under our noses in the Digital Library. Unfortunately, the 'net doesn't usually provide us with the right material unless we dig deeper.
What I learned in university, over the course of several different occasions, was that I didn't really know how to learn effectively. I resisted attempts, by the university, to go writing labs thinking that these were for other students, students who were failing. Of course, I could've spared myself some time and trouble if I'd learned about how to construct a research paper effectively in my very first year of studies. I didn't understand, when I was a new student, that my words and all my research should be earning me much higher grades. I had to wait for time and experience to get these grades, grades I could have gotten if I'd just accepted that there were things I needed to learn.
Now, when I look back, I want other students to learn from the mistakes I made so long ago. I was a good student, curious and bright. The principles of education haven't really changed. Do good research. Learn to use language effectively. Demonstrate that you have thought carefully and analysed the questions that you are attempting to answer. Answer the questions that are given by the instructor instead of something else. Ask for information if you don't understand the questions you are given.
Like the knight in Stephen Leacock's story, I have tried to ride off in all directions many times. I have had to learn to focus and think about the hard questions posed in university classes. I had to learn that taking the time to think was not a bad thing but was, rather, required by the content of the texts that I was trying to study. It took time to do this and practice. Now, it is my earnest wish that all students not do what I did during the early years of my university education. I want my students, and I mean you my readers, ask for help and try to learn more effectively without thinking it makes them weaker, but understanding that asking and accepting help makes you stronger.
KB
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Writing Directly to KB/Responding Personally to KB
Hi, this is KB the tutor who writes this blog. I receive a lot of comments from different students about this blog, most of them are students in the MBA/MSc at University of Leicester. There are also correspondents from outside the programme who are looking for grammar and writing advice as well. I'm very pleased to have such a wide variety of readers. In fact, I want my all my readers wherever they come from to write me at: ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk if they need help.
This next part is important. Students from U of Leicester should identify themselves by writing using their U of Leicester email account. This email account is private, as opposed to a work email address. If you don't want your boss reading my advice to you about studying or your assignments, you should use your U of Leicester account instead of your business email address. Privacy is an important consideration in learning. So, please try and use your U of Leicester email addresses and stay private. If I respond to you on a business email, you have no expectation of privacy on that email. The U of Leicester email address offers that privacy for all registered students. Students outside the programme must do what they need to do to help ensure their privacy & to make sure they find my emails.
For this reason, I'd like to also mention that when students use hotmail, google or yahoo accounts to write to me they can lose my response. You may have a high traffic account. If you are outside the programme and write to me, make sure you won't lose my email in an inbox folder with over 1,000 unopened emails. I take time and consideration before writing to you, please have an account where you can easily find my email and respond to me in a timely manner. If you must, open up another account for learning where there will be little or no email traffic. I respond equally to all who seek help on their educational path and give them my advice. I will continue to maintain this policy at this time. As an educator, I will not turn my back on any student in need. U of Leicester students do have the additional option of speaking with me on Skype at a future date if they need more hands on approach advice.
I've posted this blog because, although my address is posted here, some students who need help are writing in the blog space. I'm trying to monitor this traffic but this becomes difficult when students respond to old blog entries going back months or years. I don't check all my entries, all the time. This is an ongoing blog. I check the last 3 entries for responses then I move forward. I want students seeking help to find me. So, correspond with me directly at: ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk. In the future, I'm going to be reposting this advice in shortened form at the end of every month.
KB
This next part is important. Students from U of Leicester should identify themselves by writing using their U of Leicester email account. This email account is private, as opposed to a work email address. If you don't want your boss reading my advice to you about studying or your assignments, you should use your U of Leicester account instead of your business email address. Privacy is an important consideration in learning. So, please try and use your U of Leicester email addresses and stay private. If I respond to you on a business email, you have no expectation of privacy on that email. The U of Leicester email address offers that privacy for all registered students. Students outside the programme must do what they need to do to help ensure their privacy & to make sure they find my emails.
