University of Cincinnati

Reflective Essay:
Senior Capstone
Douglas Morgan M00781206

Senior Capstone
Course: AIS-4099003
Tuesday: 5:00 p.m. - 5:55 p.m.
Dr. Kegley
November 10, 2015

Morgan

Introduction
My journey through the BTAS program has been a challenging, yet welcome experience
for my life. I saw it as a way to enhance and improve my position in life and to support the
advancement of my career in the workplace. Throughout this reflective paper I will touch upon
my overall experience as it relates to the BTAS program. I will start in the beginning, explaining
what brought me to the BTAS program in the first place. This will lead me into my expectations
of the program and whether or not those expectations were realized. I will then wrap up with
how the BTAS program has impacted my life and what were the primary things I got out of it.
Everyones BTAS journey and experiences are uniquely their own; this is my story.

Self-Reflection
In the Beginning
I obtained my Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems from UC in 2001.
When I obtained my degree, I had already been working within my chosen industry for a few
years as a contractor with GE Aviation (then known as GE Aircraft Engines). I was working as
part of a small helpdesk, which was supporting GE Aviations employees, suppliers, and
customers. Given the type of work I was doing, having an Associate degree was perfectly
acceptable. Although, I knew I would return to school one day, I had no motive or reason to do
so at that time.

Choosing the BTAS Program

As the years progressed, I found myself eventually in the role of Supervisor over the
same helpdesk, now in a comfortable, yet challenging position. The challenging aspect of the
role came from my increased involvement in process improvement and various projects, not
only on the IT side, but also on the business side of things. Due to my years of experience, I
found that GE was starting to take more of an interest in me and what I could offer its
company. At this point, Ill just say that it may have been indirectly advised to me by that
obtaining my Bachelor degree may be beneficial for me and my ongoing career plans.

Morgan

Coincidently, I was already looking into the various educational opportunities within the
area and I happened to come across an article which announced that UCBA would be starting
the BTAS program the following year. Once I looked into the details of the program, I realized
that the BTAS degree would be a perfect complement to my Associate degree. Career planning,
along with serious thoughts about starting a family is what finally brought me back to school. I
knew I would go back to school one day, I just didnt realize it would be 10 years later.

My Current Status
Now that I am wrapping up with the BTAS program I am finding myself in a much better
place, personally, academically, and professionally. I am no longer working in an IT role at GE
Aviation; soon after I started the program, I was approached by the GE Aviation Tech Pubs
organization regarding opportunities they had available. Since the opportunities were on the
business side of things, I saw this as a great opportunity to further my knowledge, skills, and
abilities, and broaden my professional horizons. I started off with them as a Digital Production
Leader in which I supported and managed the production of digital deliverables. After being in
that role for a few years, I progressed into a more Project based role. Now working as a Project
Specialist within Tech Pubs, I am still supporting digital deliverables but in a much different and
more expanded capacity.
I believe that my success and advancement in the work place has been greatly
attributed to my experience in the BTAS program. As I began my journey through the BTAS
program, I started to adapt what I was learning to my professional life and soon after, I started
to see the positive results. My current leadership at work has been very much aware of my
academic progress and the fact that I am about to wrap up so I am hopeful that bigger and
better things are on the horizon.

Program Reflection
BTAS Expectations
When I first applied to enter the BTAS program, I was at a point in my career where I
needed to advance my education and take that next step forward. I was looking for the BTAS

Morgan

program to help me achieve this. In reviewing the program description and the curriculum that
was available, I saw that the program would have more of a focus on Human Resources,
Organizational Leadership, and other business related topics that management deals with on a
day-to-day basis. This program would be a perfect complement to my Associate degree, which
was more technical in nature. My initial expectation for the program was for it to help me to
broaden my knowledge, skills, and abilities, and enhance my business acumen.

Expectations Realized
As I worked my way through the program and completed my coursework, I found that I
was growing as a student, which was in-turn allowing me to grow in the workplace as well. This
growth was evident not only by the high marks I was receiving in class, but also by the fact I was
taking on more responsibility at work. This validates and confirms that my expectations for the
BTAS program are being realized and met. Sure, experience at work has helped to strengthen
my knowledge, skills, and abilities, but I believe that this originated from the experience and
knowledge I was gaining as a result of my coursework in the BTAS program. The courses in the
BTAS program were giving me the knowledge, insight, and tools that I needed to be successful
in the real world. Therefore, I believe my initial expectations of the BTAS program have been
met and have been far exceeded. I am pleasantly surprised at the results and would gladly
recommend the program to others who find themselves in a situation similar to what I found
myself in.

