Howdy
The projects are selected, groups assembled, and the course is underway. It's been several days, and I'm still having trouble building OpenMRS. My machine keeps convincing itself that it is overheating during the build, and promptly shutting itself down. Which is fine. I'm not even mad. Not mad at all. Anyways, that isn't the purpose of this post.
This is about communication.
Specifically, in this post I will provide anecdotes about a time of successful communication, and one not-so-successful.
Success
Communication was a focal point in my Database Systems course last semester. I was a member of a four-person group, working with a staff member at Berea College on a project for her department. For the most part communications went very well with our "community partner," the staff member.
Very early on in the project, we relayed to her what materials we needed in order to begin working effectively on the project. Due to this we were able to quickly gather the necessary items and information, allowing the early stages of the process to flow very smoothly. This led to a positive experience for myself and the other members of the group.
Failure
Last semester, as a TA for the Computer Organization course, I was at one point supposed to prepare an assignment for the course. I had some difficulty in putting the materials together for the assignment, and I also assumed that I had the assistance of another TA. Due to my lack of communication with the instructor, our very own Dr. Jadud, I failed to put together anything resembling an adequate assignment. Combined with the late notice of my failure, the instructor was forced to prepare an alternative lesson for the day with less-than-reasonable time.
This failure taught me the importance of keeping a steady stream of communication, and of ironing out expectations whenever I am working on something for someone else. If I had done these things, I would have been likely to have provided the desired materials with little trouble.
In summation,
communication plays a vital role in any collaborative work, and it is important to ensure that one communicates effectively with all of those involved. Effective communication makes a positive experience out of any project, and one should always be conscious of this.
-Craig
This is about communication.
Specifically, in this post I will provide anecdotes about a time of successful communication, and one not-so-successful.
Success
Communication was a focal point in my Database Systems course last semester. I was a member of a four-person group, working with a staff member at Berea College on a project for her department. For the most part communications went very well with our "community partner," the staff member.
Very early on in the project, we relayed to her what materials we needed in order to begin working effectively on the project. Due to this we were able to quickly gather the necessary items and information, allowing the early stages of the process to flow very smoothly. This led to a positive experience for myself and the other members of the group.
Failure
Last semester, as a TA for the Computer Organization course, I was at one point supposed to prepare an assignment for the course. I had some difficulty in putting the materials together for the assignment, and I also assumed that I had the assistance of another TA. Due to my lack of communication with the instructor, our very own Dr. Jadud, I failed to put together anything resembling an adequate assignment. Combined with the late notice of my failure, the instructor was forced to prepare an alternative lesson for the day with less-than-reasonable time.
This failure taught me the importance of keeping a steady stream of communication, and of ironing out expectations whenever I am working on something for someone else. If I had done these things, I would have been likely to have provided the desired materials with little trouble.
In summation,
communication plays a vital role in any collaborative work, and it is important to ensure that one communicates effectively with all of those involved. Effective communication makes a positive experience out of any project, and one should always be conscious of this.
-Craig
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