For this reason, I'd like to also mention that when students use hotmail, google or yahoo accounts to write to me they can lose my response. You may have a high traffic account. If you are outside the programme and write to me, make sure you won't lose my email in an inbox folder with over 1,000 unopened emails. I take time and consideration before writing to you, please have an account where you can easily find my email and respond to me in a timely manner. If you must, open up another account for learning where there will be little or no email traffic. I respond equally to all who seek help on their educational path and give them my advice. I will continue to maintain this policy at this time. As an educator, I will not turn my back on any student in need. U of Leicester students do have the additional option of speaking with me on Skype at a future date if they need more hands on approach advice.
I've posted this blog because, although my address is posted here, some students who need help are writing in the blog space. I'm trying to monitor this traffic but this becomes difficult when students respond to old blog entries going back months or years. I don't check all my entries, all the time. This is an ongoing blog. I check the last 3 entries for responses then I move forward. I want students seeking help to find me. So, correspond with me directly at: ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk. In the future, I'm going to be reposting this advice in shortened form at the end of every month.
KB
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Round Trip to the Library
Hi, it's KB again. This week I want to take you all on a round trip to University of Leicester Library. I've been hearing from students who are not using the library, a few of whom are not novices in the programme. So, let's talk library.
Unless you live next door to this:
The British Library
Or this:
The New York Public Library
You are going to need the University of Leicester Library.
This is what the library's home page looks like:
The University of Leicester Digital Library is there to support your research needs. Of course, you will need to make sure you have a CFS password and ID.
If you don't, you can go here to find one:
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/itservices/resources/cs/sd/registration/it-accounts
This password will allow you to have access to the library when you are working off campus.
The University of Leicester has Leicester e-link:
If you search for, for example, the Academy of Management Journal, the library database will tell you that:
Once you do the search and click on the results, you will find that the Academy of Management Journal is available through EBSCO fulltext or JSTOR.
These are part of the library's collection of digital databases. Digital databases that you may want to explore include:
Business Source Premiere
EBSCO
Emerald Online
JSTOR
Sage Journals Online
Wiley Interscience
Using the Digital Library at University of Leicester is going to help you write better assignments and dissertations. Yes, Google Scholar should be included in the places you search as well but you should not rely on it as one stop shopping. Next blog, we're going to look at using Google Scholar and how it can help you as well and how the two resources are complementary.
Until then, happy researching.
KB
Unless you live next door to this:
The British Library
Or this:
The New York Public Library
You are going to need the University of Leicester Library.
This is what the library's home page looks like:
The University of Leicester Digital Library is there to support your research needs. Of course, you will need to make sure you have a CFS password and ID.
If you don't, you can go here to find one:
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/itservices/resources/cs/sd/registration/it-accounts
This password will allow you to have access to the library when you are working off campus.
The University of Leicester has Leicester e-link:
If you search for, for example, the Academy of Management Journal, the library database will tell you that:
Once you do the search and click on the results, you will find that the Academy of Management Journal is available through EBSCO fulltext or JSTOR.
These are part of the library's collection of digital databases. Digital databases that you may want to explore include:
Business Source Premiere
EBSCO
Emerald Online
JSTOR
Sage Journals Online
Wiley Interscience
Using the Digital Library at University of Leicester is going to help you write better assignments and dissertations. Yes, Google Scholar should be included in the places you search as well but you should not rely on it as one stop shopping. Next blog, we're going to look at using Google Scholar and how it can help you as well and how the two resources are complementary.
Until then, happy researching.
KB
Monday, February 1, 2010
Post-reading activities: Reinforcing course module readings
Hi! In the last blog we talked about getting the most out of your postgraduate readings. We discussed the early steps of reading. This involved highlighting points in your module text and making marginal notes to guide you through a re-reading for assignment and exams.
