My Thoughts Were Lost in the May Mester!

Hello! I taught a May Mester course for the past few weeks and it was very demanding. As a result, I had to take a small break to focus on the three week course. That was last week, but the funny thing is... it doesn't seem like this week will be any easier. Here's my to do list:

a) take car to the dealership
b) finish article outline - e-mail to Lora
c) revise communication article - Due Date - June 13th
d) upload blackboard course content (working on it now)
e) disperse syllabus slideshare presentation
f) organize my desk
g) finish IRB info. for partner institution

Well, I will post more information soon. Wish me luck!

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The 150th Post! Thank you!

Today is my 150th post. This has been a LONG journey, but a much needed one. Sometimes, I feel that I have to express my gratitude, triumphs, and sorrows to someone. This blog and all of you (the readers) enabled me to blossom during the past year and a half.

Through this blog, I have come in contact with many interesting people. This people include:

a) Amy - The Ch-Ch-Changing Librarian
b) Amanda - An outstanding librarian from my institution
c) Dr. Lora (*smile) - My SSCA friend and research partner
d) The Millennial Law Professor
e) Jaclyn Schiff - A fellow millennial, who is bound to make a strong impact on society.
f) Dr. Julie-Ann M. McFann - The new professor mentor.
I have been intellectually touched by many of you, but sometimes I forget your names. Please forgive me if I accidentally left your name off of the list.


If you have not subscribed to this blog, please do so. I keep a running count of readers, followers, and subscribers through google. It makes me happy when I have a few additional readers than the previous day! :)

Helicopter Parents and Their Millennial Student(s)

Helicopter Parents are EVERYWHERE! Fortunately, I have not have the pleasure of speaking with any of my students' parents (outside of summer orientation/parent's days). However, some of my colleagues have had the pleasure of doing so on a regular basis. I try to keep myself abreast of the new articles regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, but it seems parents (and students) utilize a variety of strategies that may challenge the rights provided by this act.

For example, it seems that a few millennial undergraduate students give their parents access to their university (and personal) e-mail addresses. Sometimes, I will receive an e-mail from a "student", only to discover that the e-mail was written by a parent and submitted through the students' e-mail or blackboard account. However, all of the e-mail that I received (via their student's account) have been focused on upcoming or past absences/sicknesses.

As a professor from the millennial generation, this was very surprising to me for a variety of reasons:
a) I would never give my mother (or father) access to my e-mail account.
b) My parents just learned how to send e-mail. However, they do not use the feature frequently.
c) I feel that college independence contributes to the student development process. Therefore, students should learn how to prepare for the post-graduation world through this four (perhaps five or six) year acculturation process.

Today, I found an article titled, "How Not to Be a Helicopter Parent - but Still Be a Parent". It seems this article/book's content will help our undergraduate students' parents become less involved in their students' lives, but more involved in sustaining a positive experience that conducive for student growth and development.

What experience do you have with helicopter parents? What are your opinions of helicopter parents?

Millennial Professor

Tangential vs. Non-Tangential Teaching Styles

Today, I discovered an article focused on tangential, but relevant comments from professors during their lectures. This article, "Classroom Teaching Methods: Are Your Lectures Sidetracking Student Learning?", made me think about my teaching style.

I thought this article was interesting, because I have never had a professor who excluded tangential comments from their lecture. The researchers utilized an experimental research design to discover if tangential comments enhance or slightly diminish a student's ability to retain important details from a sample lecture.

Their research study yielded results that affirm null hypothesis that many professors believe - tangential, but relevant comments enhance the lecture and the students' ability to retain vital information from the lecture. I will have to try tangential vs. non-tangential lecture styles during my two interpersonal communication classes next fall and I will employ the note card technique to test the results.

For those of you who deliver workshops or teach college/high school courses. What do you think of these results?

Millennial Professor