THE LAST ONE.
I am in a little bit of shock that I am here at the end of my ADL program journey. It all felt so overwhelming at first, I couldn’t even imagine having completed all the courses. I am incredibly proud of the work that I have done and grateful for the personal and professional growth that I have experienced. None of it happened in a vacuum. I leaned heavily on my peers, instructors, family and colleagues.
Collaboration was key to my success in the program. I was lucky to have been surrounded by high caliber individuals who helped me to be my best and produce my best work. In this course, my core collaborative partners were Dawn Short and Kelly Skillingberg. They are both powerhouse professionals and humans. It was truly a joy to get together and put our innovation plans under a microscope to analyze what was going well and what we needed to do to improve them. We provided feedforward to each other on all of the assignments, sharing ideas and recommendations, became cheerleaders when it was easy to feel some ‘senioritis’, and helped each other reflect on past coursework. In addition to my core collaboration crew, I am also an active participant in our GroupMe chats and Facebook group. I appreciate that these digital tools help me connect with more students in the ADL program.
My grade in this course reflects my efforts to complete all of the course readings, videos and supporting resources. I was able to meet the assignment deadlines despite taking some time off to celebrate my 20 year wedding anniversary. I really enjoyed the course discussions this term. They were more conversational and reflective. It was easier to build and nurture peer relationships without the pressure of a fully researched discussion post response. I hope to stay in touch with many of my peers through our Lamar learning network.
When I began the ADL program I was very much a product of the factory model education system that I was raised in. That model worked very well for me and I was an excellent student. I thought I would apply the same study skills and techniques that worked for me before in my master’s program. However, jumping into the CSLE+COVA model was completely foreign. It was intimidating to have to take ownership and apply my learning to authentic learning experiences. Growth never comes from staying in your comfort zone though, and that was decidedly true in this circumstance.
I have grown in so many ways of the last 16 months. I struggled with my confidence and imposter syndrome in a new full time role at my organization. I have now been there for a full year and I am certain that I am in the right place and my skills are a great match for my role. I feel less apprehensive to take initiative because my mindset has shifted to view everything as an opportunity. I credit much of what I have learned in the course of the ADL program for that transformation. That being said, as I close this chapter and complete my master’s degree, I have also learned that I’m never “done.” I am a lifelong learner. I am lit up with the possibilities of things to learn, problems to solve, people to work with, and ways to innovate that haven’t even been invented yet. Here we go.
Facilitation Innovation 