At this time, you need to get involved in post-reading activities. These post-reading strategies should include: (a) thinking about the subject as a whole and (b) making notes notes on your readings. Let's look at the first point, thinking about the subject as a whole.
Followers of this blog will know that I believe that you need to take time to think. Reading is not an exception to this rule. When you think about your module text as a whole, you should start to to form the building blocks of what is known as a hierarchy of critical thinking. This hierarchy works something like this in terms of information in your readings.
First: you gather
1. Knowledge. You gather the details that make up the bits of information in a particular module text, for example a module text/booklet on "Management, People and Organizations".
Next, you begin to build:
2.Comprehension. You build an understanding of the pieces of knowledge in your module text on "Management, People and Organizations." You start to see how these pieces of information relate to one another.
Now, you can use your understanding to create:
3. Application. You can use the information in your module text to create a new understanding of real-life examples. In fact, these examples can be drawn from your own practical experience, can be gleaned from reading journal articles on other organizations, can be seen in case studies or can be simulated from a combination of all three.
At this step, you need show that you can analyse or explain these relationships:
4. Analysis. After you see how the information applies to real-life situations, you must be able to explain or analyse how the information from the text explains what we see happening in real-life, journal articles or case studies. It is not enough to merely apply an idea, an explanation is a required step in forming understanding from either a module text.
It is not enough to read a text in isolation from other ideas from the same subject. In your course module in "Management, People and Organizations", you see the inter-related nature of other subjects in the both the Social Sciences and Business Theory. So, at this step you fit together concepts:
5. Synthesis. As you fit together ideas, they form a new understanding of the course module. This allows you to see the ideas within the module in a larger context, a context which relates to the Social Sciences as a whole and strengthens your idea of the place of any theory in this context.
At the end of a reading, you should be able to form:
6. An Evaluation. When you form an evaluation of the ideas you have learned in your module text in "Management, People and Organizations", you can see the strengthens and weaknesses of different theories, how they interplay with other ideas, their relevance to the subject as a whole, their importance to the field and their continuing place in studying this subject.
This critical method of approaching reading forces the reader to make links. Links between:
1. Basic knowledge and concepts. (Comprehension)
2. Concepts or theory and real life situations or simulations. (Application)
3. Applications and explanations of how theories explain real-life situations or simulations. (Analysis)
4. New ideas and older ideas. (Synthesis)
5. How synthesis leads us to evaluate the new information (Evaluation)
This hierarchy of knowledge that I have used to explain thinking within the reading process is also known as "Bloom's Taxonomy". The important thing the reader must understand is how they will use all of these steps in thinking about their module texts. Once you understand your module texts in this way it will be easier to apply the same hierarchy of knowledge to any other learning process such as a course assignment, an exam or even your dissertation.
You can also write notes about your course materials. I would suggest the Cornell note-taking approach. For now, I'm going to refer you to "The Learning Box", an online resource, to describe this approach to note-taking here. I plan to do a blog on writing course notes in the next few months, but the graphic representation of how to write notes at Toolbox will help you for now:
http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
Remember that reading is an active process, a process that forces you to make connections within your subject and with other previous knowledge. Testing has shown that students recall information better if they can relate it to previous learning and don't see their subject/course material in isolation to other learned materials. Reading, as I have shown it, is hard work. It takes time and should not be postponed for a brief review before an exam or an assignment. This is particularly true of long and complex texts. If you have taken the time to organize and understand the course module materials ahead of time, you will have fewer nasty surprises later on in the programme. This is the challenge of your graduate programme. Good reading.
KB
At this time, you need to get involved in post-reading activities. These post-reading strategies should include: (a) thinking about the subject as a whole and (b) making notes notes on your readings. Let's look at the first point, thinking about the subject as a whole.
Followers of this blog will know that I believe that you need to take time to think. Reading is not an exception to this rule. When you think about your module text as a whole, you should start to to form the building blocks of what is known as a hierarchy of critical thinking. This hierarchy works something like this in terms of information in your readings.
