Posts Tagged ‘FSU online’
Posted by Sharon Cece on May 8th, 2009
There are many things you can lose. You can lose your keys, you can lose an argument, you can lose weight and at times you can lose your way. One thing you can never lose is your education. From the moment you flip that little tassel to the other side, you own it forever. It’s called a lifetime achievement.
There are few things in my life that I aspired to that were and are truly important to me, few things that I sought after with clear conviction. Finding a lifetime marriage partner was one of those few–having children was also (even though I didn’t realize how much until it actually happened). My faith is something I‘m continually and deeply seeking, time spent with family and friends are constant, essential goals; simple things I crave, such as one perfectly decorated truffle in a candy store window. Never material goods, not even a career necessarily.
But my degree–now, getting my degree was exceptionally important to me, one of those very few things I sought after for so many years, even after I thought I had given up. Maybe because I realized it was one of the few things that couldn’t be taken away; it presented itself as a solid testimony to my unusually steadfast commitment to a singular goal.
I honestly thought that once I was finally finished–when that very last course was at long last complete and that last click was clicked, when I could jump up and yell my FSU Seminole yell “YAYYYYYYYY I’m DONE FINISHED YAYAYAYAYA!”, that yell would be the big moment and, other than the pomp of commencement, it all would nicely fade away into a soft, happy memory. But the glow of achievement has not diminished after three years and I wonder if it will ever. It may be that because my journey to college graduation was so long (21 years) and so impatiently awaited that it may take longer to shelve it under “just another goal met“. But I don’t think so. When I think about, wow, the menagerie of courses (four different universities contributed), how grueling it was working two, sometimes three jobs; how I attended first as a young student, and then as a young married student, then an older student with children, about all the transitions I endured and how I brought those transitions into my essays and my exchanges, and how I evolved on so many levels, I honestly don’t believe the joy, the sweet sensation of reaching the mountain’s steep and lofty pinnacle, will ever recede.
The fact that I finished my degree online only added to it’s allure, gave my degree more color and depth. My degree, or rather my journey to my degree, metamorphosed so many times throughout the years that the journey took on a life of it’s own, to finish in a way completely different from how I started but no less satisfying. In fact, the online aspect was the final piece in my multifaceted academic puzzle. The online ingredient expanded my university well-roundedness; I can relate, now, both to students on campus and students online. That’s pretty cool.
As anyone who’s read even one of my posts knows, my online degree has given me so much more than an education, it‘s given me a perpetual feeling. How to describe that feeling… do you know that sweet sensation when you’ve just finished cleaning your house, the whole entire house, and you finally sink into your couch “Ahhhh” and look around at your beautiful sparkling home and simply relish in all the hard work you did? Or, when you’ve just finished a huge project–one that has been challenging and overwhelming, the one you thought you’d never get done–when you put the finishing touches on it and step back to look at it, that feeling? Or when you’ve finished baking a huge, I do mean humongous, Thanksgiving dinner for 25 people and you’ve slaved and worked and sweated (and worried quite a bit), dealt with the many snags and snafus, but when everything’s finally done and on the table you look at this glorious feast and think, wow it’s amazing. I really did it.
Magnify that a hundred-fold, and that’s the feeling you’ll have from getting your degree. Except it doesn’t need to be cleaned over and over, or redone and revised, or reduced from a feast to crumbs you scrape off a dinner plate. That feeling, that achievement, is here to stay. And no matter what you do with your degree, whether you get a more qualified job or higher pay, go on to get another degree, or simply enjoy the sense of accomplishment it brings, you will have added a grand chapter to your life book, the chapter entitled, “Amazing, I Really Did It”.
Posted by Sharon Cece on April 14th, 2009
Tofu is not for everyone.
Now that I have your attention, I’ll add this: sushi is not for everyone either, but some people do love sushi. Others, on the other hand, would very well live well without sushi and instead prefer a hot, juicy steak with potatoes. Still others (like myself) love tofu, sushi, steak and potatoes. Now, who’s ready for dessert?
Along with celebrating my healthy appetite, I’m using food metaphorically to illustrate that some students enjoy attending school online, yet it may not be the right fit for everyone. Similarly, attending college in the traditional sense–on campus–might be a great choice or it might be a hardship for those looking to pursue a degree.
