communication

It’s the Real World-We Need to Cooperate and Collaborate

All the time I have been in academia I have heard people talk about “real life out there.” College is not the “real world.” Yet in college, at university, there are turf wars, political maneuvering, rotten apples and the good ones, the used and the users (and most of the rest of us who do some of both). There are the “skill” positions on the team and the “grunts.” There are personal disappointments and proud achievements. There are relationships that deepen and engage us and those that go south. What is not real about life here?

Cooperation and Collaboration

So it is that we are here together, as in real life, social animals required to cooperate and collaborate in this project we have going here at UAMS. Ours is a group project like the multiple award winners in the scientific categories of the Nobel Prizes. Since 2010 these prizes have usually included at least 2 and often 3 concurrent winners. Ours is not like the solitary awards to the literary set, one person each year in that same span since 2010. So, in this corner of the world, we are required to work together. It’s helpful to remember that group work might be done in one of at least two ways. We might cooperate. We might collaborate.

To cooperate is to work independently toward a common goal. A medical care team with its therapists (occupational, respiratory, physical, and so on), its nurses, doctors, chaplains, patient care attendants, case managers, pharmacists, patients and caregivers and more is a good example of cooperation. In the ideal situation each exhibits her or his special expertise toward the wellbeing of the patient.

To collaborate is deeper. To collaborate is to work together toward a common goal. Well, now that I think about it, a medical team is often working together and not just independently. There are rounds and shared planning and consultation. These are marks of more than simultaneous cooperation.

I encourage you to work on both of these skill sets while a student here at UAMS. This is a kind of simulation lab much like the real world. Here, you can learn by doing, reflecting on your doing, and improve the next go-around. Work on cooperating—help each other out with your own independent contributions toward the wellbeing of each and of all. Work on collaboration—practice working together, consulting, shared planning toward the wellbeing of each and of all.

What Do You Expect from Your Instructors?

Last week I asked you what you expected from your education. I asked you to think about why you are here at UAMS, and whether your experience is meeting your expectations. I also advised you to reflect on and alter your expectations from time to time, because when your expectations are aligned with your experience, your motivation and satisfaction increases. And, motivation and satisfaction are important for academic success.

This week, I want you to think about what you expect from your instructors. Instructors tend to be the most visible representatives of a college or university, and students will often base their evaluation of their program on their opinions of their instructors. And, while instructors have a lot of expectations for their students, those same students arrive in class with expectations for the faculty.

What Do You Expect from Your Instructors

The expectations you bring into the classroom are often influenced by your experience with your previous instructors. You will probably want them to do the things your favorite instructors did in the past. For example, you might have had an instructor whose passion for their subject inspired your curiosity, or sparked your interest in your current field of study. It would be natural for you to expect the same passion from your instructors at UAMS. At the same time, we all remember that professor whose class we endured, probably because it was a requirement. It may have been an important course, but you missed out because of the way it was taught. You are probably expecting your instructors to do better than that in your current program.

Keep in mind that your instructor can’t be aware of the expectations you bring into his/her classroom. Every student is different, and their expectations are unique to their personality and prior experience. In addition, student expectations are rarely shared with the instructor. These factors often lead to a disconnect when expectations make contact with reality.

When Expectations Meet Reality

So, what should you do when reality doesn’t live up to your expectations? First, remember why you are here and what you want to get out of your educational journey. Renewing your commitment to your academic journey will help reduce the impact of misplaced for unmet expectations.

Second, reach out to your instructors. Ask questions, engage in discussion, and seek guidance. They are masters of their professions, and they want to help you achieve your professional and academic goals. They have chosen to teach – to invest in future generations of professionals – and they want to do their best. So, don’t decide to disconnect. Reach out instead.

Finally, remember what you have the power to change. You can change how you react and what you do. Take steps to make your learning more satisfying and enriching. Connect with your peers to go deeper into the content. Look for places to volunteer, where you can interact with professionals on the front lines. Find opportunities to connect what you are learning to real world experience. You don’t have to make a huge time commitment to deepen both your learning and experience.

