For some reason this semester I have not blogged as much as last semester. There are several reasons for this: my mom has had some health issues, one course this semester is hard on the brain, and one course this semester is disorganized which makes me weary. Educational statistics is hard. Knowing when to use what test to determine normality and to test hypotheses is not as easy as it sounds.

The Advanced Human Learning and Motivation course seems to be disorganized in that the professor did not post for two weeks even though several of us posted questions in the appropriate discussion board. She did respond to personal e-mails from several of us who needed to know some answers before we turned in an assignment. I even gave an answer to one of my classmates who had posted a question in the discussion forum. The professor had e-mailed someone else in my small group the answer. Our first assignment was a group assignment where we had to divide tasks to each member of the group in order to answer three questions. Our group has four members so two of us worked on one question. Our professor gave us a discussion board question last week in which we had to compare the criteria of a theory given by one textbook author to the “theory” proposed by another author in another textbook. I call this being “theory weary” since we discussed the pants off whether primal leadership is a theory. Our professor responded to some of us in one day and told us she would be responding to each person within the next two weeks, but we have not heard from her since last Wednesday. Some of us think primal leadership is a theory and some of us do not think it is a theory. Personally I do not think it is because of the lack of empirical research to support the claims of the author. Also, the inventory used to determine emotional intelligence has not been validated except by the company that publishes and sells the inventory. Now when I come in contact with a theory, the criteria is in the back of my head and I am critiquing the theory.

I understand that online learning is mostly autonomous. Doctoral level classes extend beyond the idea of professors professing their knowledge upon the students so the students can recite it back. So far our professors have nudged us, encouraged us, stood back while we discussed, and stepped in when we needed guidance. The semester is not over yet, so the professor in question may be more active with us in the future, but so far she has not lived up to the kind of feedback we are accustom to receiving in our doctoral journey.

Blessings to you and yours.