When I first enrolled for this course, I had huge expectations. I saw the course as a chance for me to make a general improvement of my life across a variety of aspects. I had perused the syllabus of the course before enrolling and had deduced that the course modules and contents were in line with expectations and as I enrolled for the course. Now that I am coming to the end of the course, I must admit that it has been one exhilarating experience. No experience can be without challenges and this has been the case with this course. However, the fact that I have been able to successfully overcome these challenges and emerge successfully has strengthened my resolve and belief to take on similar challenges in the future.
One concept that has been consistently emphasized on for the entire duration of the course has been the professionalism. From the first day of class, the professors have been very vocal about the importance role of professionalism, now that we are in our graduate studies. In fact, this element has accompanied almost every module covered under this course. I have learnt that for me to be taken seriously, I have to incorporate an element of professionalism in everything that I do. It is in light of this that the course has significantly enhanced my ways of thinking. Under normal conditions, human beings are also eager to do things in the easiest possible ways without considering the repercussions to not only themselves but also t other members of the society. In simple sense, an element of professionalism is usually absent from many people’s vocabulary.
This course has opened my eyes to see that professionalism is paramount. This was particularly emphasized in the first three modules of the course where we were given guidelines on how to behave like doctoral students as well as how to adjust our thinking and knowledge capacity. I also have to admit my level of thinking was significantly enhanced through the various activities conducted during the duration of the course, for instance the module that focused on the development of skills that include searching, finding, assessing, selecting and defending sources. I found this task to be quite challenging, but one positive thing is that it deeply enhanced my critical thinking capacity. To effectively select, analyze and defend credible scholarly sources, I had to think out of the box to come up with conclusive content and in the process; my thinking capabilities received a massive boost.
Another aspect of my personal being that received a boost from the course was in relation to self-management, self-monitoring and self-motivation. These aspects helped me to be able to effectively manage my time, as well as my course workload. Being a doctoral course, this particular course is accompanied by a significant amount of workloads that included reading materials and assignments. This can prove to be a challenge and the workload can prove to be overwhelming for many students. This is where the importance of personal time management is exemplified. For one to be able to keep up with the professor and the rest of the class, one must effectively manage their time. Throughout the course, I have come to appreciate the importance of time management and have leant how to use it myself. I have particularly leant how to self-manage myself, in terms of dedication and commitment to the studies. I also developed a personal self-evaluation model that helped me to constantly evaluate myself and keep in line with my personal values as well the course schedule. For instance, if I found that I was lagging behind in a certain module, I would dedicate several hours of the coming week to study and catch with up the rest. There were some elements of the course including some assignments that were quite tasking and that could prompt someone to give up. It was, therefore, up to me to come up with a self-motivation model to keep myself going and this I effectively did. I reminded myself of why I had taken this course in the first place and this is what kept me going. By combining the aspects of self-management, self- evaluation and self-motivation, I was able to become an exemplary time manager such that when the course ends, I will have fulfilled every requirement. In conclusion, it is fair to state that this course has made me a better person overall.
