A500.9.4.RB_LeeDarrell - Course Reflections

So this is it. I have now completed (well, almost completed) my first course in the MSLD program. Even though this wasn't my first grad school class, it was surely the most interesting. Having taken a few previous classes, I started this one expecting it to be something completely different than it was. First of all, the name of the course is "Leadership Foundations in Research". I honestly thought that it was going to be about how to do research. Though that was a major part of the class, it wasn't really the main focus. That surprised me. The main focus ended up being on critical thinking.

I will begin with the positives of the class. First, I am honestly a little upset with some of my past instructors. I didn't know it at the time but the Hunt Library is such an awesome tool. This class had an assignment devoted to learning how to properly utilize the Hunt Library. WHY is this not required in other classes? This would have made my undergraduate work a lot easier. But other than just learning how to use one tool to do research - again, that wasn't really the main focus of the class - I really learned a lot about how I think. I have always been a very logical person. I inherited that trait from my mother. But logical thinking is just a small part of critical thinking. I learned that it is okay and even required to embrace emotions a little with critical thinking. I learned that it is okay to have assumptions. And, most important, I learned how to be a more effective time manager/prioritizer (that's my own new word) through critical thought. (That was the main focus of my action research on my own work history.)

As far as the negatives of this class, it took a lot more time an effort than past classes. I am always willing to put forth the effort, of course, but this time consuming course just happened to coincide with the most hectic work schedule that I have seen since I was deployed. I had to take this class while working 60+ hours a week in the office and while dealing with a move to a new apartment. But I think all of that actually makes me appreciate it just a little bit more. I don't consider this wasted time. I consider it time invested.