The DBC seemingly started off as a experiment - with a handful of tutors and a cohort of working professionals, business owners and college/university students who didn't really know what they were getting themselves into. The curriculum itself deviates away from the traditional consumerist "restaurant" model of education in favour of a transformational creative package where the individual determines their educational success through sharing, co-creating with tutors & peers alike and learning heaps more by going down rabbitholes.
My very first (virtual) encounter with EDA was awesome, as if the stars and planets were in perfect alignment and reading through their website just ignited a genuine desire to be a part of this experience; as if there was a sense of humanness coded within the text, images and videos that resonated with me. This feeling of awesomeness was further cemented with an interview - where I learned that experiences and the right behaviour and attitude were invaluable in working collaboratively within teams. What an indelible experience this has been so far!
I've found over the last 15 years of teaching that self exploration, self discovery and the wonder that comes with intrinsic realization has a profound affect on learning and understanding. What EDA offers aligns and is naturally conducive with my preferred (kinesthetic/visual) learning style. The opportunity to learn organically while growing, refining my own understanding in what feels like a fully supportive, highly communicative environment can be quite rare. I particularly enjoy/look forward to the whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships) aspect as my prime state of learning is through physical engagement & working with others.
If the above commentary is anything to go by, then my expectations haven't changed. I'm gaining clarity of my own expectations, my own limits and the habits that disable/enable my own learning and understanding. Subconsciously the expectations of EDA are rewriting over old, redundant legacy code - some may call it a lifestyle change...or a (good) midlife crisis.
My mind's telling me that the next 18 weeks will be really frightening, fraught with an avalanche of achievable assessments and lots of cool new vocabulary, concepts, languages and frameworks. My heart however is resolute to give everything a go and embrace failure as a stepping stone towards learning more.