FEEDBACK

With assignment 1 and 2 submitted and out of the way, I thought I had ample time for other 'important' things like watching reruns of movies on Africa Magic Yoruba. Boy, was I wrong!
I didn't log into the University portal when I was done with the assignment, but when I did some days later, I got an email notification from the Tutor of the course.
My heart missed a beat.
Actually, the email from the Tutor was sent some hours after I submitted the assignments. 
Subject of the email? FEEDBACK...in caps.

The content of the email:

'A sound, well constructed submission. However, the paper is largely a theoretical commentary and needs to think more about questioning. At this stage of education (post graduate), the student is required to question, challenge and searchingly examine theories, policies and statements. There should be more critical thinking, critical analysis and critical evaluation of the materials studied.'

If my memory serves me correctly, this is the second time I am being, obviously reminded of the stage of this education...adult student...post graduate. Chai. :-( 

After I read that, I just wanted to crawl under my bed and cry. I don't think life is this hard! 

I spent next to eternity preparing those slides. Oh, did I mention that referencing an assignment isn't the regular copy and paste link style that is being practiced here? If I spend weeks on the main assignment, I'll be sure to spend a couple of days referencing the paper via the Harvard referencing system! That thing is hard and most times, confusing.
Yet, after all the initial gra-gra, the paper submitted is largely a theoretical commentary. This is just SAD.

While I was contemplating on whether to crawl under my bed and cry, or pick myself up and do this again much more intellingently, Mr Hubby walked into the room (he must have heard me airing my grievances like jewels), there was, in his expression, a veiled amusement. He placed a hand on my shoulder and said 'no worry, you too sef go make us proud'. That was all the adrenaline I needed to pick myself up. 

I know you might go like 'if it is this hard, why bother?' Well, because I know there is a price for anything good. And a good thing, I want.
I am reminded of a couple of my female friends, married with kids, full time jobs, on to their PhD degrees. One of them was writing her final thesis and was on the 38th page, when the supervisor told her it didn't cut it, and she needs to rewrite the entire paper. She cried for days! The other is off social media entirely until she is done with the programme. 

So here I am, encouraging myself as I encourage you...I can do this. You can do this. Never a time like the present. Let's get this done with God's help.

Till next week Sunday, God willing...

Assignment 1 & 2

Assignment 1 was ready for upload 'decades ago'. Remember I had prepared this with Mr Hubby's assistance when I was taking the module for the first time? I uploaded it and made certain I got a donotreply notification on the submission...ain't nobody got time to retake any module because an assignment submission didn't go through.

Assignment 2 was a bit confusing though. I didn't quite understand what was expected of me. The question was to assemble a HR toolkit. There were a couple of options on how to assemble this. I decided to use a power point presentation. The confusing part was, am I expected to assemble a HR toolkit on all the functions of strategic human resource management or just a couple? If it's on all the functions of SHRM, then the slides will be over a 100 and counting! That can't be it.

I sent an email to the Tutor about this. I desperately needed further clarification. But the emails just kept on going back and forth. I can tire for endless emails ehnn. I could have sworn he was being a bit evasive while explaining...being extra careful not to give away the answer while trying to explain? But in all, it's either he was not explaining it clearly or I just simply do not understand. :-(
Have you ever been in this kind of situation? You're asking your Tutor for an explanation on an academic question, and he is just going round and round in circles, that you can literally feel your head spinning?

I'm at the verge of imploring another 'tombo tombo' mechanism here. If you don't understand what this means, please read my blog post on this here
 
I can almost hear you say, but this is not multiple choice answer question na? Serious theory!!! 
Kai! I'm just tired.

Children of God, I cannot come and kill myself abeg.

Till next week Sunday, God willing...

What do you think?

I received an email from a fellow Nigerian course mate some weeks ago. I wanted to address it on my blog back then, but that time, ground no level.
Everything is OK now, so I think I should it bring it up here so I can get to know what you think about it.

In a nutshell, he wanted to have my take on the press release by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the 25th of July this year, about online degrees not being acceptable in Nigeria.

 

Please see an excerpt according to The Guardian Newspaper below:

''The National Universities Commission (NUC) has warned Nigerians against patronizing online universities and other degree awarding institutions operating online saying any certificate obtained from such institutions is not recognized.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Headquarters of the Commission, the Director, Information and Public Relations, Ibrahim Usman Yakasai stressed that degrees obtained online are not accepted in the country.
He said: “Nigeria will not recognise online degrees. Online degrees are not accepted in Nigeria at the moment.” 

I know most of us must have read about it months ago. Abi?

My take? Simple. When I read this, I just said to myself, this MBA online degree is for my personal development, not to seek employment in NUC (National Universities Commission), NYSC (National Youth Service Corps), NUJ (National Union of Journalists), NPA (Nigerian Ports Authority), NTA (Nigerian Television Authority), NFF (Nigeria Football Federation), NPF (Nigeria Police Force), NPC (National Population Commission)...and all the N agencies in Nigeria you can think of. :-)

The snag would be an online Bachelor degree where the student would have the NYSC posting and call up to deal with. But then again, there are fewer online Bachelor degree courses available and the average young Nigerian student, even matured students, wouldn't opt for that.

