Archive for March, 2009
There was only one online instructor who I met face to face. The other online instructors only had an email presence. Interestingly enough I felt closer to my online instructors than most of my other instructors.
My freshmen year at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire was not the best for me educationally. At the same time I arrived at college, the drinking age turned to 18 and businesses in Eau Claire capitalized on this new set of customers. I stayed up late, drank more than I should, and slept in the chair of my eight a.m. classes. I was appalled when I met my 8:00 a.m. instructor in the hall one day, and he said, “Hello Pam.” I was embarrassed that he knew my name since I habitually slept though his class. The next semester I did not schedule any eight o’clock classes and learned from this embarrassment. After this lesson I realized that sleeping was not the impression I wanted to make on my college teachers and sought them out to give a more favorable impression.
I made it a habit to have a personal meeting with all of my instructors over the years, especially those in large classes. I thought it was helpful for them to equate a face with a name. In hindsight I guess it was a subtle way for me to let them know that I really cared about my education. E-mail in online classes make contacts with college teachers a lot easier. There was no calling to set an appointment and no appointment to remember. You send the email and wait until the answer arrives. Most of my instructors were prompt to respond. Some of the responses turned into longer personal discussions and some did not. Online instructors can tell how much you care about education by looking at your written responses or lack of responses.
The online teacher also is not affected by the way a student looks and eliminates a lot of bias in grading assignments and the written discussions.
There is no chance of an online instructor seeing you sleeping in their class. Depending on your other commitments, you may be completing your online assignments when most everybody is sleeping,including the instructor.
Posted by Jen Zeman on March 30th, 2009
I rarely had interactions with administrators or instructors at UMUC outside of the classroom. Within the classroom, questions for instructors in each of my classes were responded to quickly, whether the question was posted in the Class Announcements section or via email. One time during my two and a half years at UMUC required interaction with the administration.
I was receiving financial aid while attending UMUC and during one semester, my aid was not applied to my tuition balance in a timely manner. This created a series of phone calls and emails to the director of financial aid and then to the vice president. The error was not mine – someone had dropped the ball in the financial aid office. It took about two weeks to resolve the issue, but ultimately my account was corrected and I went on my merry way. The only difference with this interaction and any I may have had at the community college I attended was the inability to visit the financial aid office in person. However, I didn’t find this to be a problem. The phone calls and emails I sent to the UMUC financial aid office were answered promptly and I never felt like I was being ignored. I credit this to UMUC’s administration and faculty being accustomed to communicating with students at a distance. UMUC does have a traditional campus as well, but the largest portion of its student body is students attending online. Because of this, I believe faculty and administrators go out of their way to maintain lines of virtual communication.
If you do encounter a problem as an online student, here are a few tips to help resolve the issue quickly:
- Send an email as soon as a problem arises. Sometimes online classes move at a faster pace than traditional classes, so time is of the essence.
- Be clear and specific in your email or phone call. Instructors and administrators deal with a large amount of students and issues on a daily basis. Being clear and specific from the start means the issue will be resolved quicker.
- Keep accurate records of the issue/dispute. Hopefully an issue will not go on for an eternity, but helps to maintain a record of what has happened in case an issue escalates.
- Be persistent, but professional. Again, because faculty and administrators deal with hundreds of students, you don’t want your issue to get lost in the mix. Be persistent (if you don’t receive a response within 48 hours, email or call again), but don’t be a jerk! Trust me, after years of working in the customer service field, nobody likes to deal with or help a jerk.
Posted by Jen Zeman on March 26th, 2009
Living in a small, rural country town has many advantages. Having an easily accessible four-year college or university is not one of them. Accessibility became the main inspiration to pursuing an online university.
The University of Maryland University College (UMUC), while within my home state, was not local for me. Additionally, everything I needed for my educational experience was available to me online so it’s presence as an in-state institution did not prove to be either advantageous or disadvantageous. UMUC provided me everything I needed online: applications, course schedules, registration, book ordering, advising, library services, you name it. I didn’t have to step foot on the physical campus until commencement! Final exams couldn’t be taken online, but even that was convenient. I had the ability to take proctored exams at my local community college (which at the time I worked for them, making it that much more convenient). The ability to utilize the community college was an advantage. It was wonderful knowing I could achieve a bachelor’s degree (and now even master’s degree) without having to commute 45-75 miles to a physical campus. No wear and tear on my car, no extra money spent on gas, and no traffic! With all this said I consider myself very independent and enjoy learning from a distance and don’t mind conversing with students and faculty via email or online forums. If you crave face-to-face interaction at some point during the semester, an institution with a local presence may be more ideal for you.
