Starting this course is followed by a lot of feelings including anxiety and overwhelm but also excitement and curiosity of the upcoming lectures and readings. As someone who has already engaged in three academic degrees, and is a full-time lecturer, I am very familiar with such feelings but also somewhat experienced in managing them. In contrast with other times, I am now faced with the challenge of balancing full-time employment alongside academic requirements; lecture attendance, assignment submissions etc. Fortunately, there are some workload adjustments to accommodate for the course, but these are rather minimal compared to the overall amount of work that the course requires. Furthermore, besides teaching requirements I am leading on a few research projects, as either the supervisor or as a consultant, which require my ongoing focus and cannot be disseminated or allocated to another member of staff. Thus, starting this course is overwhelming, due to time constraints and the overall increase in workload, which realistically impacts on my general life by minimising the amount of free time to spend outside work.
However, I acknowledge that attending this course is a huge opportunity in terms of expanding my knowledge basis, becoming a better teacher and gaining professional recognition (UAL, 2025; Advance HE, 2023). I have always been a curious individual, reading about all sorts of disciplines and reflecting on systemic and academic ways of operating. I have no doubt that the course will equip me with knowledge and reflexivity to tackle and problem solve future challenges. Based on previous academic courses, but also to follow the advice I give to my students; I acknowledge the need for discipline around assignment submissions. Organisation and time-management will be crucial in balancing between these specific academic requirements alongside my teaching and research related tasks. Hence, I am currently contemplating on employing several strategies such as the Pomodoro technique (Cirillo, 2025), mind-maps and time schedules, to assist and support me stay on track.
In sum, starting the course evokes a myriad of emotions which I believe is humane and natural. Perhaps there is some fear of the unknown, or even some excitement over it. Previous knowledge guides me in remaining grounded in the present moment and gradually progressing with everything that the future holds.
References:
Advance HE (2023) Associate Fellowship. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship/associate-fellowship (Accessed: 22 February 2025).
Cirillo, F. (2025) The Pomodoro® Technique. Available at: https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/ (Accessed: 25 January 2025).
UAL (2025) PgCert Academic Practice. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/professional-development/pgcert-academic-practice (Accessed: 22 February 2025).