CEP 901b: Week 5

I am in week five of my fourth course (CEP 901b) I have taken in the EPET hybrid doctoral program. This week we finally got Kubi Robotic training to use in class. I am not sure at this point how using this innovative technology in the course will benefit us but as Dr. Greenhow says “no risk, no reward.”  The course assignments are picking up and I am excited to read all the articles I can related to ePortfolios. My colleague at Notre Dame gave me a link to an ePortfolio database (http://eportfolio.uga.edu/), which is a great resource for anyone interested in ePortfolio research.

Happy New Year!!!

Regrettably this is my first post in more than a semester and I know I need to be better at posting so one of my new year’s resolutions is to post monthly (I put it on my calendar to make sure it will happen). I felt like I was holding my breath during fall 2014 while taking CEP 932: Research Method I. It was a challenging course for many reasons but it is over and being able to exhale has never felt so good. I learned that believing in yourself is the best motivation! Pushing through CEP 932 gave me more confidence in my ability to face whatever comes my way. I know that the Ph.D. journey that I am on will only get me closer to who I want to be. It’s unreal to me that I am almost done with my first year of this program. Looking forward to the new knowledge, connections and experiences CEP 901b will bring in spring 2015. Until my next post…Happy New Year!!!

Completed my first two Ph.D. courses today!!

I just turned my last assignment for my first two Ph.D. courses (CEP 900/930) today. WooWhoo!!! I am filled with mixed emotions right now because I feel a great sense of accomplishment for taking the first steps toward one of my life’s goals and also feel a bit of uneasiness not knowing what is next on my journey (other than research methods in a few weeks). I am taking a day off from school work tomorrow (I think I deserve that) but it is back to the grind on Tuesday. It will truly be a “Happy Monday” tomorrow! I am very proud of myself and what I have accomplished in such a short time. You never know what you can do until you are put to the test (I quickly found out that you are pushed every day in a Ph.D. program). I am also thankful for knowing that I chose the right program for me – MSU EPET rocks!! Until my next post…CEP 932: Quantitative Methods in Educational Research I here I come.

End of Week 5

This week was a tough week, but I managed to get everything done before Sunday at 11:59pm. I am thankful for the support of my base group and for the other EP3T cohort members sharing in the struggle. I know that I will need to continue to “trust the process.”

Week 1 Reflection

Three things I have learned…

• Learning is enduring and involves change that occurs through experiences.
• Educational research is comes in various shapes and sizes, is never perfect, is uncertain and contingent, aims to generalize, provides bits and pieces of the puzzle, and involves competition and criticism.
• Doctoral studies require you to read, read again, then read some more.

Question(s) I still have…

Where will my research interests take me?