Quality College Course Necessities

As I approach the end of my senior year, I look back on my past four years spent at Oregon State University and can see the progress made in all aspects of my life. I have grown immensely, and learned so much from challenging yet rewarding courses, that have allowed me to flourish professionally and academically.

One specific course that has truly stuck out to me is my Retail Management course. Throughout this course, you were truly able to see the development of your knowledge over the 10 weeks. We were given weekly in class and outside of class assignments to ensure we were digesting and analyzing the information covered over the week properly, as well as testing our knowledge through the assessment phase of the development series, by participating in weekly quizzes. (Training and Development Doc, pg. 7)  Additionally, I felt extremely motivated and encouraged by our professor, who was there for any career advice needed. She provided a bit of a mentor/ mentee relationship for me, as I was attempting to navigate through my career decisions. (Training and Development Doc, pg. 8) Overall, the course was designed effectively and efficiently, and I left feeling more knowledgable and confident in this area.

However, I am currently in a capstone course that I do not see as beneficial. This class has a mandatory individual and team simulation that was assigned to us with minimal guidance and training. The professor often times encourages the students to come in for “coaching”, but is not very receptive or understanding when there is a learning curve or barrier. (Training and Development Doc, pg. 9) It overall has made the class an extreme struggle and an unenjoyable requirement.

For training and courses to be successful and enjoyable for me, I must have a good relationship with my superior, as well as engage in content that I deem useful and applicable to the long term goals.