Archive for the ‘Student Voices’ Category
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 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 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.
One of the best parts about being an online student is getting to know students from all around the world. Students can choose to really get to know their classmates or just be an independent learner.
I found that in a class of 20-30 students, it was easier for me to select 5 students to really interact with and get to know. I picked people who had qualities or characteristics that I was looking for, whether it be the industry or company they worked for, other experience, proximity to where I live, etc.
Once I identified those folks, I really worked to learn more about them through reading their posts and interacting with them in class. Additionally I would contact those folks offline and chat about the class and other topics to build those relationships.
Finding ways to connect with classmates really helped sustain me through the classes. I found students that I was in several courses with and we continued to connect with each other during and after courses.
In the online platform Moodle, the icon for a discussion forum is two faces looking at each other. It is an interesting icon, as you may never see the faces of your online classmates; unless they post a picture in their profile. You don’t always know a lot about their personalities either, as many participants stick to the topic of the online assignment and don’t add a lot of voice to their writing. Occasionally, a controversial topic arises and then you start to read more passionate responses. The result, participants discover the personality behind of the writer.
A colleague of mine took her entire masters in an online program. She didn’t like the written environment for discussions. She said she missed the non-verbal types of communication, especially facial expressions, which add meaning to the spoken word. I didn’t have the same reaction, but I understand her point. There are a lot of non-verbal cues along with what a person is saying. The cues are helpful to understand the words of another person.
In education we have a concept we call “the hidden curriculum”. These are the things that students learn without direct instruction by the teacher. It is the social and emotional interactions amongst the students themselves. There isn’t as much hidden curriculum in the online environment. Social interactions are few and far between and are limited to an occasional personal email.
At 18 years of age I was a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. I loved the hidden curriculum, the social interaction of the college environment. Away from the structure of my mother, I had to make my own decisions and take care of my own business. I knew she was there to pick me up if I fell, but I learned a lot through my new independence. During my master’s program I met a woman and we have been friends for 34 years. I haven’t made life long friends in the on line environment. It saddened me when my daughter, chose to live at home and not live on campus to experience the hidden curriculum of college. While it is a lot cheaper for me, I felt she missed out.
The online environment can’t duplicate this hidden curriculum. I suspect as college becomes more expensive in the current recession, more students will stay at home and more will use the online environment. It is today’s reality. This could be a good or bad trend. The good things are that as technology evolves more and more jobs will be at home using the on line environment. Students who have gone to school online will be especially well prepared for these jobs. The bad, no human interaction, no social interaction, no hidden curriculum.
Posted by Sharon Cece on March 17th, 2009
We all remember those first-day-of-school jitters, and I’m not referring to second grade elementary class. Even college students get the jitters. You walk into a new class and feel new eyes on you; suddenly you’re starting over, hoping to establish friends and contacts once again, all the newness intimidating to even the stalwart.
Personally, I was never one among the college populars. I was pleasant with other students, of course, and engaged in enough social interaction to make a few friends and get my work done. Yet, I didn’t join clubs or sororities or that sort of thing. I lived off campus and worked at Sears to pay the rent; I volunteered at a local shelter, had a boyfriend in the army. Because of this I was busy but for the most part socially quiet. My responsibilities kept me a step removed from the gregarious dorm-girl clusters that bustled to my classes. I felt the divide; it didn’t affect my school work, but it did keep me at a distance.
When I returned to school in an online format, I found one unique and satisfying difference in classmate interactions–online, we were all equals. Removed were the physical comparisons, the sheepish glances, the nervous clique-assessments or pressures to seek out empathetic collaborators. Removed were the barriers of social awkwardness that, for some, discourage spirited and bold discussion. We were equals, starting on the same ground and on the same level playing field. My online courses were comprised of the dynamic and diverse: younger students, older students, those retired, those returning, parents, grandparents, socialites and the shy. Students from this country, students from abroad; Olympians, World Travelers and the Unknown, all participating together, unseen, but undeniably heard.
Strangely, I came to know my online cohorts more deeply and more intimately than others I sat next to in chairs; perhaps erasing our collective visage from the engines of academia allowed us to delve further into the thoughts of our college compatriots, as well as our own thoughts, moreso than when face-to-face. The written word is very powerful, evokes many images, ideas and expressions. Online courses are heavily weighted on the written word and in this way candid dialogue is not inhibited, as often happens in a classroom, but rather encouraged and radiated. It may be that behind our computer shields we were able to express our inner selves in a way learning is optimized–that is, without social distractions.
My online classmates kept me sane, focused and informed. There was little competition–we were teammates, and one student’s success was everyone’s success. Online, we were working for same cause: to grow, to learn, to contribute, to succeed. And so we did.
