A521.1.4.RB- Stories in your organization

Aviation and Embry-Riddle have always had a lifelong partnership that grew and flourished into vision and values. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s leader in aviation and aerospace education.

Born and raised three exits away from Daytona Beach, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was basically in my backyard. The institution always had a wonderful reputation but I did not make the connection that this is an organization I should be a part of on my own. I was fortunate to finally get connected and began my employment in September 2013 as an Academic Advisor for the Graduate program at the Worldwide Online campus. In several ways, I am being told that I am only half way to that one-year click, but the landscape of ERAU’s story is quickly materializing. I see the big picture and it is beautiful.

There are three campuses that students may attend located in Daytona Beach, Florida, Prescott, Arizona and Worldwide, which is made up of over 150 campuses literally worldwide. As an advisor for the Worldwide Online campus I connect and communicate with students in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and the Middle East daily comprised of both civilian and military backgrounds. As part of the Worldwide campus there are five modalities to learn from that range from in-person, online, an option to attend from home through the EagleVision classroom, go to a classroom with an EagleVision instructor and a blended variation of the four other modalities.

ERAU states that we are “committed to an expansion of opportunities” and that has been such a significant statement that it could be described as a story always being written and constantly in flux. Even within just the six months on board, I have seen changes and updates many times already. I also see continuous announcements and plans for upcoming changes and updates, too.  Growth occurs through new buildings, technology, projects, programs, education, which go on to receive varied awards, achievements and accolades. I am not kidding when I say that we as an organization move as fast an airplane! I have also been personally encouraged toward taking any opportunity for personal and professional development.

I think what can be expected of Embry-Riddle is that complacency and stagnation are not ideal situations and are unlikely to occur. New ideas are welcomed and met with open arms. ERAU is not afraid to be on the cutting edge and jump on board with trying and perfecting anything new. The word “new” is a happy word, not a fear-inducing term. With, ERAU, expect progress to always be on the horizon. A constant collage of community and culture are created by improvements and facilitation. If ERAU as an organization were a person I would say it would be a person with a big brain and a big heart. It is a healthy organization that thrives because of the willing attitude in the leadership and throughout the organization. The culture is impacted positively because there is always something new to learn, get involved with and be a part of launching. No matter how soon or how long ago you began with the University, you are thought of as valued.

A500.9.4.RB- Course Reflections

Prior to January I never bothered to come into the room I now call my study. Sitting here, swiveling around in my office chair, it does not feel like I have been ritualistically coming in here and working on my ‘school work’ for only nine weeks as my first course is quickly coming to a close. It is now so familiar that I automatically come in, plop down and work on my module that time has seemed to fly by; these days, time is something that I cannot out run or out work. I have been so devoted to my first graduate course that I often feel like the character Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell in the episode called “Jessie’s Song”, who in the midst of a meltdown due to juggling school in the hopes to getting into Stanford and also her participation in a girl singing group in the hopes to getting their big break in the 1990’s pop scene begins to take caffeine pills to stay awake enough hours in the day to try to do it all. One of her most famous lines she cries out, “There is no time. There’s never any time.” I can commiserate with her plight. I find myself saying that phrase like a worn out, soon to be broken record.

 I found myself during the fifth week of MSLD 500 having my own meltdown. I was sick, which in my opinion, is not an excuse. I felt so run down and it was right in the middle of the term when the fatigue begins to become apparent.  I found a quote on the internet that says, “You have the same hours in the day as Beyoncé.” It is true; everyone has the same amount of time. It is important what you choose to do with it. I found myself struggling immensely with the actual assignments, that even with continuous work and an all-nighter Friday night to Saturday morning, I was still at a loss on what I was going to do and I had nothing on my electronic sheet of paper. I missed the deadline and thought to myself, what haven I gotten myself into?  Why did I even do this? I felt in that moment that I had ruined everything. I truly was terrified with the thought of failure. With heightened emotions I sobbed uncontrollably that I was going to fail the class and not turn in any more work, receive my F grade, get placed on academic warning and not be in good standing with the very University in which I was employed. I was afraid I was not good enough, not smart enough to be well rounded and do all the different types of assignments. It was a very dark few days for me while I grappled with the reality of what was going on with me. I literally just felt stuck, paralyzed and unable to continue forward like a dream that keeps you frozen and unmoving. I think there is a really ugly side to success that is unattractive and often left in the shadows.  At what cost do you want to succeed and what are you willing to do to make it happen? What do you do when you feel like you just can’t? Is my desire to be great too much for me to handle? Though I risk having my own mental health questioned, I think it is really important to come forward with your personal struggles so that they do not gain anymore traction in your life and grow into something worse. I think that was clearly the most negative aspect of this course for me. I think I became my own enemy and got into my own way.

