Final Reflection
I have been enrolled in this program for the last twenty months. I was enrolled in three courses each semester, and finished the program quickly. This is not to say that I did not give each course its due effort, though. I worked very hard, and I did well. The program is not easy, per se. However, it is not hard, either. This is because the course content is so fascinating that the hard work does not feel like work. Rarely did I feel overwhelmed or exacerbated because I always understood why I was working so hard on each task. This program has been wonderful for me, both as an academic and a professional.
Before enrolling in this program, I had worked exclusively in enrollment services. I was well versed in this one division of higher education, and felt very prepared to stay in enrollment services. However, the past five semesters have proved to me that I was living in a fallacy. While I was very good at completing the tasks required of an admissions person, I was unaware of how this task fit into the larger picture of the institution, as well as the much larger picture of American Higher Education.
My ignorance became apparent to me at the beginning of the program, when I enrolled in both American Higher Education and Higher Education Administration. These introductory courses displayed my flawed logic for what it was, and created in me a longing to learn further. I imagine that is the purpose of the courses, in which case, they certainly achieved their goal. I discovered the big picture of the institution, and how this fit into the field of higher education. I learned the purpose of higher education, and the ultimate goal of serving students rather than serving our own individual departments.
Next, I enrolled in History of Higher Education. It seems logical that if you are to study a field, you should know something of the history of said field. I had never considered it before, and this course taught me more than I could have imagined. I found this course to be one of the most interesting, because higher education is something that our generation neither discovered nor enhanced on our own. We owe our college experiences to generations of students, faculty, staff, and political players that had come before us. This course taught me the importance of understanding the history of our field so we did not repeat it.
This same semester, I also enrolled in Contemporary College Students. This course challenged me to discover the identity of a contemporary college student, and I learned that there is no such thing as a single, typical student. Today, we have the most diverse student body of all time. I learned of the strengths and challenges of the diverse types of college students, and was tasked with contemplating how one office in one institution can attempt to cater to the many different students we work with every day. I also enrolled in politics of higher education, which helped me try to grasp the role institutions play in conjunction with state and federal agencies, local governments, and all other political players. In the grand scheme of things, we have little control over some educational outcomes.
In the spring of 2015, I enrolled in Higher Education Governance, Learning Theories and Applications, and Higher Education Research. This semester was, perhaps, my most challenging because the courses were less directly involved with higher education. Learning theories taught me about the necessity of studying how students learn to best teach. Though this course was one of the most challenging, it is also one the courses from which I gleamed the most information. I use what I learned in this course each day when working with students, my coworkers, and all others I work with. Educational Research helped me build a base knowledge of the research process in education. Though we did little research in the program, I feel much more prepared to apply to a Doctoral level program. Lastly, higher education governance taught me to investigate the governance structure of higher education. Each state is different, and should be investigated as its own entity. Making an assumption about a governance structure, rather than investigating before making a decision, could do irrevocable harm to an institution.
In the summer, I enrolled in Higher Education Law, Higher Education Finance, and Instructional Technology Foundations. I had been dreading these courses the most; however, I found I enjoyed them more than the rest of the program. I learned in Higher Education Law the legal standards, and most importantly, the case law that dictates how most of higher education operates. This was not only interesting, but vital to my role in admissions. I now understand the laws behind some of the guidelines in my office that I had previously thought extraneous or silly. I now feel confident in my ability to make strong legal decisions regarding my office and daily tasks.
Higher Education Finance is a topic of which we hear daily. I felt very jaded by the subject before the course began because I had assumed we would spend the semester discussing how there are more needs than funds and how institutions are doing more with less. This had been the tag line in our industry for so long, that I had come to expect it. While we did touch on it, we also discussed so much more. Rather than discussing the budget cuts, we delved into the causes of budget cuts in each state. We compared how different states were managing their state budgets to make up for loss of federal funds. We also discussed the challenges that budget managers face, and how we would make decisions in their place if given the opportunity. I do not envy their tough choices, but if I were hired into a position that managed a budget, I feel confident in my ability to do so.
Instructional Technology Foundations was also a very interesting course, in that everything we did was interactive. We were charged with creating websites, utilizing technological resources, making contact with our students using only technology, and many others. I have used everything I learned in that course in my practicum as well as in my job duties.
This fall semester, I am enrolled in my practicum. I have had the opportunity to utilize things I have learned in each of my courses in a real, practical setting. I am working in a classroom, co-facilitating three sections of a senior seminar course. I have discovered, through this experience, just how much I have learned through this program as I subconsciously practice it. My practicum has shown me that this program has not just been theoretical, but very applicable to higher education settings.
Through my practicum, I have identified a few deficiencies on which I would like to improve. First, I would like to become more proficient with online teaching platforms, such as desire2learn. As a staff member, I can sign up for courses through our IT department that will help me with these shortcomings. Additionally, I would like to gain more teaching experience. I have learned from Dr. Dominick that the only way I can improve my in-class abilities is to gain experience. I plan to apply as a part-time professor to teach one section of the same course in which I completed my practicum once I graduate with my Masters. Lastly, I have discovered that I struggle with fluid plans. We experienced much change in class location during my practicum, and I struggled with this upheaval. I have learned to always have a back-up plan for all scenarios.