Need I go on about how demanding an online education is compared to it's traditional counterpart? Or how thorough the tutors are because it is an online environment?

So what do you think? With the world being a global village, is this a step in the right direction for the NUC? Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Till next week Sunday, God willing...What's that thing you have been putting off?

You've got mail!

Yes! The long-awaited email...MODULE AVAILABLE FOR REGISTRATION...music to my ears :-)

I almost began to feel another flash of impatience when I received the email for module registration on Wednesday. Immediately, I clicked on the link to register because it had about 15 spaces left. The speed with which the 800 Euros was deducted from my University bank account...faster than the speed of light.
The module will be officially made available on the University portal tomorrow - Monday. But my greatest fear has been confirmed...I will be writing assignments all through the Christmas holidays! *wailing* :-(
No fire works for me this Christmas. (sighs)

So what do I have planned as I retake this module you might ask?

1. No Africa Magic Yoruba till the 27th of December - This just feels like 100 days fasting. No matter how my day goes, I make it a point of duty to watch at least 20 minutes of any movie showing on Africa Magic Yoruba. It still beats me why I still can't speak Yoruba fluently without my intonation giving me away. Mr Hubby has given up on me on this one. :-(

2. No work email after 1.00am - Yes...I take work home...there are really no work hours with me until I am too tired to sound coherent in an email. Yes, I know all the talk about work life balance blah blah blah...please feel free to attack me in the comment section :-)

3. Pounce on the module from the first minute of it's opening - The moment the module opens tomorrow, I'm sending in my first assignment, and will begin to put the second assignment together. I will be sure not to make the same mistake again.

4. Be kind to myself - I must admit, I have been hard on myself since I was informed that I had to retake this module. I had beaten myself up over this...blaming myself that I had settled for what was not academically familiar. This time, I will be kind to myself as one of my blog readers - Temitope George - Olaoye advised in the comment section of my first blog post. Thank you Temitope.

Got any more tips for me? How best do you think I should begin again? Please drop your tips and advise in the comment section below.

And to some of my blog readers who have contacted me via email and in person, saying they don't know how to drop a comment on this blog, please see the pathway below:

Scroll down to the end of the blog post - click on comments - scroll to the end of the comment section - you will see an empty box watermarked 'Enter your comment' - Type your comment in the box - go to the comment as drop box - you can drop a comment with your name, your gmail account ID or anonymous - click on publish - wait till you get a notification that your comment has been published.

 Till next week Sunday, God willing...

The waiting game continues.

There are two things I really dislike:

1. Waiting
2. Waiting for food :-(

The University portal is still not accessible to re-register for the HR module. I have sent quite a number of emails to academic support this week to assist with this.
Prior to all of this 'drama', their response time to my email is usually in some hours (I think time difference is also a factor) or worse case scenario, 24 hours. Now, after dem don see me finish, dem no dey kuku answer my email again. I'm still awaiting a response to an email I sent since Wednesday.
So here I am, waiting. If I'm not prompted via an email to log into the site and re-register, na so I go dey wait. Do they even realize that Christmas is just around the corner? I cannot be studying and writing assignments when 'my daughter's mate' are throwing knock-outs, bangers and bisco. :-(

I just don't like waiting for anything (God help me, patience is a virtue o). Worse still, when I have to wait for food.
This reminded me of a quick lunch I had to do while meeting some clients some months ago.
So you see ehn, ewa agoyin is my favourite meal. I bet you were expecting me to go all continental on that. Sorry to burst your bubble.

And if you don't understand what ewa agoyin means, I'm sorry, I can't help you here; ask ya fellow blog readers or google. Ewa agoyin is too delicious to put in words. An attempt to do so will reduce the efficacy of it.
So, that's how I had about an hour to kill in between meetings and I quickly asked the driver to do a quick stop over to my favourite restaurant which serves ewa agoyin on it's daily menu.
Restaurant? Yes. While growing up, I had horrible diarrhea and typhoid fever experiences from buying ewa agoyin by the roadside...you know those women hawking it?

With this restaurant, there is really no difference. Just like what you have on the street, just better hygienic conditions.
Anyway, I got to the restaurant, sat on my favourite spot and placed my order. The waiter that took my order did say it was available and it will be served in 5 minutes.
Na so 5 minutes turn to 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35...(Yes, I waited that long. Time wasn't going to put asunder what has been joined together). Only for the waiter to turn up 45 minutes later ( I was already pissed) to say they had 'issues' with the shombo (dried chilli pepper). I just couldn't deal biko.

I was so upset that the next client could tell from my pitch and I had to tell her about it. :-(

So I wait. I hope I'll be notified this week. I hope November turns out really well for you and I.

Till next week Sunday, (God willing)... may we remember November for GOOD.

BA...

BA? No, it's not what you're thinking.

I'll pause here, and say a big THANK YOU for all your kind messages offline about this. It's been a roller coaster ride for me and a learning curve. In all, even though it feels as though I'm drowning...

...I'm doing just fine. :-)

After a myriad of emails with academic support on this. I got to understand that WA (withdrawn academically) is just a grade given with respect to the module not with the entire degree itself. Ope o! 
So as at today, I'm still enrolled at the University, awaiting the notification for the opening of the module so I can re-register (by paying 800 Euros again) and retake the module. In order words, BA...Begin Again.