I have contemplated how I might have improved my learning experience, what more could I do or what I could have done differently? I still do not really have an answer. I know in my heart I tried my best and gave it my all. I have had those in my life say to me, you are doing well; you can maybe take it down a notch. I am the type of person where I am really all or nothing, I run at intensity level eight thousand. I feel like I had to give it my all and be all-in each assignment so that I could create a cushion in case I faced something I couldn’t overcome and faltered. I am also kind of like Pac man; it brings me instant gratification to eat up as many good grades as possible. I do feel like there were areas I had shortcomings, but while I think it is good to identify problems, I am not one to dwell and fixate on them, either. When I think about what the University or my instructor could do to further support my learning, I really feel satisfied with my overall experience, the problem I dealt with was based on something I did  not feel competent with and not a reflection on anyone but myself. A small critique would be that in an ideal situation, assignment updates and changes in a module would be beneficial prior to the beginning the new term or if that was not possible, prior to the beginning of that week’s module.

While everything in this life is not always sunshine and happiness and that has been acknowledged, there were some truly lovely moments that are important and positive that need to be praised. I earlier mentioned that I asked myself why I am doing this and why would I want to and the reason is because well, there are many reasons. Always one to self-reflect, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life about ten years ago. What is my life’s purpose, its mission? What I came up with is what I wanted my life’s impression to be. I want to be happy and I want to make others happy. If I have the opportunity, I would like to make the day better for those who encounter me. I never want to be the bad part of someone else’s day, or at least without unavoidable reason. With that comes social responsibility and awareness. I have witnessed social injustice in corporate environments. I have been a victim of it and I have seen others have to deal with it. There are certain things that I will never agree with and will not tow the company line if I ever make my way up to creating policies if it does not include valuing others. I want to become a force to be reckoned with and a force for good. That is not exactly specific to a field or a profession, I know, but that is what would make my life meaningful to me and that cannot be accomplished without leadership. I feel that this course set the foundation to learn more about leadership and that each of the topics have purpose. I cannot say that something is irrelevant, because I do not feel like we know what will be relevant when the journey of life is completely unknown. It is best to learn as much as possible to have the tools for the times when you need them and least expect it.

I learned a lot to be successful in future classes because there was a little of everything covered all in one class. I had no clue how to do APA format prior to this class. I didn’t know what critical thinking was and I had never blogged. One of the most positive aspects to me was connecting with something I love and have longed to do more of and that is writing, especially creative writing. It is still on the back burner as I am not completely sold on the possible success of my current abilities, but deep in my heart I long to call myself a published author. Blogging gives me the practice I was not giving myself before I began this program. Even if I never take the step to become an actual novelist, writing is always incorporated throughout the business world and can still something I am satisfied doing in any capacity that I find myself able to do it. Ultimately, I know that I need to grow myself through this leadership program to take myself to the next level of wherever it is that I am heading.  I am not sure what to really expect with the future courses in the leadership program. I am apprehensive about what I might face, but I am also excited about what I might gain.

Oh, there is something I thought of and one last thing I would like to conclude with in my course reflections. I really enjoyed my instructor and think that if the University and my instructor really want to support my learning experience, she would most definitely instruct other MSLD courses because that would make me really happy, so I strongly suggest that happening… pretty please? Let’s make this happen!