Summary
Program Impact
I have definitely been personally affected by being in the BTAS program. Once I was
active within the program and taking classes, I started to realize how much of an impact the
program was having on me, not only personally, but professionally as well. I took what I
learned within the courses I was taking and started to actively apply them in the workplace. I
was starting to look at situations from different angles and was taking approaches which I may
not have considered previously. Another big thing I noticed was an improvement in my

Morgan

confidence at work, especially in regards to dealing with others and presenting during
meetings. This has translated into ever-increasing responsibility at work which I am hopeful will
continue even after I complete the BTAS program.
As a result of my ever-increasing responsibility at work, I am getting involved in more
project based work where I am working with both local teams and virtual teams. In some cases
I am leading the efforts and in others I am an active participant. Interestingly enough, I have
observed that the increased responsibility in the workplace has had a positive impact on my
school work as well. I feel that as I have become a stronger contributor in the workplace, this
has in-turn allowed me to become a stronger student as well. It seems that the experience I am
gaining in both arenas are working off one another and are complimenting each other well,
thus allowing me to further improve, grow and expand my knowledge, skills, and abilities. My
experience with the BTAS program has definitely had a positive impact on my life.

Program Highlights
When I think about what I got out of the BTAS program, I think about what type of
content, material, and concepts first come to mind. I believe that the first things that come to
mind are the things I got the most out of during my BTAS journey. The first and foremost thing
that comes to mind is all of the HR related courses that I took. The HR courses were very
beneficial because they discussed and taught material that dealt with how to relate with other
individuals in a work setting. They taught various approaches to consider when tackling a
problem and they taught me that I need to carefully consider what I can and cannot say. These
courses gave me a better understanding of the overall process of managing human resources in
a workplace setting. As a result of the HR courses, I have also gained a better appreciation for
what human resource professionals have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Classes which covered leadership and supervision concepts also stand out in my mind
when I think about the BTAS program. These courses covered the various leadership styles and
approaches that can be applied within the workplace, how they differ from one another, how
they range in effectiveness, and how workers react differently to each approach. From
authoritative leadership style all the way to Laissez-faire leadership, there is a style and

Morgan

approach for almost any and all situations. My big take-away in this area was Situational
Leadership. Situational Leadership, in my opinion, may be the most effective leadership style
there is. You will be a more effective leader if you are versed in multiple leadership approaches
and know when and how to use each effectively.
When it comes to the concepts I learned while in the BTAS program, while I learned
about a lot of useful and effective ones, when I think about which one stands out the most in
my mind, it is Active Listening. When it really comes down to it, a big part of our success in life
is going to be attributed to how well we communicate. The concept of Active listening is an
approach that can help good communicators become excellent communicators. Active listening
requires a lot of practice but is something that is worth the investment. With active listening,
you focus completely on the message being transmitted by the sender; you keep an open mind,
dont jump to conclusions, and then ensure you give feedback to ensure you understand the
message. Active listening is truly invaluable because it can help to prevent and resolve many
issues and misunderstandings in the workplace. Without active listening, communication
breakdowns in the workplace are inevitable. Taking the extra time to carefully listen to and
understand others will take a person further than they realize.

Conclusion
As you can see, the BTAS program has had a positive effect on my life. I am glad that I
decided to make the leap and return back to school to pursue my bachelor degree through the
BTAS program. Academically I am where I want to be and professionally I have been going in
the right direction. I am confident that having my bachelor degree will continue to pay
dividends as I move forward throughout my life. The BTAS program has been a welcome
addition to my life and I highly recommend it to others who wish to improve their own lives.
The program is still relatively young so changes are still occurring, nevertheless, I still see it as a
highly beneficial and challenging program that does what it sets out to do; it provides its
students with an edge by enabling the knowledge, skills, and abilities that business leaders are
looking for in their employees today. The BTAS program helps its students to take their career
to the next level today so they can be the leaders of tomorrow.