Honestly, I don' feel happy about this, but I am grateful that I will be given another chance to re-register for the module.

Is there anyone here taking an online degree and have had to retake a module? How did that feel?
I'll really like to know.  Please do share.

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...even when it feels like this...

Odeshi!!!!

WA...

Now this is becoming interesting. Need I say, scary?

I waited a week, hoping this was all a dream, that I would wake up suddenly and hear differently.
No such luck.

So I logged into my student profile on the University website, and noticed WA was stated next to the module I was told I had to retake.

Huh?

WA? I didn't understand what that meant. At the same time, I was scared.
I summoned up whatever courage I had left within me and sent an email to the Tutor for clarifications. His reply, referring me to academic support for further clarifications almost had me literally fall off my seat. Academic support? Na so e don be now? 
Abi na email? I sent the email to academic support. And their response?

'Dear Ada, WA is the grade obtained for this module which means WITHDRAWN ACADEMICALLY'

The hot tears just did an unrestricted free fall on my face. The Office suddenly became hot and the heat lay thick as a towel.
I didn't read the rest of the email. I honestly can't remember if anything else was said after that line above.

Withdrawn Academically???
Wait, does this mean I have been academically withdrawn from the module or the entire degree? 
Ha!
Oh, I read the email just before the close of business at work and a colleague remarked,

'Na wa o. When no be Harvard?'  

Words fail me. How did I get here? How did this happen? All of this is not familiar.
Now this is not about the money anymore as I am more than willing to pay 2,000 Euros sef to get back on the programme.

WA...withdrawn academically?


Till next week Sunday (God willing)...

...while I seek further clarifications on WA

800 Euros!!!!!!

It's been some weeks since I submitted the 1st assignment. I just got caught up with work (it was peak period for me at work), a few work related trips, fell ill a couple of times...the days just went by too quickly and I lost track of time.

One Saturday while I was taking break from anchoring a work event, I got an email from my Tutor in my gmail account. That was pretty strange, as I thought I had deactivated email notifications from the University in my personal email:

'Dear Ada, 
The deadline for Assignment 2 had elapsed weeks ago, and I'm yet to receive yours.
Kindly let me know what your intentions are, and when you hope to send it in.'

That email was sent weeks ago!!!

How I missed that still beats me as I type this.
Anyway, I quickly sent a reply to the Tutor letting him know I'll send in the assignment in the next of couple of days. Before the work event ended, I received a rather prompt reply from my Tutor explaining that he sent that email to me weeks ago, and the extra time allotted had also elapsed, as a result, I'll have to take the course all over again, as the first assignment is 50% of the final grade and I need a total of 60% to move to the next module.

In other words, I will carry over the module - Organisations and HR Management.

WHAT?????

 Instantly, my life became a turgid and suspended film. Everything thickened.

A module I struggled with?
Nights reading and developing a headache while at it???? All gone??? I have to do it all over again???
I think my worry isn't about taking the module again (I can live with that)...it's the cost!
So you know, I pay per module and it is deducted from my University bank account. The cost of this module is 800 EUROS!!!! Oh no!!!!! Not even now that foreign currencies are doing jangolova on the foreign exchange rate table. Let me bring this home (Just incase you think I'm shouting over N20K), I mean I have to pay N180,000.00 (One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) again ooooo! My own don done! Oh dear, how did this happen? What will I tell Mr Hubby? There goes my Christmas gift!!   :-(

My colleagues at the event knew something wasn't right with me. I told them what happened. And one of them said, 'what if you were pregnant and had a baby? Abeg send them an email telling them you just had a baby joor'
But that would be a lie na. I can't lie.

I got home and sent an email to academic support, explaining how I got super busy at work and fell ill a couple of times, pleading not to have to pay another 800 Euros.

Sunday was soooo slowwww. Slowed by sadness. I was frightened by the endless stretch of day that lay ahead.

And they replied on Monday morning. All my story didn't work. I need to take the module all over again and pay another 800 Euros. 

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...God abeg, help me survive this week.

She knows it all.

I did say I was going to talk about this.

Ever had that 'oversabi' classmate way back in Secondary school or at the University who just knew it all?
Welcome to my world! I'm stuck with one. :-(

To ensure we're (online students) actively engaged in the course, we're encouraged to create forum posts to discuss topics relating to the course content, assignments etc.
There is this Kenyan babe...she can create discussion topics ehn!!!! Choi! From HR practices in Kenya to the colour of the Sun! The annoying part is not the creation of posts and the infuriating notifications I receive when I log into the University website, thinking it's a message from my Tutor, it is the fact that she creates discussion topics, asking questions she already knows the answers to. Who does that? How do I know that? Na she dey ask the question, na still she dey answer am...how actively she pursued airless discussions.

To what end, I have continuously asked myself. To prove to the Tutor that she is on top of the course? (so you know, there are no extra marks for this) Or to prove to us (her fellow classmates) that we're just a bunch of God knows what. Trust my fellow classmates (Africans...typical), we have just left her to be creating discussion topics and discussing them all by herself.

On one occasion, she created a topic about the emergence of bitcoin in an economy (a sub-topic on the course content that till date, I still don't understand what that has got to do with this HR module).
I desperately needed someone to talk about that as I have, sort of, indirectly asked the Tutor about this. I decided to reply the discussion thread by asking her how this relates to the course content. Her response? Not the answer I expected. Not an answer at all.

