Fuzzy Thoughts

This summer, I took two classes so I can take a slightly less loaded schedule later on. Of course, since I’m doing a double major, this slightly less load will still be 15-16+ credits a semester.

The first course I took was physics. Some people might ask why I took physics, because they think it’s hard. Well, it is, but this was my fourth time taking a physics class in four years. The last time I took a science that wasn’t physics was my sophomore year of high school. So it wasn’t the hardest class, but it wasn’t the easiest class either. Taking a 13 week class and only having 5 weeks to learn the same amount of material is harder than it sounds. Looking back at it now, I kind of wish I had taken it during the regular semester; I know that I would have gotten a better grade, and my GPA needs the help.

The second class I’m taking is online, and this is my first taste of taking an online class. Since it’s all online, the course goes almost double what the other summer classes go, and this one is still in progress. The way it works is that the professor assigns some pages in the book to read, and then questions to answer based on that reading. The assignments are turned in electronically, and the professor enters the grades and leaves comments on the system the school uses, BlackBoard.

There are two things that I don’t like about the class, one of which really doesn’t bug me that much. First, it doesn’t give you the hands on aspect of the class, which is Information Systems Management. During the regular semester, I’d imagine that some of the work done during the class is hands on, and obviously you can’t do hands on during an online class. I think it is this one thing that makes me wish I had taken the class during the semester. I like hands on tech work; it’s something I enjoy doing, and it would have meant a better grade.

The second issue I have is that the feedback the professor leaves is very minimal. Last night I handed in an assignment, and when I came back from dinner an hour and a half later, he had already looked at and graded it. I got a 40/40, and the same feedback that I get whenever I don’t lose any points - “Good work”. After two dozen of these, I’d like a little better feedback. It wouldn’t hurt to say what I could improve on, because even though I got all the points I could, there had to be something I could have answered better. It seems that the only sort of feedback I get that tells me something I could improve on is when I’ve lost points, and even then, it’s when I rush through a question and answer it without thinking that I lose points.

All in all, I think taking the classes during the summer was the right choice for me. I took a look at the number of classes that I still have to take, and just the number says I will need four semesters…but looking at when they are offered said it might be five. Taking these two classes means I will be able to be slightly more flexible, and actually be able to take the classes that are required for my major instead of required as part of the university’s core curriculum.