NMIX 4490
NMIX 2020 is the independent study course for the New Media Certificate program. I took this class in the Fall of 2021. During my time in NMIX 4490, I served as a Discussion Leader for NMIX 2020 under John Weatherford.
During my time as a Discussion Leader, my responsibilities consisted of the following:
- Weekly Zoom meetings to discuss break out activities
- Facilitating and encouraging discussion in weekly break out sessions
- Serving as a liaison between students and the professor
- Assisting in grading and class management duties
In addition to these responsibilities, I helped with any tasks that might arise throughout the semester.
My experience as a Discussion Leader for NMIX 2020 was by far one of my favorite experiences in college. Facilitating lively conversation and group activities amongst a classroom of excited students was truly the highlight of my week each week. I can truly say this opportunity taught me a lot about classroom management, facilitation, encouragement, and responsibility.
Highlights
One highlight from the semester I spent as a Discussion Leader is pictured below. As a Discussion Leader, my goal was to create a welcoming environment were students could connect with one another and truly enjoy having a conversation about class related activities and life outside of class.
One of my discussion groups ended up connecting so well that we chose to have a Friendsgiving event for the entire class at the end of the semester. I feel that this is one of the main highlights of my time as a Discussion Leader because it really showed how well my students had connected and bonded with each other throughout the semester.
What I Took Away
Overall, serving as a discussion leader was by far one of the most beneficial experiences I had while in college. Through this experience I was able to practice many of the skills I feel I will use in life after college. Examples of these skills include: communications, public speaking, classroom management, compassion, and professionalism. Furthermore. serving as a discussion leader allowed me to see a very different side of education that I truly took a lot away from.