Module III done, 5 more before graduation

May I just say that I loved this module since it focused on operations. Talk about restoring confidence! This was the longest mod, but went by the quickest. It also had the best class schedule.

Classes:
Operations Management - Fundamentals of capacity constraint, lean, JIT, Six Sigma, etc. I completely enjoyed this class, but only due to my background.
Cost Accounting - Finally an accounting class I understand! ABC analysis fell right in line with my old data analysis life. Class format was intended to be interesting, but wound up confusing classmates more than helping: during each class 1 study group would present their finding then another group would "challenge" them by asking questions about the findings. The prof would finish class by going over anything that the lead group got wrong (or as he said, "There's no wrong answer. Mine are just more right."), and answer any questions.
Marketing - More marketing and I enjoyed it just as much as in mod II. I love exploring a new world that's easy to understand.
Information Systems Management - I thought this would be a crappy class that teaches us how implementing the appropriate computer system can magically fix all your problem; wasn't the case. Instead, it focused on how to determine if/when to spend $$ on a new program, how to align your IT with company strategies, and right/wrong implementation practices. Again, completely spoke to some of my background.
Simulations - Woohoo! Creating simulations based on supply/demand, or maximize/minimize something such as profitability.
Organization Development - Focused on effective leadership and difficulties in terms of culture/behavior change. Helped to understand why implementing initiatives is so hard.
Finance - This was my difficult class. Capital budgetting, WACC, cost of capital, etc. All new and all interesting. I think I've learned it now, but this was the exam I was worried about.
Law/Ethics - See mod II for description.

Exams:
Marketing/Finance - Our finance prof, who hates marketing, commented that marketing was exactly what he was hoping to be paired up with (note the sarcasm). We were given the case at noon on Thursday to review and took notes as appropriate. Friday morning at 8am they distributed the exam and no one expected to use the entire time (the exam was due 5pm). However, it seems as though most of the class finished close to the due time.
Info Systems Mgmt/Org Development - This was our group exam that required a 10-page report after analyzing a 20-page case. This was more difficult than it needed to be since we had to decide how to break up the work to complete the paper. Our team was relatively effecient by spending all day on the paper and finishing around 10pm Monday evening. I came in on Tuesday morning for final edits that the team sent me via email/IM and submitted the paper after 30 minutes. Two other team members really went above and beyond by working pretty hard from home on Tuesday when they didn't have to.
Ops Mgmt/Cost Accounting - Of course, another case study. Extract the info and determine capacity constraints then do activity-based costing. Recommend managerial actions based on the data analysis and qualitative information provided in the case. 5-page write up for Ops Mgmt and another 5-pages for Acct. Ops Mgmt was pretty straightforward, but the acct portion was setup in a confusing way. I'm sure some of the questions were intended to help, but I didn't understand some of it and just started answering later questions After providing those answers, I understood some earlier questions and filled in those templates just to "check the box."

Other:
Mod III Kickoff - Our first day was spent getting to know our new study groups and getting an overview of how we'll approach operations learnings. Throughout the day, we touched on every mod III class.
New Sections - During mods I and II our class was broken into 3 sections. I was in section 1 and stayed with that group of 55 students for every class. In mod III we shuffled the sections. I'm now in section 3 and chose a different seat. Our seating is in a horseshoe design. In section 1 I was in a center seat, center row - primary spot for cold calling. Now I'm off to the side almost to the back, which resulted in less cold calling. However, it also meant it was harder to get prof's attention when I wanted to be called on.
New Study Groups - Changing sections also meant our official study groups changed. It's been a pretty good group and it's been nice to get to know some people in the group more.
BCAP - Having Wednesdays dedicated to BCAP was great for staying up-to-date with homework, but we didn't do a lot for BCAP. However, we did do BCAP on random days throughout the week, so I guess it evened out. And with no class on Wednesday, we treated Tuesday like Friday by getting a few drinks and hanging out in the afternoon.
Class Times - Classes during this mod ended by noon, so we had the rest of the day for homework and other activities.
Unofficial Study Groups - My friends tried something a little different this mod. In the past one person was assigned a reading, so they would summarize it for the others...didn't work so well. This mod we all read the readings 2 days before class. Then we would meet the day before class and work through the homework. For me it helped to talk through marketing. For others it helped to work through the number based classes.