So we’re officially 1/4 of the way through the semester and I thought I’d share my reflections!
What is exciting to you so far?
I have loved being able to network with so many people and talk and see different perspectives. I also love being able to see that I’ve created a space in which I’m exploring a topic that I’m interested in. I’m excited to move onto a new topic exploring gender inequities in corporate America.
What is surprising or frustrating?
Sometimes, finding articles that are up to date on gender inequities are hard to access because of subscription costs. I feel like I’ve found really great articles that would be great and provide a lot of credibility to my findings if a paywall wasn’t blocking my ability to read them.
What are you learning about learning?
I’m learning that I retain information a lot better through discussion or interviews with experts in the industry and they actually go much further than readings. I think I really learn a lot more through talking about what I’m learning about rather than reading or watching videos. The videos definitely provide a good foundation, however, I’ve found that most of my most concrete and significant findings / analysis have come from talking to people I’ve interviewed.
Where are you recording information, ideas, questions, resources, etc.? And how do you anticipate using this material, either in this project or in the future?
I record them in a google folder with different documents to keep my notes from interviews and readings / lectures. I anticipate using all of this material for the future as most things pertain to my independent study.
How is your time management working out? When and where have you been doing the IS, and have you been meeting the 5 hr/week expectation?
Yes, I am meeting the 5 hr expectation and sometimes go beyond that. I spend a lot of time sifting through articles each day that may or may not become something that I use for my independent study and a good chunk goes towards preparing questions for interviews and sending out emails to potential people.
Is there any need for change in the way you’re approaching this course?
I think I want to focus more heavily on interviews and maybe cut down some time sifting through articles and instead be more direct in my approach for finding articles.
Refer to the proposal you submitted for approval. In what ways does the reality match the proposal, and in what ways does it differ? How would you adjust the proposal to reflect what you’re doing and expect to do between now and the end of the semester?
The reality is that some professors don’t respond at all and I can’t expect to get a response on every email, so since I want to shift to a more interview based study with readings to back up my findings, I think I need to start researching more people I can interview and have back-ups.
