Wrap Up and Interviews (Final Project)

Wrap Up: 

I think this class has potential and is definitely needed for first year students or students like me who does not have a clue what was going on.  For me this program is so unorganized that I feel like I am missing large chunks of information and I went it to this class hoping it would have the answers.  We got off to a bumpy start, but the last class was one of the best.  We talked about a topic and were able to get information regarding that topic from the professors and ask questions as well…perfect class.  The idea was there for this class and I think the topics were right on target (the ones on the syllabus), but our class was on so many different levels it made it difficult to have a discussion to suite everyone’s needs. 

But I do believe this class was a must for a student like me, who is not on campus, not familiar with the faculty, not able to just chat with a professor and build that relationship.  It was a place where I knew I could ask questions that wouldn’t be able to ask in other classes and not feel stupid because I didn’t know the answer.  I would definitely encourage those not on an assistantship or just getting their feet wet to take this class.  

Obviously for me, I didn’t get much out of the meetings off campus.  I like the idea of the blogs, but I think it would be more beneficial we could read/comment on other students’ blogs.  However, if the class was structure like our previous class, I think it would be very beneficial for students. 

I would like to thank Dr. Ricketts and Dr. Hains for taking time out to understand that there is a need for this class and actually doing it!  I really do appreciate your help and don’t be surprised if I have questions in the future. 

Thanks,

Liz 

Interviews

When doing this assignment, my main focus was to really get to know these professors on a deeper level and discuss my thesis topic.  Sometimes professors do not get to teach their ideal class, so going off what they teach is not a perfect indicator as to their interests.  Also I wanted to figure out how to best use these professors to my greatest benefit.  After all they are here to teach, guide, and help students; why not use these professors’ strengths to strengthen my knowledge and understanding. 

I chose to interview Dr. Nah and Dr. Maurer.  Both of these professors have been very helpful when it comes to basic questions about research, research design, and evaluation and thus have been involved with my thesis.  I did not sit down and schedule a formal interview, since I have worked with these professors before and it is just too stuffy for these two gentlemen.  However, working with them in the past and this semester has allowed me to see their strengths and expertise. 

Dr. Maurer is an extension professor in the CLD department.  However, most of his time is spent working with Extension and around 20% is spent teaching.  Throughout my graduate career most of the information I learned about research, programming, and evaluation came from his classes.  He has a wealth of knowledge regarding this subject matter, but is able to relay the information so that a first year grad school is able to understand and use the information – something which is tough for some professors.  

Dr. Maurer is the survey man.  If you have a question about a survey, the design, certain questions, he is the go to man.  For a project I was working on with Extension regarding Farmers Market Surveys, he was the first person I had review the survey.  He does not come out and tell you what is wrong and how to fix it, but makes you think about it and understand how to make a better survey.  Also he makes you realize the design and layout of the survey have just as much impact as the questions.  He has always been a great resource when it comes to evaluation techniques and programming.  He uses he experiences with Extension to make this point clear.  He will be the first to tell you that he has never been an Extension Agent, but Extension Agents respect and value his input when it comes to programming and program evaluation.  It was not until I worked with Extension did I see the importance of evaluation, but now I know it crucial to any study, program, or project.  And it does not always have to be some huge elaborate evaluation, but it can be reflection, anything to improve the next study, project, or program. 

While working and developing my thesis, I have thrown around the idea of using a survey (before and after) to see how successful online weight loss can be.  By not only using just raw data (total weight (lb) lost, pre weight, post weight) but also surveys to see what worked for each individual, what they would have done differently or wish they had access to, etc. will provide my study a holistic approach.  I will definitely be utilizing Dr. Maurer when it comes times for survey design and evaluation techniques for my thesis as he will be a great resource. 

Dr. Nah is an assistant professor in the CLD department as well.  I have taken a couple of classes online with him during my first year as a graduate student.  During those classes, he made sure to provide excellent feedback in great detail, which made the class seem as it was a face to face type of class.  However, he wanted to meet all of his students in the class so there was a face to face meeting to discuss each of our term papers at length.  This attribute goes to show you that he really does care about his students and wants them to succeed. 

