“I recognize that developing my critical and creative thinking is necessary for my future career as a web developer. In web development you never stop using critical and creative thinking from the moment you meet with a customer until the time you finish a website.

For example, when you first work with a client, you need to stop and think about who the audience is for the website. Everything needs to be tailored to that audience – just like the first few steps in the critical thinking process. You need to stop, obtain information, and determine what is being asked of you.

However, that’s only the start. Once you identify the audience, you must begin designing the website, logo, and any programs that may be needed. This step requires both a creative thought process and intense critical thinking at the same time. If you don’t critically and creatively think, then it’s likely that the website will appear somewhat empty in places it could otherwise be exceptional. Thus, a lot of innovation goes into web development and coding.

Furthermore, clients always bring new requests, and you need to be the mediator who is able to help them identify solutions and options. This type of situation brings you into new territory every single time you code, and if you want to be a successful web developer, you need to have the ability to create new programs, designs, and templates.

Critical and creative thinking is not just a part of web development, but rather, it occurs in all parts of the job on a daily basis.  Instructors at MPTC and industry leaders stress this fact often by stating that knowing how to code doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Almost anyone can learn to code with enough patience, but knowing how to use the code to create something significant from nothing is what makes a true programmer.  For all of these reasons, I’m glad I chose to take the Thinking Critically & Creatively course at MPTC to help my career as a web developer.”

Written by:  Tierney Cayo, MPTC Student

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

“I think the Introduction to Mass Communication course at MPTC should be a prerequisite for any college student. The amount of knowledge that I attained from this course has by far exceeded my expectations.”

Amanda Rondorf, MPTC Student

“When I first enrolled in the Introduction to Mass Communication course with Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. I knew I had to take some type of communication course, but I wasn’t sure what this course really entailed until the first week.  It seemed quite simple and easy to understand initially, but as the weeks progressed throughout the course, I realized that this course was much more involved than I had first anticipated.”

“I think the Introduction to Mass Communication course should be a prerequisite for any college student. The amount of knowledge that I attained from this course has by far exceeded my expectations. I never realized how the Internet started and the purposes of social media. Until this course, I took for granted the resources and capabilities of the Internet and media communications in my life.”

“I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is in college. It gives you a view of how communication has evolved over the years and how it will continue to evolve.”

Written by:  Amanda Rondorf, MPTC Student

“My name is Maria Niederwerfer, and I began my education at Moraine Park Technical College in the Fall of 2017. I completed the Medical Assistant program in May, 2018. After graduating from the Medical Assistant program, I decided to continue my education. I returned to Moraine Park Technical College because of the small size classes, which allow for more interaction with students, staff, and faculty.

I currently am enrolled in the Nursing program and recently completed the Think Critically and Creatively course with Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss. Taking this course was the best decision I have made because I learned to make better decisions in critical situations. In the medical field, these decision-making skills, along with communication and collaboration skills, will be very helpful. For example in the doctor’s office, you work as a team and all members have different ideas or approaches to situations. Your coworkers also have their own opinions, and you need to consider everyone’s opinions to provide excellent care to patients.

Again, I’m so glad I chose to take the Think Critically and Creatively course.  Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss makes you feel confident about yourself. There are no wrong answers in her classroom; there are only different ideas. She challenges students to think of different solutions to problems, which leads to better outcomes and decisions.”

Written by Maria Niederwerfer, student at Moraine Park.

For more information at Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

“As a college student, you are urged to obtain all of your necessary credits, but you’re not really sure why you need to take some of the courses. As I enrolled in the Think Critically & Creatively course for my first semester at MPTC, I remember telling myself, ‘I’m glad it’s only an eight-week class.’ I figured this class would be the longest eight weeks of my life and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Now that this class has concluded, I realize I gained so much useful knowledge and tools to help me become a stronger critical and creative thinker.

Following the first day of class, I knew this course would be beneficial to my life experiences in the real world and my goal of becoming a nurse. Too often individuals don’t realize how much critical and creative thinking that occurs every day with family members, fellow classmates, and co-workers. Being a good critical and creative thinker will make me stand out in a crowd.  

From this course, I will always remember to identify the purpose of a major decision and how the outcomes from that decision can affect others, too.  Furthermore, being more accepting and open to new ideas can greatly impact my career success, as well as following the critical thinking process when making decisions or solving problems.  I’m so glad that I took this course.  I know that it will only help me to be a great nurse when I graduate.”

Written by Victoria Schimming, MPTC Student.

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Jeanine Neitzel, a December 2018 graduate at Moraine Park, enrolled in the Introduction to Mass Communication course to fulfill her accounting degree requirements. While she wasn’t sure of the exact relevance of the course, the importance became very apparent after she completed the class.

