University Colloquium was truly an incredible class and one that exceeded my expectations coming in just ten weeks ago. The founding fathers of Florida Gulf Coast University were genius to require this course as it is very critical for the future of our planet. FGCU is at the fore front of sustainability on college campuses and it is great to be part of this and look back 10 years from now and use the information gained throughout this semester in a positive manner. Coming into this class, I had an open mind having heard mixed feeling about this course from many of my peers. I know that I’m a hard-worker and if something interests me, I will give it my all. I believe that since the first day of this course, I was looking forward to every activity and felt that I actually learned something and unfortunately as college students, we all have courses where at the end of the semester we tell ourselves, why I just spent 16 weeks and $2,000 on reading power-points. I wish more courses would be constructed similarly to University Colloquium in a sense that the course is composed of more than just tests but rather involves the student in activities such as class discussions, field trips and much more.
I really enjoyed meeting many of my classmates who come from all over the world and all have different majors and interests. My favorite reading throughout this semester would have to be State of the World as it opened my eyes to so much information. I also enjoyed reading about all of the different projects that have been taking place to better sustain our planet. I would have to say that my least favorite readings would have to come from the university colloquium reader as some of the excerpts lost my interest half way through and it was difficult for me at times to pay attention. Looking back, it is safe to say that I had learned the most amount of information from the videos that we had watched along with the weekly class discussions that had taken place. I really enjoyed the service learning project where I was able to participate at the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood, FL and aid in picking up trash and recycling. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to make a difference in our society and I am grateful that I was able to allocate 10 hours of my time and make my neighborhood a cleaner and friendlier place for others to enjoy. Without this course, I would have never participated in my service learning project as I have a very busy schedule with my jobs.
Looking back at the past ten weeks, I do not have any suggestions for activities that should be edited or discarded as I enjoyed each and every one of them. I believe the books were top-notch and the university colloquium reader could have been improved but otherwise, I wish every course can be setup like this one to give all students an opportunity to engage in class discussions and utilize what they learn in the real world.
Thank you for the opportunity and excellent semester. I wish everybody the best in their future endeavors and may we all share the knowledge gained with at least one of our friends in order to make our world a better place for others.
God Bless!