The several times I have met with Dr. Nah, he has kept my focus and goals at the forefront of the meeting.  He was interested in my background as a Registered Dietitian and why I chose the CLD program.  Once I explained why I was here, he greeted me with open arms and has made me feel like a colleague not a graduate student.   He became very interested in my proposed thesis topics and has been very helpful in narrowing down my topic.  At the very beginning of the thesis processes, I was throwing around the topic of NuVal and nutritional labeling to educate the public about healthy eating.  He encouraged me to do an extensive literature review and after that decide if this was my topic.  After doing all of that we both realized this topic was too farfetched and my research did not have to be some elaborate research study. 

Much like Dr. Maurer is the survey man, Dr. Nah is the internet man.  Most of his research involves the internet in all its glory including political involvement, digital divide, social movements and social media in general.  What better person to ask to be on a committee than Dr. Nah, since my thesis focusing on online weight loss. 

Dr. Nah has given me so many ideas and different directions I look at when researching for my thesis.  It is almost overwhelming the amount of knowledge his has giving to me regarding this thesis topic.  Suggestions such as 1) why are you using this one internet weight loss web site, 2) compare and contrast this website to the other weight loss sites out there, 3) identify the people using this website, 4) survey them to see what they think are the benefits and disadvantages to this program, etc.  And what could have been a topic that most professors run away from (because they think it has nothing to do with CLD), Dr. Nah has embraced it and has become a very important member of my committee.  He may not know a whole lot on nutrition, but knows the internet and is a crucial part of my thesis topic. 

All in all, both of these professors are going to be great resources in the next semester when I start to concentrate on my thesis.  They each have their strengths which I hope to effectively use when researching and writing my thesis. 

In addition to my comments above about this course, I think it would be great if the blogs were shared with other classmates. That way classmates could provide comments, suggestions, tips on some of the questions we have asked throughout our blog.  I know this would definitely help me, because I am a distance learning student.  I don’t get interaction by hanging out in the office or chatting with my classmates.  I think this will provide that sense of belonging that this class is trying to achieve.  Also I don’t think these comments should just before for classmates to comment on but also professors or these topics that we bring up in our blogs should be part of the discussion. 

I know with the recent discussions about the class, I think it would be important to outline what is require for the 2 different parts.  I know the professors sent out an email regarding those that are taking the alternative route, but what about those that are still in the “class”?  Are the assignments still the same as outlined? 

Just another question about grad school in general…I know there are certain dates that things for the thesis must be turned in to document and schedule your defense.  Is there a website regarding this information?

Thanks!  Hope everyone has a great holiday week!

November 4th Post

This blog post I wanted to discuss my feelings regarding the class since that was the main topic of our last meeting.  Hopefully these comments will be helpful for the future classes. 

·         Handbook, updated website (complete with the professors’ pictures, which makes it so much nicer when you can’t remember a name or are meeting someone for the first time) are a MUST!  Organization within the department will make it that much easier on the students and faculty.  Any more these days, a website is the first place people go for information therefore, it is crucial that the information is up to date and relevant. Also making the website inviting is huge.  Often times, a company's/school's website is a direct reflection of the program...if that is the case ours is in trouble.  

·         I think the CLD graduate program should have an orientation, not only as a way to get familiar with the program but to meet other students.  It would be important if professors and faculty members were there as well.  It might seem overwhelming to have all this information tossed at you but the sooner you understand what is require of you, the easier the road will be.  

·         I would have definitely taken an introduction to graduate school as a first year student.  As a second year student, I can see where an introduction class might not benefit one as much.  But I am using this class as “what I should have done last year, but had no idea…now I really need to work on this type of class”.  But as a person doing distance learning, this class has had it benefits, if not for anything to catch up on the latest information.  Since we don’t get to hang out in the office or are around professors all day, sometimes I feel like we are forgotten when it comes to information, internships, or other available opportunities.

But ideally this would be beneficial for all first year students to take.  Plus it could even cover topics not covered in first year courses, like IRB, sitting up a committee, etc.

I can definitely see the benefits of taking a class like this.  And as a service to the students think it is something that should be carried on in the future. 

October 21st Post

I really enjoyed the discussion questions for those that are off campus.  Cecil even had some great tips on another committee member for my thesis, so I greatly appreciate that help.  Currently I am following up on Cecil’s information and trying to schedule a meeting with my committee members.  I am trying to find a time where I can actually go and visit my members face to face (which works better for me in this process).  It has become very difficult to schedule meetings with so many busy schedules.  I would like to schedule all of the meetings within a couple of days, so I am not in Lexington away from work for too long. 

