KINS 488 was a completely online course, taken with a professor that I had in previous semesters and enjoyed working with. Thankfully, I was able to meet with my professor in-person and she was very flexible with me. Through this enhancement, I feel like I got to know my professor in many new ways, and the professor of this course grew into more of a mentor for me. Tena Ewing helped me prepare for internship interviews, letters of recommendation, and, most importantly, giving me confidence in my capabilities.
Going through the process of this enhancement taught me a lot of things, most notably how to be adaptable and flexible. When first beginning to plan for the enhancement, we had planned on doing research on “brain breaks.” This is where you partake in physical activity for a few minutes during a bout of work or studying for a prolonged period of time. This has been used and studied in younger populations, but there is little to no evidence that it may be beneficial for young adults, college students. Because this would utilize the help of college students in an experimental capacity, I had to go through specific training and get an approval through the IRB. Due to time constraints and how long the approval process would take, we were unsuccessful in our original plans, but this does not mean we weren’t successful in the end.
We ultimately did a case study utilizing data that my professor had collected from previous doctors appointments, monitoring key factors such as weight and blood pressure, over the course of the pandemic. At the last minute, I was able to sign up for the showcase and present relevant data about what a classic COVID-19 patient, without COVID, was like. The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, and my professor, nor myself, was no exception.