Talitha Gentry

HE 510 Foundations of Higher Education

Purdue University Global, K.Pratt, Spring 2013

This course was my first Master's degree course that was taken at Kaplan University. It presented an overview of the historical development of tertiary educational institutions in the United States, and was also quite enlightening because it helped me to understand more about how colleges and universities were created. It also helped me to learn more about the infrastructure of higher education institutions, how current government regulations affect the sustainability of specific programs. I found this course to be particularly beneficial to my professional goals because despite having direct professional experience in higher education I still was unaware how specific institutions were created and manifested themselves over the past century. This course described why certain positions were created, and how those positions each had a specific goal to facilitate the learning process.

HE 530 Higher Education Organization and Governance

Purdue University Global, C. Winsten-Bartlett, Spring 2013

Initially I was not completely confident in my knowledge base to understand the strategic components of higher education governance and organization, but this course was quite engaging because the assignments were based on helping professionals to gain a better understanding through a multitude of mediums. Colleges and universities cannot exist without a solid organizational and governance structure, and this course broke down each component of the structure and explains why it is important to a college or university's processes. The course also explains the various roles in the higher education hierarchy, and how they affect the student population. With a greater knowledge base of how governance structures worked and operated I was able to explain the importance of this structure to my colleagues and students.

ED 511 Teaching Methods through Differentiated Instruction

Purdue University Global, R. Bermejo-Mongillo, Spring 2013

This is truly a great course for aspiring and current educators, the framework explores major middle and secondary school issues, providing prospective teachers with the opportunity to reflect upon and develop their own practical vision of building a classroom environment that effectively promotes student learning. Students in this course are allowed to develop their curriculum based on specific grade-level based outcomes, while still remaining true to their own ideals of education. I particularly enjoyed this course because it was my first attempt to learn more about the classroom setting, and how proper planning and implementation can facilitate the learning process. I developed a deep appreciation for teaching methodologies that I previously knew nothing about, and this course truly sparked my interest to change the focus of my Master's degree to a field that covered more areas beyond higher education

EAD 864 Adult Career Development

Michigan State University, S. Weiland, Summer 2013

This was a wonderful class that veered beyond the typical aspect of Master's level courses, as it focused on analyzing various perspectives that adults face in today's professional environment. This was actually one of my favorite courses that I took at Michigan State University, as the assignments were not only relevant to my own career aspirations but I could use the knowledge for my students as well. Each assignment was tailored towards engaging any type of learner, and Dr. Weiland also used assignments that helped build each learner's skill with implementing technology into their work. I particularly enjoyed an assignment that we had that focused on analyzing the career experience of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, whom was a key whistle-blower in exposing the deceitful practices of the tobacco industry. Instead of conducting tedious research, Dr. Weiland's assignment focused on analyzing career anchors and why we as humans have to accept change, especially when our careers conflict with our current or existing values.

ED 800 Concepts of Educational Inquiry

Michigan State University, S. Weiland and N. Clason, Summer 2013

Concepts of inquiry in education addressing problems of theory and practice in teaching and learning, administration, and leadership. This was actually one my most challenging courses because it involved analyzing deeper components of educational inquiry, and understanding how this methodology is implemented by educators and other working professionals in the field. While it was a tedious course, I appreciated the level of work that was expected by Dr. Weiland and his persistence to expect excellence in my critical thinking abilities. My appreciation for this course was solidified when we began to move into more diverse methods of inquiry. The background of ethnographic and narrative inquiry seemed to resonate within my values, as I developed a more personal connection to these methodologies. I was able to use this knowledge directly with my students on a professional level to help them build connections to their own studies, which in turn helped them to develop a stronger purpose in their studies.