You bring expectations of your instructors to class, and sometimes the reality will far exceed those expectations. When it doesn’t, don’t become discouraged. Know why you are there, what you want, and take steps to make things better.

What Do You Expect from Your Education?

Why are you at UAMS? No, really, why did you choose us for your education? Educators talk a lot about expectations, usually referring to the expectations they have for their students. But faculty expectations for education is only part of the equation. Students bring their own expectations, and they should be examined as well.

It’s Your Education

Okay, so it’s your education. What are you expecting? You started this journey for a reason. What was it? What are you expecting to get out of it? These questions will determine the time and effort you are willing devote to your schooling, so you need to ask yourself, what do you expect?

Look, a health sciences education isn’t easy. There are books full of facts that your instructors say that you need to know. You are expected to learn a wide variety of procedures that will need to become second nature. You have to grapple with ethical issues that will inform your future practice. Will it be enough? Will you be ready? Or, is it all too much? The answers to these questions depend partly on your expectations.

If you don’t know why you are here, or what you want, you won’t be able to answer these questions. Sometimes, people choose a path because they don’t have anything better in mind. They adopt a “why not” attitude. They drift through courses, not unhappy, but not fully engaged either. Without a set of reasonable expectations based what they want out of their education, they can’t be truly successful.

So, do you know what you expect and why?

Examine your Expectations

Take time to think about your expectations for your education. How informed are they? Did you know what your education would be like? Will it get you where you want to be? Were you realistic? If you know why you are here and what you want, but find that some of your expectations were unrealistic, then maybe you need to modify your expectations.

Expectations should change a bit when they encounter reality. Like so many things in life, you rarely know what to expect until you have at least some experience behind you. So expect to make some adjustments. When your expectations are aligned with your experience, your motivation and satisfaction increases. If they don’t align, you get frustrated, your courses seem pointless, and your motivation plummets. So, stop often to adjust your expectations.

Own your expectations, and be aware of how they affect you. Stay engaged with your education. If something seems pointless, ask about its significance. If you are inspired by an idea or assignment, connect it to as many other experiences as you can. Look for ways to have your expectations met, and don’t wait on others to do it for you. After all, it’s your education.

Group Projects with Google Drive

Group projects always have challenges, but managing one doesn’t have to be stressful. What you need is a platform that keeps all the work in one place, shows the latest drafts, and offers enough flexibility so that group members can work on their own time schedules. Google Drive incorporates all these features and makes organization, communication, and collaboration much less frustrating and time-consuming.

Google Drive is designed for collaboration. The documents you create and share are designed to be worked on by multiple people. It’s easy to create a Google account. In fact, anyone who already has a Gmail address has access to Google Drive. And, you don’t need a Gmail address if you don’t want one. You can create an account with your UAMS or personal email address. Go to https://www.google.com/drive and click on Go to Google Drive.

The strength behind collaborating in Google Drive comes through the ability to create and share files. Create a folder for your project and share it with the group members. You can create new folders and files or upload files from your laptop into the drive. Share photos, documents, presentations, PDFs, designs, drawings, recordings, videos – almost anything you need for your project can be stored and shared in Google Drive.

Group Projects with Google Apps

The Google apps make Drive a great platform for group projects. Students can work together on the same document in real time, and save their work in Drive. Here’s a quick overview of four apps that make working on group projects, papers, and presentations easy and efficient.

Docs: Docs is Google’s word processing app. Think of it as a lite version of Microsoft Word. Use docs for brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and polishing any type of document.

Slides: Slides is like PowerPoint lite. Gather all your content and create your slideshow in Slides. Multiple authors can add to, change, or edit the slideshow as needed, and Slides will always display the most recent version. You can track changes too, and revert to earlier versions if necessary.

Sheets: Sheets is Google’s spreadsheet app, sort of an Excel lite. You can use it for anything from data collection to keeping a project journal.

Calendar: Google Calendar is a great way of putting your project on a timeline. Create a project calendar and then set all your deadlines, due dates, status checks, meetings, and class sessions so that everyone in your group stays on track.

Google makes group projects much less frustrating and time-consuming. Use Google for your next project and have greater success.