A500.8.3.RB- Good Presentation Design

If we had to label ourselves on what we think good design presentation is and how we approach it the way that the public places labels on singers, would you be a musician, an artist, a pop tart or an entertainer? Each relates to music but is nuanced so that the impact of each is easily construed. Musicians sing songs and can do it well. An artist transcends the current expectations and is defined by a signature impression. Pop tarts, or pop stars, heat up quickly and disappear just as fast when the next big thing hits and entertainers are about the thrills they give the crowd, but can be criticized, like pop stars for not letting the music speak for itself.  Unabashedly I know that I gravitate toward entertainer. In the realm of presentations there are those that can give a presentation very well; some people are more visionary at the craft than others. There are some that can be a one trick pony, when the right technology comes along they capitalize on it and then fade out when the technology is considered antiquated, never keeping current with the next trend. Others, their goal is to delight the audience whatever way will accomplish it. For me, I want to give a presentation that is done well but I want it to be memorable. I want it to be sensory in that maybe you experience something, perhaps happiness, fantasy, whimsy. I want the time spent listening and learning to be enjoyable and when you walk away something will be carried along with you. That is quite a tall order to try to live up to.

I remember my first brush with presentations, giving book reports in elementary school, which were fine introductory lessons. When I think back, I especially remember when PowerPoint was introduced and was a requirement to use for my Biology presentation in ninth grade. We were each assigned a topic that we were to learn about, make up a presentation and present it to the class through that medium so that we can learn the most information by teaching each other in a shorter amount of time. I really did not get the point of PowerPoint. I remember asking, so you type words on a screen and then you can read them? Why not use note cards instead? (I am still not sure what is advantageous about it, though I am sure there is something; it has just illusively escaped me.) My two person presentation was on mollusks. I was nervous about doing the presentation because the teacher knew everything about mollusks, I mean; she was the teacher after all. I knew so little about them in a scientific way, so I was sure to type all of the important information down so that I would not miss it. Looking back on the presentation I was glad to have it over with, but what I did would not count as quality or pleasurable. My speaking was fine, but I could have read from the book and saved some time and energy, if I were being truthful about it. When I think about how that presentation could have been different I do not blame the technology; however, I know that for me, I could have done so much more outside of it. If I were to go back and redeem myself I would skip the PowerPoint and announce that the snails wanted to do a sock puppet show and then after the show we were going to catch up with the surf n’ turf war between the clams and the oysters. Sometimes I feel that I do not always prefer multimedia as a method because unless you are able to do something really special with it, it can feel like a crutch. I love when others can do a really great presentation with multimedia, I think my shortcoming with it is that I have the ideas first and then sifting through everything that exists and getting it to do what I want leaves me talking to the computer telling it how nice it is and exasperatedly asking can it please just do what I want? You know, because computers have feelings and can hear me. It is painfully clear I need practice and keep up with the techno Joneses when that happens, oh, if only everything could be a song and a dance number.

Although I will say that I have not experienced a lot of riveting presentations, I can give rave reviews to one of my favorites, which was really one of the least likely to phone home about, an at work Safety and Health presentation for new hires. It seems like what we would have been told would be a lot of “do this, not that.” But that was not the format, whatsoever. The speaker used slides sparingly to emphasize we were transitioning to another point or when something was really important. To keep it light and to keep us awake during the less grave portions of safety protocol there was a lot of humor and it was really funny. During the portion about maintaining a culture of safety, videos were shown from Youtube or other sites that had really dangerous situations that someone decided to film and it really depicted how something can go wrong quickly. The most memorable part for me was this quirky little video in the health section of one minute and seven second short about sneezing from the supposed Public Health Agency of Canada. Bottom line, if someone sneezes in the back of your knee one day; just know that it is probably for your own good… maybe. The video was absurd, but terrific and I do not blame you if you search the web so that you can also share in this wondrous joy. There was a lot of information that was presented that day and I really learned a lot: fire diamonds, storing chemicals, ladder safety, basic first aid and first thinking and then doing. I also left being excited about the time I spent there and how I felt about what I learned.

