Monday Motivation #179

Happy Monday!

I had a great conversation this morning with one of my classes — the kind that reminds me why I love teaching and working at a university. We were talking about what we’d learned this semester, and how to know what we know and what we still need to figure out. I haven’t taught this particular class before and while the semester has gone okay (I think!) there is definitely room for improvement. I wanted the students’ input on how we should spend the last few class sessions this semester, and what adjustments might help improve the course in future semesters.

While I’m reasonably confident in my teaching skills after almost two decades of experience, I also know that there is always more to learn and I try to keep assessing and improving my abilities each semester. This type of self-assessment can be uncomfortable — sometimes I realize that things aren’t going as expected and have to figure out how to adjust mid-semester without causing too much disruption to students. But developing the ability to synthesize feedback and assess our own progress is an important skill for professional success (and, often, for personal happiness).

This week, I’m sharing some resources for building your own self-awareness in different contexts.

Katy

Three Things to Try This Week

PREP for Success — the MSU Graduate School offers a guided self-evaluation tool (called the PREP model) to help graduate students navigate their academic and professional progress: https://grad.msu.edu/sites/default/files/content/prep/planyourwork.pdf (while the model is explained from the perspective of a PhD program, it can work for MS students too!). The Grad School offers a number of other career development tools and resources on its website, including instructions for how to connect with a career guide for one-on-one advice: https://grad.msu.edu/career-development

Decide Thoughtfully — while many engineers are great at using data to make technical decisions, in our personal lives it can be more challenging to weigh the options logically. This column summarizes research and advice from behavioral economics about how to make better-reasoned choices: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/29/daniel-kahneman-behavioral-economics/

Review and Revise — sometimes we can invest a lot of effort into making a decision and moving forward along that pathway, but we might not pause along the way to re-evaluate whether we’re still headed towards our goals. While sometimes the plan proceeds smoothly, at other times we may find that our goals have changed or the pathway we had planned to take has some unexpected detours. Making time to regularly review and adjust our plans and goals can help ensure that we keep moving in the right direction: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-can-you-evaluate-effectiveness-your-career

More Resources

• Sign up by Friday (4/5) to participate in the Three Minute Thesis Defense competition to be hosted by the College on April 12. This is a great chance to strengthen your communication skills (and there are prizes!!). Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/EGR3MT
• ’Tis the season for final defenses! These presentations are open to the public and can be a great way to learn about current research (and what to expect when you defend your own thesis). Find information about upcoming defenses on the College’s public events calendar: https://engineering.msu.edu/news-events/events
• Considering a career in higher education? The annual Certification in College Teaching Institute (https://grad.msu.edu/feature/certification-college-teaching) is a great way to explore some of the skills college teachers need to develop and to check off a number of requirements for the graduate certificate (you can attend CCTI without completing the certificate). The College of Engineering will cover the registration fee for students with a primary major in one of our graduate programs. Learn more and register here: https://grad.msu.edu/events/certification-college-teaching-institute-introduction-and-information-get-started-0