Hello everyone. Finally being done with the presentation really eases my stress.

Another week has passed and some progress had been made on this project. Last week I continued to work on my Literature review. I focused on reading some of the literature I’ve been stacking up over that last two weeks. My brain may have slowly turned to mush on the way but we made it through. I think I found some literature that really connects to the points I want to make on the project. I feel like my system of organization has helped me really stay on point and not get lost in the sauce for lack of a better word. Having to code through each article and really break it down is very time consuming though. Like I feel like I am getting through this stuff at a snails pace some nights. I wonder if there was a better way of doing things, but it is what it is. Overall I have added 7 more things to the list of sources. This literature review really has been a grind, but I’m happy that I am finding my way to the end of the tunnel.

This coming week I want to start getting to the finish line with the literature review. I know it wont really be done until I submit this project in the spring, but I want to close the book on this part and put some time into the ethnographic side of my project sooner than later. I also want to look at the proposal sheet and begin nailing down some things on that front. Its crazy to think that we are more or less half way through the semester. Time flies when your working hard I guess.

One last thing I want to mention is how I looked back through my main points, I kind of felt like I was missing something when thinking of the student and tutors experience. But I just couldn’t articulate it. While I in a meeting for work, I feel like I found a little inspiration to reassess some of the ideas I had before. I want to look into where tutors draw the line. While tutors are doing everything in their power to get to the student, I want to begin to think about when and how the line is drawn and the responsibility solely rests on the student. I don’t know where this inspo will really go, but I may have a new thread to use down the line.

Another eventful week down. Another one to go.

One of the major things I’ve learned in my time here at Kean is that there can be some fun in the work we do for school. I can say with confidence this is not one of those times. Starting a lit review is honestly a chore. Once you get some momentum it does gets better but boy, that first week or two is a slog. Finding articles and resources is one thing, knowing you have to wade through them. I know its a process, but its a process that does not have much appeal at the start.

Ok. I’m done whining. This week I began my lit review. It was uneventful really. Looking at my research project from last semester I found that almost 10 articles I picked out then might still have a place in this project which is nice. Though that probably will change since I’ll have to read through them again for this project. In starting the review, I do feel like I am making progress toward my overarching inquiry for my thesis. Although my progress does feel like baby steps in a lot of cases, I’ll take it over no progress at all. I believe I have found about 3-4 articles that may have a place in my project, but only time will tell. This part of the process is a slog, no way around it, but things could be worse. I could have a presentation coming up….oh wait.

Looking at this coming week I want to just keep the ball rolling as much as possible. With my presentation next week (boy I wish I did not choose the first one this time) I need to make sure all my ducks are in a row and that I have something good to show the class. I want to continue to find sources and get to at least 13-15 by the end of the week. Big goals but I feel like I can manage that (and if I don’t I just get what I can done).

In terms of time management Ive been a bit better this last week in being consistent and using my time wisely. I want to keep up this effort and not fall into relaxing when there is more work to do. Hopeful this week is as good as the last one. See y’all Monday.

Before I give an update, I want to be totally transparent. Was this the most productive week I could have had? No. Did I use my time wisely at every opportunity? No. Does that mean this week was a total waste No. Can we do better going forward? YES. With that out of the way lets get the wheels turning. This is accountability class so I wanted to just be honest.

This week had some ups and downs. Early in the week,I didn’t put enough focus on this project as I should have. Its still too early to really know what true progress is but I know I could have done more. Later in the week I was able to really kick things in gear and get to a point that I feel like I made up for wasted time. I guess I needed to get back in the swing of things before I could really lock in. Its pretty ironic considering that one of the things I wanted to key in on with this project was my time management skills. Procrastination been a bad habit that I just haven’t been able to full get out of but it is what it is. I feel like the back half of my week was much better I and think I made a little bit of a break through. I see the issues with my workflow and I have to address them in order to make this project the best it can be. Bumps in the road can’t stop this journey just yet

As I went over my past research proposal I looked over a lot of the research I did last semester. While i liked the topic of my proposal, i felt that I wanted to take a bigger look at academic support and what it requires to help student succeed overall. As I looked over my work, one major concept kept popping up: Barriers. Much of the literature that I read either mentioned it intentionally or indirectly. The barriers to support for students is major piece to the puzzle I’m trying to figure out. Before academic support can be transformative, certain things need to align in regards to the student and tutor/advisor/professor. Technological, psychological, and academic barriers have to be addressed along the way before we can get students on track. Within the context of a University writing centers this topic really piques my interest. I don’t have it all figured out just yet, but I feel like I’m getting closer to where i want to take this project.

Looking towards next week I want to begin collecting things for the lit review. With the barriers surrounding support for students being my starting point. I want to really explore some of the literature to see where I can fit into the overall narrative. With this I want to continue to work on a mind-map centered on the Technological, psychological, and academic barriers students face. Walking those concepts out will be very fruitful for me in the long run. Another goal for this week is also outlining my experiences with the writing center. Since I want to put an autoethnograpic element into this project, its time to really to start clearly organizing my thoughts and seeing where “barriers” might fit into my own personal story. Lastly, my presentation is on the horizon and I’m gonna need something to show all of you guys. While I obviously won’t have much to show since we are so early in the game, I do want to really want to talk about our creative processes in terms of this project.

There is a lot on my plate right now but I know we all do. Not really sure how it all will balance out, but I do know one thing. Next weeks coming either way so I gotta keep chipping away at it. Rome was not built in a day, but I sure wish it was. See ya’ll in class.

Hey everyone. Don’t think I need to introduce myself again so I’ll get straight to the point with this blog. When it comes to thinking about my thesis, i would be lying if I knew where exactly I wanted to go with my thesis. I feel closer to my final answer but I’m not quite there yet. I know for a fact that I want to center my thesis, around my work on the Writing Center. I’m really interested in looking into the things that allow a Writing center to a benefit to students at their respective universities. In addition, I am also super interested in doing some autoenthnograpic work in my thesis. Being able to center aspects of my project around my own personal experience as a writing tutor. I feel like it would be a great chance to bridge the creative side and the analytical work that comes with a heavily researched project like. Over the next couple of weeks I really want to hammer down my guiding question to really get the ball rolling. Based on how my research proposal from last semester came along i really think Im close to getting started. Excited to see how the next couple of weeks come along. I know this will be a struggle, but I’m sure things will work out one way or than other.

Another wrinkle with my thesis is the independent study I’m doing this semester. My project is pretty much working in tandem with my thesis which makes it easier to be completely honest. My IS is also rooted in authethnographic work so it will really help me in the process of getting through my thesis. While it is super exciting to be doing all of this work, it also is a little daunting. In both this class and my independent study, I really have to be on my A game to make the most of my time everyday. I know I signed up for all of this when I came into the program,and Im sure i can handle all of this, but it still is a bit scary to see all the work that is ahead of me. I hope you all keep me accountable with this.

If nothing else the next couple of months are going to be interesting. See yall Monday.