Three Problems: First one, finishing school

Yes, I am trying to blog again.

This is more of a catch-up on my life than getting back into politics. Frankly, I am starting to wonder if some of the things I want to explain would be better resolved by creating e-learning modules than by writing a series of blog posts that can be so easily interrupted. 

It would probably not occur to me to create learning modules, except that's what I have been studying and doing as I try and finish school. This has been rewarding, but it has added a lot of pressure and frustration.

I could write much more about the ups and downs of returning to school as a mature student, but I want to focus on the current stress.

I am working on my masters degree in Education and Instructional Design. The last section of that is the capstone, in which you create a learning module, get people to take it and then analyze and write-up the data from their learning experience.

I wrote about this in March, when I believed I was going to graduate in June. Still being here is embarrassing, but if only that were my sole issue!

I am having a very hard time getting learners to take my module. Without that, there is no data to analyze. 

There can still be something to write up, regarding how horribly I overestimated my ability to get learners, but some mandatory parts cannot be completed without data.

This has been going on for over a month.

Some of it is that people are busy, which I understand.

I broadened the search from specifically Licensed Clinical Social Workers to not-yet-licensed (but still clinical) social workers to any type of mental health providers at all, but that didn't help.

I tried lots of other recruiting methods that did nothing to end the radio silence.

One friend offered to fund some gift cards. With that offer, some results are trickling in. Also, another person has been beating the bushes.

I am probably losing some people to navigation issues. 

One of the big technical issues was Canvas Free-for-Teachers  being taken away. I switched to Google Classroom, but there are a lot of ways in which it isn't great. It is free, however, which does matter for me.

Some people are coming and not completing.

Fortunately, it believe I can get the bare required minimum of results: three people completing both surveys and all four assessments.

I had some delusions of grandeur, thinking that I could produce meaningful results that people in the field would find interesting. That appears to have been overly ambitious.

On the plus side, the longer graduation is delayed the more attractive just graduating at all becomes.

I feel passionate about the material, but with a sense of futility about my ability to reach people.  

Lowered expectations is probably a good preparation for my upcoming job hunting and re-entering the work force anyway.

Related posts:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/03/only-nine-tasks-left.html  

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-horrible-week.html