Online Education Without the Degree

Posted by Pamela Gustafson on April 13th, 2009

At age 54 I am not in the market for an online degree. I am more interested in updating my skills, even as I edge toward age 55, the first year I am eligible to retire from Wisconsin public education. In the spirit of keeping up to date I have enrolled in a five-course program to become certified as an e-learning educator. The courses are all available online from the University of Wisconsin—Stout, located in Menominee Wisconsin. I have looked nationally for a program, which would teach me how to teach online, and I found it in my own backyard. I pass by Menominee Wisconsin once or twice a year when I travel north to see my relatives. The first course is this summer.

I will take the courses one at a time as not to overwhelm myself, while teaching full time and tutoring students after school. Hopefully when I finish the sequence I can retire and make a living online. Online education has not quite evolved for students at the middle school level, but I want to be ready as the opportunity will be here soon.

The only thing I am concerned about now is paying for the courses while I finish paying for my daughter’s degree. She says she is going to be finished in December and I reminded her that after five years (this is 41/2 for her) I will not be contributing to her college education. It is a subtle form of “dangling the carrot” so hopefully she will finish and graduate debt free from college.

I have so enjoyed my online course work I can’t imagine anything should be changed. I blossom in the online environment. This is because the written discussion format gives me time to read, ponder, and formulate an intelligent and more complete response. Vocal discussions in on site classes do not offer the time to really research an answer.