Good design presentation can be so important to attain your goals whatever they may be. I think it is important to focus on what will aid your presentation and what will impede it. Typing in PowerPoint and reciting from it is just not going to get the job done like in my good old days of Mollusca. I think people are visual, but not in the ways of reading along as you are reading to them. If Social Media can tell us anything, it is that people like pictures. Maybe we had it right in Kindergarten, books with pictures, please!  A vivid graphic that elucidates exactly what you are conveying can be powerful. Simplicity is impactful so that you do not overload the audience with too many things all at once. Telling stories and sharing something that is relatable can help your point be understood. The person presenting is more important in providing the message than the technology you use, so do not rely on it to be you. I think something that is a presentation nightmare is to get the audience thinking about anything other than what you are presenting about, so that is something to consider and avoid. Ultimately, it is about the audience and getting your message to them in the best way possible.

A500.7.3.RB- Quantitative Research Methods

Quantitative research consists of the collection, tabulation, summarization, and analysis of numerical data for the purpose of answering research questions or hypotheses. Quantitative research focuses on the collection of statistical data that can be systematically analyzed in order to develop a clear, objective, and organized measurement in regard to the research question.  This methodology makes use of a scientific approach to reasoning and problem-solving in order to substantiate an apparent pattern and role for facts in making logical correlations between a hypothesis and conclusion. The key element that quantitative data supports is the recognition of pattern, or a certain systematic and predictable order, to events and phenomena.  This form of research must proceed according to a design and methodology.  Unlike qualitative research methods, researchers utilizing quantitative methods remain uninvolved and the results are objective. Larger samples are typically desired in order to produce results that can be generalized. Quantitative research is tremendously important, but the ins and outs can leave a little more to be desired for those of us who think in glitter, colors, words and pictures etc., so I would like to open up the idea of the equally important side of the use of quantitative research methods, that it can be interesting and powerful to everyone if you learn to appreciate all that it can accomplish and be used toward.

Since I was young I have been interested in people’s opinions to try to understand the world around me. I lived on the beach at the end of eighth grade and decided that the summer traffic would be a good opportunity to speak to people and find out what they thought about topics that were interesting to me. I made up a twenty question survey that asked an array of questions ranging from who was your favorite Spice Girl (Posh Spice), what is your favorite sport (gymnastics), do you run out of shampoo or conditioner quicker (conditioner, always) and do you have a negative perception of those who choose to wear red lipstick (no, I totally want to put some on right now). Surprisingly, random strangers were open to answer my hodgepodge of questions. I loved to find out the answers, but I had no clue about moving forward in analyzing my research. Sadly, to this day, the survey is tucked away in an inaccessible box, if not long gone. The world will never know the results of these random questions from 1998.

Flash forward to present day, I recently had the great fortune to conduct my own research once again in an action research project. I was able to ask my colleagues five questions, though really I would have loved to ask about a hundred, about their perception of aspects of transformational leadership in the current climate of our leadership structure. This time, I had the tools and ability to conduct an analysis and was pleased to see there was a pattern that presented a story of our department’s perceptions. My hope is to make a contribution in improving the world around me and that one day it will transcend my more isolated environment to improve workplace environments in moving toward leadership for the greater good of all employees. It is a naively optimistic notion, but it will not have a chance of happening if people like me do not hope and work for it.

Occasionally when I make my all too frequent visits to the wonderful Walt Disney World, as park-goers leave the park in the evenings you may be stopped by an Imagineer and be asked to participate in a survey. I love being asked to participate in their quantitative research. I always try to be as thoughtful and thorough as possible in giving my numerical ratings, but I become extra excited in giving my ideas and opinions in the written section. I think research is such an invaluable tool in understanding your business structure, the perception of others and moving forward in making meaningful changes and improvements. So rhetorically I ask, why not provide answers to make the place I love even better? I want my voice to be heard and count toward keeping the things I enjoy and adjusting those things that leave me wanting for more.

Though the definitions and methodologies that explains quantitative research can seem cold and dry, flooded with numerical values, scientific approaches, statistical data and systematic analysis, the body of information behind it can be colorful and important and is a way to measure that can be transformational to the situations we are involved in and the world around us all.

References:

Mamia, T. (2012, April). Quantitative Research Methods. Retrieved from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-14114959-dt-content-rid-38257535_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/MSLD_Courses/MSLD_500/msld_500_quant_research_methods_lecture1_tero_mamia.pdf

Rose, D. & Sullivan, O. (1996) Introducing Data Analysis for Social Scientists: Second Edition. Buckingham: Open University Press.