However, if accessibility to a four-year institution is an issue for you, an online college or university is an ideal choice, whether they have a local presence or not. It will be a matter of getting accustomed to communicating completely online. It certainly beats the alternative – not getting a degree at all.
Posted by Jeff Davis on March 25th, 2009
When I first began my search into selecting an online school and furthering my education, it was important to me that the college I chose have a strong internet presence as well as a local presence. You can call it personal preference or what have you, but I just preferred a more locally recognized school over one that wasn’t. Why? I guess I believed that an online school without a local campus presence wouldn’t offer me quite the same opportunities or that potential employers wouldn’t take me as serious. Boy was I wrong! What I found out after graduation was that the same opportunities existed for students regardless of whether the program had a local campus or was strictly online and that employers were more concerned with what I learned rather than the name of the institution on my degree.
So, although I attended an online program with a local campus, it didn’t really make a difference. In fact, I never once even visited the institution’s local campus facility or ever had the need to. Everything I ever needed for my online classes was always available online. Now that I look back on my own experience, I believe all that matters is for students to attend an accredited and respected school and one of their own choosing. As long as you are happy with your final decision, then that is all that matters. I don’t believe that it’s necessary for the chosen school to have a local campus presence in order to be advantageous to the learning environment.
This has been my personal experience and I found a wealth of resources and information available online in helping me make my final decision for finding the right online program. I found my personal experience to be educational and rewarding and would highly recommend an online college to anyone who is thinking of returning to school.
Tags: advantageous, advantages, local campus, local presence, online school, personal preference, strong internet presence, University of Phoenix, university of phoenix online, UoP, uop online
Categories: Local vs. National Online Programs
Posted by admin on March 24th, 2009
Changes to federal student loan policy will affect more students than ever as the financial crisis brings them in growing numbers to loan office doors.
“We just have a sense that there will be more than in past years,” said Tom Melecki, director of the Office of Student Financial Services. “That’s based on the fact that we have had a steady stream of new students saying, ‘Gosh, you know my family’s been negatively impacted by the economy, how do I go about applying?’”
This year, federal PLUS loans — which parents borrow to cover undergraduate education costs — will be administered by only two banks per state. Banks placing the two most competitive bids in a statewide auction will get exclusive rights to administer the loans.
Congress voted for the auction system in 2007 to drive down the projected cost of federal subsidies and simplify the loan process.
Melecki said the system may not be completed in time to award PLUS loans for the 2009-2010 school year and that the UT student financial services office was hoping to notify students about their financial aid by April.
“Since the U.S. Department of Education has not yet conducted that PLUS loan auction, any parent borrower who has not yet borrowed a PLUS loan — we have to send them a message and say as soon as the DOE tells us who wins the auction rights, we’ll let you know,” Melecki said. “Until then, we can’t take steps.”
Congress has imposed a July 1 deadline for completing the auction. The FAFSA priority deadline is March 31.
During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, 3,644 UT students’ parents borrowed $44,267,358 in PLUS loans, Melecki said.
President Barack Obama’s budget includes another change in the student loan process: Whereas in previous years private banks administered student loans that were in turn guaranteed by the federal government, the current administration hopes to eliminate the intermediary and administer loans directly to students.
Melecki said that, while this is a drastic change for banks, loan and repayment procedures for students will remain the same.
“I don’t think it’ll have much effect on our students, because the terms and conditions on the loans are virtually identical between the federal direct loan program and the Federal Family Education Loan Program,” Melecki said.
Melecki said the government’s plan to remove private banks from student lending may discourage banks from bidding on PLUS loan contracts since they would likely only administer loans for a year.
Loan giant Sallie Mae, which awards 40 percent of federal PLUS loans, announced last week that it would not participate in the auction. Sallie Mae’s exit may deter smaller lenders from participating in the auction as well.
“It’s one thing to bid in the PLUS auction if you can do it for five, six, seven years,” Melecki said. “It’s totally different if you can only do it for one.”
Provided by: Daily Texas
Posted by admin on March 24th, 2009
Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, today announced a new private loan that enables students to save money, build good credit, and repay their student loan debt faster. With the new Smart Option Student Loan, a typical customer would pay off the balance nine years sooner and would save an estimated 40 percent of the total amount paid, including principal and interest, compared to most other private student loan alternatives.
