Posts

Taking the ESEPSY 1159 course opened my eyes to a plethora of useful study tools, educational resources, and tips to help me succeed through the rest of my college experience. With respect to the course, I learned a great deal from my peers by exploring their blog posts, learning what they do best, and seeing the differences between my strengths to theirs.

The technology and online resources section was informative by providing quality information about campus resources that I can use if I need assistance both inside and outside of the classroom. Examples of resources I learned about in this course include the Math and Statistics Learning Center (MSLC) and the Buckeye Bar. Furthermore,  I learned about the importance of goal setting in my courses, as to both keep me on track and stay focused when distractions come up.

As a research assistant, it is important that I communicate my findings to different audiences, such as my peer researchers or in research journals, and understand the different etiquette that comes with each audience. Having sections on how to professionally write an email, and understanding the differences between communicating with friends and professors helps me to know how to professionally communicate online in a style that will best be understood by my intended audience.

Taking quizzes within the course about my study and learning habits helped me learn more about the best, most effective ways in which I absorb information around me. This, and the time tracking activity, helped me learn more about how I spend my free time within a week and better allowed me to explore ways to stay focused and how to plan out when I need to work versus when I am allowed to relax. I learned more about myself and can use this information to optimize my learning experience at the university.

My most meaningful experience in the course came about when performing the time tracking activity I explored in the previous paragraph, as it really had an impact on my future study habits. A goal of mine throughout the course was to be less attentive to my cell phone and social media as a whole, as it is a major distraction. After learning from my time tracking activity, I integrated my goal into optimizing my schedule and has since found that I am more attentive within the classroom and my understanding of my courses is skyrocketing. I have recently gotten to the point of turning off my phone before entering my first class, and usually don’t even turn my phone back on until I get home.

I will apply what I have learned in this class to my future education by honing in on my strengths and continuing to be both professional and attentive as I end my undergraduate degree soon and move into gradate school. This course, as a whole, has been instrumental in providing me with a direct analysis of my current learning style and has provided me with resources and tools that I can carry with me to my higher education in graduate school and into professional settings such as my internship or industry.

“Oh, I already know how to write a research paper. I wrote many papers in high school, and they were not hard since all I really did was Google things and whatever I needed was just there.” Coming into college, many first year students still have this mindset, the mindset where writing a college paper is supposedly the same as writing any other paper aside from being longer. However, college papers are not quite that simple. They are more detailed and in depth meaning that they require thorough research. ‘Just Googling’ things will no longer be suffice when it comes to academic papers.

When researching for academic papers, there is quite a large amount of information to sift through, but keep in mind 3 important aspects of good sources: quality, utility, and reliability. Quality sources are those that are up to date and well written. These sources are generally objective and not extremely biased towards one side or the other. Additionally, if a source has proper citations, the quality of its information is well supported. Next, utility deals with how effective information is for the end goal. It does not make sense to use information and sources that are unrelated to one’s topic or inappropriate for one’s target audience. Lastly, but still as important is a source’s reliability. If the credentials of the author along with the reputation of the publisher or organization they are associated with, are sound, it is likely that source of information is very reliable. The 3 of theses aspects attribute to a source’s credibility.

When writing academic papers, using sources with high credibility is important. Websites to avoid that are not credible are Wikipedia and all of its branches. Wikipedia is known to be inaccurate, and it should never be used when writing academic papers. By utilizing the information in this post, hopefully one will have a better grasp on what an academic paper requires and be confident as they research their chosen topics.

Everyone is different and because of that, even though people in a classroom are all learning the same information, each person may not necessarily learn the information in the same way. In the past, all lectures were taught in person and the professor wrote on a chalkboard. While this method is still used, technological advances have lead to many new modes of instruction including PowerPoints, interactive videos, Skype/Webcams, and podcasts.

