Connected Learning

At Lasell College, directors and professors stress the school's strong connected learning program. However, I just realized that only a few professors are actually commited to this curriculumn. As a junior, I expected my previous years to be filled with an abundance of "connected learning" experiences, but this semester is my first practice with connecting what I learn in the classroom to the outside world. Although I think it's late to be learning how to apply my knowledge, I'm glad to be doing it at all.

To connect what we learn about media relations, my class is hosting an winter clothing benefit in the campus center called Rockin' the Cradle. We are all responsible for different tasks and pulling everything together to ensure success for this event. I am on the writing team, and responsible for creating documents to distrubte to people involved in the event. Rockin' the Cradle will not only benefit children in need of winter clothing items but also the students in Professor Vicente's Media Relations class. I think the learning experience we gain by planning this event and seeing the final outcome, will help us in the future.

I personally have already learned so much. Especially about Lasell College. I never knew that it could be so difficult to get department heads involved-or even to respond to our letters and emails! We're hosting an event at the school which NEEDS local awareness, we PAY the teachers, shouldnt they want to be involved?

It frustrates me that the school's reputation for being so commited to connected learning is pretty much close to false. When I came to this school I thought I'd get a lot of hands-on experience, and I wouldnt just be sitting in the classroom taking notes and listening to some boring lecture. Unfortunatly, I've only had two teachers that commited their classes to teaching us how to apply the things we learn to real situations in the communications industry.

Looks like I know who to try to take more classes with in following semesters! FYI Fellow students: make sure you talk to your friends about which teachers to take your courses with! Unless, that is, you enjoy mind-numbing powerpoints and dreadful lectures...