Every assignment that I’ve had throughout the semester has been a learning experience and new. For our first lab in Calculus we had to use the bacterial growth data we had received in biology to calculate the rate of change and produce graphs to represent it. This lab helped me realize how different fields have different perspectives and tie together. We were able to relate calculus to how bacterial cell division works by doubling and graphing to figure out the bacterial growth rate. It really goes to show how much collaboration is needed to have breakthroughs. Working with this lab in particular really inspired me because It was just like that part in a movie where you could see where the plot starts to tie together. Throughout SMART I did start to ask myself more questions the more that I learned. For example, finding out the backbone of chemistry atomic orbitals are based on mathematical equations and not some shapes someone made up one day. The program helped me gain interest in fields I could see myself in that I had never thought about prior.
There were a couple times during the course where I failed to get a checkmark for a learning target, however, the most memorable failure was my first one, learning target eight. LT8: I can apply the Chain Rule to differentiate composite functions. On my first checkpoint for LT8 I received a revision mark which brought me a lot of confusion until I checked the comments for the first time . “Part (b) is missing parentheses. Part(d) is incorrect.” I wasn’t aware of the significance of how the placement of parentheses could truly change the problem. As for problem d(d) I did not read the question properly to understand what was happening. Reflecting back on this I learned to focus on the details and be more vigilant. Not only in the classroom but outside of it as well. After revising over the problems and asking for help in an attempt to learn from my mistakes I worked towards getting it the next checkpoint.
Thanks to my practice in the topic I got the first check I wanted. Unfortunately I had failed to get another check in the next checkpoint that occurred but this time it was due to my obliviousness that I needed to complete it. Along with overall doing horribly on that assessment. To me this struggle worried me because I felt like I had regressed in progress. My inner endurance did not want this minor setback to be my progressive downfall in the course so I grew from my mistakes and made an effort to catch back up through office assessments for LT8. This hurdle helped me realize what I needed to do in order to be better. If I hadn’t failed I wouldn’t have known how to reach out, reassess, and revise my work.
The moment I realized that I was truly handling college level work was when I sat at my dorm desk reviewing what I need to do to be successful in all of my SMART classes. It occurred to me after doing Journal 3 in class. It made me consider multiple things, especially what needs to be prioritized and what can I do to be better prepared. Doing guided studies, actively participating in class, and using my time management skills to make sure I understand the content has been most effective for me. Although I was not much of a notetaker in any of my classes, I learned best through listening, practice and demonstration.
The most challenging assignment I’ve had was Lab 2: Mutation to Antibiotic Resistance. For this lab we had to use R programming language to visualize data from our Luria-Delbruck biology lab to create a histogram and estimate the mutation rate. The reason this lab struck me as a challenge to me was because R Studio was completely new to me. I needed to use my critical thinking and problem solving skills in order to help my group to use the inputted data for a histogram. Interestingly enough, our team got a jackpot during our Luria Delbruck lab! Aside from using R studio I had difficulty calculating the number of expected mutations. At the time I did not know that was even possible to do. To overcome these challenges I took the initiative to ask questions and communicate with my team members.
Speaking of team work, over the entire semester I can proudly say that I have never missed a check for a team quizzes. This achievement is thanks to my team members. There were many times where we had exchanges of information with one another. Some days I got things wrong and was being coached on how to improve and other days I was the one helping my team members out. We found out that working each problem at a time individually then checking with one another after was our best dynamic to learn. Each of us explained what we got and how we got it. My personal strengths lied within my active communication and leadership to make sure all three of us contributed. I sometimes ended up being the one the group would be waiting on to finish. So in the future I want to improve my speed because I tend to be slower than my team members when it comes to group activities but I always get it done.
Peer-to-peer teaching has been a big contributor to whenever I am stuck on certain topics. It has helped me build relationships with other people in the program, building a sense of community when we are under the same course load. It made me proud to say that I tutored another person within the class and assisted them in understanding the content to improve on their next checkpoint. I did this by helping review over their mistakes and talking through each step and the rules behind them. By teaching I learned that it was a great way to test my own understanding of the material.
The best method I’ve used this semester to improve my communication of technical material was through writing out my steps. This helped me a lot doing the chain rule (LT8) and for more complex topics like using the substitution methods (LT18). Along with specifying my units, particularly during LT4. I wanted to make sure I knew how to communicate and interpret derivatives so I was consistent in practicing it. I got three checks for that learning target! Not only in calculus but I have grown in how I receive and describe my mathematical and critical thinking when it comes to assessments or labs. For example, In Lab 3 we needed to interpret graphs we made and make reasoning out of it.
Overall I am feeling pretty good with how calculus turned out but I still want to improve on assessing graphs. Although the topic seemed simple I had trouble interpreting it correctly. Specifically I had trouble with LT12 and LT13. I wish I could have put more effort into comprehending what was happening so I could reattempt but as the class kept moving I needed to keep up with understanding newer calculus topics and doing work for other courses. Though towards the end of the course I had the time to go to office hours and get clarity of what I was missing and it really helped. It is truly unfortunate that this will be my only semester because it interferes with a significant class for my major but I have really enjoyed my time and what I have learned.
- Tyeon Ford