Emma Ware- FM4

What did you think of the syllabus? Was it helpful?: Initially, the syllabus was very overwhelming. I am used to syllabi that are fairly basic and have very little content other than basic school calendars and school policies. However, I like that it explained your thought process and it was very obvious from the syllabus that you are very passionate about this class and its content.

What did you think of the textbook? Recommended reading/books? Were they helpful?: The textbook is definitely informative, and it reinforces some ideas and thoughts I have gone over in past administration classes in my undergrad. I wish we took the time to have assignments more directly related to the book. That way, I could work on understanding the smaller concepts I may have missed when reading through the chapter! As for the recommended readings, I have not had much time to read them. I definitely want to, but this past month I have been coming home, writing rehabs for athletes and then heading to bed! 😊

What did you think of the How-To Videos? Were they helpful?: I LOVE the videos! Without them, I think I would have had a really hard time figuring out how to best structure a map in Plectica and comprehending exactly what you were hoping for us to create! I like that you provide the presentation and the video because after listening to the video, it is sometimes easier to look back at the presentation if I need clarification rather than finding the exact spot in the video that I need.

What do you think of Plectica?: I really like Plectica. It feels like a slightly more professional version of Powerpoint. I have used Powerpoint for a long time, but I am thinking of switching to Plectica for future presentations I need to make. I think it is nice that there are formats you can use but we can be creative and add color, pictures and different types of special effects to make it our own!

What are your expectations for Tableau?: It took me a while to get everything on Tableau set up and functioning, so I am a little nervous about using it later in this class. I tried messing around with it, but I am just not sure I understand it yet! I think it will be a new tool that will be difficult to use, but I am hoping it will expand my knowledge of using new technology.

What do you think of Rationaleonline.com?: I wish I could have tried the full version. I usually like trying it out before paying for a full subscription, and I just feel like I didn’t get enough of a trial just using 5 boxes to create a small map. However, the features it did have were great! I liked how easy it was to create relationships; it felt like I was drawing out a map with a pen and paper, not with a mouse and keyboard. I think this could be a great asset alongside Plectica if I decide to invest in it.

Did you use ThinkQuiry? If so, was it helpful?: I used ThinkQuiry to look at your suggestions for one of our assignments, and I did like how it broke questions and concepts up almost into a Systems Thinking process. Being able to use the pre-formatted questions and working them out in my head helped me create an effective, well thought out map.

What do you think of ST v2.0 (DSRP)?: I thought the overall ‘course’ was helpful, but I wish it was slightly faster paced. Sometimes it seemed like the speakers were restating minor concepts from the last video. I did appreciate how they broke down DSRP. Knowing what the acronym stands for is always helpful, but they broke it down even further into specific examples, which helps me understand each word for its application. Systems thinking seems like a simple idea, but ST v2.0 helped me see that it can be applicable in almost every situation and can be more complex.

What do you think of the new concepts introduced?: I can understand the majority of the concepts, especially those that are reinforced in the textbook.. e.g. organizational design, systems thinking. The concepts appear relatively simple but there are so many ways to apply them that I am a little concerned that I might get lost along the way!

What are your thoughts on Lean Six Sigma?: Is it a career path you would be interested in pursuing?: Lean Six Sigma is an interesting concept. It makes sense to achieve goals by removing unnecessary steps and ‘cleaning up’ an initially long, arduous process. However, I have never seen it in practice, so it is hard for me to say if it is something I would like to pursue. The concept seems beneficial, I just wish I had examples of it working in my career like some of my other classmates!

What did you think of the Pyramid Principle?: I typically use the Pyramid Principle when I map out my thoughts or create a plan. It makes sense to break perspectives and points down into smaller, easily understood segments. I have trouble following any map that doesn’t use this principle. It seems like the most effective way to map out a concept with multiple, interconnecting parts.

What do you think of Knowledge Transfer?: I was a little confused on what you meant by this when initially reading the question, but I read the article you put on Chris’s post and I remembered something you said in a past how-to video. Group learning is a method that this class has somewhat used, and I think this can be used to continue to share our thoughts with one another. As our professor, you do use quite a few analogies and metaphors. They do help me understand the concepts, but most of the analogies seem to be mathematically based, and I have a hard time relating math to different concepts. Math just is not something I understand easily!

What are your initial thoughts on Swarm Learning?: I don’t dislike Swarm Learning, I am just still grasping the concept. I know that it uses System Thinking, which I understand and know how to use, and I know that it focuses on feedback. I do like that you take our feedback into consideration, that is something that not many teachers do. It seems to be a really efficient way for you to organize the class and create assignments, but I am still a little confused on how your students use it to interact with you.

What did you think of the Barriers to Learning?: The barriers make sense, I understand why you chose to put them in this how-to video. The overall barrier of thinking that we know everything is so important! I think that everyone has the tendency to ignore outside information because they do not like the thought that they always have more to learn. Practical Knowledge (Barrier #1) is something that I always have to overcome. I am a very visual learner and I need to apply something in my life before I can really learn it. Process Knowledge (Barrier #2) is harder for me to overcome. I like to do all the steps at one time and knowing this is a barrier will force me to take things a little slower. Sense-making (Barrier #3) is a problem for many people, and I encounter this when I read a particularly difficult article or textbook.

