A13KylaMaletsky

A13KylaMaletsky

To-Do

Please Answer the following Questions: provide a brief rationale for your answer — not just yes/no answers

1. which classes did you take outside of your chosen discipline?
   1. how did you select these classes?
      1. based on interest
      2. based on requirements for your degree program
   2. did would you evaluate the “outside classes”?
      1. a waste of time
      2. okay
      3. an enrichment of your education
      4. if you had a choice: would you take more outside classes?
2. to be a well educated graduate in your respective discipline — what do you consider the most important objectives?
   1. did CU offer classes for you to meet these objectives?
   2. have you pursued these objectives outside of classes (in other settings at CU; outside of CU)?
3. what do you consider the most important impact of new media and human-centered computing on YOUR education?

which classes did you take outside of your chosen discipline?

My chosen discipline is applied math. I have also taken physics, computer science, music, history, humanities, education, and Mandarin language classes.

how did you select these classes? (e.g. based on interest or based on requirements for your degree program)

I took physics and computer science because applied math requires an "emphasis"- some set of courses in another discipline that relates in some way to math. I took all the others just because I am interested. I have been involved in a band or orchestra every semester I've been in college because music is incredibly important to me. I took history and humanities because I was interested in learning about different things and broadening my background. I took a few education classes because I enjoy tutoring/teaching and wanted to learn more. I take Chinese because I have spent time in China and want to be able to go back someday and communicate more. I also think that it's really important to study languages because I want to be able to be a globally involved person and I think that my life will be much richer if I can speak with people who are from different countries.

how would you rate the “outside classes”? (e.g. a waste of time or an enrichment of your education)

Almost overwhelmingly, my "outside classes" have been an incredible enrichment of my education. It is easy for other engineers to understand why physics and computer science are useful and relevant. However, the other classes meant just as much, and often more, to me. Because I have taken so many outside classes, I feel somewhat well-rounded. Life is so much larger than math or engineering, and I have very intentionally tried to shape my education around that belief. In circles of hard core engineers, it is sometimes hard to defend the benefits of discussing life, reading literature, learning about history, exploring philosophy, playing music, and writing essays, but I think that these activities are quite valuable. These things make me feel human and I think that they will help me throughout life as I attempt to relate to other people and navigate all the challenges of life that are not math problems.

if you had a choice: would you take more outside classes?

Yes, I would always take more outside classes. I could stay here for years and just jump between departments and take as many classes as I can. There are so many fascinating subjects taught here and every semester, it is a struggle to narrow my never-ending list of outside classes. I absolutely love applied math and have taken non-required classes in my department, but I also wish I could learn so much about other disciplines too.

to be a well educated graduate in your respective discipline — what do you consider the most important objectives?

I think that the most important objectives for a good education are the ability to approach and solve problems, creativity, and the desire to learn more. Later, it might not be so important that I remember the exact steps in solving a PDE, but it will be important that I know how to figure something out, to not get overwhelmed by what I don't know, and to be able to take an unmanageable problem and break it into smaller, manageable parts. Creativity is related to this- it is what could potentially separate me from others who have the exact same skill set. It is necessary for taking on open-ended problems that don't have a simple, analytic answer. I think that a desire to learn more is important in education because if we graduate without any passion to keep going further, I don't think we can be very successful.

did CU offer classes for you to meet these objectives?

Yes. My math classes have taught me to solve many types of specific problems, and in that, I have learned tons of techniques and intuition about problem solving in general. In pursuing subjects that interest me, I think that I have kept my desire to learn. I have developed creativity in math classes and also other classes. I leave humanities classes with more questions than answers, and I think this curiosity and wish to continue finding out more is good.

have you pursued these objectives outside of classes (in other settings at CU; outside of CU)?

Yes, I have. These objectives are important to me in life, so I try to involve them in areas of my life outside of school.

hat do you consider the most important impact of new media and human-centered computing on YOUR education?

I think that the most important impact of new media on my education has not been in the classroom- most of my professors continue to lecture and use blackboards or have discussion-based classes (and I have often found that I do not learn particularly well from the classes that use power points). It has probably been the way that I and my peers use technology for everything. We have group discussions over Google Wave, share code for a project in drop box, settle friendly factual disputes with wikipedia from someone's iPhone, etc. These everyday uses of new media make our educational experience much different from that of our parents or grandparents.