My first Class BSHS 305

BSHS 305: Historical Development of Human Services: An Introduction

Coming from my old school, there was quite a shock to my system starting this course. I'm attending the University of Phoenix online program for the Bachelors in Human Services (in case I haven't mentioned that so far). My associates degree is in Psychology so the switch from Psych (which I love and am passionate about) over to Human Services was quite a dramatic change in curriculum.

With this class, if you have a good head on your shoulder, the information presented should be no sort of new information for you. There's a great ordeal of information about the ethical code of conduct for a human service professional, loads of information on the client-helper relationship, and general information about how a professional should conduct themselves when dealing with themselves, clients, colleagues, other professionals, and employers. Again, I feel I must reiterate, most of the information given to you is pretty general knowledge, and if you have a good sense of general ethical and moral judgement, the information itself should be a breeze.

On the other hand, the intensity of this course is not so insignificant. In the second week, we had a 350 minimum word brochure we had to create. In the 3rd week, a 1,050 - 1,400 word paper about Clients, the 4th week an interoffice memo, and the final week, a 5-10 powerpoint slide show.

Seems simple enough right? Did I mention that you must also make 8 "significant" posts per week, participate in group projects which are equally as large, if not larger than the above mentioned projects, as well as read 2 chapters per week, a 5-10 page article per week, knowledge checks (approx 20 questions), and module quizzes? *take a deep breath now*. Okay, so the coursework ended up being quite a bit more intense than I had imagined it would be. Seriously. Additionally, group projects are worth 30% of your grade, so that was nerve wrecking by itself.

Here are my suggestions to those of you who are taking this course, or ANY course at University of Phoenix:
1) Pace yourself, the work isn't necessarily a quick shot assignment
2) Don't forget to participate in the class discussions
3) Be authentically you, but caution yourself on how forward you are
4) Getting ahead is ideal
5) Truly read and understand the material, even if you know the information. Knowledge checks are beasts and so are the quizzes...they want to know that you read the material.
6) BREATHE! Walk away when you need to.
7) Get to know a classmate or two and the instructor if at all possible. (I e-mailed my instructor and asked her to share her background with me because the "Instructor Policies" is just that: policies. No personal touch to it.)