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Lisa Stroner received her Associates
degree from Colorado Technical University
and is now an IT Manager for a newspaper. In
earning her degree, she took both online
classes and traditional classroom based
courses, so Online Degrees asked her if she
could offer her unique view point on both
types of learning to our readers.
Q:
Online Degrees - You took some of your
classes online and some on site. What are
the three biggest differences you found
between getting your degree online and via
the traditional classroom?
A:
Lisa - I would have to say that the three
biggest differences are focused around
flexibility, personal interaction and access
to information.
- Convenience/Flexibility – You have the
option to attend your class real-time and
participate via chat room or you can listen
to the archived class and view the chat
discussions. I preferred the archived class
and if I had any questions, I could contact
the instructor. This way I could rewind or
screen capture wherever and whatever I
needed to.
- Interaction – There is an entire online
campus, everything that is on a physical
campus they bring to you online. The online
campus provides you with all the information
you need when you need it. You login into
one spot to access your class discussions,
material, library/reference, school social
network, counselor and student aide, school
email, financial information, grades,
progress, reports, etc.
You pick and choose what type of interaction
you have with anyone (professor, students,
financial aide, any student support).
Interaction can be by phone, email, chat.
- Accessibility of information – Educational
information is available in many different
formats. There is the class materials (ebooks
or physical books), class archives, class
discussion presentations/handouts, lesson
videos, libraries (colleges and others).
Q:
Online Degrees- Is it easier to pursue an
online degree than a traditional degree
while working?
A:
Lisa- For me, yes it was. The online classes
can be attended live or you can listen to
the archived class. The archived class is
the instructors presentation and class
material, the voice recording of the class
presentation, and the chat dialog of all
attendees. That gives you a lot of
flexibility.
Q:
Online Degrees- What were the biggest
challenges you faced while taking your
classes online?
A:
Lisa- First, I had to look at everything I
had going on in my life, and reprioritize. I
had to make some hard decision as to what
could be dropped in order to fit time in to
attend class, study, and complete homework.
I had to get into a “groove”. Even though I
got into a groove, life still happens so I
had to reprioritize quite often. It's one
thing to not be able to go to a game with
your friends and another thing entirely when
you have to take your kid to the doctor –
you have to be able to factor in the
exceptions. Most professors are
understanding in giving extensions on due
dates, but you still have to do the work –
there's no getting out of that.
Another challenge is that you never
physically meet anyone or personally get to
know them. When communicating, it is VERY
important to be clear and conscientious of
what and how you are communicating because
there is no read of body language or hearing
the tone of a comment.
Q:
Online Degrees- Do you feel that a student
would learn some subjects better online than
others?
A:
Lisa- This really depends on someone's
learning type. I have friends who preferred
the classroom setting because they felt that
lectures and discussion opened up other
thoughts and perspectives. However, to some
extent the same happens in an online
classroom.
You may want to spend some time with
yourself to determine what type of life
issues/events you have going on, how they
would fit around going to school, whether or
not you can work independently and manage
your time well enough to be successful
either way.
Q:
Online Degrees - In your opinion, does
getting an online degree require more
motivation than a traditional degree due to
the lack of direct interaction with
professors and other students?
A: Lisa: I believe it takes discipline more
than motivation or anything else. In my
opinion, if you have spent the money to go
to school, online or on campus, you are
already motivated.
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Ask friends, family,
and coworkers for their insight if
they've ever taken an online class.
Even if they didn't complete their
entire degree online, chances are
that they may have taken a class or
two online. Their experiences and
insight can help you decide if an
online degree could be right for
you. |
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