Ben Pierce is an enthusiastic fourth year honours student, majoring in Psychology at UBC. He is currently enrolled in PSYC 304 – Brain and Behaviour. Ben decided to take PSYC 304 because he needed six more credits in brain biology-based studies for his Psychology major. Ben also needed a course that would not interfere with his busy honours student schedule, so he decided to take PSYC 304 via distance education. The distance education format worked perfectly for Ben. He wanted to have enough time during the week to go to the laboratory and work on his thesis project for honours Psychology, while simultaneously squeezing in some time to go work at his part-time job. With distance education, he was able to do all of this, while still taking a course that would fulfill his degree requirements.
Ben explains that PSYC 304 “is a very neurologically focused course.” Broadly speaking, it is about “brain structures and their functions, and how these structures specifically relate to the cognitive processes we perform on a daily basis.” Ben feels that PSYC 304 is different from the on-campus courses he has taken because “it is a very self-directed course.” Due to this fact, he feels “less like a high school student, and more like a researcher.” Ben thinks that this “self-directed” aspect makes the course very unique. Even though he feels that the course is more self-directed than other courses he has taken, Ben feels that there are many resources available for students to succeed in this course, and that they are very useful. Ben explains that, despite the fact that the course is via distance, the professor “always makes himself very accessible and encourages an open means of communication.” Ben’s professor holds regular office hours, just like on-campus courses, and there is a discussion forum where students can ask questions and interact with one another. Ben also likes that the course offers the latest “neuro images” available for students to study from.
Ben feels that PSYC 304 has improved his studying habits quite a bit. He notes that “there has been a lot of material and readings to cover so far,” so he has learned how to prioritize what he is learning. PSYC 304 consists of monthly discussions on the assigned reading material, as well as assignments that are partitioned throughout the term. The structure of the course has also helped Ben become a better planner. He now “paces” himself more, and he “puts more emphasis on actually absorbing the material.” He says, “I now make sure I know the basics before moving on to learn about new material.”
So far one of Ben’s most memorable moments in PSYC 304, has been when he studied pedophilia as a neurological-based disorder. It was memorable because he came across “many statistics and neuro imagining,” that he had not been aware existed. Ben feels that this particular section of the course introduced him to the latest technology that is now available in Psychology.
Finally, Ben feels confident that he will continue to do well in PSYC 304. He says that he will “make sure he keeps up with his readings.” He will also continue to “really focus as he studies,” and hopes he will absorb the information so well that he can “recite it verbatim.” He recommends this course to “independent studiers, who would like to learn about the biological basis of the mind.” He also recommends this course to people who “enjoy research, and are interested in understanding how the mind generates knowledge.”