Final Reflection

I never thought I would experience so much in the one simple class I decided to take for fun! English 2035, Writing for Public Forums, has truly been one of the most rewarding courses I have taken. On the first day I was a little terrified with how intense this class would be, but the terror was backed with even more excitement. Although a quick thought to drop the class crossed my mind, I pushed through my fears and continued with the course – and I am so glad that I did.

At the beginning of the semester the class was assigned a blog post narrative and I was mortified with the word count! How would I ever write a narrative in under 300 words?! I just did not think it was possible. But after reading and discussing the reasoning behind keeping it short and sweet, I was able to applying what we learned and complete the blog post. In a way, this assignment paved the way for this course, even though it seemed impertinent to the project.  

After the blog post the class was split into three groups that would meet for the rest of the semester. The idea of only being with one group for a whole semester made me a little nauseous but as far as the team work, I have definitely gained the most out of this experience. It was very tough to get five people together at a time, stay on task while we were together, and then agree on writing methods while we completed our assignments. Luckily, everyone in my group was willing to hear each other out and to compromise. While writing our first email to Rachel Watson – our community partner – we all seemed to care too much about little things that did not matter to the point that it was wasting our time. Afterward we learned to be more cautious of our time and less worried about unnecessary changes.

I had a great time learning how to write a proposal and then writing them with my group. Before this class I did not know much about proposals and had maybe only read one. I was so worried that I was not prepared enough to write one, but after the readings I felt much more confident. Although it was hard to write as a group, I was so glad we were able to write it together. Writing with five people to sound like one is a difficult feat! It was a little rocky, but we scraped our knees enough to push us forward.  

After presenting our proposal and meeting with Rachel to decide what action we would take, the rest of the semester seemed to zoom by. Although we were still working together, delegating became crucial and we worked on separate projects to save on time. As the semester came to an end it felt like crunch time was upon our group. Small things seemed like they would never come together, but everything worked out just great in the end.

Handing our work over to Rachel was so satisfying! To look back and see how far we had come was simply remarkable. I can personally say that I will use this experience to mold future projects. I will be more confident in working with a client, I will know how it feels to provide a service with my writing skills, and I specifically plan on using the writing skills we learned to compose more successful blog posts as well as social media posts.

Although this was a pioneer course, I am confident in saying that I cannot think of anything else that I needed during this class. There were points during the semester that I felt unprepared and uninformed – which cause some minor ‘heart  attacks’ – but in the end, those moments helped shape the work that our group did, so I cannot honestly complain about those times. Overall, I feel like this course was set up very well. There were applicable readings, great discussions, and the perfect amount of direction when needed.  I have learned many valuable skills including how to work with a team, how to write different documents, and how to frontload as I write.

I am sad to see the semester come to an end, but I am so grateful for all that I have learned – for developing great teamwork skills, learning how to shape my writing with frontloading and word usage, and working with a client. All of these tasks will carry me forward into the future and if you get a chance to do something like this, jump on board! The whole experience will be more rewarding than you can ever imagine! 

Presentation & Reflection

Part 1: Presentation

 In this paragraph I will analyze my personal results from the proposal presentation. During the presentation I hardly ever made eye contact and was kind of looking at the side of the room. I definitely think if I had made more eye contact that the audience would have been more engaged. Also, I think that facing the audience would have made it easier for them to understand me a bit better. I also stumbled over some words so maybe if I would've rehearsed a few more times I would not have stumbled so often. Along with fixing the stumbling, I think rehearsing would have helped me use stronger words, which would have created more meaning to the presentation. Although I think some of these things are derived from nerves, I think some could have been prevented with more preparation and practice. Overall, I think that I my presentation was acceptable even though there could have been some improvements made.

Part 2: Reflection

 This paragraph will explain my thoughts on the LAMP group project including what is going well, what needs some improvements, and what my expectations are at the end. Overall, I think that our group project is going really well. For the most part I feel that all members of the group are contributing and coming prepared to group meetings, which makes our project come together smoothly.  Along with contributing and coming prepared, I also feel that each member communicates very well with the other group members and with our community partner. However, I am very anxious about what exactly our community partner wants. Although I know our efforts will be appreciated no matter what we do, I am worried that we will not be able to deliver exactly what is needed. But on the other hand, I am also anxiously excited to help LAMP in whatever way that I can. In that regard, I cannot wait to see what the final project holds. These last few weeks will be exciting as we meet with Rachel Watson, divvy out the project, and work hard to finish our final product. I think that these last few weeks will be very fulfilling if we work hard during every group meeting as well as on our assigned duties. In the grand scheme of things, I think that everything is going well and will continue to do so as the semester comes to an end!

