Posted: December 27th, 2022
Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies
Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies
As you begin your studies at Walden, you have probably thought about what you hope to gain from the Program Progress Guide (PPG) you will complete. What are your hopes and aspirations as an emerging professional beginning graduate-level study? Apart from a degree in psychology, also think about what you will gain from engaging with the scholarly community at Walden University. Your Program Progress Guide (PPG) can help you anticipate the topics you will learn about and perhaps the kinds of skills you will master as you complete your graduate degree Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
This week, you will discuss potential challenges you and your classmates foresee in the coming weeks. Together, you can share strategies that could help you overcome these challenges, as a group and individually.
This dialogue through the Discussion Board is designed to connect you with your new colleagues so that you can develop community and engage with each other in a supportive manner as you begin the educational journey together.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Locate and download your Program Progress Guide (PPG) from your DegreeWorks. Note: if you have difficulty, please contact your academic advisor to help you.
- Review Walden’s mission and vision statements and Walden’s goals and values in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Explore the web page “Social Change,” located in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Reflect on what you hope to achieve as a graduate student personally, professionally, and within the larger community.
- Consider factors that could pose a challenge to the successful completion of your chosen degree.
- Reflect on your values, ideals, and goals in relation to what you have learned about Walden.
- Think about how you will incorporate a commitment to social change, particularly as it relates to the area(s) of interest represented by your program/specialization, into your professional, personal, and academic goals.
- Review the “Meet the Faculty” media program found in this week’s Learning Resources and consider the inspiring messages from the faculty Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
With these thoughts in mind:
By Day 3
Post a reflection of something that inspired you from the faculty video messages. Describe how your expectations for your program are reflected in Walden’s mission, vision, and values. Share any challenges that you may face in completing your degree and provide at least one strategy to help overcome these challenges. Then explain why you chose this particular field of study at Walden and how you intend to use your degree.
I believe that everyone benefits from lifelong learning opportunities, whether those opportunities are academically focused including a graduate level education, or career focused such as additional career based training. Obtaining a graduate level degree has been a personal goal of mine for as long as I can remember which is why there was no doubt that my journey would lead me to furthering myself academically. During undergrad as a Sociology student, I discovered my love of learning about society. Choosing to continue my education with a psychology degree helps to further my understanding of the human behaviour that creates a society. Since social change sparks on a microlevel, if we are able to better understand people’s behaviour, then we are better equipped to understand the individual actions that shape society as a whole Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
While researching various grad school options I discovered Walden’s commitment to social change. This commitment is inspiring as it provides students an opportunity to help better their community while furthering their education. I hope to use that commitment to help improve myself and improve those around me, thus beginning to enact social change on a personal level. Walden’s statement about social change states their passion is “to empower students to make a difference by confronting those challenges where they live, in their professions, and on a global scale.” (Walden University, n.d.), and I am thrilled to be attending a university where they are passionate about helping students to make that difference in themselves and in their community. During their introductions the staff at Walden affirmed their own commitment to enacting social change within their classrooms (Laureate Education, 2012). This is a key factor in keeping social change a highlight of my education as the professors are able to structure the classes to align with the shared goal of themselves, the university, and therefore my goals as well Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
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One of the major challenges faced by anyone taking graduate classes is time management. I like to list out all the assignments and their due dates in a document that I have access to on both my laptop and my phone. This allows for a quick reference when I’m making plans so I don’t overextend myself, and it also serves as a to-do list if I need to add an important task. The list makes everything visible, including the tasks that have been crossed out which helps keep the motivation to continue as the class nears its end. I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to work on homework on slow nights. This will provide opportunities to check up on coursework and plan my weekly schedule while saving time to work on bigger projects at home. This might not seem like a lot, but it provides time to finish small projects, proofread, review grading rubrics, and start outlines for bigger projects. Although I’m anticipating many challenges as I pursue this degree, I know Walden’s strong drive to help its students achieve success will allow me to view these challenges as opportunities to grow in my academic career, personal development, and within my community Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012c). Welcome to Walden [Video file]. Retrieved from https://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/PSYC/6002/01/index.html
Walden University. (n.d.). Social change. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from http://www.waldenu.edu/about/social-change
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings and note the similarities and differences compared to what you shared.
By Day 5
Respond to two of your colleagues and continue the Discussion through Day 7 by affirming colleagues’ concerns or hopes and suggesting another strategy you find useful. Suggest at least one resource at Walden that they might also find helpful.
example 2
To me, one of the most rewarding experience of working with individuals with behavioral disorders and complex needs is to be able to formulate appropriate intervention that facilitates stabilization and improved health and safety. Improving human conditions can sound like a daunting task, but is in fact an ongoing, collective effort achieved by like-minded individuals at every level of the society Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
Undoubtedly, scientific discovery and intellectual progression are the driving force in the improvement of human conditions. It is my belief that the ultimate goal of scholarly achievement is to be put into practice that directly impacts human lives in positive ways.
It is my aspiration to understand human behaviors from a variety of perspectives—developmental, biological, and clinical—to be able to provide more well-rounded care for my current and future clients. The coursework and dialogue with my fellow classmates at the psychology program would provide valuable opportunities for my professional and personal development.
Therefore, it is such a pleasure to be part of the intellectual community of Walden University (n. d), an institution that does not hesitate to share knowledge and expertise with individuals of diverse background, and effect positive social change through “provid(ing) career professionals with opportunities to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners.” (n. p.) Indeed, Walden University’s mission of social change (Walden University, 2020) highlights the importance of educating scholar-practitioners, access to higher education and applied research solving real problems in the world (p.6).
However, tackling with work, study, and family at the same time certainly pose challenges.
Here I’d like to share some strategies as we navigate through this academic journey together.
- Have a weekly plan
Keep a calendar to keep track of due dates for important tasks. Set up reminders with sufficient time to allow time for preparation
- Identify daily time frame for studying. Set aside 2-3 hours after supper time (e.g., 7-9:30 pm) every evening to focus on coursework.
- Prioritize: start early on the tasks that require more time, and complete tasks according to the order of the deadlines
According Haynie, D (2014), to avoid common time management mistake online students make, “sticking to a schedule is the first step to staying out of trouble” (n.p.). Other suggestions by Hayne (2014), including “only keep necessary tabs open while…. on the computer,” and study “when waiting for the doctor or waiting in the car for kids” (n.p.) are also very helpful tips.
Lastly, regardless the challenges ahead, it is worth it. I look forward to taking this journey with everyone in this course Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies.
References:
Haynie, D. (2014, July 15). 10 times management mistakes online students make. US News and World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/slideshows/10-time-management-mistakes-online-students-make/1
Walden University. (n.d.-a). Social change. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change
Walden University. (2020). A vision for social change report. Retrieved from:
https://www.waldenu.edu/-/media/walden/files/about-walden/walden-university-2017-social-change-report-final-v-2.pdf?rev=5ded98a6d84e4a0096d02c9ec0f458af&hash=3CBA4D20AF7FA7F23BC21D69B2A9EB37 Discussion: Hopes, Challenges, and Strategies
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