What did you think of the Stable Datum?: I like that you use a stable datum as a way to organize the class and always have a framework to work with. I agree with you that people should have a stable datum to use for their own projects and presentations, because it forces people to have something stable while chaos is happening around them.

What did you think of the first assignment (CM1)?: I liked the first assignment. It wasn’t very stressful because it allowed us to understand Plectica and the overall point of each concept map. I like that you gave us the opportunity to tell the group who we are and why we are taking this class. I hope my maps can continue to get more creative and interesting as the semester progresses!

What did you think of CM2?: I thought CM2 was more focused on the actual concepts we had gone over, which I appreciated because there were quite a few concepts I did not understand in the book. (Barrier 3!) I liked the creativity of CM1 more, but CM2 forced me to work on analyzing administration concepts.

What did you think of EM3? And do you plan on writing a blog? Why/why not? What else can I do to convince you to write a blog?: EM3 took me a little bit by surprise because I did not expect us to be outlining our plans for the blog/essay so soon. However, I enjoyed it because I could research all the different ideas and topics which were unfamiliar to me at the time. I am planning to write a blog because it is a unique assignment and allows me to be more creative in my classes, not just writing essay after essay! I am a little concerned about figuring out the right method to write my blog. A lot of websites require subscriptions and payment before they allow you full access and the ability to publish a domain. If you have any information on how we are going to do that, that would be much appreciated!

Does it help knowing that students from this class (and others) have published blogs?: Yes, it does! Blogs are a little intimidating, so knowing that other students succeeded in making a nicely organized and informational blog makes me feel like it is something I am capable of.

What do you think of this assignment (FM4)? What are your thoughts on students providing feedback that can change a class in progress? Have you ever been asked this from an instructor before (throughout the class, not just at the end)?: This assignment is fairly long-winded, but I understand that it will help you and your students in the future. It is nice to know that you care about our feedback in the middle of the class and legitimately want to make the class better. Students are the ones going through everything in class, and when multiple of the students have similar opinions, I think it can let the professor know when something needs to change (or stay the same). I have had an instructor ask me to do this in the middle of the class before, but I do not believe they took our opinions to change the class mid-semester.

What are your thoughts on the extra credit opportunities?: I like them, I think it is always nice when an instructor opens these extra credit assignments in advance of the first assignment being submitted. It is comforting to know that we can make up points and that we can earn credit with hard work!

Are you a member of the Facebook group?: Yes, I am!

Do you think the Facebook group is useful? Why or why not?: I do think that it can be useful, I just have not been on it as much. I noticed that the majority of what is put on it relates to assignments I can already see while on Plectica, so it has mainly been just a summary of what I see already! However, there are different articles and posts in the past that I found useful.

What do you think of the WordPress Learning Community? Is it better than Blackboard? Why or why not?: I like WordPress, I think it has been useful to have it in this format for this particular class. As for being better than Blackboard, I can’t really say because this is my first semester with FHSU online school and Blackboard has worked really well for the other couple classes I am in. I think it might depend on the type of class you are teaching and what resources you use!

Take me through your thoughts and emotions as you started this course… where are you now?: Initially, I was a little freaked out. The syllabus is highly detailed and reading it gave me some anxiety about what the class was going to be like. Sometimes, when professors tell their students to just do the work, submit it and forget about it without worrying, they don’t actually mean it! However, now I know that you really do just want us to do our best and learn as much as we can throughout the course, and my anxiety has decreased significantly. Thank you for keeping your word and always keeping your students’ best interests and mental health in mind!

What are your thoughts of the instructor using Tableau to grade and sharing the Student Dashboard?: It is a unique technique for an instructor to take. I have never been able to look at other students’ grades before to compare them with mine, but I am finding it to be a little comforting. I am not finding myself looking at the dashboard constantly anymore to see where I am compared with other students because I know we are all at different places in life and in this class! It might sound weird, but it has actually taken the curiosity out of knowing other peoples’ grades!

What are your expectations moving forward?: Moving forward, I am expecting assignments requiring slightly more complicated concept maps, further exploration into systems view and learning techniques, and explanations/assignments on how to apply these techniques into health care.

What would you like to see change?: I get really overwhelmed trying to look at all of the different applications. I wish we had either one large app that we use for this class, or just a couple. Trying to figure out which ones to use is a bit confusing! I also wish we went slightly more in depth in the how-to videos explaining how the concepts relate to health care. Some of the analogies used are not as applicable for me.

What is one thing you love?: I love that we are able to submit our maps and answers to our questions and know that you are going to give feedback in a positive way. This class is helping me to complete the assignments and not stress about having done the assignment incorrectly. It has structure, but it also encourages creativity, which is not common in many classes!

What is one thing you hate?: I dislike that certain websites we tried to use require subscriptions. I know there are a lot of websites and applications we use, but I wish we could actually work through them and use them for class if they really are appropriate for our assignments. I also want to try to see this class focus a little more on healthcare so we can learn to apply this (either in our current careers) or in our future careers.

What can the instructor do immediately to make the class better?: Immediately, I would say try to gear our assignments toward healthcare and its various aspects. It may also be possible to try to consolidate the different applications we use so it is a little less confusing!

Attached Screenshot (please let me know if you cannot access it!)