Students may apply for the Smart Option Student Loan beginning today. Under the new program, customers will make interest-only payments while in school, so students avoid negative amortization and graduate with substantially less student loan debt. A freshman borrowing the average loan size of $7,700 would cut the payment time in half and save approximately $8,700, compared to most other private student loan alternatives.
Sallie Mae recommends private student loans for families who have exhausted their eligibility for free or less-expensive funds such as scholarships, grants and federal student loans. The company continues to offer federal student loans, which allow students to defer interest payments while in school, to every eligible student at every school in the United States through the 2009-2010 academic year. Terms of previously disbursed private loans remain unchanged.
“Today’s students are financially savvy and looking for affordable, responsible options to help with their investment in higher education,” said Jack Hewes, senior executive vice president and chief lending officer, Sallie Mae. “We have tried to design this loan to be sensitive to the needs of students who not only rely on this financing to get to college, but also want a more manageable level of debt as they transition from school to work. Paying a little while in school guarantees that students will save a lot later.”
Sallie Mae’s Smart Option Student Loan encourages responsible borrowing by functioning like other monthly obligations, such as cell phones and cable TV. The interest-only monthly payments required while in school, coupled with regular financial literacy communications, will help students develop good repayment habits, improve their credit scores, and help make loan payments after graduation more manageable. Reactions from college financial aid officers were favorable and confirmed the need to help students borrow responsibly.
The Smart Option Student Loan’s repayment term will range between five and 15 years, depending on the student’s cumulative Sallie Mae-serviced private student loan balance and academic grade level. Interest rates will be variable based on LIBOR. Those who apply for a Smart Option Student Loan with a creditworthy cosigner will increase the probability of approval and a lower interest rate. Interest rate reductions may also be available for customers who elect to make payments via automatic debit and receive communications via email. To prevent students from borrowing more than their budgets can handle, the approval process will include a review of monthly income and other debt payments.
Students and families considering a Smart Option Student Loan are encouraged to use Sallie Mae’s Education Investment Planner to estimate the total cost of a college degree, build a comprehensive plan to pay for college, and estimate the salary a graduate would need to keep repayment of student loans manageable. Visit www.SallieMae.com/plan for more information.
Provided by Maketwatch.com
Posted by Sharon Cece on March 24th, 2009
Sentiment is a strong motivator. Sentiment drives you to do what you wouldn’t otherwise take the time, energy or money to do, since what drives you is emotional rather than practical.
It would have made more sense to finish my degree through a local online program. For one, the cost is much more attractive. For another, the cost is much more attractive. Finally, the cost is…okay, you get the point. Instead, I registered with Florida State University’s online program, which was based six hundred miles away and cost twice as much as a local program. Now, why would a relatively sane, budget-conscious gal like myself choose to do such a thing?
Sentiment, you say. And I say, Right on. I could have registered with North Carolina State, saved money, time, all the rest. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I left FSU in 1989 after two years of attendance, for years afterward I dreamed of going back there to get my degree. I dreamed of going back there. You could say that I dreamed in Garnet and Gold.
I left my childhood home at 20, traveling 1200 miles alone for the first time to Tallahassee, Florida; an independent rite of passage. I worked so hard those two years, defining myself, drawing those early experiences into my life, not just remembering but fusing them into who I was. In my heart I was a Seminole. Fourteen years later when I decided to finish what I started, that quixotic spirit, that pride, never left me. In a way–and this may make no sense at all–if I had gone the pragmatic route and chosen a local program, it would have erased all I originally set out to do. Yes, I would have graduated; of course, I would have my degree. But it wouldn’t have been the same. It wouldn’t have been Garnet and Gold.
I look up now at my FSU Diploma, hanging in my custom matted FSU frame, a splurge. It almost brings tears to my eyes. It is so much more than just a piece of paper to me, so much more than academics. The paper in that frame symbolizes idealistic enterprise, hardship and sacrifice, adventure, endurance, perseverance, success. Completing what I originally set out to do. Fulfilling a long-held dream.
I was in spirit, but now officially am on paper, a Seminole.
It cost twice as much to enroll in Florida State’s online program and took more effort compared to local programs. I had to drive 600 miles just to reach out my hand and grab hold of that paper.
Was it worth it?
Oh, you bet it was.
I attended online classes with a local campus and online classes with a national campus. I found very little difference between the two. The online classes were a less intimate approach to getting an education. The tradeoff for less intimacy was more effective time management.
