Synthesis

This course, for me, has been an extremely valuable experience.  I have to admit that when I first looked at the syllabus, I was a little leery.  It was different than any class I have taken at MSU before, but it was highly recommended to me from another professor when I complained a little about some courses that seemed to try to replicate a face-to-face class in an online venue.  I very much appreciate this course for pushing me to think long and hard about my job in very different ways.  I feel more engaged, more creative, and more in touch with possibilities.  I am grateful for my peers in this course and Gaoming and David.

 The individual modules were very helpful to me in terms of encouraging me to think directly about how my colleagues and I disseminate information, how we talk with students, and how I engage teaching moments in advising sessions. I thought a lot about space, environment, modes of delivery, information, and what makes a more interesting, effective, and compelling advising experience.  On my own I began to look at what some other schools do that is different than what we do, and I was impressed with the many possibilities for positive change.  I also, as a result of conversations about ideas I had (like Facebook), became more aware of some of the challenges of change in an institution, particularly as the youngest of the three advisors.  I realized that my colleagues were not currently being pushed to think about their jobs in the way that I was, and that I needed to approach conversations with an awareness of the politics that are always in play. For me, that felt a bit disappointing, but that is the reality.

 Viewing the work of art clips and then creating my own encouraged me to think a lot more internally, about how I feel about doing my job.  Whereas the modules made me think more externally in terms of processes and things I do at work, the work of art projects really helped me to get more in touch with what I enjoy and am passionate about in my job.  I am very grateful for the time I got to spend with Rafa and Mauricio, and by witnessing their youthful passion, I felt more invigorated and thoughtful about what joy I do take from my work.  I’ve been working as an advisor for a little while, and it’s useful to be shaken out of the routine and revisit what drew me to this position in the first place.

 As a result of my work of art video, an interesting development has happened in the past week or so.  The so-called “imaginative bridges” between this class and my work have collapsed. I showed Rafa and Mauricio where to view the video on YouTube.  In hindsight, I should have given them a copy of their own and not showed them the YouTube link.  What has happened is many students and my colleagues have now viewed all of my videos that are posted on YouTube.  One of my co-advisors now claims she never discouraged the development a Facebook advising group (which is not at all true), but I think that given the publicness of the video, feels compelled to defend her position. Also, many students are now aware of the budget reduction process (which has been pretty invisible to them).  My supervisors are getting emails and calls from students about how they don’t want me to be moved, and I’m putting out fires reassuring these same supervisors that I am not encouraging the students to act on my behalf.  It’s all a little awkward.  My more speculative ruminations about the coursework have now become part of a public discussion outside the realm of this course.  I’m just glad that the more personal videos on Facebook—me poorly telling a joke and my video about our pregnancy losses—are safely contained in a private group.  In the end, I’d recommend finding some platform that is not difficult about copyrights but that still allows the group to contain itself from public viewing. 

 This course has provided me with many more skills and innovations than I would have experienced had we completed more traditional assignments.  I was able to be myself, and because of that, applying the ideas to myself and my work was more seamless.  At times I was frustrated with my technological skills, but that, too, provided its own learning curve. 

Now I’m just waiting for the next compelling experience: birth! Actually, I’m taking a break from cleaning and laundry in preparation for the baby, but I’m trying to stay focused on the goal.  

Thanks to everyone; I really enjoyed myself in this course.