It would be helpful if we had a template for determining online and traditional campus populations, but in the absence of such templates there are guidelines that can help students gauge which degree-seeking method would be an ideal choice:
- Lifestyle Your daily life routine is a good starting point to determining whether online college is a better alternative to attending college on campus. For example, if you’re single and attending school full-time and want to be in the thick of college life, attending college on campus would be a great choice. However, if you are married, working full-time and caring for children or older family members, you will undoubtedly benefit from the time-saving flexibility of online classes.
- Social Disposition Those who are shy, socially-reserved, or who prefer working from home on the computer might benefit from the liberated platform of online learning. Keep in mind, some socially reserved students would benefit from the social atmosphere of campus life, for it would challenge one‘s comfort zone and widen their experiences–all good. However, a student with a healthy social life who performs better academically without social distractions might find online options to be an excellent choice. Gregarious and socially active individuals who love being out in public and interacting with other classmates and friends may naturally want to consider courses on campus.
- Level of Autonomy If you’re the type of student who needs strict order and scheduling, set class times and guided formats, then traditional college venues would be recommended. Students who are adept at making and adhering to their own schedules, who prefer being independent in course work and course submission, will do very well online.
- Computer Skills Both online and traditional courses utilize the computer; however, online courses operate exclusively from the computer.
- Organizational Skills Organization is fundamental when taking classes online. Since the student is, for the most part, scheduling their own coursework regulation, class and testing times, and content review, a self-structured and self-imposed schedule is necessary for online success.
There is a third option; that is, to do both–attend school on campus and take a few courses online. This way, you get the best of both worlds and, like me, you can enjoy sushi and steak. Just don’t forget the dessert.
Posted by Sharon Cece on April 8th, 2009
I believe that the by-product of every experience has value. This is especially true in regard to academics–an education is an experience of increasing knowledge that often leads to a degree. Naturally, my degree has instrumental value from an economic standpoint, since I can earn more money and further my career, but also has intrinsic value from a personal sense of pride and accomplishment.
There are aspects of a traditional college education that are equally, if not as recognizably, valuable–such as living on your own as a student for the first time and the glorious feeling of total independence, participating and creating impact as a member of the college milieu, and interacting with others who have a wide spectrum of opinions and ideas to share. Even mundane endeavors add to a student’s experiential resume: standing in line at the registrar’s office, attending meetings with advisors, or handing out pamphlets at a student union booth; these all add up to equal the total university “experience”.
The internet has added a innovative dimension to almost every aspect of living and in particular, to education. Like traditional students, most students matriculating online do so to garner enough credits to obtain a degree and also to increase the mind’s intellectual capability in order to add impressively to one’s repertoire of knowledge. Next to education and intellect, then, a student might simply value the online learning “experience”; that is, learning how to navigate through electronic hallways, studying with and writing to other students from all over the world, even participating in the unique configuration of something brand new from a familiar environment such as your home or office. If you read the posts in this Student Voices feature, you will get some idea of what they have gleaned from their individual online experiences, both from an educational and a personal viewpoint. It’s this sum of the experience they value, and what they in turn offer back to the online world through their words. You can appreciate their enthusiasm as they engage in a facet of education that is distinct and atypical from traditional academics. It’s different, it’s fun, it’s technical, it’s flexible–it’s what life today is all about.
There is one aspect of online learning I consider to be an unexpected, yet no less significant, benefit. While studying and taking courses online I often engaged my children in my studies and links and felt they became part of the learning “experience“. Had I attended a traditional university as a parent I likely would not have involved them as much as while learning and studying from home. My children watched me pour over lessons directly from my e-classes, watched me participating and communicating, watched me getting frustrated and overwhelmed (but that’s all part of the experience and hence, has value). Most importantly, they watched me graduate; somehow I believe they understood a bit better, through all their watching, how much work and sacrifice–and gratification–went into that moment. For weeks afterward, my youngest son said excitedly, “Mom, I took pictures of you graduating!”, as though recording my moment, and walking that educational road with me, had intrinsic value to him as well.
Posted by Sharon Cece on April 3rd, 2009
My favorite professor was Constance Strucko, who taught Creative Writing at County College of Morris in New Jersey. The truth is, she’s the only professor’s name I still remember. Perhaps it was because I was exempt from the final–the first and only time–or maybe because I simply loved creative writing. I was nineteen when I took her course, and after all these years I still remember her name.
