distancelearning

When I went back to school to finish my Master's degree, I struggled to manage my time on-campus with the demands of motherhood and my husband's fellowship. As summer approached, I realized that there were no on-campus courses available that would allow me to stay home with the children during the day. I began searching the internet for alternatives.

I had never taken an on-line course before and I had significant doubts about the quality of distance education and my ability to master the technology. After finding an appropriate course, I approached the Dean of my department. To my surprise, she encouraged me to try the class and worked to have the credits accepted.

After registering over the phone at Iowa State University, I received an email from the professor with the course's web address. I was able to access the syllabus, outlines of course notes and message board forums. The lectures were saved to Real Audio. I was able to print out the outlines of the notes and then listen to the lectures when the kids were asleep and my husband was on call. The flexibility was refreshing. My exams were proctored by the department secretary and could be scheduled at my convenience. There were on-line office hours, group homework assignments with other distance learning students and a variety of interesting homework assignments.

The most challenging aspect of distance learning was maintaining motivation. Without regularly scheduled classes it was easy to say "I'll read the chapter tomorrow". I had to push myself harder to keep up with lectures, assignments, quizzes and exams.

It was a lot of fun, I didn't feel isolated and I have to say that academically, I found that the course rivaled many of my on-campus courses. I have since taken another course and am always on the lookout for interesting distance learning opportunities now!