Why UMUC?
I distinctly remember sitting in one of my on-campus, blended learning, master- level courses in Computer Education and Cognitive Systems (CECS) at the University of North Texas (UNT) and briefly hearing the topic, “distance education (DE)” spoken from the lips of Dr. Cathie Norris. There it was -- the compliment to my CECS degree. I thought to myself, “Hmm, I’d like to learn more. What really is distance education?” After all, I was aware of some online distance education providers such as the University of Pheonix, and Kaplan and Capella University. Although the class studied the topic for only thirty minutes, it intrigued me so much that I would soon began a journey in another masters program, but this time in Distance Education. No, I wasn’t a DE practitioner, but I was definitely drawn to the field of study. And if I was going to study a new field, I would have to (in my opinion) seek out one of the best programs to learn about it in depth. At first my research for schools led me down many paths, but invariably I quickly arrived at the same conclusion: The Online Master Distance Education (OMDE) program at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) delivered the best DE curriculum by far. What were the key factors in my decision? --- (i) The amount of information available about the program (it wasn’t just smoke and mirrors --- UMUC presented their course offerings in a well thought-out manner and could deliver), (ii) the quality of instructors, and their years and breadth of experience in the field (how often do students get to interact with notable people breaking ground in the field and really shaping it?), (iii) the quality of support services (the responsiveness from advisors and technical support services is amazing) and (iv) the diversity of the student population (a global classroom fosters diverse opinions).
Feeling overly confident in my technical skills in my previous master program, I decided to take four OMDE courses simultaneously my first semester in the OMDE program. What was I thinking? Let me make this perfectly clear: technical skills does NOT exactly equate to DE knowledge and skills. Yes, I did pass all of my classes with satisfactory grades; however, the OMDE program became my entire life that first semester as I learned there was a great deal more to DE than I could have imagined. What at first seemed like the Royal Gorge, was really more like the Grand Canyon. As a result, the subsequent semesters I began taking only 2 courses at a time (undoubtedly a more respectable pace).
One of the amazing benefits of the OMDE program is the ability to learn from expert practioners in the distance education field and from various faculty members across the globe as full time instructors or visiting professors. Each brings a unique perspective and their expertise to the virtual classroom. For example, while distance education in the US appears to have sprung up during the era of the internet in most Americans eyes, other forms of DE (e.g. print-based programs, radio) actually existed decades and even more than a century beforehand. In my first OMDE class (601) I learned that other countries and non-US institutions implemented DE programs long before DE became more prevalent in the US.
Likewise, one of the benefits of studying in a virtual classroom is student diversity. It is not unheard of to have students from around the globe in the same classroom. I marvel at the foreign students desire to participate in an English-based program in which English is not their native tongue and were held to a high American standard in terms of study participation and expectations, and high quality works produced in APA style.
A common theme shared among the program's participants is everyone's desire to gain more knowledge about the field of distance education. In the future, I envision DE to be more of an available commodity made available to most people around the globe much like televisions and cell phones. To that end, I've thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in the UMUC OMDE program as it has enlightened my world, education and vision.
Feeling overly confident in my technical skills in my previous master program, I decided to take four OMDE courses simultaneously my first semester in the OMDE program. What was I thinking? Let me make this perfectly clear: technical skills does NOT exactly equate to DE knowledge and skills. Yes, I did pass all of my classes with satisfactory grades; however, the OMDE program became my entire life that first semester as I learned there was a great deal more to DE than I could have imagined. What at first seemed like the Royal Gorge, was really more like the Grand Canyon. As a result, the subsequent semesters I began taking only 2 courses at a time (undoubtedly a more respectable pace).
One of the amazing benefits of the OMDE program is the ability to learn from expert practioners in the distance education field and from various faculty members across the globe as full time instructors or visiting professors. Each brings a unique perspective and their expertise to the virtual classroom. For example, while distance education in the US appears to have sprung up during the era of the internet in most Americans eyes, other forms of DE (e.g. print-based programs, radio) actually existed decades and even more than a century beforehand. In my first OMDE class (601) I learned that other countries and non-US institutions implemented DE programs long before DE became more prevalent in the US.
Likewise, one of the benefits of studying in a virtual classroom is student diversity. It is not unheard of to have students from around the globe in the same classroom. I marvel at the foreign students desire to participate in an English-based program in which English is not their native tongue and were held to a high American standard in terms of study participation and expectations, and high quality works produced in APA style.
A common theme shared among the program's participants is everyone's desire to gain more knowledge about the field of distance education. In the future, I envision DE to be more of an available commodity made available to most people around the globe much like televisions and cell phones. To that end, I've thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in the UMUC OMDE program as it has enlightened my world, education and vision.