I enjoyed my online courses also, courses such as Population, Social Theory, and Supreme Courts & Civil Rights. Still, I cannot remember the names of the professors (even after a plateful of shrimp, the incredible edible brain-food).
Online lectures. Online teaching. Doesn’t have that touchy-feely ring to it, does it. Of course, college isn’t necessarily meant to be touchy-feely; however, our interactions with faculty and administration is truly special when we feel that personal connection, when those interactions sink in on a deeper level, such as my fond recollections of Professor Strucko. I still remember how eagerly I walked to her class, can recall her enthusiasm for guiding our writing and unearthing those “a-ha” moments, remembered my elation when my literary efforts were met with her encouraging and appreciative nods.
It is what you miss when matriculating online–the personal gestures and interactions with professors and lecturers. You often don’t know what your online faculty looks like, rarely meet them face-to-face. Oh, their personalities and nuances do come through while they are teaching online. Some you thoroughly enjoy and relate to, some you could well do without, some you develop a personal rapport with, some you never really get to know.
I remember, as I am writing this, an email from one of my first online professors who taught Social Psychology. It was very heartfelt and complimentary, and greatly appreciated. College can be daunting, online college at times even more so, and written interactions can be significant in their own right.
And, even though online college isn’t always touchy-feely, there can be satisfying connections between student and online faculty. For two years I worked with a stellar online advisor at FSU and just prior to graduation we exchanged a flurry of emails anticipating and planning my commencement, which served to hasten my excitment. When I arrived in Tallahassee the morning of ceremonies and walked into the Civic Center to check in, standing there at the booth was the stellar advisor I had worked with and written to all those semesters. It was a special moment to finally meet her face-to-face, made even more memorable since we had not had a chance to meet prior to my graduation day.
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 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.
Posted by Sharon Cece on March 3rd, 2009
I hop on a plane to visit a friend, who lives in New Jersey. I’m a student at FSU and have a quiz scheduled the same day I plan to be hanging out with my friend 600 miles away. In a traditional university environment this would present a conflict; instead, I simply stroll into my friend’s home office, log onto her computer and voila! take my online quiz. As soon as I’m finished, I resume our sociable sojourn in the lovely Garden State.
Same semester; same curriculum. I need to submit a short essay this particular day and as life would have it this particular day I encounter a few unexpected glitches (read: car problems, toddler problems, insect problems, sinus problems, problem problems) which rearrange my schedule quite a bit. I finally catch my breath much later and recall the essay. No problem; I log onto my course site and submit my work despite the fact that the clock reads 11:30 PM.
Following semester; new curriculum. I’m trying in vain to study for an exceedingly brain-warping exam and because I’m sleep-deprived from my son waking me the night before and because my brain is warped past maximum warp quota, I can not for the life of me align my thought process with my study notes. So, I throw all my papers onto the floor, succumb to the beckoning of my alluring chaise and wake up refreshed and ready to rock; a little later in the evening I go online and take my exam fresh as a daisy. I don’t recall the time since it doesn‘t matter–I just need to take the test at some point that day (or night).
These vignettes are just a few of the many scenarios emblematic of my online courses. Today’s college students need flexibility more than ever–to submit coursework and participate in class discussions when their busy schedules, full family lives and challenging careers permit. Student online participation has increased exponentially in recent years and college schedules are adapting to the student instead of the other way around, as they should, because one student will have a radically different agenda, study habit and scholastic pace than the next. Educational success is augmented when the online student is able to form-fit the course load around his or her distinct and individual timeline and tackle cognitive tasks at the student’s optimal learning disposition.
Truthfully, besides Bill Gates, who ever really aced those 8 am classes anyway?
Posted by Sharon Cece on February 26th, 2009
When you consider the itemized supply list required of erstwhile brick-and-mortar college students, it’s mind-boggling. Visualize the multi-text’d/ pen, pencil, marker, highlighter’d/ calculator/ notebook/ ruler/ lined and graph paper’d/ protractor’d/ 3-ringed binder’d backpack-toting college attendee who’s overstuffed countenance resembled an infantryman going to battle (actually, I think I just described my middle-schooler).
