A500.9.4.RB_MedinaM

The MSLD 500 course has given me a great learning experience. Reflecting on that experience I notice that everything has been positive and for the better. Even though this is my first master class and I don’t have any other class to compare it to, I think it’s been a great, fun learning experience in which everything I have learned can be used or transferred over to my personal and work life. If I were to compare the worldwide program experience to a regular classroom, I can say it has many advantages. One of these advantages is the flexibility of being able to “attend class” when you can during the week. For example in my case, since I recently just began working again, I have been able to dedicate Thursday through Sunday for schoolwork. One of the main drawbacks of online classes is learning to get into discipline of maintain a balance between school, work, and family. When I first began this master course, it became hard trying to balance schoolwork with family time. I found myself many times just surfing the web for irrelevant subjects, or just going out camping with family rather than staying home to do my schoolwork. Now I have learned to maintain a schedule allowing me to balance everything that is important at this moment (school, work, and family).

So, what can I have done to improve my learning experience in this course? The main thing I wish I could’ve done for this course is dedicate more time to explore all the subjects, concepts, and so on. Another way I could’ve improved my learning experience would be to learn discipline and balance between class, and life from the beginning. This would’ve avoided me submitting in two to three assignments late. What can the University or the instructor do to provide additional support for my learning? Honestly, I don’t think there’s more the instructor or the University could do to improve my learning experience even more. For example, the teacher is available through email or by phone from M-Sat. The instructions that were given for each assignment were a little vague but that is the point of the class, to enhance your own thinking, make your own decisions or judgment, and to take whatever decision is best for your path to the future. Were the topics that were covered seem relevant or irrelevant to your experience and to what you expect for future courses?  The topics that were covered were very much relevant to the course. Between the weekly readings and discussions it allowed me to understand in more depth how it related to critical thinking. Some of the examples and weekly readings even gave personal or real-life experience of those researchers, allowing me to gain a better perspective or feeling for the topic or subject being discussed. For the second part of this last question, I’m not sure what is to come in the future of these classes. But I have no doubt that what I have learned in this class will transfer over and be very useful for the next and rest of the classes of the MSLD program.

A500.8.3.RB_MedinaM

Presentation designs depend on the type of presentation created or needed. For example, for a nontechnical presentation a very good design for your slide is something that relates to the topic with ease. Not something busy or with a colorful background or with contents consisting of too many bullets. The less amount of text the better, so don’t be scared of white space in your PowerPoint. In the other hand, for a complex or technical presentation where formulas or diagrams must be presented try to use a white background with black text. It’s ok if you have bullets but just try your best to only present main ideas as you can explain the idea in more depth as you present (if possible). Also, if possible, try using less than 10 slides, as your audience can get bored, begin to lose interest or get distracted with something else. Avoid cluttered slides, not too many pictures and barely any text. Remember a busy background, too many pictures, and too much text can distract your audience from you.

One of the basic concepts for a good presentation design is to create your own template because you are the only person that knows and understands what you specifically need and who your audience will be. This way you get a chance to show off your creativity skills and present a one of a kind presentation and design. If you insert pictures, try to use original high quality photographs, as it will give your presentation a higher quality. Try not to use clip-art or 3-D text because it can be distracting and it makes your slide seem busy. When using animation or transitioning through the slides, try to use it as least as possible because it can be both distracting and ununiformed. Always use the same type of text, text height and color because it gives your presentation a very uniformed, organized, and professional look. The best advice of all is to practice. Practice creating other presentations; get familiar with the tools you are planning on using to carry out the objective of your presentation, practice presenting in front of the mirror or in front of an audience, get familiar with the context, and so on. But practice, practice, practice!

A500.7.3.RB_MedinaM

            There are two types of research designs: descriptive and explanatory research. Descriptive research design is also known as qualitative research, which aims to answer questions such as what exists or happens in society. Explanatory research design, which is known as quantitative research, aims to answer questions such as why does it exist or happen. In other words, qualitative or descriptive research aims to answer questions to how something happens, while quantitative or explanatory research aims to answer why questions.

According to the PDF slides developed by Tero Mamia, Quantitative research aims at explaining problems, issues, and results through the use of numbers. It is based on the idea that social phenomena can be quantified, measured and expressed numerically (Mamia). Basically the goal of quantitative research is to determine the connection between independent and dependent variables. A variable is an observable and measurable unit that can then be used to compare other observable measurable units. This type of research generates numerical data that can be analyzed by statistical methods. The numerical data is often collected in the form of surveys or questions. For example, ERAU survey asks students to rate his or her teacher’s performance. Typically, these types of surveys have number answers, such as 5 for very satisfied to 1 very dissatisfied. To my understanding these numbers or observations are then processed into a data matrix for analysis.

            There are various strengths and weaknesses to quantitative research. Some of the strengths are: it enables research and description of social structures and processes, allows for comparisons between variables, gives a description of change, and it analyses and explains social phenomena dependencies. The weaknesses of quantitative research are: it simplifies and compresses reality, only applicable to quantifiable phenomena, and it assumes the researcher has extensive knowledge on the subject in order to ask the correct questions on the survey (Mamia).