by Nina Silberstein
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Not necessarily. Today's online students are as diverse as the reasons they're enrolled in distance learning. They are extraordinary people from all walks of life.
Young at Heart
While surfing the Web one day, Joyce Morrow Pair, an Atlanta, GA, native, stumbled across SeniorNet, which offers a variety of educational programs and resources that include instructor-led workshops, Web courses, and self-paced tutorials. The 74-year-old is currently taking a 600-level Medieval Latin class on SeniorNet as a second foreign language for her Ph.D.
"I didn't know at the time that other online classes were being offered," she says.
"Now, of course, I've heard about them, but I stayed with SeniorNet because the people are wonderful, friendly, and kind."
Not to mention that the interaction mirrors what she was accustomed to in a traditional classroom, Joyce notes. "We interact constantly via e-mail and during class." Students post in the classroom and in a study work group, learning from one another. "We also have an [online] student lounge for sharing work or problems."
Studying in Singapore
When your career path takes you on an international journey, you'd think finishing a degree in the United States would be less than convenient. Joy Wheeler, who lives in Singapore, works in an academic arts library, and is completing a master's degree program in library and information science (LIS) from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), might disagree.
The former Manhattan, NY-based shopping bag designer and Web site administrator at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, NM, made the move to Singapore because of her interest in library science. "There are a lot of jobs for librarians here," she explains.
Because there wasn't a university nearby where she could get an LIS degree, distance education was her only option. Joy picked UIUC's online program because she felt it was top-notch, well-established, and showed results in her field. In fact, UIUC's online enrollment option admits about 100 students each year, and has about 200 enrolled at any one time.
"We feel that our program model, combining brief on-campus stays with online classes that include both weekly synchronous sessions and asynchronous activities, contributes to the higher quality of courses and retention rates higher than 95 percent," says Linda C. Smith, professor and associate dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science at UIUC. Still, Joy, who's slated to finish her degree by July 2006, cautions that it takes a lot of work to succeed. "Realize that as a distance education student you are on your own and responsible for how much you take away with you," she states.
A Corporate View
Penn State iMBA graduate Kathleen Ward is director of global commodities management for Sanmina-SCI in San Jose, CA, an electronics manufacturing services provider. Kathleen manages memory commodity - negotiating contracts, determining supply chain strategies and technology roadmaps - for all of their customers worldwide. In short, she's a busy woman, required to travel extensively. Nevertheless, she's always been determined to get her MBA.
"I decided that it would really help me in the business and electronics world, especially with all the customers and suppliers I was dealing with," the executive explains.
Kathleen's first attempt at a program was in 2001 when she was accepted into Santa Clara University's MBA program, but as a U.S. Coast Guard reservist, she was dispatched to Ground Zero during her first quarter in response to 9/11. She postponed her studies for a quarter, and then was offered a work assignment in Ireland that she just couldn't pass up. While there, she searched for an online program that offered the flexibility she needed, and Penn State's World Campus appealed to her. One of the things that attracted her to the iMBA was a set curriculum.
"I didn't have the wherewithal to understand where I wanted to diversify in my business degree," Kathleen says. "I wanted [a program that] was going to give me the best breadth of knowledge."
"Doing an online program is not for the faint of heart," she continues. "It's something you have to be disciplined about, especially when you have a challenging job, and are trying to expand your knowledge base and apply that knowledge."
And applying studies to the workplace is the program's focus, says John Fizel, director of Penn State's iMBA program, which was established in 2001. "You have the ability to immediately practice what you learn," he says.
Going the Distance
Carol Young, a neonatal nurse at Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, TX, was approaching age 60, working 12-hour shifts, and in her spare time training for marathons. Without online learning, it would have been nearly impossible for her to earn a doctoral degree in organization and management. Last August, however, she did just that through Capella University.
She chose the school because it was fully accredited, and it offered the type of Ph.D. program she was looking for. "I did focus on organization and management so that I could apply the knowledge to my current job," Carol explains.
"The learning process was very easy online," she says. Students study and post responses to questions on their own schedule as long as they meet weekly deadlines. Each original posting has a conversation stream going, and Carol says they had some excellent and lengthy discussions. A research paper was due at the end of each course in lieu of exams. The regular courses were limited to about 16 students, so they got to know fellow students very well. "Some of us are still in contact and I've made some lifelong friends and colleagues."
"It takes determination and persistence to finish a marathon and to earn an advanced degree," adds Michael Offerman, Ed.D., president of Capella University. Carol was one of 1,359 Capella graduates in 2005.
Facing Unique Obstacles
Sean Carabine struggled all through high school, bored and distracted. It wasn't until his senior year that he was diagnosed as dyslexic. Now, even at 33, he is still coping with how that affects his daily functioning. In 1998, Sean learned about an even more troubling condition - he was told he had a Brain Stem Glioma, a diffused mass in the Pons area of the brain/brain stem, which enables communication to different parts of the body. He underwent radiation therapy for the terminal condition while in the Marine Corps and was medically retired in 1999.
"I have always worked and didn't feel that this handicap could stop me; it just had me change directions," says Sean.
His new direction included the completion of hi undergraduate work at Capitol College - the only independent college in Maryland dedicated to engineering, computer sciences, information technologies, and business - in software and Internet applications in 2001.
All of Capitol's graduate-level degrees are available online, providing real-time, two-way audio interaction. The first online course (beta course) was offered in the spring of 1998. There were six students enrolled. That number rose to 825 in the fall of 2005. "[Enrollment took off], I believe, in large part because of the interface we provide our online students," says Megan Campbell, director of communications.
"They get to hear live audio of their professors and other students and can see PowerPoint displays with graphs and course information," she explains. "It's the closest thing to being in a classroom."
Now a graduate student at Capitol, Sean has one more class to complete his master's degree in network security. "I've had very good professor experiences throughout my time at Capitol," he says. His student-to-student relationships landed the Aberdeen, MD, resident his current job at Computer Sciences Corporation, a provider of systems integration and other technology services. "Even with the deficits I have faced, I have found that learning assists you in every part of your life. A higher education is not just a benefit, but a huge asset in the modern world."
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