CEP 802 Developing Positive Attitudes Towards Learning

Michigan State University, E. Oka and T. Hicks, Fall 2013

This was a particularly engaging course because it focused on behavioral, individual-difference, and cognitive perspectives on student motivation to learn. The curriculum of this course focuses on issues that affect students within the K-12 education system, and specific tools that educators can use to motivate learning. While the material focused on the needs of a younger population of students, the principles can be used with any type of learner. Dr. Oka helped me to implement the methodologies within the adult learner population, citing that every learner experiences challenges with motivation. I had experienced challenges with motivating my own students, and despite efforts to maintain connections with my students regarding their personal status, it never seemed to make a change in their own attitudes. Many of my students have previously developed misconceptions about the learning process, but still were receptive to changing their previously determined attitudes. By using the methodologies that I learned in this course I have actively been able to help students who have experienced challenges with learning or remaining motivated within their studies to develop tools to keep them engaged in the classroom. I also have learned how to change my own approaches to students who are struggling by offering a more diverse array of options to meet their needs.

CEP 832 Educating Students with Challenging Behavior

Michigan State University, E. Oka and V. Mousouli, Fall 2013

This course focuses on more evidence-based classroom interventions for students with disruptive and other behavior problems within general education. Educators learn specific tools and resources to effectively manage disruptive behavior, but also are provided a detailed framework of how these behaviors manifest themselves in children. It was truly enlightening to learn about how behavior can affect the learning process, and the culminating project of conducting a hypothetical case study was particularly interesting to me because I was able to apply the principles that I had learned. For students that exhibited challenging behavior I was able to direct them to the necessary campus-based resources, but I also had the opportunity to work with the instructors to ensure that they had knowledge of any pre-existing issues or conditions that may provoke disruptive behavior. One of the most important take-aways that I took from Dr. Oka's course is that challenging behavior is not biased in nature. It can affect any age, race, or ethnicity, but concerned educators and professionals can be proactive in changing how it can affect the student's learning process.

EAD 866 Teaching in Postsecondary Education

Michigan State University, A. Austin, Spring 2014

This was truly my favorite course, as I not only enjoyed the course content, but I also developed a fond professional and educational appreciation for Dr. Austin. Since I work with adult learners this course was a perfect acquisition as it analyzed the components of teaching methods, curriculum that should be implemented, and why certain practices were used with this unique population of learners. I also was afforded the opportunity to construct my own syllabi, classroom style, and curriculum to ensure that learning outcomes could be met once I began teaching in the future. I never had much experience in professional career with creating tools for my students, so I truly believe I discovered my passion to teach in this course. The course allowed us to research so many issues that adult learners face, but many of them could be resolved by interacting with a educator who cared about more than just grades. I truly would love to have the opportunity to teach this unique population of learners, and I hope to implement many of the resources that Dr. Austin introduced us to in this course.

EAD 861 Adult Learning

Michigan State University, W. Arnold, Summer 2014

This course focuses on learning and the change that occurs in the adult years as well as motivation and barriers to participation. The course components were also particularly interesting to me because they seemed to tie together my previous courses curriculum. I learned more about how cognitive and other theoretical approaches could be used to understand how adults learner, and also obstacles that could deter their motivation to be successful in school. It was also interesting to learn more about how our experiences as adolescents affect one's ability to learn as an adult. It was enlightening to conduct my own personal research into how my own students experienced learning and now how that affected them in their current educational path. Many of my students were ridiculed and lacked support as children; and therefore, had negative connotations about the support that may be available to them as adults. It was great to have an opportunity to understand more about them, but also what I needed to do to build a positive support system around them so they could be successful.

ED 870 Capstone Seminar

Michigan State University, M. Koehler, S. Greenhalgh, B. Dillman, S. Keenan, Fall 2014

As my degree culminates to an end, this is the perfect course where I can truly show my own personality and how my education has impacted my life. Dr. Koehler allows each student to create their own unique presentation of their experience at Michigan State University, while also allowing each individual to showcase how their education has translated itself within their professional life. I enjoyed this course because I was not only able to showcase myself, but also had a great platform to show my current and future students to inspire them to complete their own degrees! I initially thought this course would be relatively easy, as with most capstone courses students simply synthesize their work, but this course transcended beyond traditional courses. It challenged me to look at my prior work in a more critical nature, and to truly assess how my degree had relevance in my life now and in the future.