Category Archives: Online Learning
45th Week PhD: Motivation
The past few weeks we have been discussing motivation in our Advanced Human Learning course. One of the articles we read, which happened to be a summary of a meta-analysis, was about how extrinsic rewards can be detrimental to intrinsic motivation. This has been studied on many levels, in many settings, but educational researchers are especially interested in motivation. For example, pizza parties, gold stars, and other rewards, can decrease intrinsic motivation. How do you teach intrinsic motivation at a young age, or at any age? This is hard to do since parents, teachers, caregivers, are unaware of what makes a child want to do certain things because they want to do it and not because they have to do it. Why do some children want to paint, solve math problems, play the violin, or read above their reading level? Are these things other children can learn to want to do on their own for its own reward?
Many of these questions have been pondered by classmates, and there doesn’t seem to be an answer for them. Teachers and parents can set goals for children to set them up for success, which will hopefully lead to intrinsic motivation later. One of our authors suggested that even adults can be intrinsically motivated to achieve goals even though it requires more effort and energy to learn. Habits need to unlearned in order to learn new ones. This can be hard for adults who have been doing the same thing for years.
My own intrinsic motivation has taken a hit this semester due to the lack of communication with one of our professors. She goes for weeks at a time without any feedback, encouragement, or instructions. We are left to fend for ourselves, taking autonomous learning to new heights for a doctoral level course in a program known for its excellence in online learning. We have turned in three papers, as a group, and haven gotten one back graded. Our next assignment is to be done individually. I am not worried if I will pass the course. I am worried that an opportunity was missed to learn more, express more, and do more than what I was given. That is what has sucked motivation from me this semester. I am hoping next semester my attitude will change and my motivation will improve.
Blessings to you and yours.
What Week Is This Anyway? PhD, Human Learning, Stats, and Grammar Lab
Technically this is week 34 (including breaks), so there’s that. Only about a hundred more weeks to go!
Theories, SPSS, and grammar are the focus of the courses I am taking this semester. “What does grammar have to do with a PhD?” you ask. Well, it does help when writing papers, but this grammar course is part of a copyediting program that will lead to a certification in copyediting upon completion of the program. The librarians were offered to take this program to possibly help with copyediting duties now that the university press has relocated (physical and administrative) into the library building.
So, I am taking 3 courses this semester, in case you didn’t catch that. So far, Advanced Human Learning and Motivation has a lot do to with developmental theories, including cognitive-stage, social learning, sociocultural, information processing, and ethology. We are not really studying the theories per se, but what makes up a theory–the good and the bad. Educational Statistics involves downloading SPSS software and learning how to use it for research. In Grammar Lab, we took a diagnostic test to see where we are at with our grammar capabilities and as it turns out, I need some work on grammar rules and regulations. Must. Not. Use. Too. Many. Periods.
It’s going to be an interesting semester.
Blessings to you and yours.
Sixth Week PhD: I Love Deadlines…
…I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by (attributed to Douglas Adams). This week was almost all spent on writing my first doctoral paper for the Christian Worldview for Educators class. We also had to submit a 12-15 PowerPoint slide presentation to go with the paper. We were tasked with choosing a critical issue in our field (Distance Education) and applying ideas from our textbooks to this critical issue (at least 7 sources total, we could use the Bible, but was not part of our Reference List, plus a video for the Powerpoint). My title is “The Effects of Social Media on Pedagogy in Online Learning.” I didn’t procrastinate, exactly. In graduate school, working on my Master’s degree, there were plenty of times I started a paper the day before it was due. Most of the time, it works for me. However, this time, I researched my topic a few weeks in advance of sending the topic to my professor. After my professor approved my topic, I researched some more. Then I went to Las Vegas, presented a poster (you can view that here as a PDF if you want: http://www.tagmydoc.com/dl/24jVS5/gmAN), had a vacation in Las Vegas with my hubby, and then went to Virginia for residency. I probably should have worked on my paper a little bit at a time during all those places. After staying up until 3am to submit paper and PowerPoint, I will think a little more ahead of time for my next paper (due August 6).
Perhaps it is wise to follow in the footsteps of God, who sent his Son at just the right time (Galatians 4:4). He planned for Jesus to come to earth to put aside the old law and establish a new one. He must have carefully planned it, researched it, made notes, referenced his own work, learned from his previous writings, and then sent us Jesus–exactly when we needed him. So I should plan accordingly so that my papers will be sent at just the right time.
Blessings to you and yours.
Dawn of Knowledge 