Course work, comps, dissertation

My adviser signed off on my program of study today. Whew. I just need to finish up a couple incompletes and do my class this semester and I'll be completely finished with course work! In the mean time I need to be finalizing my committee, finalizing my cognate areas, putting together my article list for comps, scheduling comps, and doing them. Then it is off to dissertation land! Projected graduation date: Spring 2010! I have a ton to do before then (need to do some teaching!), but I am excited. I am nervous but ready to be moving forward.

I am excited to move forward with problem-based learning and assessing the literature for non-cognitive outcomes. If that doesn't make sense, let me put it this way. I know problem-based learning is as good as or better than traditional lecture classes for cognitive outcomes, so I want to know how it fares for non-cognitive outcomes like motivation, interest, engagment (behavior), self-directed learning skills, etc. I think it can be a very powerful way for people to learn that learning is what you bring to it and that learning is something we should do every day for our entire lives.

Comments

jenn neslen said…
this is interesting. as a fellow teacher, at least in my studies if not in full-time practice, i regularly look for ways to create wonder rather than create products (children) of the system that expect to show up to a class and be receptacles of what little they pay attention to. can't wait to see what you come up with. how lengthy will this turn out to be? are we talking 200 pages? uuugggghhh!!!
10:11 PM
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