She was aggressively friendly...glad someone dropped by.
She talked about everything else but my question...not on the discussion thread by the way (for obvious reasons), but via a private chat message to me. She probably didn't want the Tutor and anyone else to know, as a first, that she didn't know the answer to that question.

Hmm...till next week Sunday (God willing)...like everything else, this too shall pass.

Not again!!! :-(

This is not happening!
I did remember a comment on the blog post about this, and I was certain that was the end of it.
Boy, was I wrong. So wrong.

It's been a couple of weeks since the first assignment. Studying after that has been tiring. I haven't been able to log into the University website because I have been super busy at work and at home.
We're also being appraised on the number of times we log into the University website per week, and click on the topics tab. You could equate that to the attendance of about 15% to the final module score. The moment I remembered that, I decided to log in and 'do eye service.' I really didn't feel like reading anything. Lately, I really don't feel like doing anything. I just want to stay in bed all day watching Africa Magic Yoruba. Yes, sue me! :-)

Anyway, I did log into the University website and got an email notification. Can you guess who it was from? No, not my Tutor (though he has been sending quite a number of emails lately). No, not that oversabi Kenyan student (mtchewwwwww :-(  I'll tell you all about her in my next blog post).

Yes, yes. It's 'Mr hello my darling.' And suddenly my day took on a sad, epic quality.
What does this guy want??? Besides being a blog post material, what does he want? Wetin? Na only me be Nigerian for the class? 
I was super tempted to click the delete button and move on with my oju aiye series, but on second thought, I decided to read it.

'Helo again. Hw iz d courz? i hope u've done ur asignment.
It was a challenge 4 mi 2 rich d 3,000 words, buh i try my best n did it.
Plz, i nid ur asitance wit smeting very important. i am payin my sch fees every mnth n i am due 4 dis mnth. which is 245 euros. Plz if u cn asit mi wit it. i wil pay u bck whn salary is paid. Plz. thx. hope 2 hear 4rm u.'

Two things:

1. Was it written in English? Call me old fashioned, but I totally do not understand this present day shorthand or shortened English. If you can type buh why can't you type but? If you can type kk (how is that even pronounced sef?), why can't you type Ok? They're both two letter words! There is nothing shorthand or shortened about it. It's not as though you're paying rent for typing space. What's with u instead of you, 4rm instead of from?
I was chatting with someone recently on BBM, and she kept on with this shorthand typing that I developed a headache trying to decipher what she was talking about. It was as though I was reading my 4 year old's handwriting upside down. I had to ask her to please type in English as I couldn't make out what she was typing. :-)
It's so bad that you see an official email correspondence all in this shorthand and just wonder what the future holds for our children. Do you think it's hip or cool?

2. This borrow money issue.  As a principle, I don't lend money to friends. Before you give me virtual bad eye, please, let me explain. I'm not a Bank, so I don't lend money. (And I try not to borrow too. I live within my means. What I can't have, I turn to prayer point) If a friend needs to borrow N100K and comes to me, I will dash (not borrow o) the friend N50K, let him/her sort out the rest elsewhere. This is because I have had terrible experiences with lending money to friends. Friendships have been ruined over this, as they will collect and suddenly forget to return it. And I don't know how to ask for my money back, because I expect the friend to be responsible enough to return what was borrowed. But that is how they will forget, that's how they will still come again, and that's how I will be twice shy and will not give again, and that's how they will vex and delete me on BBM. :-) LOL! Chai! This life is so interesting.

So tell me, what has been your experiences with this 'abeg borrow me that N200K that you're not using' matter?
This our 'friend', Mr hello my darling, do you think I should assist him?
All this shorthand typing, what's your take?

Please let me know what you think in the comment section.

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...

Assignment 1.

3,000 words ( +/- 10% = 2,700 - 3300 words)??? Seriously???

I had dreaded this. Assignment deadline week.

As you already know, I'm on the Organizations and HR Management module, and the first assignment is due on Sunday.
The assignment is about comparing the functions of strategic human resource management in two countries (mine and another). But why do I have to do that in 3,000 words? A 150 or less is just fine!
I can't sustain a prose for that long, Little wonder my blog post are pretty short...straight to the point.

It pretty much reminds me of the testimony sessions in my church. Don't get it wrong, I'm all for testifying that you slept on Saturday night and woke up on Sunday morning. Believe me it's a huge deal and a miracle, as life, a gift, some say is short, and life in Lagos, others say is shorter. But coming forward to testify in a time constrained service (as you've got lots of people, waiting to testify), taking 35 minutes to dance around the topic of having a pimple and telling us that on Sunday morning the pimple had disappeared...No. Have you been in such situations?

After reciting Philipians 4:13 for about 150 times, I eventually summoned the courage to begin the assignment on Friday with a deadline submission on Sunday.
Mistake. Big mistake.
I couldn't get pass 135 words on Friday. I tried really hard, didn't sleep a wink the whole of Friday, but the best I could get to on Saturday morning was 161. At this point depression was silently creeping in. How would I hit 3,000 words in less than 24 hours? Or should I just type:

Strategic Human Resource Management is at it's infancy stage innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Africa.

