Download - Extra Credit Opportunity 4
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7/30/2019 Extra Credit Opportunity 4
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Cesar Avila Mr. Holliday
Class Section Time: 12 P.M.
Extra Credit Opportunity Four
1) For the most part, I felt that all of the lectures were interesting because of the
relevance of the subject matter to our daily lives as individuals. While I can certainly
recognize my own behavioral tendencies, it was truly remarkable to see just howinfluential gender roles and social norms are in determining my personality. That
being said, the lectures that struck me as most fascinating were those that I could
relate to most (specifically, the lessons on social and media influences,
communication, and health and fitness). Because these topics were so pertinent to
my life (and the lives of many other students) I felt that every piece of information
was vital in instructing me to becoming a better, more well rounded person. On the
other hand, I felt that the lessons covering relationship styles and dating throughout
our lives were disinteresting because the topics seemed much more dry. Also,
because these topics are so widely publicized, they were to a certain extent,
redundant.
2) Although there is only so much that can be covered during a semester, I really
believe that the course would benefit from delving into the role of gender in the
sports world. Gender influence in sport was the main focus of my groups research
assignment and it was shocking to see just how intertwined the two subjects really
are. This could be a useful lecture in demonstrating further the varying effects of
social norms and influences on an individuals gender identity.
3) I think by incorporating multimedia into the lectures, you add a great degree of
tangibility to the subject that we cover in lectures. Often topics can be ambiguous or
even confusing at first and explanations from the slides or instructors might not
fully clarify any uncertainty a student may have. When you introduce movies orvideo clips (specifically comedic ones) you allow us a refreshing take on the subject
that encourages us to view the topic in a different perspective. Also, it adds a break
from the monotony of lectures that can sometimes cause a student to lose interest in
the topics covered in class.
4) Overall, I enjoyed the lectures and thought that they included a healthy balance of
information from the slides and anecdotal evidence given from both the professor
or fellow classmates. I do think, however, that the lectures would be better if you
allowed for more time in between slides or made a conscious effort to allow
students to write down all ofthe information. There werent many times were I felt
that I couldnt keep up but in lectures with more content, I often had to write so fastthat my handwriting was indiscernible. While a lot of students use computers, a
good deal of students also feel that by physically writing down information, they can
more easily remember important details and have a more wholesome
understanding of the information covered throughout the lesson.
5) While they were helpful in reviewing critical information from the weeks
lectures and explaining details for each of the research paper assignments, I felt that
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7/30/2019 Extra Credit Opportunity 4
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Cesar Avila Mr. Holliday
Class Section Time: 12 P.M.
at times the discussion sections were banal and redundant. This could be from the
fact that they take place after a long week of classes, but I think the class would
benefit from an abridged format in which the students express course topics that
they feel are most troublesome. Since most students tended to agree on what they
felt was easily accessible information or what was more challenging, by allowing the
class to direct the class you increase the appeal that the session has to offer. In short,it should stick more to its namesake of a discussion rather than just a more intimate
lecture.
6) I believe that the research assignments were explained with great detail and in a
manner that addressed almost all of the questions that one might have come up with
while working on a paper. Also, it was great to be able to refer back to the
PowerPoint presentations on D2L to review information that might have been more
ambiguous. I do think thought that there could have been more of an effort by the
instructors to provide samples of what would be considered an appropriate paper.
For the one assignment where an example was provided, I felt that I had a much
better handle on what was to be expected from our group. Also, because of thediversity of backgrounds and disciplines, it would have benefited the class to take an
in-depth analysis of APA formatting.
7) Ive never been a fan of group work because I feel that it tends to lead to
disorganization and unequal distribution of work among partners. That being said, I
felt that the group work that we did in constructing our research papers was a
largely positive experience because each of my group mates seemed to have as
much of an interest in the topic as I did. In addition, by reconvening in our
discussion sections every Friday, not only were we able to review the assignment
that we had submitted earlier in the week but also we were able to establish clear
goals for future work. Finally, I felt that Mr. Holliday created an environment whereevery group member felt a strong obligation to the group and felt as if they had to
contribute in any way possible. By doing this, there was very little inequity within
our group in regards to time or effort put in to assignments.
8) The only other feedback that I would give in regards to the class as a whole would
be the addition of a review session the day or class meeting before a scheduled
exam. While I understand how it would be hard to fit such days in with such little
time in the semester, I feel that by going over key points or major topics, you would
eliminate time studying insignificant or unnecessary information and allow us to
better master the critical facts. By doing that, I think studying habits would benefit
and in turn you would see higher test grades among the class.