First: you gather
1. Knowledge. You gather the details that make up the bits of information in a particular module text, for example a module text/booklet on "Management, People and Organizations".
Next, you begin to build:
2.Comprehension. You build an understanding of the pieces of knowledge in your module text on "Management, People and Organizations." You start to see how these pieces of information relate to one another.
Now, you can use your understanding to create:
3. Application. You can use the information in your module text to create a new understanding of real-life examples. In fact, these examples can be drawn from your own practical experience, can be gleaned from reading journal articles on other organizations, can be seen in case studies or can be simulated from a combination of all three.
At this step, you need show that you can analyse or explain these relationships:
4. Analysis. After you see how the information applies to real-life situations, you must be able to explain or analyse how the information from the text explains what we see happening in real-life, journal articles or case studies. It is not enough to merely apply an idea, an explanation is a required step in forming understanding from either a module text.
It is not enough to read a text in isolation from other ideas from the same subject. In your course module in "Management, People and Organizations", you see the inter-related nature of other subjects in the both the Social Sciences and Business Theory. So, at this step you fit together concepts:
5. Synthesis. As you fit together ideas, they form a new understanding of the course module. This allows you to see the ideas within the module in a larger context, a context which relates to the Social Sciences as a whole and strengthens your idea of the place of any theory in this context.
At the end of a reading, you should be able to form:
6. An Evaluation. When you form an evaluation of the ideas you have learned in your module text in "Management, People and Organizations", you can see the strengthens and weaknesses of different theories, how they interplay with other ideas, their relevance to the subject as a whole, their importance to the field and their continuing place in studying this subject.
This critical method of approaching reading forces the reader to make links. Links between:
1. Basic knowledge and concepts. (Comprehension)
2. Concepts or theory and real life situations or simulations. (Application)
3. Applications and explanations of how theories explain real-life situations or simulations. (Analysis)
4. New ideas and older ideas. (Synthesis)
5. How synthesis leads us to evaluate the new information (Evaluation)
This hierarchy of knowledge that I have used to explain thinking within the reading process is also known as "Bloom's Taxonomy". The important thing the reader must understand is how they will use all of these steps in thinking about their module texts. Once you understand your module texts in this way it will be easier to apply the same hierarchy of knowledge to any other learning process such as a course assignment, an exam or even your dissertation.
You can also write notes about your course materials. I would suggest the Cornell note-taking approach. For now, I'm going to refer you to "The Learning Box", an online resource, to describe this approach to note-taking here. I plan to do a blog on writing course notes in the next few months, but the graphic representation of how to write notes at Toolbox will help you for now:
http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
Remember that reading is an active process, a process that forces you to make connections within your subject and with other previous knowledge. Testing has shown that students recall information better if they can relate it to previous learning and don't see their subject/course material in isolation to other learned materials. Reading, as I have shown it, is hard work. It takes time and should not be postponed for a brief review before an exam or an assignment. This is particularly true of long and complex texts. If you have taken the time to organize and understand the course module materials ahead of time, you will have fewer nasty surprises later on in the programme. This is the challenge of your graduate programme. Good reading.
KB
Monday, January 18, 2010
Getting the Most Out of Reading for Classes: Part 1
Students ask me frequently about reading. The first question is, how do I get through all this material when my time is limited?
There is no easy answer to this question. As I mentioned in my last blog, when I was in graduate school there was one particular course/module which took 1-2 days of preparation every week, and most of that time was spent reading. That is a common experience for graduate students. It is important to remember that the MBA or MSc at University of Leicester is a graduate degree; for a graduate degree students are expected to read complex theoretical materials in their field. These types of readings take time. Moreover, the comprehensive exams require that all students have a breadth of knowledge that is only possible if you read the module texts more than once.
