"Hello, Cup Cake!"
On Thursday night I start an MSc with Sheffield Hallam University with the rather twisty title, Technology Enhanced Learning Innovation and Change or TELIC for short. Check out this link for details.
My main reason for choosing this particular course is for the IC bit of TELIC. I reckon I’m OK with most of the TEL (I still have stuff to learn) but I struggle when it comes to understanding how to influence change in an organisation, especially one that is resistant to it.
I’m a little nervous. I managed to get a 2:1 in Geography from St. Andrews back in ’96 (same degree as Prince William, folks) but that was mostly by accident. I’m hoping I’ve grown up sufficiently to take this seriously, especially as work is funding it. Any sort of learning requires you to make yourself vulnerable in some ways so I hope I don’t fall flat on my face.
So 1) why am I doing it and 2) why am I talking about it here?
Well…
- a) It’ll be good for me. I haven’t been a proper “learner” in the formal sense since my teacher training in 1997 so I can put my brain through its paces and hope it manages the pressure.
b) It’ll be good for my career. I know having a “badge” doesn’t indicate competence in the workplace but I’m hoping what I learn will help me move to the next stage. And if Ed Balls gets his way (or anyone else for that matter) then it’s unlikely I’ll be doing this job in 18 months time! This might make me more employable. - I anticipate that what I learn may be of use to those of you who read this so expect the occassional post on books, article, theories, workshops etc. And sharing what we do is my way of taking responsibility for my own learning and being open to challenge from all of you lot.
If you want to follow my adventures in Academia then there’s a new Category on the blog. There will also be stuff on Twitter and Delicious (tagged MSc) so follow me on those as well.
Wish me luck!
4 Comments until now
Good luck with it Chris, I hope you learn a great deal along the way. I look forwards to hearing how it’s going,
C
(note new e-mail now up and running)
I am in college to earn my first Bachelors degree. I am 57 and it hasn’t been easy to balance my life with school.
You mentioned your employer is paying for your education, I am paying myself. I have received some very generous scholarships but, I have still had to use loans. I don’t have as many years to repay as a student 20 years old.
So I, too, asked myself why I am doing this.
1. School is more stimulating than my work. I really needed to find some way to challenge my mind.
2. I will be working ’til I day after what has happened to my savings in the financial fallout.
I might as well be doing something I enjoy so I am studying public relations and communications.
I hope this pays off.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Deborah. I thoroughly applaud reason number 1 and commiserate for reason 2.
I don’t know if you are in the UK or not (guess not from when you posted this comment) but there seems to be a really stifling debate here about how education should be “of use”, unless it is of financial benefit to some future employer then it has less value.
I’m enjoying being a learner for its own sake. I’ve discovered I get a lot out of challenging my own mind – makes me more motivated generally, improves my critical thinking and just makes me more human. It’s difficult to translate that into value for money.
Anyway, more power to you Deborah! Hope it goes well.
Chris
[...] can’t quite believe that we’re already through our first semester of the MSc at Sheffield Hallam. It’s been a challenging few months in which the learning has come thick [...]
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