The DLL program is so different than any learning experience I've ever had. I have always had a teacher telling me what, when and how to do something. That's how things were in elementary, middle, and high school along with the biggest part of my under graduate degree. I have been out of the college game for quite a while. Here are my tips for surviving the DLL program so far:
Embrace the growth mindset. In 5302, we read all about the growth mindset. In the DLL program, you need to be able to take criticism from peers and professors and reflect back on yourself to see what may need to be changed about your projects and assignments. Don't let yourself get discouraged. Push through and see how much you can grow.
Understand COVA. My group went straight into 5305 with Dr. H without knowing anything about COVA. I have never been given control over how such a major project would look. I had the ability to choose the topic of my innovation plan and make it mine using my own voice to lead the way. Saying that it was tough is an understatement. I spent most of that first 5-6 weeks totally stressed out because I hadn't had to do a big research paper in over 15 years, and I had to make my project be something that would authentic to my situation.
Don't do it alone! Any time you have a big piece of an assignment or something due, share it with others and get their feedback. I would not have survived the research paper and such in 5305 without my sister-in-law. She has been an English teacher, so I could trust her to proofread my stuff. I also started throwing ideas off of one of my classmates whom had a similar project, and that really helped. We are now part of a collaborative group for 5303. If you don't have certain people, put your stuff out on the discussion boards to try and receive feedback on. Everyone is in the same boat as you, and I know I got ideas for certain aspects of my own project by seeing something in another classmate's post.
That's all I've got for now, but I'll add more if I think of something else.
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