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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Jessica P. JonesBA in Psychology, 2011

Personal Statement

In preparation for graduation with my BA in Psychology from Argosy University Online, I have created this personal statement to reflect my growth to this point and goals for the future. In this presentation, I will reflect upon my personal development and goals, my professional development and goals, and I will provide examples of what I have accomplished thus far.

On a personal level, my development while attending Argosy University has been profound as I have not only learned more about the world of psychology in the pursuit of my degree, but I have also learned more about myself. Because of my Interpersonal Communications and Conflict Management courses, as well as reflections on multiculturalism, I am more aware of my personal biases and how to set them aside, have developed improved listening strategies, and have a better understanding of conflict management. I have also grown with confidence as I have continued to meet my goals for scholastic achievement and now have a GPA of 3.95.

ResumeAdditionally, my continued pursuit of knowledge has led me to find new learning strategies which I will have for life. These tools are things I feel everyone can benefit from, and may be a source of research in my future. For example, spaced-repetition systems such as Anki (Elmes, n.d.) are free and show the application of a wealth of cognition and learning research (Ashcraft and Radvansky, 2010). Right now, it seems that only a niche group of individuals utilize SRS in digital format, but I am working on a research paper for class that I hope will demonstrate how useful this can be in the work place, at school, and even at home. I use Anki for psychology, Japanese, and see potential for it to be used in other aspects of my life as well.

My personal goals include retaining the knowledge I have gained after graduation by following psychology journals as they are published, continuing to study what I have learned through research and SRS even after my courses have ended, and using other resources such as RSS feeds to get up to date information from relevant websites (i.e., NIH, APA, etc.). I also have a strong interest in Japan and am putting forth a great effort to learn the Japanese language as well as expose myself to Japanese culture as much as possible. This knowledge, in addition to expanding my repertoire, will be a huge help as the area in which I live near Seattle has a high population of individuals from various Asian cultures. I am also investigating continuing education with hemi-sync as The Monroe Institute (2011) recently announced continuation credits have become available for counselors.

ResumeOn a professional level, I have continued to work full time throughout my time at Argosy University and have gathered experience in a few different fields. During my time working at United Therapeutics, I was promoted from Receptionist to Office Manager over the course of a few years. Because of starting at the bottom and moving closer to the top, I was able to witness how power differentials affected communication in the work place first hand. Because I worked with many different departments within the company which also had a very diverse population, I also came to understand how silos can be formed and the importance of breaking down barriers with healthy communication to promote teamwork.

After working at United Therapeutics for several years, I moved to Washington State, where I now live. I now work in customer service at a call center for a not-for-profit insurance organization, Community Health Plan of Washington. I am proud to be a supporter of their cause, to provide “access to affordable, high-quality medical care services” (CHPW, n.d., p. 1), and I am also a member of our Core Values team which is actively working toward restructuring the values within the company for better teamwork between our various departments and improved service for our members and providers. Once again, I am applying research from cognition and learning here to try and change how we do training within the organization as well as more effective ways to communicate ideas to one another.

Resume

To sum up the strengths I have gathered over the year, I am an innovative and open-minded thinker, I can type 80-110 WPM, and I learn just about anything that can be readily explained to me quickly. When I set out to accomplish a goal, it is rare when I do not complete it, and I make my strides with a positive attitude. I see the glass as entirely full; just because it’s half full of oxygen and have full of water does not mean that we should value the space any less.

Because I find working toward greater efficacy and better practices within organizations to be such a rewarding pursuit, I am interested in investigating a future in Industrial/Organizational Psychology for my future professional goals. The Core Values team that I work on with Community Health Plan of Washington is giving me valuable experience as well as letting me contribute to my community. In the not-to-distant future, however, working with human resources or as a counselor’s aide may also be beneficial that could help me expand my experience and knowledge base in this area. Argosy University Online also has a Masters program for I/O Psychology which I am considering as it would allow me to continue to work and continue my education as I have been doing.

ResumeIn preparation for setting clearer goals for my future and transitioning away from obtaining my BA, I have spent a lot of time in recent months looking at the requirements for obtaining various Masters degrees in psychology from several schools as well as the careers that can be obtained after graduation with said degrees. I have created pros and cons lists, considered how combining interests such as my study of Japanese language and culture can contribute to my future possibilities, and am gradually narrowing my focus so that I can commit to a course where I believe I will be able to contribute the most to the communities I have access to. Although I still have a way to go, the process of editing my personal statement through this course will definitely help me hone in and find the path which is best for me and my family.

References

Ashcraft, M. H., & Radvansky, G. A. (2010).  Cognition (5th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

CHPW (n.d.). About community health plan. Retrieved from http://www.chpw.org/about-us/about-community-health-plan/ .

Elmes, D. (n.d.). Anki. Retrieved from http://www.ankisrs.net/ .

The Monroe Institute (2011). The Monroe institute: awaking through the exploration of consciousness. Retrieved from http://www.monroeinstitute.org/ .

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Limited Exposure: If the student does not demonstrate that he or she has received college-level instruction in this area, check this box.

Moderate Exposure: If the student shows some competency with this outcome, and shows recognition of some of the discussion points in this area, check this box.

Significant Exposure: If the student can fairly easily address some of the major themes and their application to theory and/or to their own life, check this box. These are abilities beyond those described under Moderate Exposure.

Extensive Exposure: If the student demonstrates expertise in a given area that sets him or her apart from their peer group, check this box. These are abilities beyond those described under Significant Exposure.