Moving ever onward, we span the educative evolution to the present-day online student (cue music from “2001: A Space Odyssey”):
We have entered a new dimension of scholastic matter, that of “non-matter“… digitized academics…pens and paper artifacts of the past…
Well, nix the music for a minute because we still (gasp) use hard-cover textbooks.
Yes, it’s true; textbooks are still the tangible matter of choice for many courses, even those presented online. Yet, the scope of academic material for the Online College Student, New Millennium consists of said textbook and a computer and, in most cases, that’s all she wrote. Or didn’t write, since online course materials are now accessed from your computer and more often than not made of bits and bytes instead of pencil and paper. This includes the syllabus, the course lessons, supplemental links provided by your professor, university library links, and so on. Course work is submitted electronically via Word/Works, and students can also download hyperlinked files from the instructor to enable the student to upload and submit their assignments through other venues.
When I first started my courses online I, being old-school, had my handy spiral notebooks, pens and highlighters close by to facilitate learning. But as my courses progressed I found out very quickly that everything I needed was accessible from my computer; this I consider to be exceptional progress from the infantry-packed college student of yestermillenium. Consider also, while attending FSU online just a few years ago I had an antiquated eMachine rather than the slim and portable Dell notebook I own today, which would have allowed me to work on and submit my homework from anywhere at anytime. All of my research was completed digitally, and the Florida State University Libraries website made it possible to access compulsory adjunct publications from a remote location. Thus, other than the textbook mentioned above and perhaps an accompanying CD (which admittedly more often than not sat collecting dust or coaster-ing my coffee) as far as academic matter goes, that’s all she…text-typed.
Posted by Sharon Cece on January 26th, 2009
Most of us who are into classic rock remember the Eagles’ song “Life in the Fast Lane” (surely make you lose your mind). Well, that pretty much describes my fusion of an online course load with husband, kids, work and life. Some days, I really thought I would lose my mind. Blame it on that two-word teaser: Time Management. It’s a misnomer anyway; no one really manages time, time manages you.
So there I was with a household to run, two kids to care for full-time and now two course loads per semester. At that time I was also doing editing and custom baking projects. How did I manage?
Well, I managed pretty much as well as everyone else. I implemented the “WIN” philosophy, which Lou Holtz championed (W-I-N: What’s Important Now). Family is very important and I always put my husband and kids first BUT…. going back to school was also very important to me and for once I wanted to give something to myself, just for me. So, there were times when I said to the kids, mom’s closing the door, fend for yourself. The bare minimum got done. The bills got paid, the kids and cat and husband usually had meals even though sometimes it was peanut butter and jelly (suuure, cats love peanut butter and jelly). My work projects got finished on time. The rest–clothes, cleaning, extracurricular, social life, hair and makeup, sometimes my own dinner–was put on the backburner when I had to complete a test or quiz or do a school project. And that also meant that the rest of the family had to pitch in and do some of my work for a while.
I remember one panicked middle-of-the-night moment when my then online course load whizzed through my head like Seattle Slew down the homestretch. This particular course, Methods of Social Research, was my most excruciatingly difficult online course ever and, naturally, my final course prior to graduating. Each week we had, count with me: a quiz, an individual project, a report, a test, a threaded discussion and a group collaboration. Each week. We also had mid-term projects and a final 40-page project replete with graphs, computations and a questionnaire with statistical analysis and summations. Oh yes, it was the nightmare course; I‘m sweating just writing about it. So anyway, there I was at 2 AM…staring at the ceiling, wide-eyed, heart hammering and for first time in my academic life, convinced there was no way I would get it all done.
Well, obviously I did get it done. You just do. You order pizza or husband makes dinner (always cereal, but it is a food product after all). You study while they’re in the fast food play area, or work on homework at your child’s doctors office while he’s waiting to be called. You wake up early before anyone else gets up and with a steaming cup of coffee in the quiet, early morning light, you get a few pages done. Or you stay up late when everyone else has gone to bed. You email your professor, your TA, every other student on the roster if you have to and plead, what do I need to do to get this finished. You work it, because you know as tough as it is and as crazy as life gets, you see the finish line. And crossing that line, no matter how much hassle it takes, is worth the tassel you get.