That would get me to 3,000 words in no time. Right?

I quickly called a dear friend living close by...didn't have the nerve to drive to her place. I was restless, antsy and everything curdled in lethargy. I took a bike and was in her home in no time. She had been in my shoes years ago and knew exactly how frustrated I had been . She was super generous with her ideas and advise...a glimmer of hope. But it was short-lived as the second I got home, all super-charged to get back to the paper, I experienced a writer's block.
I sincerely couldn't type another word. I couldn't think. I struggled to 1,313 words and THAT WAS IT. FULL STOP.
My head was banging, heart palpitating. I needed help.

I remembered Mr Hubby was super smooth hours before, talking about love in action...those words pleased me like an unnecessary lavish gift. So I asked Mr Hubby;

'How about putting all this ya love to action? Oya, come and help me cross all the T's and dot all the I's. I can't think anymore amd my head is aching.' 

'Eheya. Sorry o. Just that?' He asked.

'Just that.' I said.

Mr Hubby swung into action at 6pm. He didn't look away from the laptop until way past midnight! Over 6 whole hours! He also tried to stay up till 4am when I finally submitted the paper.
You know, besides going straight to my mum, years ago to ask for my hand in marriage (without asking me first...no time), this, over 6 whole hours editing my paper? is one of the many coolest things from Mr Hubby. :-)

And yes! At 4am on Sunday morning, I finally submitted my first assignmemt with 2,702 words.
I assure you, at that time of the morning, deprived of sleep, they were sensible words.

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...Family, Friends...they're everything.

HR and Plagiarism.

It has got to be 'HR = Human Retirement' not Human Resources. The course just makes you want to retire from the human race.

So, like you already know, I have progressed directly to the main MBA Programme after the Foundation course. The first module is Organizations and HR Management. It's about a comprehensive review of essential personnel management concepts and techniques, focusing on practical applications that all managers need to deal with their HR related responsibilities.
The course focuses with specific explanations and illustrations on essential HR management topics like job analysis, selection and recruitment, testing, training and development, compensation and performance appraisal.

All of that sounds pretty interesting right? WRONG! It is super boring! How students study an MSc or an MA in HR or IHRM (International Human Resource Management) and not attempt to take a rope and hang themselves in the process beats me.
The videos and sub-topics on recruitment, compensation and performance appraisal was ok for obvious reasons...but everything else is just bland. Don't get it wrong, it's not about the Tutor (A new Tutor per new module - This one has been great by the way) and how the course was presented...it is the course itself.  It was just a struggle. I dreaded opening a page every day...I eventually feel dizzy each time I do. I open the first page, I read...and like cotton candy, it so easily evaporated from my tongue's memory. I feel as though my brain is constantly engaged in weightlifting with each page.

To make matters even more complicated, I had to download a reading material...several pages, and all I read about had nothing to do with HR or a specific Organization. It was more about the emergence of Bitcoin, a digital currency in an economy. Hian! Oooooo! Which one is this one again???
I had to send an email to the Tutor because I was certain I had downloaded the wrong reading material, and had wasted 2 hours of my time reading it.
The response from the Tutor gave me an instant migraine. He did say I downloaded the right reading material, and I was on course. I wanted to send another email, asking what the emergence of digital currency had to do with HR...but felt watching Africa Magic Hausa (on DSTV) at this point would best heal the ache in my head.

All of this would have been a walk in the park if Plagiarism isn't just an issue in other places of the world besides Nigeria (Someone once said 'Nigeria has no moral compass when it comes to Plagiarism'...do you agree?). All I'll have to do when given an assignment deadline is copy and paste someone else's work without giving credit and pass it of as mine and score 98% abi? (Shake my head) Not here. Academic Integrity is KEY.
It reminded me of my final year at the University when I was struggling with the first chapter of my thesis, and a friend who was a Communication and Language Arts major was already done with her thesis in the first week of it's opening!
She was gracious enough to hand me a copy to read. On opening the first page where you dedicate the success of the thesis to someone or some inspiration...let me pause here... (Sips zobo from my mickey mouse branded mug)...I just remembered a former room mate back then at the University, who wrote on her thesis dedication page:

'This project is dedicated to my one and only true love, the wind beneath my wings, the only one that believed in me, that this day would come...Afe so no mi, Ayomide xxxxxxxx I love you. This is to us. Now and Forever.'

Odiegwu! The things we do for love. I thought it was silly at the time. Little wonder, 6 months later, the Bobo - Ayomide was engaged to be married to someone else. Choi! :-)

Back to the Communication and Language Arts major...I noticed on the dedication page that she dedicated the thesis to her late mum. Late mum? (Shocked) She had only just returned from Lagos a few days before, and showed me the 'janded' wrist watch her mum gave to her. How could her mum have passed on and she has been 'balling' since she arrived?
Well, apparently, her mum is still alive and well...till this day (I had with a strenuous loyalty, kept in touch through the years...thanks to social media), she only used someone's thesis written way back in 1990, took it to the printers; all they did was change the name, course, matriculation number and the cover (from black to green), and she passed it off as her's. It was the mum of the writer of the original work that had died...not her's. She didn't have the patience to edit that and she got 83% for that thesis.
Life!

