What has your college experience been like - if you have attended already - if not, do you have plans to go to college? As I state in my blog's tagline, "Learning is a lifelong experience. eLearning makes it more convenient."
Come along on my college journey, which still isn't complete!
I was one of those who went directly to college the fall after graduating from high school. Back then (1970s), that was the "normal" course of action. The majority of my fellow learners were also in their late teens and early twenties. I remember being alarmed over having to spend $200 or so on books for an entire semester...how times have changed, as you can now spend that much on ONE book, as I mentioned in my previous post about books. I attended Nyack College in New York and graduated in 1980 with a B.A. in psychology.
Fast forward to the 1980s and 1990s, when I married and raised a family. During those decades, I began to hear more about distance education - primarily through correspondence schools like Ashworth College and Penn Foster College (both of which have gone through name changes since back then and I honestly can't tell you what those names used to be!) I did enroll in, and complete, a writing course through the Institute of Children's Literature. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to take forever, waiting for the mail!
I looked into Ashworth and Penn Foster in the 1990s, and at that point, they were beginning to offer online options. In the late 1990s into 2002 or so, I enrolled in a few programs at both places, but got promptly sidetracked from completing any during some significant family and personal upheavals.
As I entered the "empty nest" syndrome, moved, and remarried, my new husband encouraged me to go back to school, since I delayed doing so for over 20 years. For awhile, I did a combination of online and on-campus classes through a state university and community college. I did complete an associate degree in education, under a speech therapy concentration, at KVCC in Maine. I definitely preferred online courses, as opposed to driving an hour ONE way to attend classes during my last semester!
Immediately after that, I enrolled in an M.Ed. program - fully online - through AIU. Much to my amazement, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA in 2007, with my M.Ed. degree in Instructional Technology. Then, in 2009, that perpetual "lifelong learning" urge struck again, and after researching, I discovered Northcentral University offered doctorate programs - FULLY ONLINE - with no residency requirements!
That is where I am now in my college journey - several courses into my Ed.D. program, in a dual concentration of Educational Technology and E-Learning. Oh, and trying to get back into my several programs through Ashworth and Penn Foster, as well!
How about you? Any readers care to share your college experiences?
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College life seems far behind, but now I take language classes, and the joy of having a student community around me is still attractive.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, hope to see some more for the month.
ReplyDeleteI did my B post on my education, which I'm still doing! It's all been by distance, which has been challenging, but worthwhile.
I did four years in the early 70s right after I got out of high school. It was a state school, University of Tennessee, and very inexpensive at the time. I dropped out as I neared graduation and got sidetracked by other things. I went back to a private college when I was age 55 and finally got a BS degree in Business Management. It was fun and it was exciting to finally have my degree, but now I am somewhat regretful as I pay off a student loan after having lost my job not long after I got that degree and not finding another one in a bad job market.
ReplyDeleteAt least I can say I am a college graduate.
Lee
Tossing It Out