Professor Berg's Deadline

   Originally I posted this as a response to one of our classmates but decided to make it a separate post so that maybe some people who might have taken longer to submit their work will not get down on themselves! 

   With less than a week left I am finally completing my three posts, three responses to classmates, and my book report post. Many of you might see this as procrastination because I might not appear motivated to stay on top of my work. This is actually false because I purposely took Professor Berg for a second time due to his positive incentive. I see Professor Berg's deadline as a positive incentive because it really motivated me to get ALL of my work in by the end of the semester. I also took two other summer courses to finish my bachelor's degree this summer, and just like many of my classmates, they had deadlines for each week. With other classwork to complete, a part time job, and filling out applications for grad school, it was hard to balance schoolwork and still having fun with friends in the summer. With deadlines each week, it was hard to complete all requirements in a short period of time. Professor Berg gave us a positive incentive to get all work done because he wasn't rushing us. I felt I owed him for that, and was therefore motivated to complete every assignment.


   We learned about functional autonomy in our slides, which is the outcome of a process that involved the transition from extrinsically motivated behavior to intrinsically motivated behavior. Professor Berg's deadline for all work to be due at the end of the semester turned his class from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation for me. I didn't read through several chapters each week because I wanted to complete the quiz that was due that Friday for a good grade. Instead, I took my time reading our assigned book and my chosen book for the book report, and was able to enjoy both. I was motivated to finish the books for my pleasure and at my own pace. I think we all feel extrinsic motivation for all of our classes and want the best grade we can receive. Our professor's due date was almost an incentive to feel intrinsic motivation, to not feel rushed but to enjoy what we were learning and reading. By the end of this semester I feel appreciative that I was able to take the time to read and learn, and now relaying all of this information is enjoyable and easy. 


   I understand where other classmates are coming from and why they are proud of their hard work this semester and staying on top of their posts. I think what we can all take out of this course is that there are several types of motivation and ways to feel motivated. Regardless we should be proud to have accomplished our goal of completing the class.