A Problem Description

Paige Bodily

Meg VB Wood and Christi Boggs

English 2035

1 March 2016

Aid and Initiate a Science Initiative

            Learning in a public community can sometimes be tricky. Whether it be secondary education or higher education, mathematics or the sciences. Teachers of all levels can struggle to truly help their students master the curriculum. They are charged with a task to teach many in a limited time with limited materials. Many higher education systems have created large lecture halls to maximize space, time, and resources. Some would think of this as a solution. But is it efficient on all aspects? Are the students learning? Is there a better method that could allow a professor to teach many and have the students absorb information? The University of Wyoming’s Learning Actively Mentorship Program (LAMP) would like to implement a system that does.  This paper will delve into LAMP: what it is, some of the issues that if faces, and a possible solution to those issues.

WHAT IS LAMP

LAMP is a group specifically dedicated to creating a successful active learning environment for the sciences at the University of Wyoming. Active learning according to BusinessDictionary.com is “an educational process where students become vigorously engaged in assimilating the material being taught rather than absorbing it passively in a lecture format” (WebFinance).

In order to make this a reality LAMP plans to create an active learning facility, hire experienced individuals to assist in the transition, and increase enrollment in seminar courses.  First, LAMP wishes to transform lecture halls into classrooms that can facilitate a positive active learning environment. The classrooms will consist of tables that allow students to work in groups, large screens for each table, and a level floor so the professor has easy access to all tables and groups. This will create the necessary space in order to make the active learning classrooms successful. Second, LAMP will hire two extensively experienced instructional facilitators to demonstrate effective ways to use the classrooms (Watson). They will have advanced science degrees which will enrich their instruction to the science professors who will be teaching in the classrooms. Hiring these individuals will ensure a smooth transition for professors who are accustomed to lecturing and guarantee the facility will be used the way it was intended. Third, LAMP anticipates an increase in undergraduate seminar course enrollment due to different teaching methods, an expected rise in pass/fail rates, and a newfound excitement for the sciences.

After creating this new environment complete with classrooms, instructional experts and students, LAMP will be successful in creating an active learning environment for the science programs at the University of Wyoming. But these steps might not be as simple as they seem. LAMP also faces some challenges that need to be addressed.

PROBLEMS                

Even though LAMP has a decent plan in place it has some weaknesses that affect LAMP’s ability to achieve its goals. Some of these struggles include clearly communicating its goals (Watson), “Turning feelings of exclusion to feelings of inclusion” (Watson), and a lack of web presence.

In regards to communicating its goals, LAMP’s relationship with the community and with other faculty is jeopardized. Its relationship with the community is compromised because the community may not understand LAMP’s goals and how it will positively affect them, which might lead to the community not supporting LAMP like they could if they were better informed of LAMP’s goals. The relationship with other faculty is jeopardized because lack of communication could lead to tension within university departments. This ties into the second problem: helping other departments feel included in the initiative. Since LAMP has received substantial funds to carry out its plan, it seems other departments that are not involved in LAMP feel left out, and possibly unwanted, which is not LAMP’s intention. Better communication between departments within and without LAMP might clear up that feeling of exclusion.

Another important thing that LAMP is missing is web presence. Right now LAMP has a very small page on the University of Wyoming’s webpage and what is written on the page is hard to follow and not easily understood. The program cannot be found anywhere else online. This lack of web presence affects students and parents, government officials, and community members that might show interest in the program. With a web presence that is easily understood and accessible, LAMP will be able to communicate its goal, market its program, and update the community as the program progresses.

Overall, LAMP struggles with communicating its goals, helping other departments feel included rather than excluded, and it lacks a web presence. Although LAMP has these gaps, it should not despair because there are solutions.

A SOLUTION

Though there may be many solutions to these issues, one particular solution could be to reorganize LAMP’s webpage. Reorganizing the webpage will make it easier to effectively communicate LAMP’s goals and easier for people to understand those goals.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine has an “Active Learning Methods” tab under their education webpage organized by different instructional methods used there (Active Learning Methods (Tucson)). Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence also has an “Active Learning” page, however it is located under the “Engaging Students” tab and is organized in a question/answer manner and has easy-to-read bullets (Active Learning ). Whittier College is another higher education school that has an “Active Learning” page on its website (Active Learning).

