Pulse Check

I would give the class a B to a B-. I like the way how the class is outlined and leadership goals but I feel as though the course doesn't have any teeth. We are using the book as a text book but what motivation do I have to read it? The majority of us already have some type of leadership experience and personal theories so when I answer the questions in blogs I refer to personal experiences instead of the book. There is no motivation to read it. We are receiving grades for this class so I feel that it is necessary as professors that you give us some feedback on how we are doing in the class. I'm ok with receiving a B in the class as long as I know that I'm receiving a B and I am doing everything in my power to bump it up, but if I get a B when throughout the semester I believe that I'm doing A work without teacher feed back than I get mad. How do I know if I'm doing enough or not doing enough without solid teacher feedback. I know that leadership is a personal discovery and very opinionated but you should grade us through the deadlines and how extensively we explore each thought. The teeth of any university class are the grades that professors hangs over us. I wish that there were no grades in the University and that we could all go sit under at tree and learn from professors but I know that the grades motivate me to do the things I know that I should do. We are creatures of procrastination and the grades are my checks and balances.
I love the idea of blogging about our experiences and reactions to the leadership challenges but wasn't the purpose of the blogging suppose to be discussing issues and ideas as a class. No one is really doing that.

This is what I would suggest for next time. Have the teacher in charge of chapter blogs and require that each student make at least 2 posts per week on class page about the chapter. Ask them to cite 1 to 2 passages in the book that they agree with or disagree and defend there point of view. Then ask them to make 3 posts on the blogs of other students. On the class blog divide up the class into 3 groups by how many credit hours the students are taking being 1 through 3. It is easy to slack when you compare yourself to the rest of the class because you will say that you are doing more work than the rest of the students. The problem is that you have 2 and 3 credit hour people comparing themselves with 1 credit hour people. Assign point to the blogs, for example 10 points per blog and actually score them. So each person is able to get 50 points a week for their blogs. Have the leadership challenges be 20 points each, and the final paper 100 points. Class participation 10 points etc. As a student in general I feel like a dog that has to jump through hoops. with this class you guys are holding up the hoop but there is no incentive to keep on jumping through it. An example is that everyone participated in the first blog on a definition to a leader and everyone commented on everyone else's blog, but now it seems like only Anna comments on the blogs. Put some teeth in the course and snap at people to make them jump.

You are going to find that the majority of the feed back from the students will be very positive on the course because they find it so lenient. Every college student has a busy life and they do not want to complicate it any more than it is. Some will say that they feel close to members in the but personally I don't. I think that the best solution for that is require people to blog other members in the class. It is the best way that they can find out who these people are. I'm probably shotting myself in the foot and only speaking for myself but I find that I skim over the chapters in the book that I am not assigned, go on line to blog for about 30 minutes a week if that, and show up to class. I feel that this is more of a voluntary workshop than an actual credit hour class. I'm only taking 1 credit hour without the Leadership challenges but I feel that I'm doing about same amount of work as everyone else. I really do not want to sound mean and I know that Anna is putting in a lot of time into this class but I feel that this class could be so much more than it is right now. You asked for my opinion and I may have been painfully honest.