Posted by jstoppi on July 28th, 2008
Obtaining an online education requires one to write quite a bit more than would be required in a traditional program. This is because reading/writing is the primary or sole means of communication in the online education arena. Real-time chats, message boards, and email are the ways students, professors and teacher’s assistance (TAs) interact with each other. Little, if any, phone calls take place. The benefits of this are obvious: refining such skills in the online classroom will pay dividends in one’s future work.
Unfortunately, not all aspects of this fringe benefit are positive. I found my ability to interact directly with people, conversation skills, verbal listening skills, and verbal speaking skills declining as I was engrossed in the reading/writing in my online education. Students can parry this potential, unwanted side-effect by investing some time for continued socialization with friends and family.
It is very difficult to formulate complex academic questions in written prose. Learning how to overcome this challenge is an yet another challenge of obtaining and online education. The online student will find him/herself reading emails to professors, over and over, listening to whether or not the question is actually interpretable. The dialogue that would have occurred in the professor’s office to help the professor understand what the student is asking takes place in the online student’s mind. The student must learn how someone might incorrectly interpret their written sentences and make adjustments to save time and quickly get the answer they need.
Posted by jstoppi on July 25th, 2008
One of the many fringe benefits of obtaining an online education is the opportunity to enhance one’s computing and internet skills. In today’s information/knowledge based economy, the enhancement of such skills is critical to becoming competitive in the workforce.
Online education will require the student to upload/download files via FTP websites, create electronic submittals of assignments and exams, use email to communicate with students and professors, use web-based message boards to discuss technical subjects, use java chat applets to communicate in real-time with students and professors, etc.
These electronic skills will benefit the student down the road in his/her job. Learning these skills in the online education arena is especially crucial to baby boomers or others who are more likely to not have previously been exposed to this technology.
When I was an online student at the University of Maryland, I enhanced my electronic/internet skills in the following ways:
- I learned how to use the drawing function within MS Word to create complex illustrations to illustrate design approaches.
- I learned how to use MS Equation Editor to illustrate the solution to equations.
- I learned how to embed spreadsheets within MS Word documents to allow a reviewer to manipulate and view solutions.
- I enhanced my online search abilities in the quest to complete specific assignments.
After I graduated, I continually impress my superiors with my enhanced electronic skills.
Posted by jstoppi on July 17th, 2008
The stigma of obtaining an online degree may dissuade some who might have otherwise benefited from furthering their educational horizons. Unfortunately, the inception of online degree programs was muddled by unscrupulous diploma mills that would confer a degree to anyone who was willing to pay the money (without doing any real academic work). These diploma mills tarnished the future of online degrees.
There are several qualities of online universities that forecast a legit, quality program. These are:
- Accreditation
- The same degree or program offered in the traditional sense
- Financial Aid
If the university offers the same program in the traditional sense, once a student graduates, he/she does not need to indicate they received the degree via the online format (although what I’ve observed personally is that, after going through all the hard work of obtaining an online degree, most graduates are proud enough to tell anyone they received the degree online).
I too was affected by the stigma of online degrees. I attended a large university that offered the same program in the traditional sense. I was still a bit skeptical after I graduated until I met someone who attended the same university for the same degree, on campus. I was satisfied when I compared his degree to mine (they were identical). I was more satisfied when we compared knowledge as I felt I knew just as much–if not more than–he did.
In the near future, there is no doubt that there will be no stigma surrounding online degrees. Indeed, I envision a future where more degrees are offered online than not. In the meantime, I hope this information helps you overcome the stigma of online degrees so you can attain your educational and career dreams!
Posted by jstoppi on July 11th, 2008
Many prospective online degree program students are under the impression that the time commitments of an online degree program are lower than their traditional-on-campus equivalents. Even though commuting time is eliminated, my experience has been online degree programs are actually more time intensive than traditional ones. This is especially true during the first couple courses, when the online student is acclimating him/herself with the course web interface. The main reason an online degree is more time intensive is because learning concepts independently takes longer than receiving more exam specific course instruction from a professor. The extra benefit of learning concepts independently is that overall subject matter knowledge is retained–not just that required to pass an exam.
Because family members and prospective students may not realize the large time commitments an online degree program requires, students and family members may not realize the huge sacrifices everyone will have to make in order for the students to be successful in their online academic endeavor. In order to prevent unrealistic expectations and future disappointments, I recommend the following steps be taken before embarking on your online educational journey:
- Speak to family members and explain to them in detail why you want to obtain a degree via an online program. Tell them about your hopes, dreams, and how the education will enrich your life overall after completion. Tell family members how large of a time commitment undertaking an online degree may require (to get a good estimate of this, you can email professors and ask them how much time their current students are putting in).
- Negotiate a schedule with family members that will dictate when you will normally study. Keep in mind that this schedule is not set in stone, as periodically more time will be required for completion of assignments and exams.
- Open a forum to let family members voice any potential concerns they have about you enrolling in an online program.
Even after these steps are taken, there will, unfortunately, be painful moments when family and school time conflict. There will be times when you’re studying on a Saturday afternoon and your daughter wants to play with you. There will be times when your wife asks you if you want to go do something fun and you have an exam to do. There will be times when other friends and family bemoan the fact that they haven’t heard much from you lately. Deal with all of these potential situations in stride. And sometimes, on that Saturday afternoon, go play with your daughter and go back to studying after she goes to bed!
