being an online student

While I was studying for my MA, I was a substitute teacher. Along the way, I got a lot of questions about what I was doing for my masters. Once I explained what TESOL was and what one could do with an MA in TESOL, I was then asked what it was like to be an online student. I thought I'd write a quick blog to give my two cents on the subject. I did my undergrad at a university that prides itself on its online programs and rejoices with students when they are able to travel from afar for their commencement ceremonies. As a student and even after I'd completed my undergrad, I wondered what that would be like, to be a part of an educational community from afar and have a completely different learning environment... from one's home.

While there are many conveniences to being an online student, not every program, or every class for that matter, is the same. For me personally, I never had to be physically present on campus, nor did I have to listen to live lectures on chat programs. This program was very accommodating, as I had classmates and instructors who were all over the world, teaching or working in other fields.

Choosing to study online is not for everyone. I was asked what I liked or didn't like about it, and I had answers for both ends. What I liked: convenience, flexibility, and the opportunity to study at a school I would not normally be able to attend because of geography. What I didn't like: not having face-to-face interaction with professors and classmates, the "lost in translation" moments where it's easy to be misunderstood or misrepresented because you can't see the other person or hear how they meant to say something. There are other advantages and disadvantages, but for me...these were the big ones.

The payoff after 2 1/2 years of studying, writing papers, endless reading, and just thoroughly enjoying every bit of it came when I was able to go back to New York nearly 3 years after that first admissions interview. I walked with my classmates in our divisional ceremony then the following day stood alongside them as our department was recognized at the university-wide commencement. It made the whole experience that much more real, especially after finishing in December, in the middle of a school year, and feeling as if I was far-removed from everything that I had gone through in the past 2 1/2 years (if that makes sense). I was able to put faces with names (I actually had to ask a few people to spell their last names for me because I only knew their names as black text on Blackboard...weird, I know) and see people face to face, make connections, network, and talk about professional development opportunities in the TESOL world. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.

Just a few thoughts.