Using this rubric, I will be including a self-evaluation of my scholastic progress with psychology. Examples of my work are available separately; links will be provided to find these samples throughout the evaluation.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 1a: Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking:

Given a psychological issue, employs skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach.

2 = Significant Exposure

Able to choose from and appraise a wide range of psychological perspectives and theories within written and oral presentations.

When presenting (in written work or orally), can illustrate multiple perspectives on a given topic.

Able to analyze the complexities of a given issue.

Example: How kitties make learning about statistics more fun.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 1b: Cognitive Abilities: Information Literacy:

Given a research question related to psychology, accesses information from a variety of sources and select appropriate sources to respond to the question.

2 = Significant Exposure

Able to compare, contrast, and use information from a variety of sources pertinent to the chosen topic when completing a project in psychology.

Example: Is Genetic Engineering Dangerous?

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 2: Research: Understanding Research Methods:

Given an article about research findings in the field of psychology from a scholarly journal, identifies the research design and statistical tools used (including research design, data analysis, and interpretation), and the findings of the article.

3 = Extensive Exposure

Able to correctly summarize the research design, statistical and other evaluative tools, and findings of the article.

Able to use sound reasoning as a basis for criticizing the research results.

Example: Research on Overpopulation for Environmental Science.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 3a: Communication Skills: Oral:

Effectively presents psychological concepts orally as appropriate to the audience.

1 = Moderate Exposure

Possesses moderate ability in creating, organizing and delivering oral presentations.

Exhibits the ability to identify basic/general levels of organization and clarity of presentation.Struggles with the ability to recognize higher levels of organization and clarity, levels of appropriateness for specific audience(s), and/or is challenged with grammatical issues (such as the use of informal language or slang).

Example: "Power of Nice" presentation.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 3b: Communication Skills: Written:

Effectively presents psychological information, in writing, using software and style appropriate to the audience.

2 = Significant Exposure

Able to recognize and apply higher levels of organization and clarity, able to identify, select, and apply appropriate levels of written work for specific audience(s), and/or is versed in correct usage of language, grammar, and organization.

Possesses significant ability in formal academic writing with clarity in content, language use, grammar organization, and sentence structure using APA formatting.

Exhibits the ability to identify, discuss, and apply psychological concepts in written work.

Example: Paper on how technology can aid training in the workplace.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 4a: Ethics:

Identifies the issues and challenges related to ethics in the field of Psychology.

3 = Extensive Exposure

Effectively engages in ethical thinking and action, evidenced by the ability to articulate best-practices pertaining to case examples and/or other specific problems associated with the field.

Recognizes more subtle breaches in ethical practices in psychology and can construct alternative analyses and choices of behaviors.

Claims ownership over the prescribed ethical principles for the field, and works to promote ethical decision-making and activity accordingly.

Examples: Women in the Media and A Review of the APA and ACA Codes of Ethics.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 4b: Diversity:

Identifies the issues and challenges related to diversity in the field of psychology.

3 = Extensive Exposure

Effectively engages in multiculturally-sensitive thought and action, evidenced by the ability to articulate best-practices pertaining to case examples and/or other specific diversity issues and populations associated with the field.

Recognizes more subtle forms of discrimination and prejudice within and around psychology and can construct alternative analyses and choices of behaviors.

Claims ownership over personal biases, and works to increase awareness and respect for diverse populations.

Example: Imagine Me a Wheelchair.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 5. Knowledge of Psychology:

Recognizes the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications, and historical trends in psychology.

2 = Significant Exposure

Exhibits the ability to analyze and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications and historical trends in a psychology or within a specific area of study in the field.

Example: Observed Behaviorism.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 6. Knowledge of Applied Psychology:

Applies psychological principles to personal, social, and/or organizational issues.

3 = Extensive Exposure

Provides comprehensive explanations that incorporate psychological principles, as well as, empirical data and best practices.

Demonstrates the ability to use psychological principles in solving problems, explaining social issues, and dealing with everyday life situations.

Examples: Freud vs Jung.

BA PSYCHOLOGYLearning Outcomes Rubric

Section 7: Interpersonal Effectiveness:

Active Listening Communication Skills: Develops and improves positive relationship skills via effective communication, respect for others, appreciation of diversity and cultural sensitivity, and awareness of their impact on others.

 2 = Significant Exposure

Able to apply some active listening communication skills in interpersonal and organizational scenarios to establish empathetic, collegial relationships that facilitate consensus building in working toward common goals and is appreciative of diversity and culture.

Able to analyze the importance of effective nonverbal communication skills in developing strong interpersonal and organizational relationships that are culturally sensitive and respectful of diversity.

Able to accept and utilize feedback to develop adaptable strategies of facilitating dynamic interpersonal and organizational relationships.

Actively demonstrates an understanding of the impact of technological advances on communication within interpersonal and organizational relationships.

Demonstrates utilization of effective communication and relationship skills in order to promote the growth of others and effect change.

Example: Interpersonal Group Evaluation Paper.

My Future in Learning

To conclude, I envision continuing to self-actualize like Retzer (2010); with lifelong learning at 10,000 feet.

Retzer, P. (2010). Lifelong learning at 10000 feet. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=wKotBx2F4MQ .

Click to edit Master subtitle style

8/15/11

Contact Me

Thank you for viewing my ePortfolio.For further information, please contact me at the e-mail address below. jessicapjones27@gmail.com