Plagiarism is not handled lightly in other parts of the world. The student could fail that course or would be expelled from the University. There is a software called Turnitin that assists in ensuring you're not a literary thief in the making. When you're done with an assignment, it's best you pass it through Turnitin, as it detect similarities in your work with other writers. A high similarity, say 50%...that one is a literary thief o! 10% is not suspicious due to references and quotes.
They're not saying can't use other people's work, they're saying when you do (to the barest minimum though, as they would want you to think and write your own ideas and thoughts about a subject matter), give credit, reference correctly with quotation marks etc.

Universities in Nigeria and Plagiarism...what do you think? For your first degree, how did you go about your final thesis? You plagiarized anyhow abi? 'Copy and paste tinz?' :-)

Any HR majors in the house? How did you cope with the course o! This module wants to strangle me. Help oooo!!!!

Let's share ideas and talk all about it in the comment section!!!

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...the more we share...the more we have.

STUDY. TO. SHOW.

And tombo, tombo, laced with prayers, panned out really well! :-)

Economics - 98%
Accounting - 76%
Statistics and Research - 90%

Amazing, right?

To be fair to my brain, it wasn't an exclusive tombo, tombo affair. I knew the answers to most of the questions. But there were some, that even if it were an open book exam, with the answers staring at me right in the face, I go still fail am.

But how the cumulative grade became 65% still remains a mystery to me. :-(
Of course, a student is encouraged to challenge the grades with the Tutor, nothing like what we have here. Dare to, and you will carry over that course/module till rapture takes place.

Well, I have decided not to call for my scripts. Or should I? What if I'm given another assessment? Ain't nobody got time for that biko. Let me just carry my score and go jeje...allow sleeping dogs to continue sleeping, abi to lie?

That Bible verse just kept ringing in my head all week.

Study. To. Show.

It's about time I show my employers that I have been developing myself na. How can I show my boss that value is being added? Just like some people that will travel to Dubai for a week and come back with an American accent, filled with holes, mangling words until they were impossible to understand. I just have to Show. :-)

The perfect opportunity presented itself sooner than I thought.

We had a strategic Skype meeting, where we had to forecast figures for 2016. Before my opinion was required, yours truly blurted out a number of strategic jargons...yes, I know there is something immodest about my modesty, right? It simply just announces itself. :-)

'This is a reactor business strategy...slow to move, even resistant to the idea that there is a need to move, because reactors are captives of their own successes...'
 
I honestly can't remember most of the things I said sef, but towards the end of the meeting, my boss remarked;

'That was spot on Ada. Absolutely brilliant'.

I didn't waste time...I had to sell my market fast;

'All thanks to the MBA Online degree I just started'...I said.

'Oh...an MBA? Someone has got something up her sleeves...you've got plans Ada'? He asked.

The appropriate response to that question would have been, before nko? Instead, I just smiled back.
That kind of smile that says 'I hope my pay would be reviewed upwards before the end of 2015'?

Till next week Sunday (God willing) ...Live (not merely exist) everyday of your life.

Foundation...Tombo,Tombo.

I beg your pardon??? (Shocked)
I've got 9 years work experience in the Banking and Financial sector, and I still need to take a Foundation course to progress directly into the MBA Programme? I asked, my ' I ' glowing with righteous emphasis.
This has got to be a joke.
But it wasn't.
The Enrolment Officer at the University, made it quite clear via her email to me, that besides my 'wealth of experience', I need to take the Foundation course, because my first degree is not business related.
So all those years of work experience...don't they count for anything? I asked, with the easy manner of the entitled.
Errrr...apparently, they don't. :-(

Anyway, I began the Foundation course in Economics, Accounting, Statistics and Research.
Economics was pretty interesting as it examined the fundamental economic principles such as scarcity and choice, opportunity cost, demand and supply, elasticity, cost of production and market structures...an area I was quite interested in way back in Secondary School.
Accounting on the other hand was a whole new ball game! The accounting module examined the basic principles of accounting, and the ways in which accounting statements and financial information can be used to improve the quality of decision making. The truth is, the more I read about it, the more confused I became...I could literally feel my brain suffocating with every page.
Statistics and Research didn't help either. I skimmed the opening chapter braced for further boredom. In my head, all I could hear was, 'na who send you message'?

I decided to send an email to my Tutor, because unlike the online diploma courses I took last year with online, real time classes via a webinar, I'm yet to be notified of any in this case. I must have missed it in my mail I thought.
The reply from my Tutor came in barely 5 minutes later:


"There are no webinars for this programme. You have all the e-books and module materials you require for the course at your disposal. I suspect that you're an adult student. Should you require further clarifications, contact me".

My interpretation.

The hook for me, was the fact that the Tutor was suspecting that I'm an adult student? As though to make me see the gravity of my own foolishness.

For me, I learn better and faster when there is a class...some sort of interaction on the course content. How about you? How best do you learn?
Just reading, reading all by myself, and cramming to come and pour in the exam cannot work now o.
It worked back then while I was in the University, because all I was thinking about at the time was my faith in God and my books. So I had enough space in my brain to download up to 5 textbooks in my head and pour it all out for the Lecturers during the exams.
Now? The brain has been fully compartmentalized to house my faith in God, hubby, children, mum, siblings, work, money, more money, much more money, etc. No space to even memorize my Bank account number. I always have to call an Account Officer If I need to do a transaction that can't be carried out via the ATM.