The Introduction to Mass Communication course at Moraine Park explores communication in media and media literacy by providing insight into the important issues that confront students as consumers and purveyors of mass media within the workforce and in society. The mass media revolution, including media technologies, the evolution of media content and platforms, including new media, the impact of media communications on business and society as a whole, media bias, and media law and ethics provided the focus for this course.

“Last semester I wore many hats as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend, a full-time employee, a part-time student, a volunteer, and a waitress, just to name a few. This course explored many of the ways media infiltrates and ultimately impacts our daily lives. I found that learning about the origin of radio and the corruption that ensued to be fascinating. Because I fulfill many roles, (therefore I must relate what I see and hear to the moment I am in), I felt that not only was the course intriguing, it made me step back, and become more critical of what I was being ‘spoon fed’ by the radio, TV, and internet.

This course helped me to critically identify and sift through the media hype. I applaud those sources that stayed to the facts, without politically driven or personal innuendos, and not filling themselves with oxymoron’s, likewise appearing keenly stupid.

The Urban Dictionary defines a truthsayer as ‘a person who speaks the truth, especially when the truth is contrary to conventional wisdom and goes against the norm. In the 14th century, a soothsayer was a person who spoke the truth.’ I am hopeful in that definition lies our media’s future. To stay relevant, the media must be relevant.

To upcoming students, I highly recommend Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss’ course so they also may obtain a good understanding and realize that the once clear basins of truth are now the muddied waters of persuasion.”

Written by: Jeanine Neitzel, December 2018 graduate at MPTC

“As a Website Design/Developer student at Moraine Park, I need to know how to code and design websites, and how to troubleshoot issues by thinking critically and creatively.  I recently completed the Think Critically and Creatively class with Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss at MPTC and learned how to really think outside the box. 

Throughout the course, I learned how to get to the focus of an issue by using the Elements of Thought model.  This model proves essential for solving problems by making sure you are concentrating on the correct issues and not only the facts.  Failure to identify what you are trying to achieve for a purpose and the problem or issue to solve will lead to poor outcomes.  Website Design and Development for clients requires this type of critical and creative thinking throughout the entire process of designing and building a website to be the most effective for a business.  The actual design and development of a website represents only a small part of what is needed when working with clients.  For instance, you must identify the audience a business seeks to reach, conduct research, and determine how you are going to design a site that will attract customers.  Critical and creative thinking plays a significant role in this process. 

I’m looking forward to graduation in May, 2019, and I know that this course has only enriched my knowledge in this area for career success.  I suggest anyone pursuing any type of degree take this course to help improve your problem-solving and decision-making skills.”

Written by Catherine Ziegler
MPTC Student

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

“I completed this class as a successful writer,” Lauren Schwefel stated.

“I believe that our instructor, Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss, provided us with quality writing tools so that we can achieve career success in the future,” Natalie Graff concluded.

Natalie Graff and Lauren Schwefel decided to share their experience in the English Composition I course to let other students know about what to expect.  “When I enrolled in the English Composition I course, I thought I already knew what we needed to know about writing. Turns out I was wrong,” said Graff, who will be graduating from the Accounting program in May, 2019. 

Lauren Schwefel, a Nursing student, also found that she would learn a lot from taking the English Composition I course.  “Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss taught our class and emphasized to students the importance of learning the 4 C’s of Writing.  We practiced the 4 C’s of writing of clarity, conciseness, completeness, and correctness with every writing activity and assignment.  Every class period we drafted, revised, edited and proofread our writing, which helped me construct higher quality work,” shared Schwefel.

As the course continued, these students focused on learning about different types of writing, including creating professional business e-mails, completing communication case studies that required critical thinking, analyzing research studies, writing a blog, and preparing a research paper.  “Initially I was not looking forward to writing the research paper, but it became easier when our instructor taught us how to follow the writing process, which included writing an annotated bibliography, a plan and outline, and a rough draft,” recalled Graff.

Schwefel recalls that while writing the research paper she learned the importance of organization, time management, and how to determine credible sources. “When all was said and done, I could confidently write a research paper that I initially had dreaded,” she said.

Overall, these students emphasized how the English Composition I course taught them more about writing than they imagined. 

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Nervous, Surprised, and Now Confident about her Education. Meet Jesse Lance. 

“I was extremely nervous going back to school at the age of 38.  Some people said it was a waste of time.  Others said I wouldn’t make it. I worried the professors wouldn’t be understanding. Boy, was I wrong!

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Meet Delilah Hernandez, nursing student at Moraine Park Technical College.

“I chose to attend MPTC for two reasons.  First, the nursing program ranks number 2 in the state.  Second, I absolutely love their focus on the core value of student success, which is amazing.  Everyone from faculty to staff to advisors offers support and resources and genuinely cares about student success.”

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