However, it is possible to see that module texts can be easier if the student considers a few of the following pointers:
1. Read actively using your mind to see the organization of the chapters
2. Engage with any and all visual aids and charts in the module texts
3. Read thematically. Try to see the module materials/texts as an interlocking whole guided by the consciousness of the writer.
4. Use coloured highlighter markers to distinguish a major idea from its component parts. For example, mark all the major concepts in blue and the the steps or sub-categories in pink.
5. Do not hesitate to annotate or summarize in the margins of your module texts or use sticky notes as a guide when you return to the text a second time.
Using these strategies to read your module texts will, in the long run, make the time you spend engaging with the text more effective. This is the secret to many steps of learning. If you spend the time up front learning and organizing materials, the time spent later is less burdensome and more effective. Reading thematically assists the reader to look for main ideas and distinguish them from minor points. This is a crucial aid to better understanding when one approaches thick and complex module texts that must be digested wholesale to complete the module.
Next week, we will discuss post-reading strategies and how they can enhance learning to help create greater understanding of the module and improve exam grades.
KB
There is no easy answer to this question. As I mentioned in my last blog, when I was in graduate school there was one particular course/module which took 1-2 days of preparation every week, and most of that time was spent reading. That is a common experience for graduate students. It is important to remember that the MBA or MSc at University of Leicester is a graduate degree; for a graduate degree students are expected to read complex theoretical materials in their field. These types of readings take time. Moreover, the comprehensive exams require that all students have a breadth of knowledge that is only possible if you read the module texts more than once.
However, it is possible to see that module texts can be easier if the student considers a few of the following pointers:
1. Read actively using your mind to see the organization of the chapters
2. Engage with any and all visual aids and charts in the module texts
3. Read thematically. Try to see the module materials/texts as an interlocking whole guided by the consciousness of the writer.
4. Use coloured highlighter markers to distinguish a major idea from its component parts. For example, mark all the major concepts in blue and the the steps or sub-categories in pink.
5. Do not hesitate to annotate or summarize in the margins of your module texts or use sticky notes as a guide when you return to the text a second time.
Using these strategies to read your module texts will, in the long run, make the time you spend engaging with the text more effective. This is the secret to many steps of learning. If you spend the time up front learning and organizing materials, the time spent later is less burdensome and more effective. Reading thematically assists the reader to look for main ideas and distinguish them from minor points. This is a crucial aid to better understanding when one approaches thick and complex module texts that must be digested wholesale to complete the module.
Next week, we will discuss post-reading strategies and how they can enhance learning to help create greater understanding of the module and improve exam grades.
KB
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Getting Down to Basics in the New Year: You are not alone
Hi, this the first blog of the New Year. This year I'm going to try to make shorter, more frequent blog posts. (Not counting this one.) We covered a lot of the basics in the first year of this blog in a lot of long blogs. Yes, I know, but it was necessary! This year I want to keep you, my readers, working on your MBA/MSc programmes at the University of Leicester and get you through your programmes and to your intended goal - the MBA/MSc in your waiting hands. In fact, I want to say here and now that I'm trying to get participation from any student reading this blog. Not simply your stories of struggle with this programme but your accounts of final success as well.
In the past year, I have encountered several students who felt that they were alone in their struggles with this programme. These students were sure that all the other students could do their assignments, exams and dissertation better, faster and more easily than they could. A few older students, say those of you in your mid-40's, were convinced the bulk of the students were all younger and not facing difficulties with the online nature of the programme or keeping up with their readings. Most of these students were surprised when I told them the students in Leicester's MBA and MSc programmes covered the complete spectrum of ages from their 20's to their 50's and that struggling with readings, assignments and/or the final dissertation was common problem. However, it was not a insurmountable one! After all, lots of students have jobs, personal lives and other commitments on top of the programme. No matter what their age or background, students still succeed in making it through the assignments, the exams and the dissertation and they graduate. Struggling with a deadline, a mark, a hidden meaning in an assignment or a dissertation is supposed to be part of a process that leads to a degree at the end of the road. It was certainly part of my experience in getting my last degree in English Literature & Creative Writing.
