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E-LEARNING
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GET YOUR DEGREE WITHOUT EVER LEAVING HOME.
By Jane Beckerdite
Neither time nor distance are excuses any longer for having a lack of education. Most colleges and universities in the
St. Louis region offer Internet-based coursework, also called distance learning. With little more than a home computer, students can master the works of Shakespeare or earn an MBA–all from the comfort of their homes.
State Rep. Clint Zweifel, of Florissant, did just that. In 2001, Zweifel received his master of business administration degree through the online MBA program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
“I picked the online MBA program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis for several reasons,” Zweifel says. “The time factor was the main one, since I was already involved in politics and didn’t have the time needed to dedicate toward a weekly classroom course. The program at UMSL is one of the best. Having the same cohort group of people together throughout the program allowed me to meet a great mix of folks from different fields outside of my own,” he says.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Professional MBA program was the first of its kind in the region and remains St. Louis’ only AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)-accredited online MBA, says Dr. Thomas Eyssell, director of graduate business programs at UMSL.
 Dr. Thomas Eyssell, director of graduate business programs at UMSL |
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“Essentially an accelerated, Internet-enhanced weekend program, the format allows students to reduce the time spent on campus, without eliminating the important interaction and networking opportunities that arise in the classroom. The program is a
23-month program, which includes once a month meetings, in addition to weekly coursework via the Internet. Our faculty are nationally respected scholars who have published numerous articles and books in their respective fields, and engage in extensive real-world consulting.”
Distance learning isn’t new–it’s just hitched a hi-tech ride on the back of correspondence courses. Before technology, distance learning was limited to receiving course materials in the mail, completing assignments, mailing in papers and being graded by a professor one never met. Today, however, e-learning is much more personal and interactive, and allows
students to achieve a more intimate out-of-classroom style of learning than before.
Comedian Woody Allen says “Eighty
percent of success is showing up.”
Not true when speaking of distance
education–something that is gaining fame among busy students and working adults who simply don’t have the time to show up for class.
“I work a 40-hour a week job, along with two other jobs on the side at various times, so a continuous scheduled time block was not available in my schedule to take a
traditional class. The telecourse worked perfectly with my schedule and I could work on it whenever I had free time,” says Laura Will, who took advantage of televised lectures on KETC Channel 9, in conjunction with St. Louis Community College.
Shirley Regains, who works 10 hours a day, also appreciates the value of
Channel 9’s telecourses. “This allows me time to spend at home and complete my studies. I only have to go on campus two nights a week, instead of four nights. Telecourses allow me to work at my own pace, avoid highway traffic at rush hour and prevent the need for clocking out early from work to make classes.”
Amy Shaw, Director of Education Services with KETC Channel 9 said more than 17,000 students each year participate in distance learning services through Channel 9, offered in partnership with the following colleges that make up the Missouri Illinois Telelearning Consortium (MITCO):
• East Central College
• Jefferson College
• St. Charles Community College
• Southwestern Illinois College
• St. Louis Community College
• University of Missouri-St. Louis
• Mineral Area College
• Lewis and Clark Community College
A misconception about distance learning is that its course work is less rigorous than that found in classes where students sit and attend lectures in person–in other words, that e-classes are blow-off classes. Zweifel disagrees, saying he doesn’t believe the online MBA degree he received was any less difficult to earn than one from a traditional classroom program.
“I feel the online program takes dedication and discipline,” he says.
And he’s not alone. Students in distance classes must be dedicated and perhaps even more regimented because, after all, their time is their own. Jeff Duncan, who earned an online MBA in 2001 from Webster University, agrees. Duncan says he even believes that an online degree helped further his career more than a traditional education would have.
Duncan, a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, is now the Director of Continuing Education & Workforce at Independence Community College in Kansas.
“I was truly impressed with Webster’s online MBA program. The instructors were responsive, the material was challenging, and I completed the program with a feeling of accomplishment. I really believe that the fact that it was online is one of the reasons that I got an interview–and ultimately–the job that I have today. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to seriously study business.”
Jahna Kahrhoff, of the Academic Distance Learning Center at Webster University, says the online courses at Webster meet the same academic standards, have the same start and end dates, and are taught by the same
faculty as on-site courses.
“The courses are taught in an asynchronous mode, but with weekly requirements and deadlines, meaning that within a span of
each week students can log in when it is
convenient for them, but they are required to complete weekly readings and assignments and participate in weekly discussions. Courses are limited to 16 students, so there is a lot of opportunity for interaction and group work.” Even students with advanced degrees can take web-based classes. In fact, many instructors are thrilled at the notion of
distance learning because it offers more information to more students.
“The Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis class was taught from Kansas City University. Reaction Engineering for Environmentally Benign Processes was taught from Washington University in St. Louis,” said Leonard W. Massey, Media and Technical Support Specialist at Washington University in St. Louis. “The distance learning in this instance was developed to enhance students exposure to the research into environmentally beneficial catalysis. In terms that don’t need to be deciphered, this means learning how to develop production methods that reduces toxins.
“Has it been beneficial? I would posit that any time you expose students to the best
of the best in any given field, you’ve created benefit.”
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