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Saturday 19 November 2011

Musings of my first semester

MUSINGS of the next part of the journey.
As a mature age student with several successful post graduate studies in tow and a seasoned lecturer in a field   it is always such a reminder of the happenings in  life of the busy student.  Stepping back into the shoes of the student is a great learning directive.
Some musings: finding out exactly what the assignment is wanting you to produce is paramount to success.  Is this made very clear at the outset?  Are all markers on the same page as far as what they are wanting and their marking criteria?  Talking with other students in this regard it seems a pertinent point as there were several examples of particular markers 'emphasis' on a particular area and lesser emphasis on other areas.  I acknowledge this can be difficult to overcome and it is certainly a challenge.  Should students be rewarded rather than penalised for 'stepping outside the square when they see a relevant educational point' and applying that to their own assignment.  I personally  feel as long as this is addressing the assignment it should be considered relevant.  As a marker at tertiary level I take this into consideration and reward such  initiative.

The learning that is accomplished is paramount and student interaction is a great way to collaborate knowledge and understanding of topics.
When reading material is readily available it is so helpful for the busy student.  Let's face it when working a normal 60 hour week and then being a student 10-20 hours per week lends itself to being known as a busy student/person.  Frustration regarding recommended text not being available then is a valid cause for a moan and is a challenge.

Onwards now into the world of ETL503 this is a very timely unit as there are several points that I am currently dealing with in my personal working life chapter, year 1 in the role of a teacher/librarian.