I finished my MA in English Literature & Creative Writing only 5 years ago when I turned 50. It was my second graduate degree. There were several times when I felt like quitting. It took me 7 years to complete this degree while working part-time teaching at a university, doing the occasional stint of research. I already had BA's in Education & English. Practically, I'd done a Master of Library Science many years earlier but never faced the challenge of a dissertation. I'd dreamt of having a graduate degree in English Literature or better yet in Creative Writing from the time I was twenty years old. I had no idea how long a road it would be to get this degree.
To be truthful, the course work was more or less doable. Sometimes, I had to write papers or take modules (courses) I didn't like because I had a heavy teaching load from September to January when all the best modules (courses) seemed to be offered. So, sometimes I was less than thrilled with the second term "electives". Other modules were just hard work. I had to prep for one module (course) assignment for two days and I prepared all my questions ahead of time so I would get the most out of every seminar. I had to re-learn the process of essay writing. I had successes and some partial successes, but I got through the work with good grades and passed an additional module in French (which was very difficult) that was a department requirement.
I could've worked with a very willing professor on a dissertation on modern literature but I decided to make my life hard. I decided to write about Henry James and was sent to work with a retired "senior scholar". This experience was mixed. The senior scholar was a nice man and very skilled in academic writing. I got through the dissertation proposal and the first part of the dissertation in two grueling years. Then, not being one to take the easy road, I decided that I wanted to write a creative dissertation instead of the usual MA in English Literature. This meant I had to throw out all of hard work I'd done on my dissertation and shop around for a new dissertation tutor, one who could work in Creative Writing. My best friend's husband, who was a retired university professor, assured me that I was crazy.
I had written a number of fictional stories but I really didn't have an extensive background in creative writing, at least not through the traditional route of "school courses". When and where I first went to university, there were no courses in Creative Writing. After several false starts, I found an advisor who agreed to supervise my dissertation but who had doubts about a forty-something student with no recognizable background in Creative Writing getting through the process.
There were a lot of bumps on this road. After many tries, my dissertation proposal was finally done and accepted at the last possible month. It was my second proposal. I also moved to England with my partner for the year I wrote the dissertation. As I worked, my advisor cut huge swathes of material out of my creative dissertation, which was supposed to be a novella not a novel. Att the end she gave me two weeks to revise the dissertation before hitting a final deadline. There were no extensions. With great difficulty, I did revise the whole thing in two weeks and submitted it. She finally booked my defense - which I passed with three small revisions.
I am now the proud possessor of an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing. It means more to me than any other piece of paper I possess. Now, I'm struggling as I write my first novel. (I'll let you know how that goes.) That, of course, isn't the point. The point is that I wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't decided that my dream was more important than the opinion of others or if I wasn't willing to work past huge obstacles and figure out how I was going to make it to the next stage of the process. A dream is worth it, isn't it?
In the next year, I want MBA/MSc distance students to reach out more. Sometimes, complex questions are posted here. I want students with complex problems to write me at:
ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk
I want also to hear about stories of success on this blog. Success stories are a way we can reinforce learning. Even if you think you are struggling alone, I want to assure you that this isn't true. Learning sometimes means struggle but it doesn't mean defeat. I learned more from the process of my MA than I thought possible in terms of my thinking, my writing and my persistance. So can you. Let's have a great year together.
