Russell's Learning Journal

Setting Goals Setting goals is a vital skill that everyone should practice.  Education and Career goals are some of the most important goals to set first.  My education goal for the CS online program is to complete all courses with A's.  Although a high letter grade is sought after, personally it is not the only thing that matters for my education.  Understanding and applying what I have learned is just as important as passing the class.  Struggling through long study hours to ace a test and then forgetting everything because my brain was so exhausted is not ideal.  Taking my time and learning from my mistakes will ultimately help me ingrain the knowledge for this program.  Career goals after receiving an education are just as important.  I have already started to think about what these goals are and how I am going to accomplish them.  One way of doing this is by defining short-term and long-term goals.  Short-term I would like to intern...

 Time Management and Study Strategy A study strategy that I struggle with the most is creating a study schedule for each week and sticking to it.  The AcademicTips website has many tips for study strategy including how to create daily study schedules.  Picking the media on which to create your schedule is the first step.  I like using the reminders app on my iPhone.  Constructing the schedule is the next step.  AcademicTips recommends blocking the day into hour-long intervals (or half-hour intervals on busy days).  The necessities such as class assignments, work, and eating take priority over other daily activities and should be scheduled during the most productive time of the day.  I will place these necessities towards the start of the day because that is where I am most energized.  It is also important to allow yourself small breaks each hour to give yourself a rest.  Other tips to help stay on the schedule are to not be a perfectioni...

 Review and Reflect Learning Strategy Reading The article " Effective Study Skills" by Dr. Bob Kizlilk explains the different studying strategies and how to better practice studying.  There were many excellent points on how I could better my study habits and there were several that I would say I am proficient at.  The top three strategies that I practice and use the most are keeping my notes organized, answering the easy questions first on an exam, and highlighting what I think is important information.  The top three strategies that I must work on are taking effective lecture notes (tend to write down everything and not what is important), gathering materials or creating an outline before writing, and creating study schedules to keep on track while making sure I am studying all areas besides a couple of areas.  Activity Log for Thursday, September 8th Project Management Basics  The presentation, " Project Management: What is a Gantt Chart?" was an effectiv...