If you are an adult non-traditional student, managing work, family or both, consider responding to this note. Without revealing where you attend school, please tell us what your school could do better to help you reach your educational goals.
If you have a story that illustrates your suggestion, include it too!
Thanks,
Dr. Deborah Snyder, Professor and Marketing Consultant
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2 comments:
I'm a 49-year old female college student - a distance learner some 2,000 miles from my University. I have been in this process of working toward a BSBA for 35 years - I'm happy to say I'll grace the stage in August of this year to acquire that degree.
I have to say that it is frustrating to see the quality of leadership our University enlists to teach college-age students. I have had several professors in the past 2 years that couldn't even communicate effectively with us. Their grammaatical skills were more a level of high school students, and their attitude certainly didn't display a concern or interest in their responsibilities to students.
I believe every university should strive to employ only those individuals who display the ability to communicate effectively, since interaction wth students is a large part of their instructional responsibility. That holds especially true for those of us who are distance learners, who don't have the face-to-face interaction with our instructors.
I am the opposite of the baby boomer returning to work, Im 28 years old, newly married working full time in sales that requires about 40% travel, and a small business owner. One of the largest challenges I had to overcome that transitioned me into non-traditional student status was the need to have a job and experience while pursuing first a BA and now an MBA. With scheduling the way it is, online classes were the only way I could ever complete my degree.
I come from a low middle class family that struggled with the concept of higher education, not its value, just the ability to pay for it. I have worked since before the end of high school full time, at times just to make ends meet, and to pay for college on my own.
Many friends who did the ground and pound traditional schooling have a Master's degree 6 years after graduating high school and no experience or business sense, and HUGE student loans. They wonder after 6 years of school why they get passed over for jobs even though they had excellent grades. By the time I earn my MBA in 2009 I’ll have a few years professional selling and management experience and a degree that verifies what I learned in the real world.
The only real weakness I see regarding nontraditional programs is the lack of networking throughout the jaunt through professional level school. There are no handshakes, just emails and no friendly faces, just screen names. The old adage "It's not just what you know, it is who you know" holds true. If there was a way to increase networking without implementing online "group projects" I would be first (to log in?) in line for the class.
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