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.
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