UMUC sets the pace for students
Posted by Jen Zeman on March 6th, 2009
Classes at UMUC were not flexible in the sense that students could not post discussion questions/answers or turn in specific assignments whenever they wanted. There were set deadlines to post weekly discussion threads (the week usually ran midnight Sunday to the following midnight Sunday) and major assignments and papers were due at specific intervals throughout the semester (most of UMUC’s classes are 15 weeks long).
However, for the weekly discussion questions, you could post anytime within the week – there wasn’t a set day/time each week to be online. Although the UMUC virtual classroom had a chat room available, it was never a requirement to use it (in fact, I never did). Readings were also assigned on a weekly basis. With these deadlines in place, it would be difficult for a student to just pace themselves based on their own needs. The best way to look at it is to compare it to the workplace. For most of us, we really cannot work at our own leisurely pace. Our work is usually tied to specific deadlines and/or customer needs and demands. UMUC helps students with instituting deadlines in its online courses so students can be better prepared for working with deadlines within their careers.
If you do run into a jam, most, if not all, of the professors are willing to be flexible to help you finish the class successfully. One fall semester I had carpal tunnel surgery and nerve damage repaired in my right hand and elbow and since I’m right-handed (and typing on the computer is essential for online classes!), this was going to impact my classes greatly. I emailed my professors in advance to give them a heads up on the surgery and that I may be working at a significantly slower pace for about two weeks, and all the professors were very understanding and willing to work with me to get my assignments completed and be successful in the class.
Read more of Jen Zeman's blog.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Flexibility of Online Programs, Student Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