With the local university there was one on site meeting, to orientate the classmates to the online environment. Because I saw my classmates only once, I did not really remember them when the online part of the class commenced. I did establish an online relationship with the instructor and we talked about presenting together at a conference. That opportunity never materialized and after the class I had no other contact with her.
Interestingly enough I recently had contact with an instructor from a national campus, where I participated in two online classes. I enrolled in an online class this summer, starting a certificate to be certified as an instructor in e learning. This is at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, It is not really local, nor is it national. This instructor took a new position at this new University. I received an email from her and when I replied back I told her I remembered her from the national university. I don’t think she really remembered me, but this is normal when instructors have hundreds of students over the years. It does feel like it is a small world when you make a new contact with a former teacher.
The online environment has flattened the world, and now a lot of people are my neighbors and classmates digitally. There are local friends who I only see online. If we wanted to and had the time we could get together. At my age with my busy schedule, Internet platforms and email keep me in touch without committing more time. My online classes do the same, and have flattened the classroom to the whole world.
Posted by admin on March 20th, 2009
The Student Loan Corporation (SLC) reiterated today its commitment to the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and to its mission of providing schools, students, and families with affordable, reliable access to higher education.
SLC reaffirmed its dedication in light of the Administration’s recently released fiscal year 2010 budget outline. The outline includes a proposal to provide federal student loans solely through the government’s Direct Lending Program as early as July 2010. Congress will debate this proposal in the coming weeks to define the scope of any legislation pertaining to how federal student loans are provided in the U.S.
“Although we share the Administration’s desire to make education financing more affordable and accessible to students and their families, schools and borrowers will not enjoy the many critical benefits of competition without private sector involvement in student loan lending,” said Michael Reardon, Chairman, President and CEO of SLC. “In addition, eliminating the FFEL Program would limit choice for students and families, and would be less efficient and more costly to taxpayers at a time when the nation is experiencing severe economic stress.”
For over 40 years, the FFEL Program participants, including SLC, have provided schools, students and families with a choice of lenders as well as innovative products and services, such as easy-to-use online applications, tools and resources; financial literacy programs; default prevention services; and a variety of incentives to lower consumers’ total borrowing costs. And when it comes to efficient service, competition has driven enhanced levels of customer satisfaction, as a result of responsiveness, personal attention and on-campus support. These attributes have led 73% of higher education institutions to choose the FFEL Program over the government’s Direct Lending Program. For more information on this topic, please go to www.faaonline.com.
Mr. Reardon concluded, “We continue to engage in active dialogue with government leaders to support a federal loan program that leverages the best characteristics of the public and private sectors. We look forward to continuing to work closely with government officials and the higher education community in shaping the future of student lending.”
SLC has been dedicated to providing essential education financing to schools across the country for over 50 years. The Company continues to provide both federal and private student loans to schools nationwide, originating $5.7 billion in FFEL Program loans and $1.8 billion in private CitiAssist® Loans in 2008.
Posted by Jen Zeman on March 20th, 2009
The students in all my classes at UMUC were respectful and friendly while participating in classroom discussions and each person added fresh perspectives to the topics discussed each week. There was a feeling of camaraderie amongst us because the majority of the students were working adults who were struggling with balancing school, work, and family, just like me. All interactions were via the online discussion boards, although a few times I interacted with fellow classmates via email.
For every class I had at UMUC, group projects were a mandatory part of the curriculum. For me, this was probably the most difficult part of my classes because I tend to be solitary, preferring to work on my own. However, working in these groups was good practice for real-life workplace scenarios where group projects can be common. With nearly every group, there was always one to two people who failed to participate which made the process frustrating at times (this is when I was usually emailing other students, as a way to communicate “off-line”). However, I learned to ease my frustrations early on. If you end up in such a situation, here are some suggestions in dealing with group members who end up MIA:
- Immediately volunteer to be the group leader. Many people shy away from the leadership role, but by being the leader, you can leverage how the project will move along as well as choosing the portion of the project you would like to work on versus having someone else choose it for you.
- Post frequent notices to the MIA students that their participation is needed. This documents you made attempts to include them and to reach out to them.
- Notify the instructor as soon as possible of the non-participation. This shouldn’t be viewed as tattle-telling, but more of a heads-up to the instructor that the participating students are completing extra work to make up for the non-participation.
Following these tips should alleviate the stress of dealing with group projects. By keeping a level head and acting professionally, group projects are a valuable lesson for academic and career success.