In all three cases, active learning tabs were included under the academic or educational part of the website, which are geared toward prospective students. If LAMP took a similar approach in establishing a website geared toward prospects that could be easily located and easily read, it might solve some of its communication problems. It would also help market the program and gain more students in the program, thus fulfilling two of its goals.

Therefore, reorganizing LAMP’s webpage on the University of Wyoming could be one solution to help LAMP achieve its goals.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, Learning Actively Mentorship Program (LAMP) is part of a science initiative program that wishes to expand the University of Wyoming’s science programs and pass/fail rates by implementing active learning classrooms. While trying to achieve this goal, LAMP struggles to communicate, has conflict with other departments feeling excluded, and lacks a web presence. One solution to this goal could be to create or reorganize a webpage dedicated to explaining the program and that is located under an academics tab that can be easily located by prospective students. Once this is accomplished, I hope the awareness of LAMP is increased, the community will embrace the program, and there will be success in the program for years to come.

Works Cited

Active Learning. Whittier College. 2014. Web. 1 March 2016. <http://www.whittier.edu>.

Active Learning. Cornell University. 17 December 2015. Web. 1 March 2016. <http://www.cte.cornell.edu>.

Active Learning Methods (Tucson). The University of Arizona (Arizona Board of Regents). 2016. Web. 1 March 2016. <http://medicine.arizona.edu>.

Watson, Rachel. “The LAMP Program.” University of Wyoming. Laramie, WY. 4 February 2016.

 WebFinance. Active Learning. Business Dictionary.com (WebFinance, Inc.). 2016. Web. 1 March 2016. <http://www.businessdictionary.com>.  

An Anxious Excitement

As we prepare to jump into the meat of helping LAMP this semester, a lot of thoughts flood my mind. I am very eager to help LAMP as I have a strong love for learning and believe very much in their initiative. After Rachel’s presentation in class, I am also very excited to work with her. Her enthusiasm is very contagious and I cannot wait to be a part of something she is working toward. However, I am also very cautious about how this will play out. All of the ideas our group has thrown around to help LAMP keeps circling in my head, and I know we will only be able to focus on one. Will we even have any impact at all? I know we started this with the idea that we might not be of any help in the end, but I am very much looking forward to being of some service. The thought that we might not benefit them just terrifies me. By the end of the class that is all I hope to accomplish – making a positive change for LAMP. If we achieve that, I will be satisfied. All of these thoughts running through my head will be put to ease. 

Our Write to Sing

Sometimes it seems learning to write is a waste of time – that it will never be useful. But writing can make all the difference in the world. It can be powerful, even to change the way people think.  

It was senior year. My choir congregated early one morning, anxious for our state-wide journey to the University of Wyoming. We were nominated to sing for Basix, a world-famous a cappella group, at the university. This was an opportunity of a life-time! But something stood in our way: closed roads. Even if they opened, our principal threatened to call off the trip. We had every right to go. We earned it! So we started to plan. Some hopped on computers and researched road conditions, while others helped me write. We were determined to produce evidence that proved alternative routes to ensure our safety. We also argued the importance of the trip and what it took to be nominated.  The document was professional, with legal language and cited sources. Full routes were included with state statistics on crash percentages, risk factors, and estimated travel times. Attached were recent photos of the conditions and maps of the planned routes. Long lists of expenses and time that went into vocal competitions were also included and explained in detail. Time was running out, but luck was on our side. We printed the documents and rushed to the principal’s office – pride in our steps. Would this hard work pay off? What was our plan if this attempt failed? Parents carpooling us down? There were too many of us for that! Only time would tell - a fistful of minutes maybe, but it felt like an eternity.

Sitting on a bus for eight hours never felt so rewarding. We did it! We convinced the principal to let us journey on our route – no closed roads included. He analyzed our work and was impressed. He cautioned that we might not make it. He warned of the possibility getting stuck along the way. But he let us go! Roads were crummy and dangerous, but those were just temporary circumstances. We sang like never before. Unforgettable experiences transpired and character heightened. Voices were strengthened. Ruined plans were avoided and the risk was worth it. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I realized the influence I have, the power in me to change a mind. The power of writing.