KB
In the past year, I have encountered several students who felt that they were alone in their struggles with this programme. These students were sure that all the other students could do their assignments, exams and dissertation better, faster and more easily than they could. A few older students, say those of you in your mid-40's, were convinced the bulk of the students were all younger and not facing difficulties with the online nature of the programme or keeping up with their readings. Most of these students were surprised when I told them the students in Leicester's MBA and MSc programmes covered the complete spectrum of ages from their 20's to their 50's and that struggling with readings, assignments and/or the final dissertation was common problem. However, it was not a insurmountable one! After all, lots of students have jobs, personal lives and other commitments on top of the programme. No matter what their age or background, students still succeed in making it through the assignments, the exams and the dissertation and they graduate. Struggling with a deadline, a mark, a hidden meaning in an assignment or a dissertation is supposed to be part of a process that leads to a degree at the end of the road. It was certainly part of my experience in getting my last degree in English Literature & Creative Writing.
I finished my MA in English Literature & Creative Writing only 5 years ago when I turned 50. It was my second graduate degree. There were several times when I felt like quitting. It took me 7 years to complete this degree while working part-time teaching at a university, doing the occasional stint of research. I already had BA's in Education & English. Practically, I'd done a Master of Library Science many years earlier but never faced the challenge of a dissertation. I'd dreamt of having a graduate degree in English Literature or better yet in Creative Writing from the time I was twenty years old. I had no idea how long a road it would be to get this degree.
To be truthful, the course work was more or less doable. Sometimes, I had to write papers or take modules (courses) I didn't like because I had a heavy teaching load from September to January when all the best modules (courses) seemed to be offered. So, sometimes I was less than thrilled with the second term "electives". Other modules were just hard work. I had to prep for one module (course) assignment for two days and I prepared all my questions ahead of time so I would get the most out of every seminar. I had to re-learn the process of essay writing. I had successes and some partial successes, but I got through the work with good grades and passed an additional module in French (which was very difficult) that was a department requirement.
I could've worked with a very willing professor on a dissertation on modern literature but I decided to make my life hard. I decided to write about Henry James and was sent to work with a retired "senior scholar". This experience was mixed. The senior scholar was a nice man and very skilled in academic writing. I got through the dissertation proposal and the first part of the dissertation in two grueling years. Then, not being one to take the easy road, I decided that I wanted to write a creative dissertation instead of the usual MA in English Literature. This meant I had to throw out all of hard work I'd done on my dissertation and shop around for a new dissertation tutor, one who could work in Creative Writing. My best friend's husband, who was a retired university professor, assured me that I was crazy.
I had written a number of fictional stories but I really didn't have an extensive background in creative writing, at least not through the traditional route of "school courses". When and where I first went to university, there were no courses in Creative Writing. After several false starts, I found an advisor who agreed to supervise my dissertation but who had doubts about a forty-something student with no recognizable background in Creative Writing getting through the process.
There were a lot of bumps on this road. After many tries, my dissertation proposal was finally done and accepted at the last possible month. It was my second proposal. I also moved to England with my partner for the year I wrote the dissertation. As I worked, my advisor cut huge swathes of material out of my creative dissertation, which was supposed to be a novella not a novel. Att the end she gave me two weeks to revise the dissertation before hitting a final deadline. There were no extensions. With great difficulty, I did revise the whole thing in two weeks and submitted it. She finally booked my defense - which I passed with three small revisions.
I am now the proud possessor of an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing. It means more to me than any other piece of paper I possess. Now, I'm struggling as I write my first novel. (I'll let you know how that goes.) That, of course, isn't the point. The point is that I wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't decided that my dream was more important than the opinion of others or if I wasn't willing to work past huge obstacles and figure out how I was going to make it to the next stage of the process. A dream is worth it, isn't it?
In the next year, I want MBA/MSc distance students to reach out more. Sometimes, complex questions are posted here. I want students with complex problems to write me at:
ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk
I want also to hear about stories of success on this blog. Success stories are a way we can reinforce learning. Even if you think you are struggling alone, I want to assure you that this isn't true. Learning sometimes means struggle but it doesn't mean defeat. I learned more from the process of my MA than I thought possible in terms of my thinking, my writing and my persistance. So can you. Let's have a great year together.
KB
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