Schoolhouse Recap

As previously noted, the IFR Pilot is tackling the challenge of obtaining a Certificate in Management Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University via its Worldwide Online offering. As the name implies, it's a totally on-line experience -- a dramatic change from the last schoolhouse I attended in 1994. (Side note: I was literally laughed at in my first year Torts class in the Fall of 1991 when I broke out a notebook computer to take notes during a lecture; today it's pretty much standard practice for the kids in law school to use laptop computers and most law schools, of course, have wireless internet access. How things have changed in a mere 17 years!)

Anyhow, the current class is MGMT 201, "Principles of Management." Class consists of:

1. Reading two chapters each week in the assigned textbook.
2. Completing a case illustration assignment from each chapter.
3. Posting a response to a discussion question on a classroom bulletin board.

The reading is relatively straightforward and, seeing as how it is a first- or second-year college level class, it's not all that complex. The case illustration questions generally consist of a set of hypothetical facts followed by somewhere between two and five discussion questions. Answering them essentially involves processing key concepts from the chapter and applying those concepts to the hypothetical facts. Each weekly posting is worth 10 points, so 50 available so far.

The bulletin board discussion questions are not complicated to answer, but have on some occasions proven to be fairly provocative. I've done my best to avoid doing what others do, which is just posting a few random thoughts. Instead, I've tried my best to relate the question to something that's been covered in the chapters we've read that week, and to annotate the posting with hyperlinks to relevant third-party materials. Each week, students can earn an additional 10 points if they fully participate in the discussion (post a response, respond to others, be courteous, etc.), so that's another 50 available so far.

This week, we took the mid-term examination. Open book, 40 questions (true/false and multiple choice) and two essays. Total points available: 100.

IFR Pilot's total points to date: 200.

As I commented to ML today, "Everyone should wait until they are 40 to go to college. You really take it seriously then, especially when you are paying for it!"

Six weeks down, six to go.