The course assessment was a few days away. I had to get my act together, because if I didn't score at least 60%, I won't be able to progress to the main MBA programme. That would be it for the entire programme.

After reading for days, with depression lurking around the corner, my greatest joy was to discover that the assessment for the Foundation course will be in multiple choice format!!!
Ope oooooo!!!!!!!!! tombo...tombo to the rescue!!!!

Do you remember what that is? Let me take you back...wayyyyy back to JAMB (UTME) jamming days :-)

You attempt a question with multiple choice answers A - E. You're caught between A, C, or E, being the correct answer (In fact, let's just be honest...you don't know the answer). You can''t leave the question unanswered...it was called negative marking or something like that? So you close your eyes, and recite (or sing) this slowly, while touching each multiple choice answer with your index finger, one after the other...

"Tombo, tombo baskelebe Iya amala ku...amala, amala kai, kai, tiki bosa bos, bread and butter baskelebe, maje ko tutu, baskelebe, maje ko gbono, gbono o".

If the recitation stops with your index finger on multiple choice answer C, that is your answer.
CRAZZZZYYYYY right? :-)

Oya talk true, have you done this in any exam you wrote? Was it a different recitation, song or poem?
Please let me know all about it in the comment section. I'll love to hear how and when you did apply guess work in any exam you had to take. :-)

You want to know how that tombo, tombo panned out for me? I'll tell you all about it next week!

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...Believe you can and you're half way there.

''Hello My Darling"...2

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!! (Shaking my head vigorously) This is not your typical home video sequels:

The Dying King  - Part 1
The Dying King - Part 2
The King has died - Part 1 (a sequel to the Dying King Part 2)
The King has died - Part 2 (a sequel to the King has died Part 1)
The Dead King (a sequel to the King has died Part 2)

In order words, the movie has got 5 parts!!!

This is not some random Sunday fiction, I did encounter 'The Dying King' sequels (or should I say franchise?) when I visited Port Harcourt recently.

When I checked in at the Hotel in Port Harcourt, I quickly switched on the TV while I freshened up for the business meeting. The Dying King Part 1 was showing on Africa Magic.

After the meeting, I had to dash back to the Hotel to pick up some documents for the next business meeting...the Dying King Part 2 was on.

Meetings for the day done. Got to the Hotel for a quick nap and attend to my emails afterwards...The King has died Part 1 was on.

I wanted to have a power nap, but ended up sleeping for over 2 hours...The King has died Part 2 was on.

Done with my emails, dinner...slept off...woke up at 9:12pm to use the bathroom...The Dead King was showing...arrggghhhhhhh!!!!

Do people actually sit down to watch all these sequels when the plot of the movie is pretty much about how the King's only son 'in the abroad' could not ascend to the throne after his death? Oh my days!!!!

Don't get it twisted, I'm a huge Nollywood fan (though I have been struggling to finish a movie script since 2011 :-( ), but sometimes, some movies on Africa Magic no just dey try.

Back to Mr "Hello My Darling"...I had to let you know how the story ended abi? See them, already scrolling to the end of the blog post... :-)

Well, I ignored the chat messages and focused on studying the module description.
Then I got a notification on my University email account. The guy has sent an email! (If only I was this persistent with my life goals...)

You see, the student chat messenger is connected to the student email account created by the University. It was a no-brainer to reach me via email, considering I was ignoring his chat messages.

I opened the email...come and see orishirishi photos from the guy. Chai!
From posing in his Father's living room, to his latest mobile phone acquisition, to an exact model of my Dad's Peugeot 505...It just kept coming and I didn't know what to make of it.
Oh, did I mention he's Ghanaian?

I decided to ignore the emails and photos, like I did the chat messages. Silence they say is golden right? But there was something about his emails (besides the fact that they just kept coming) that made being silent about it absolutely impossible.
A quick fix...a quick email will cut it. Not a chat message, lest he thinks I'm encouraging an instant communication link between the both of us. I wasn't even patient enough to attach a subject to the email or a salutation:

"Charlie, this is not facebook. We're here to study...well, at least I am. If you need assistance with the study materials, kindly contact the course tutor. You can find his details on the VLE page. If you'll like to ask me questions relating to the course...let the classes begin first as I do not possess supernatural powers to assist you with any question you might have on a course that is yet to begin".

THE END.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY. (According to Nollywood, abi?)

The chat messages, emails and photos died a natural death. The power of an appropriate response shey?

Let me know what you think of my response to this in the comment section!
Have you had a similar experience? Do share! :-)

Till next week Sunday (God willing)...Whatever you are, be a good one.

"Hello My Darling"

That was exactly how the chat message I received from a 'potential classmate' started.

Ok, it's just been about a week in, still trying to remind myself why I decided to take this online degree course, when a chat message pops up below the screen of my PC, on the University home page.
I opened it and the opening sentence was "Hello My Darling"  Hia! (Looks around)

I read further..."How are you coping with the class my dearest"  What Class???

Mba nu...there's got to be a mistake somewhere.

I quickly checked my browser and the web link to be certain I wasn't on www.singlesonheat.com or something like that.