Posted by Jeff Davis on March 16th, 2009
It has been my experience that during my online learning at the University of Phoenix, fellow classmates were always helpful, courteous, dedicated, and as much a part of the learning experience as the course itself in this type of environment. In regards to being courteous and professional, there was rarely an incident involving inappropriate behavior in my online classes, unlike a traditional classroom which may allow time for “horseplay” or for things other than just learning. It has been my experience that an online school is more for those who are serious about learning and being able to quickly apply their new knowledge and skills immediately in their respective career fields. Maybe that is why online schools seem to appeal more to an older crowd. From what I can recall, most of my fellow students held full-time jobs and were experienced in their career fields whereas my experience with a more traditional school was quite a bit younger and typically just out of high school and with little actual work experience. There just didn’t seem to be any time available for “having fun” like I did when I was going to a more traditional school. Of course that was 15 years ago!
In regards to being helpful, there were many occasions where I have learned an important skill or valuable information from what my other classmates had shared with the class. In this type of environment, everyone must participate since it’s a required part of the grade. This was not my experience during attendance of a traditional school. In my traditional school, many students did not participate and that is why I think it hinders the opportunity for growth. In a full participation type of setting, you can gain many helpful tips and tricks that can help you progress in your career field. In regards to being dedicated, I have never worked on a team in my online classes where we accomplished anything less than satisfactory. Most of my team experiences were very positive and very productive in terms of cohesion, overcoming diversity, accomplishing tasks, and getting assignments turned in on time.
I was able to interact with other students in my online courses very easily by email, chat, or telephone. Working in a team environment gave us an even broader range of tools to utilize in order to hold productive team meetings and such. Some of the tools that we used to effectively communicate were email, telephone, instant messengers such as Yahoo or Microsoft, and even more recently, Skype. All of these were very effective in helping to meet our overall goals. Most of the time, the tool used depended on the assignment involved. Now that I am attending school online once again, while working on my Master’s degree, it seems that the most effective communication tool used among the learning teams is probably Skype.
Posted by Sharon Cece on March 13th, 2009
When I was twenty I enjoyed attending college on campus. Because I rented a quiet Tallahassee apartment twelve hundred miles from my New Jersey hometown, a spirited university environment was vital to my well-being. I hung out with fellow FSU undergrads at the student union, opined in classroom discussions and delivered presentations with my cohorts. When I returned to college as a busy wife and mother, traditional courses would have been a hardship rather than a dynamic facet of my academic life. By then I already had enough responsibility tugging at me; I didn’t need to be on-call to my college schedule as well.
Hence, my online courses differed in one, very important, sense–I wasn‘t slave to a schedule. Those of you who work from home as I do appreciate the concept of waking up slowly, enjoying a cup of java or two and then (the best part) walking a few feet to your home office instead of commuting sixty miles every day in traffic. Online lectures, lessons and coursework operate the same way as work-at-home assignments. Everything is performed and submitted right where you are.
Yet, one can feel sequestered when doing anything from home, whether it be working, raising a family or participating in online classes. Dynamic social interaction is minimized or non-existent and replaced by lively online interaction. Coursework is primarily independent, though there are few occasions when you work collectively. In those instances, you don’t meet in the library or on the university lawn, you meet in cyberclass.
With regard to online papers…a paper is a paper. This is a simplistic way of saying that papers are executed much the same way for online courses as brick and mortar. You’re presented with the subject matter, you do the research, write, revise and revise again, take a few aspirin, stay up until 3 a.m. and, if all goes well, submit the paper on schedule.
Online exams, on the other hand, are substantially different from traditional. Imagine, rather than testing the standard way–whereby you drive to class, walk to class, take your test at a specific time, walk back to your vehicle and drive home–instead you just walk to your computer, log on and take your exam whenever you feel like it (within a certain window–usually 48 hours). Keep in mind, there’s a little clock in the bottom corner which serves to remind you that the exam must be completed in, let’s say, 45 minutes “or else” (my term). I never found out what the “or else” was–hopefully not your computer self-destructing. The first few times I tested online this little clock unnerved me a bit, I admit, as did the formidable pronouncement in the center of the screen that there was no going back once you start. Also keep in mind, when you take tests from home anything can and will happen–your neighbor will suddenly knock on your door to deliver that pineapple cake you‘ve been waiting two years for, every telemarketer in the contiguous US will concurrently ring your number, your child–who was sleeping blissfully ten minutes ago–will wake cranky and demanding your attention, the cat will heave that furball right under your chair and take it‘s time doing it. Be prepared for these distractions. Still, you can’t beat the flexibility of taking your exams from home, in your beloved teddy bear pajamas no less.
Nascent college students who experience test anxiety in public will flourish under online testing formats; those who eschew public speaking will also thrive in the online sphere. Communal students who love being around and studying with cohorts may miss the personal daily interaction that epitomizes campus life. One must naturally consider all the options. In some instances, online courses are similar to brick and mortar; in others, online courses and test formats are unique. For those with demanding and active lifestyles pre-existing, the choice to matriculate online is the viable option.
