Personal Perspective

Personal Perspective Paper

There are many tools and methods that can provide students with an avenue to gain knowledge and techniques that they will then utilize in real life situations. Some of the tools and methods that the University of Phoenix provides for their MBA students are rEsource, Learning Teams, and Problem-Based Learning. I believe that I will use these tools and methods far beyond the classroom setting. The purpose of this paper is to explain the value of having rEsource available to me throughout my MBA program, the value of Learning Teams and the value of Problem-Based Learning. As I consider using them simultaneously throughout my pursuit of my masters, I can see how the value of each will complement the others to give me a complete learning experience and skills that will transfer to the workplace.

The Value of rEsource

rEsource is going to be an invaluable tool for me throughout my journey to complete my MBA. rEsource is the University's way to provide me with all my course materials electronically (University of Phoenix [UOP], 2006). Some of the tools that are available to me on rEsource are the eBook collection, the Center of Writing Excellence (CWE) and the Library.

The eBook collection contains hundreds of titles covering many different disciplines (UOP, 2006). Through rEsource I have the advantage of accessing each of them. I also have the capability to read the eBook on-line, download them for printing, or even purchase them for future use whether it is for other course work or personal use (UOP, 2006).

The Center of Writing Excellence (CWE) is a tool that I am sure I will use throughout my courses. The CWE provides services such as Plagiarism Checker, WritePoint, and Tutor Review. Plagiarism Checker is a resource that will allow me to submit my paper and instantly identify whether my paper contains unoriginal material (UOP, 2006). WritePoint is an automated review system that provides feedback on basic grammar, usage, and formatting issues (UOP, 2006). Tutor Review allows me to submit my papers to receive detailed feedback on ways I can improve my papers and writing style (UOP, 2006). The CWE is like having a personal English teacher at my finger tips.

The Library Database offers me many resources to assist in the assignments that I will encounter throughout this program. In the Library there are several databases such as EBSCOhost, InfoTrac OneFile, and ProQuest. EBSCOhost includes the full text of nearly 4,000 periodicals (UOP, 2006). InfoTac Onefile includes the full text of over 6,000 periodicals and newswires and ProQuest contains a database of daily newspapers (UOP, 2006). These newspapers include the Wall Street Journal and New York Time (UOP, 2006). With this amount of information at my finger tips I do not anticipate any problems in identifying resources to assist with the course work that I may encounter. Yet, if I cannot locate something on my own, or want some feedback on an idea I have, I know I can turn to the Learning Teams for further support.

The Value of Learning Teams

While rEsource is an invaluable tool, interaction with other students is a vital component of the learning process. As believed by Dr. Sperling, Learning Teams create a collaborative learning environment through which I, as a student, will be given the opportunity to share my knowledge from my life and work experience (UOP, 2006). It will allow me to interact with others and develop alternative ideas to solve problems. This will also give me different points of view that may not readily come to mind through the Learning Team's sharing of their knowledge and experience with me.

Being given this opportunity will allow me to become more marketable by providing