I have mastered the five standards through every course in this program. The education I have received has been invaluable to my future career, as well as my current position. I have learned to appreciate my institution, to understand policy changes, and to understand the needs of the students and that by meeting those needs, I will also meet the needs of my department. I cannot measure the amount of experience and understanding I have gained from this program. I can only look back at the professional I was twenty months ago, and compare her to the professional I am today. I barely recognize her, and that is all due to the excellent standards of the Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration at Georgia Southern University.
Before enrolling in this program, I had worked exclusively in enrollment services. I was well versed in this one division of higher education, and felt very prepared to stay in enrollment services. However, the past five semesters have proved to me that I was living in a fallacy. While I was very good at completing the tasks required of an admissions person, I was unaware of how this task fit into the larger picture of the institution, as well as the much larger picture of American Higher Education.
My ignorance became apparent to me at the beginning of the program, when I enrolled in both American Higher Education and Higher Education Administration. These introductory courses displayed my flawed logic for what it was, and created in me a longing to learn further. I imagine that is the purpose of the courses, in which case, they certainly achieved their goal. I discovered the big picture of the institution, and how this fit into the field of higher education. I learned the purpose of higher education, and the ultimate goal of serving students rather than serving our own individual departments.
Next, I enrolled in History of Higher Education. It seems logical that if you are to study a field, you should know something of the history of said field. I had never considered it before, and this course taught me more than I could have imagined. I found this course to be one of the most interesting, because higher education is something that our generation neither discovered nor enhanced on our own. We owe our college experiences to generations of students, faculty, staff, and political players that had come before us. This course taught me the importance of understanding the history of our field so we did not repeat it.
This same semester, I also enrolled in Contemporary College Students. This course challenged me to discover the identity of a contemporary college student, and I learned that there is no such thing as a single, typical student. Today, we have the most diverse student body of all time. I learned of the strengths and challenges of the diverse types of college students, and was tasked with contemplating how one office in one institution can attempt to cater to the many different students we work with every day. I also enrolled in politics of higher education, which helped me try to grasp the role institutions play in conjunction with state and federal agencies, local governments, and all other political players. In the grand scheme of things, we have little control over some educational outcomes.
In the spring of 2015, I enrolled in Higher Education Governance, Learning Theories and Applications, and Higher Education Research. This semester was, perhaps, my most challenging because the courses were less directly involved with higher education. Learning theories taught me about the necessity of studying how students learn to best teach. Though this course was one of the most challenging, it is also one the courses from which I gleamed the most information. I use what I learned in this course each day when working with students, my coworkers, and all others I work with. Educational Research helped me build a base knowledge of the research process in education. Though we did little research in the program, I feel much more prepared to apply to a Doctoral level program. Lastly, higher education governance taught me to investigate the governance structure of higher education. Each state is different, and should be investigated as its own entity. Making an assumption about a governance structure, rather than investigating before making a decision, could do irrevocable harm to an institution.
In the summer, I enrolled in Higher Education Law, Higher Education Finance, and Instructional Technology Foundations. I had been dreading these courses the most; however, I found I enjoyed them more than the rest of the program. I learned in Higher Education Law the legal standards, and most importantly, the case law that dictates how most of higher education operates. This was not only interesting, but vital to my role in admissions. I now understand the laws behind some of the guidelines in my office that I had previously thought extraneous or silly. I now feel confident in my ability to make strong legal decisions regarding my office and daily tasks.
Higher Education Finance is a topic of which we hear daily. I felt very jaded by the subject before the course began because I had assumed we would spend the semester discussing how there are more needs than funds and how institutions are doing more with less. This had been the tag line in our industry for so long, that I had come to expect it. While we did touch on it, we also discussed so much more. Rather than discussing the budget cuts, we delved into the causes of budget cuts in each state. We compared how different states were managing their state budgets to make up for loss of federal funds. We also discussed the challenges that budget managers face, and how we would make decisions in their place if given the opportunity. I do not envy their tough choices, but if I were hired into a position that managed a budget, I feel confident in my ability to do so.
Instructional Technology Foundations was also a very interesting course, in that everything we did was interactive. We were charged with creating websites, utilizing technological resources, making contact with our students using only technology, and many others. I have used everything I learned in that course in my practicum as well as in my job duties.
This fall semester, I am enrolled in my practicum. I have had the opportunity to utilize things I have learned in each of my courses in a real, practical setting. I am working in a classroom, co-facilitating three sections of a senior seminar course. I have discovered, through this experience, just how much I have learned through this program as I subconsciously practice it. My practicum has shown me that this program has not just been theoretical, but very applicable to higher education settings.
Through my practicum, I have identified a few deficiencies on which I would like to improve. First, I would like to become more proficient with online teaching platforms, such as desire2learn. As a staff member, I can sign up for courses through our IT department that will help me with these shortcomings. Additionally, I would like to gain more teaching experience. I have learned from Dr. Dominick that the only way I can improve my in-class abilities is to gain experience. I plan to apply as a part-time professor to teach one section of the same course in which I completed my practicum once I graduate with my Masters. Lastly, I have discovered that I struggle with fluid plans. We experienced much change in class location during my practicum, and I struggled with this upheaval. I have learned to always have a back-up plan for all scenarios.
I have mastered the five standards through every course in this program. The education I have received has been invaluable to my future career, as well as my current position. I have learned to appreciate my institution, to understand policy changes, and to understand the needs of the students and that by meeting those needs, I will also meet the needs of my department. I cannot measure the amount of experience and understanding I have gained from this program. I can only look back at the professional I was twenty months ago, and compare her to the professional I am today. I barely recognize her, and that is all due to the excellent standards of the Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration at Georgia Southern University.