I am in the midst of revising/developing my proposal.  I am using a template from research methods class, since that is all I know.  I am also using bits and pieces of previous work from other graduate classes, where I completed research papers very simple to my thesis.  Sometimes I find this helpful because I do not have to re-write the same statement over and over again.  But sometimes I feel like it can be more work to take and statement and re-work it to fit into my current proposal.

Does anybody have any other templates for proposals?

October 7th Post

In my last post I described my current graduate status.  I think this was important so that the professors and my classmates know where I come from and my background and interests.   

Monday class was held at Pazzo’s, since I am not close to Lexington I was unavailable to attend.  But I am very interested in what my colleagues discussed.  Please feel free to pass on any useful tips or guidelines that were mentioned on Monday.  Also since some of us are taking this course via distance learning (per say), I know we talked about having discussion questions on Blackboard.  Is this still the requirement?

Since I last wrote I have become more and more involved in my literature review.  With my schedule I am limited to how much time I spend researching, but I try to research daily even if it is reading one article.  I enjoyed reading the Grad School Tips packet last week and feel like I can definitely use some of their tips when it comes to researching articles.  Throughout my literature review process I find it difficult to process the amount of information that is out there, it is almost overwhelming.  But at the same time, I am often afraid I am missing that oh so important piece of information.  I find myself looking and searching for articles only with my RD mind, if you will, only concern with the nutrition side of things.  However, I think with my topic looking and searching with a communication (because I am researching online weight loss programs and the internet is definitely a form of communication) and education (because I am educating people on how to lose weight) mindset is crucial.  Often times this is where I fall short.  Hopefully this class and Dr. Hains can help with this lack of knowledge. 

Also, I am beginning to think this is the time where I need to start working on my proposal and getting a good foundation started before I get to far deep into the research.  So I am starting to think about that and everything that goes along with a proposal-research methods, sample size, statistical analysis, etc.

I think a timeline will help me considerably and hopefully this is something I will get out of this class.  Again, I am very interested to hear on Monday’s class went and I look forward to seeing everyone again on the 24^th.

Reflection 1 - Getting to Know Me

So I wanted to start out these bi-weekly reflections with some background information on my graduate school status.  I graduated with my bachelor of science in dietetics (complete with the mandatory internship) in August 2010.  I immediately enrolled in graduate school in the Nutrition Sciences Graduate Program and began taking classes.  I began taking classes excited about hopefully expanding my nutritional knowledge but quickly realized the Nutritional Sciences program was not the program for me.  My career goal was to be an Extension Agent or work in the community delivering nutrition information not stuck in a white lab coat doing research on mice.

Being a College of Agriculture Ambassador, I knew a lot of about the different programs in the College of Agriculture.  I had met several Extension Agents that had obtained their Masters in CLD and really began to look hard at the program.  I met with Dr. Weckman and Dr. Hansen and basically asked them what my options were, I knew I enrolled in the wrong program and wanted to become a graduate student in CLD.  We discussed my goals and options and with permission of the professors, I would be allowed to take classes in the program.  I took 3 classes my first semester and have never looked back (Research Methods, Foundations in Organization Leadership, and Community Development and Leadership Communications). 

What I enjoy so much about this program is that I am able to use my nutrition background and RD status to provide sound, reliable information to the community, who most definitely needs access to this information.  Professors that I have spoken to throughout my coursework have embraced this nontraditional approach and outlook that I have on this program and allowed me to focus on nutritional problems within the CLD field.

I have been enrolled full time for three semesters.  During the summer I completed an internship with the Cooperative Extension Service in McCracken Co which reaffirmed my career choice of working with the community.  After passing my exam in August, I am now a Registered Dietitian and actively job searching.   Currently I have 22 hours towards my master degree.  I am planning on doing the thesis option and looking at if online weight loss program really work compare to face to face counseling.  I have spoken to a professor in the School of HES, Dr. Kelly Webber and she has agreed to mentor me through the thesis process.  I have also asked Dr. Nah to be on my committee. 

Right now, I am trying to find a 3^rd committee member and someone to be a co-chair since it has to be a faculty member from CLD.  This has become a struggle as someone coming from a different department and not aware of many faculty members and their specialties and with such a different type of thesis.   Also I am trying to navigate and figure out the IRB process, which I hope to gain in this class.  I am always to looking for great resources tools and tips on becoming a better writer.  Anything to make graduate school less confusing is going to be helpful. 

I look forward to working with the professors and my classmates.  I know this class will be very beneficial. 

~Liz