May I repeat myself, that it is ABOUT A WEEK in the virtual learning environment, reading through information toggle, sorting out tuition payment plan, student profile and a fellow classmate on the class chat list was already being super familiar.

Maybe it's just me, but I do not use endearments loosely.  Do you?
I equally do find that the 'friend tag' is used arbitrarily when one is just a contact on Whatsapp?

Ok I'm taking this up a notch right?

All of this reminded me of a work event I anchored some weeks ago in Abuja. When it's was time for the lunch break, a guy walked up to me, going on and on about 'Our' service year in Jos. (Shocked).

I noticed he smiled the most and laughed the loudest (exaggerated histrionics) at my really dry jokes when I was moderating the event some minutes earlier.
Standing next to me, he kept on about how close we were during the 3 week orientation programme in Jos. Truth be told, he remembered my name (or did he pick that up during my intro?). When he was done, I looked straight into his eyes and said "I'm sorry, what did you say your name is again?"

A SILENCE FELL.

"Are you saying you can't remember my name?" He asked. "We were really close in Jos. I even told most of my friends and siblings that you were my best friend". He continued.

Huh???

The whole scenario looked so surreal. Best friends in 3 weeks? And we haven't been in touch in 9 years?
I could see he was visibly hurt and I didn't want to make him feel bad any longer...but I had to tell him the truth while I swallowed an intense urge to laugh.
"Dude, 3 weeks in Kuru camp was tough on me o. The only thing I remember is not having a bath in days. After I left Kuru, I completely shut down that part of my life. I honestly can't remember you nor the events itself. But guess what? No time as the present! (I smiled). Here's my card, say hello when you can and don't be a stranger".

Nonsense. Those lines didn't work. The guy sulked through the entire event like a 2 year old whose favourite toy has been tossed out of the window.

The point I'm driving at is that, the guy was just an acquaintance. Little wonder I forgot him in a hurry. He wasn't a friend. Or was he? It seemed like a clear case of 'he was close to me but I wasn't close to him'?. Ever been in that situation?

Let me know what you think in the comment section! :-)

Till next week Sunday (God willing and after I'm done putting 'Mr Hello My Darling' in his academic place...Oh, it is a HE by the way)...Be true...Be happy!


N.B - I want to say a big THANK YOU!!! For taking out time to read my first blog post and dropping a comment to cheer me on. It means a whole lot to me. I am super encouraged to go on. I will try to do better in personalizing my responses to your comments other than Thank you. :-)

I'm just going to lean back right now and wait for your comments...

The Rebirth...

I wanted to post this in the month of May, my birth month, but just like my high school dream of graduating at the age of 20, owning my first home and a couple of cars at 23 and getting married at 24...here we are, 3 months later :-)

I have equally struggled to write a blog in the last couple of years. Maybe at the time I had nothing to write about like I did in 2006, where I was privileged to write a column on the Sunday pages of This Day newspaper titled 365 days with Adamilola. A column where I chronicled my journey as a typical 'lagosian' undertaking the mandatory National Youth Service year in Jos, Plateau State.  Oh...how I love Jos.
Anyways, here we are! 9 years later! The Rebirth! But this time, I am chronicling my journey (it is indeed A JOURNEY...a road less travelled?) in acquiring an online MBA degree, as a wife, a mother, a full time employee (9am - 5pm whenever I sleep off on my laptop while sending emails) in her thirties, hence the title - Adult Education abi  na night school?

And the name - Adamilola? To my DB Family in Jos, that has been my pseudonym.
I'll take a second to explain (...ok, maybe a minute). Way back at the University, I was 'christened' Oluwadamilola which means God has bestowed honour on me in Yoruba language (I'm not Yoruba...that's what they told me...I hope it's correct because I absolutely love the name). I decided to adopt the name...a fusion with my first name - Ada = Ada Milola = Adamilola. Cool right? :-)

So WELCOME! To Adult Education with me, Adamilola. (Shines teeth)

First, this blog is to encourage me to go on with my studies because trust me, swinging all that I have going on in my life, with an online education is not puff - puff. One thing I do know is that it is not IMPOSSIBLE.
Second, and most importantly, this blog is to challenge you reading this post, that you can begin to dream again and make it happen. It's not too late. Never a time as the present. You just can't sit back and watch others living your life. If you want it, go for it. You can still earn a degree while building a strong momentum in your career or business.

Why an MBA? You may ask. Well, because key employers in the Oil & Gas sector are searching for the right candidates with an MBA degree? Errrr...(scratches head) wrong answer.

An MBA because I'm done 'fighting' 2015 battles in the boardroom with 1865 strategies. Worse still, delivering humdrum observations as grandiose discoveries during management meetings...oh dear... :-(

Every Sunday (God willing and with your encouragement), I will blog about how my week has been trying to acquire this online degree, while balancing work and family at the same time.

Have you tried earning a degree (online or traditional) while you keep your regular 9 - 5 job and it's such a jagbajantis hassle, making no sense and leading no where? Or even if you're not working at the moment and tried getting an additional degree to give you that edge while you apply for a job or run your business and it just didn't happen?

Let me know what you think in the comment section. Also. I'll like to know how I fared with my first blog post :-)

Till next week Sunday, God willing...Believe...Become.