A large amount of time in college is spent studying, and in order to study effectively, one must take good notes.  Not many of my professors have used videos or podcasts to teach, but numerous  have taught lectures through PowerPoint. As long as one has access to a computer, one essentially has access to PowerPoint and the various note-taking options it offers. PowerPoints typically have multiple slides and if a student is a paper-pencil notes type, they can print the presentation and have many slides on one page.  Once they have the copy in their hands, they can write out their notes. However, if a student prefers to just use their laptop, they can type their notes right on the PowerPoint and everything will be saved right there. This method is useful if a student is not a fast writer or if they just prefer to have everything in one convenient spot and save paper.

Another web tool that I find myself using a lot is the Notes application on my laptop. This app is an online notepad and allows people to type anything and automatically saves it for a later time if necessary. Additionally, a person could have many “notes” going at once on this notepad, but they all stay separate based off when they were typed. I use this app all the time to make my day to day schedule. Notes offers many formatting options, and when one is done with a task, they can simply delete it. I highly recommend trying Notes if you have not already. There are so many other useful applications out there, so find one that works best for you today!

Over the summer, I stayed here in Columbus and worked in my research lab while simultaneously studying to test out of Biology 1113 via EM test. Thinking about learning the material in order to to take the exam was daunting. I had never taken a biology course in college, and I barely remembered taking introductory biology as a freshman in high school. I spent many hours studying with my bio textbook at various libraries, my house, and the CBEC. In addition to the textbook, I also utilized a Youtube series called CrashCourse.  CrashCourse is a series of youtube videos that explain various topics in school including biology and history. The video I added below, explains the structure of DNA and its replication.

This video, along with many others, was very useful to me as I studied for the EM test. Because it had been so long since I had taken any biology at all and I was not in an actual lecture, watching these videos helped break down complex concepts that I read in my textbook but did not really understand. Also, this video offers many visuals and animations to enhance my comprehension of replication and DNA structure. Furthermore, because these are videos, I could pause or rematch sections if I was confused or needed to go do something else. This was very useful when I had to go work in my lab and could not watch all the videos in one sitting.

By the time students get to college, they have read many pieces of texts including textbooks and letters. However, though they have read physical books, not nearly as many have read school articles and topics online. Reading online is not the same as reading a physical copy in one’s hands though the concept is the same. When reading online, there are many distractions because there are so many websites one could be looking at instead. While going on social media may seem more enjoyable, it is best to resist these distractions. Additionally, before online reading, one should turn off their phone since those can be large causes of distraction as well. While reading online, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of reading there is to do. So, one must identify main points. I feel as though highlighting key areas are helpful in learning the material. Furthermore, do not try and rush through reading just to get it done. Try and summarize what was just read before moving on. After reading, try and see if you can explain to someone else what you just read. Doing so is always a good indicator of how well someone understands the material.

In addition to online readings, the internet offers various websites and tools to enhance learning including charts and flashcards. Not everyone learns the same way, so utilize online tools when they are offered and fine what works best for you!

Communication is an important part of college, and mastery of the skill is not just highly desired, but expected for any college graduate. Communicating with professors, whether virtually or in person, should never be a daunting task. By becoming educated on proper online etiquette (netiquette) involving email and online discussions (blogs), one can be ready to start college strong.

Netiquette is defined as unspoken rules and expectations for online communication. One should consider netiquette always when writing emails, blog posts, or any online entry. The overall tips can be summed into two main areas: professionalism, common sense. With respect to professionalism, one should follow the three C’s when emailing professors: be concise, write clearly, and avoid all caps. Remember, your professor is not your peer, and thus one should avoid any form of slang when communicating an authority figure.

The three C’s go hand in hand with common sense, as one should never want to send a figure of authority an unprofessional letter or email using emoticons (emojis – symbolizing emotion), send an email to the wrong person, or ‘attack’ the receiver of the email with capital letters – leading to possible misunderstandings. The most important piece of common sense, past proof reading, is to simply remember that employers can access social media accounts, and can obtain a bias on your opportunity for employment through your virtual representation.