Well here I am again. Having only about 5 days before I am supposed to complete this course and I am at the deadline. I am trying not to start panicking but it is hard not to do so. So much has happened this last month, well this last couple of weeks alone that has prevented me from doing what I wanted to in the way of studying. These last few lessons have been rather interesting and I would like to say that I can almost take the tests without worrying about failing but after the last couple of tests, I had better not risk it.

It is just that viewing the lessons on VHS tapes and CDs are different. With DVDs, I am able to rewind frame by frame and replay sections easier than with the VHS player. I sure hope that the next couple of lessons, well all the lessons that I have to take will be on DVD. One thing that this DVD lesson has over the last one is that at least this professor is a little more interesting.

His outline is easy to follow but one of my first classes had the easiest outline to follow and it was great. This time some of the lessons were not so easy to follow but still they were okay. These classes are all what you put into them. It is just that the DVD lessons are easier to maneuver.

I am sitting here listening to a lecture, taking notes, helping people as they come into my office, answering the telephone and writing this blog at the same time. The only way I can accomplish this is to stay focused. I really need to use all the down time I have in order to finish this class by the 24^th. I have two tests to write and a paper. I will be close race to the finish line…..I plan on winning.

Add to:                     

I am so upset.

I just got such a horrible grade on my last class that I am beginning to question whether or not I made the right decision to pursue a degree. I had studies as hard as I could with all the outside interruptions that I had this past month and thought that I had did a halfway decent job on the tests. Much to my surprise, I had not. It was so disheartening that I feel like I don’t want to go any further. This class on General Psychology is interesting but hard. For the first test, we had to memorize biology questions. They were okay but now after getting the results of this last class, I don’t know.

This next test dealt with the memory itself. I told myself that I could do it and that I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Some of the things we studies this last test were things that I could almost answer myself from years of learning but now, I just don’t know. I can only imagine how not only my children who are in school feel but all children who are in school feel when it comes to taking tests. At least in some high school tests, we were allowed to use notes we had taken. I feel that we should be able to use some notes because if we were diligent and paid attention to the lectures that it should count somewhat towards our test. When you work full-time and have children, it is harder to study at times that those people who do not have all the outside interruptions.

I know that I may be making excuses for my horrific grade and that I can only blame myself but also I need to make sure that all aspects of my life are covered equally. I cannot neglect my family or my work. After this last grade, I realize that maybe my plan of studying one class at a time may not work. Next semester, I plan on taking 12 hours but will only take two classes (6 hours each semester). Hopefully, this will enable me to study more and not be so hurried at finishing the lesson plans. I need to be more thorough in my studying. Sometimes, I tell myself that I can do it without studying really, really hard. Now I know that is not true. I am hoping for a better set of grades this class.

Add to:                     

As I begin my Introduction to Psychology course, when I was reading the first chapter of my textbook, I was thinking that it was okay. The subject matter is interesting and that I could breeze through this course in no time. Then I came upon a chapter that has a lot of scientific terms. Of course, they all have to do with the brain.

My guess is that we do not only have to study psychology but also what makes the brain itself work. The VHS tapes are not as long as the DVD tapes from my last class. Also, the handout of the outline that we are using to follow the professor is good. They remind me of when I took one of my first classes and it too had a easy to follow handout. The outline was very good and we pretty much had to fill in the blank. I do not mind taking notes but I often wonder what material would be considered important and what would not.

Sometimes the instructor will say, you might want to write this down and I do. My last class Western Humanities was videotaped in a real classroom. You could see the students and when I saw them writing, I knew I should rewind the tape and pay more close attention to the lecture. I think this the one advantage that people who go to traditional classes have over distance learning students.

As a distance learning student, you have to be more diligent in your note taking because we are not allowed to use outside materials when we take tests or exams. From speaking with some of my friends who go to traditional college classes, they are sometimes allowed to use outside materials. But even so, I still like the convenience of an online class. I work at my own pace, we get some really good outlines to follow (where we have to just fill in the blank), and I can rewind the tapes whenever I need to. It is a win, win situation.

Add to: